Hunting ATV
 

When the heal spur started to complain and I passed up deer because they were a mile from the road I decided that I needed an ATV. I did not want to fork out for a new one, wanted a good used one, maybe a Honda Rancher, or something about that size. One day I was by an Artic Cat dealer and looked at their used ATV's. They had a Kawasaki 650 Brute Force that was three years old, ran good and half price of a new one. I told the guy I would buy it, he asked if I was experenced on an ATV, I told him I had never been on one. He was a little concerned but he sold it to me. I go in every now and then to show him that I had not broke any bones on it.

This opened up deer hunting for me and it is fun to ride. I can go most anywhere I want on it and get a deer out without any problem. I hunt with my two sons, I usually just ride around and scare up deer for them. I usually put around 20 miles on it opening weekend. This year I kicked a deer up with it that my grandson shot. His first deer, it was an eleven pointer.

I would be interested to hear from others with these fun vehicles.

i have 3 ATV's and have been riding for years. 2009 Yamaha Grizzly 550 EFI, 2011 Suzuki 400 Kind quad EFI, and a 96 Yamaha kodiak 400. the kodiak does my plowing of the driveway and work around the yard. It's one tough machine. the other 2 my wife and i trail ride in the summer. I also use them for ice fishing. I have much love for ATV's as they just fun and almost anyone can ride them no matter how old you are.

I just bought two this past year, a Polaris 750 and a Honda 200. I use them for many things but the best thing is hanging stands and putting out my trailcams. It is so much easier loading all that junk up on the ATV as opposed to carrying it all out there on your back. Can't believe I ever got by without them.

Blessings......Pastorjim

I only have one and probably not ever have more then one a time. I have had it since 2009 and have put 18 hours on it since, so I won't wear it out soon. I have only used it for deer hunting so far. This spring I will use it to spray honeylocust trees that are taking over the farm that I hunt on. If there was a trail system near I would do a little of that. At my age, speed and mud does not interest me.

ATV's have evolved over the years. The three-wheelers were popular years ago, they gave way to the four-wheelers, probably incouraged because of the stability problems that tricycle gear presented. I think they were OK if speed was limited, I never had one. My sons did have some dirt bikes as they were growing up. They would get you there and were fun to ride but would not carry more then a modest load. Now the side by sides have taken over to some extent. They can carry several people as well as cargo and are made to go most anywhere. My four-wheeler was a trade-in on a side by side, I bought it used. I think the four-wheeler is more fun to ride then the side by side, and does not cost nearly as much to buy. I used to take mine to the farm in the back of a Ford Ranger, I don't think I could do that with any of the side by sides. I have since gotten a small pull behind trailer for it, I was always afraid that I would dump it trying to get it into the truck. Also, it took up the entire truck bed so I could not haul anything but it. Am I rambling? Yes, they are fun and very handy to haul things to the woods with.

we go to west virginia almost every year to the hatfield mccoy trail system and rent atvs to ride for a weekend. Ive gone places on an atv i dont think i could have crawled thru let alone walk. One weekend we went it snowed, and just for giggles rode around in 2wd the whole time trying to get stuck, and never did. As soon as i get together a little cash, a fully outfitted atv will be in my basement

At 52 and 2 heart surgeries and 2 herniated disc I decided I needed one too.after 3 months of reading reviews and riding different brands, I went with the Polaris 500.... 4×4... after this season, I know I made the right choice.AWESOME machine.!!!

So far I have never had to put mine in 4WD except in snow around the house. I am amazed at how they will climb steep hills and not miss a beat, even with a load on. I sometimes watch the Fisher and the Polaris shows on TV, they use the Hatfield/McCoy trails every now and then. It looks like a great place to ride. Some of the guys ride them in deep mud, that has to be hard on the machine. As expensive as things are, I don't want to tear mine up. I don't want to have to go back to walking. I think all of the major builders make good machines. I have seen some off brands that were a lot cheaper then the American and ***anese brands. Maybe they are good too.

For trail work and food plots, what minimum cc's are recommended? 4WD a must? Any particular brand you would recommend? Thanks for any input!

I won't recommend a brand because I don't know enough about each one. I will say that you should def. get 4WD. Just about the time you didn't, you would end up needing it. I have one atv that is not and one that is. Before I got the 4WD, I did get the other one stuck a time or two. So just buy it up front. As far as cc's go, I wouldn't buy anything less than 350-400.

