For the first time in my hunting life I am concluding not owning an ATV is affecting my hunting, or at the very least my mindset. I now almost always hunt by myself, I'll be 56 next season, still working affects my time in the field. Its not the walking to and from some areas but there have been times this season where I didn't hunt where I really wanted because getting one out in muddy, sloppy conditions would have been extremely difficult even with my game cart, causing me to miss work and not counting exhaustion. I have a few buds with ATV's but I cannot count on them always being available. It looks like I'll be shopping for one before next season. I'm finding it almost necessary if I want to hunt more effectively on some land where I hunt...........anyone else?
I don't find it necessary to my hunting, just to my recovering. There isn't anywhere that I hunt that I need it to get into, but there is some areas that it would be hell to get a deer out of without one. It's also vital to my food plot planting.
I don't ever use mine for hunting...sometimes for recovery like Ben said, but even then, rarely. I'm still young:D
It depends on where I hunt. Around home in farm land I dont. When I head up north not a requirement but it sure makes it alot easier getting a 225 buck out from a mile + in the woods all by yourself.
I don't use mine for anyting but recovery as well (when deer hunting), but I often use it while spring turkey hunting, I can easily and quickly get around the woods and change set-up locations if the birds don't do what I expect.
I would get a Bad Boy Buggy. They are more conducive to productive hunting, IMO. Look for a used one. I personally hate 4-wheelers and the way people ride them around our area. Very unsafe compared to a BBB. Good luck, and don't blame you one bit.
LOL! Nah, just my land is easily accessible by vehicle or I can drag to some point near a tractor road.
You can get up to a $5950 tax break from the government by buying a Bad Boy Buggy till the end of the year. They classify as an electric "Green" vehicle. Check out their website for details. http://www.badboybuggies.com/
No need for an ATV for me, I hike in to all the spots I hunt, even in the mountains up north. I will however use the tractor to recover deer at my place in PA, and Dan has a 6wd ranger for recovery at his place. When we kill deer up north though, we recover the old fashioned way, no wheelers on Adirondack Park property.
Necessary? Who finds a gambrel "necessary"? I find it "handy". Hunting NC, I KNOW I save a ton of sweating.....riding to a spot (my honey hole) and parking about 3-400yds from my hunting area (this saves me a 1/2mi. hiking). I park about 100yds off the road and it's still hidden from passers-by. When I hunt the farm around the corner (about 3/4mi. away), I sometimes ride the ATV and sometimes take the Yukon (though I'm buying a truck, this week). Even still, I walk upwards of 3/4mi. to some of my spots. "Necessary"? No. "Handy"? Surely. I did drive it within 50yds of the doe I shot last Saturday to recover, but that was a "next morning" recovery. I usually don't take it closer than 300yds from my honey hole.....and I've never taken it much further than where I park it on the neighboring farm to retrieve.
when it's a wet year like this one, even my 4x4 truck would only go so far, then it was a 1/4 to 1/2 mile walk to the woods, i dont need to piss off the farmer by rutting up his field roads, atv is the only way in/out . i do suggest finding the quietest model you can find, some of the exhaust on some of these bikes are like a 5.0 mustang going thru the woods. if your $$$ ahead i also vote for the bbb
I use mine everytime I hunt. Yes I'm lazy. It's 1.5 miles to the back side of our property and I wouldn't think of walking there unless I had to. As for the noise. I got one of those Stealth mufflers and it's unbelievable at how much it cuts down on the noise. My 660 is now quieter than a gas powered golf cart. It's a great investment for any quad and I highly suggest it.
Getting in and out of my property is much easier due to the farmer/landowner not wanting cars and trucks back on his land.4 wheelers tread much lighter so I can ride in and then walk wherever I need to go which is what I do then recover with the 4 wheeler. Necessary,not exactlt but they do make for easier work.
Ok, most of you have corrected me and rightfully so. I guess its not necessary for the actual hunting aspect, but for recovery in some instances. What I really meant was when the weather has made some farmers lanes off limits there has been a few times when I didn't hunt a couple of places simply because it was going to be unbelievably difficult to recover an animal in conjunction with time constraints at the time.
Check your local laws on the bbb. In mn they are considerd a ohv not a atv. That means they can not leave the trail. Where the atv can.
