RE: Hunting with Mtn bikes?
Montau released a bike to the public in 2000 I think it was that was originally sanctioned by U.S.A.F. paratroopers, it collapses to be not much larger than the wheels. It' s not a suspension bike, but it is a Y-yoke frame, so the flexion of the frame makes it good for hunting applications, and you can guarantee that being a Montau, let alone on a military sanction, it will stand the test of time! I can' t remember how much it weighs, but I remember thinking to myself at the time that it was impressively light, even compared to Ally-alloy frame mountain bikes. Wouldn' t be great if you were wanting to use a cart too, unless you built a collapsable cart, but it keeps someone from stealing your bike, since you can simply pack it with you.
I' ve used bikes a lot during hunts, I don' t as much as I used to, since I' m more dedicated specifically to morning blinds, and riding a bike in pitch black through the woods at 4am is more treacherous than it' s worth, but I used them for a lot of evening hunts, riding a bike (as long as it' s not a squeak box!) is quieter than me walking through the downed leaves, and crossing long spanses of pasture goes MUCH faster, for the scenario you described, I' d be riding! For all of my stuff, I' ve always packed it ALL on my person, so I didn' t depend on the bike for that (i.e. the gun rack on yours). Is your bike a quick break down (wheels that is?)? I wouldn' t plan on being able to ride your bike out with a deer in the cart, maybe on the ' road' , but definately not in the fields, unless you' re really lucky, so you' ll probably need a way to fit your bike on your cart with the deer, taking off your wheels would help this (I used to pack my bikes on my back like this, had some straps that locked the wheels on and cinched up the chain a bit, and kept the front fork parallel to the fram).
As far as the cart goes, just go to a bike shop, and check out the factory bike carts/kid carts, that' ll give you an idea of how to mount it, I think if I were building one, or converting an existing cart to fit a bike, I' d take a piece of pipe, cut it about 2.5" long, and cut through one side down the length, then weld two bolt and nut brackets to the gap side, then put bolts with wing nuts through them to fix it tight (slip it over the seat jack and tighten it). Then, I' d find a couple pieces of pipe, one that fits into the other, cut to whatever length will be handy for the length of your cart handles, and weld a large lag bolt into one a couple inches in (at least 3" in), then slip the other pipe into it over a bearing pack from a bike wheel, then weld a washer into the other end of it, slip that hole over the bolt, put in another bearing pack, and put on a washer and two nuts, torqued against eachother to keep them tight. Then, bore a hole through the clamp so you can access the nut still, and weld the clamp piece to the tounge piece, and do the same thing for a clamp on the other end to fit it to the handle on your cart, but put a STRONG hinge between the tounge and the clamp. Sounds like a lot, but it really wouldn' t be that bad, I promise that. Doing it this way would give you all the mobility you' d need.