Blessings.......Pastorjim

I agree with PastorJim, for a adult I would think that 350 would be about minimum. I was looking for one between that and 500cc. I bought a 650 because it was a good machine and cheaper then the other used machines that was offered at the time. It has way more power then I need and I doubt if I could pull start it with the rope starter. Again, I have never needed 4WD, but I only use it in the hills and during dry weather, so far. But it is good knowing that I could use 4WD if needed. I would think that any of the American or ***anese brands would be good, they have made them for awhile now and should have worked the bugs out. If you can, get one that is fuel injected so you won't have to play with the choke and flood it sometimes. If money were no object and I wanted a new one, I would get a Honda Rancher. It is 420cc and fuel injected.

Thanks for the advice on ATVs Jenks and PastorJim! I will stick with at least 350 CC. And considering I am in clay that can get pretty slick, I think 4WD would be a must. Mostly just will be working some small plots, but I might end up using it for ice fishing and other stuff. I am not too much of a trail rider.

Can't count the number of times I have cussed about someone coming in driving an ATV into the forest service where they are not allowed and screwing up a setup with me working a bull elk. If it is where ATV's are allowed then so be it but I really don't like it when people drive them where they are not suppose to.:devil: Now, that being said, the older I get the more appealing they are to me. I currently do not own one, but am really considering getting one within a year or two. Packing out elk quarters is hard work and the thought of getting closer with an ATV would greatly save wear and tear on me. Sometimes I am in 4 miles one way on foot after elk. ATV's definitely have their place , especially for handicapped and elderly hunters, and hopefully in the near future, in my garage.

This is my current ATV. Gets me into places motorized vehicles are not allowed.

I don't use my ATV on public land. We have a lot of it here in a national forest and ATV's are not allowed. I do use it on a family farm where there is not supposed to be other hunters. I would be upset too if someone ran off some game that I was trying to get close to. On a farm, deer become used to tractors and don't seem to be very afraid of ATV's. I have passed within less then 100 feet of deer and sometimes they just watch me, sometimes they run. I don't carry a loaded gun on an ATV, it is in a hard plastic case strapped to the front rack. I do sometimes use the ATV to try to move deer when other family members are in stands. I used to do this on foot, but age and heel spurs stopped that.
I have not been on a trail ride, we don't have any close. I expect that it is fun, especially when in pretty country. I ride mine around the house every now and then to keep the battery charged. I live in the country and have a long driveway around the house. I did that this afternoon, in fact. I do not live on the farm that I hunt on, it is almost 300 miles away. I have a small trailer that I cart it up there on.

I'm looking at Kawasaki 750 EPS Brute Force

I own 400 acres in WV and my ATV helps me with my limited schedule. I can go in and hunt a weekend and haul me and my stuff up the mountain and hunt...without killing myself in the process.

When I go for extended periods, I usually leave it at camp. I've killed a lot of deer that I would have driven past.

I bought my current ATV 10 years ago. It is a Bombardier Quest 650 4x4. It has 2000+ miles on it and I've bought tires, filters, oil and a spark plug tube ($15). It has been a monster since the day I got it.

At this point, I think all brands are solid. The only thing is the bells and whistles. I'm not a Polaris fan myself...but to each his own. The only complaint I have about mine is that it is full time 4WD and it's a little rough to steer.

A Kaw. 750 would be a lot like my 650, just a bigger motor. The power steering would be good, mine does steer hard unless I am moving. Kind of like old vehicles before power steering. I imagine the Bombardier 650 is much the same too. They used to sell a switch and wires for about $100 to convert Honda 4WD's that did not have the 4WD on/off switch. Maybe they sell those for Bombardier too. I hardly ever have mine in 4WD, I expect it would steer harder if it was on.
Is Pulaskiville near Pulaski? My g-g-grandfather is buried somewhere in Mercer Co, WVA, not too far from Pulaski, VA. There are some bigger mountains near there, an ATV would be the ticket if I had to climb them. Beautiful country.

I'm in Ohio......

Sorry about that Pro-Line, I have VA on the brain. My wife is from there. HDMontana has another way to get there that is a whole lot better then walking. A bike would be great except when it comes to hauling out something heavy You would have to be younger then I am for it to be very attractive, too. I am trying not to use the legs too much. I expect that the dirt bikes would do well too. I guess you could haul some weight with one too, the ones that are about 125cc and up. I have heard folks from out west talk about "goats", which they described as a motorized two-wheeler that is made for the woods. With the evolution from two wheeles to four wheels and then to side by sides, we will be back to the Jeep soon. I never owned one of them, but they have to be handy.

A children's Bike trailer is a great way to haul out and elk quarter. As long as you don't have to many up hills:rolleye0011::rolleye0011