ATV or No?

[WyoDoug]

One thing about ATVs that most experienced hunters know, is that wild game know what that sound is. When I say I use an ATV to get from Point A to Point B, Point B is usually the start of my hike of about 1-3 miles in. I don't care if you are hunting deer, antelope, moose, or elk or any other big game, they have come to associate ANY motors with threat. Your advantage is always going to be while you are on foot and having the quietest engine possible during your approach. You WILL see SOME game on ATVs or hanging to the roads BUT you will see a lot more and better quality animals getting away from the roads on foot. Right now in my elk area, when I took that picture of the elk on the road that some of you saw posted, I was on a borrrowed ATV. Now if I tried that during hunting, they would be long gone before I even saw them. ATV has it's advantage when used as a tool but not when used to get to the start of your stalk. I got several areas picked out and I am playing the game against ATVers and road hunters by going in a mile or two and waiting for hunting pressure to push them my way.

 

[WyoDoug]

Some of the two tracks in Wyoming if there is much rain at all are deeply rutted. That is where I use an ATV. But I don't take the ATV to my actually hunt spots. I get about a half mile to a mile away, then walk in.

 

[Sytes]

Fire away, be gentle

HT is as gentle as you'll find on internet hunt sites.

That said, I tow my utv when I find shuttling works best. Over a ridge with fs road on other side, etc...

Outside that, and a special location that provides a utv/atv access route, if my truck won't make it, I'm on foot.

Best to ya, if your good to bring it... bring it. The ole gun logic, imo... better to have and not need than to need and not have.

 

[badlander]

One thing about ATVs that most experienced hunters know, is that wild game know what that sound is. When I say I use an ATV to get from Point A to Point B, Point B is usually the start of my hike of about 1-3 miles in. I don't care if you are hunting deer, antelope, moose, or elk or any other big game, they have come to associate ANY motors with threat. Your advantage is always going to be while you are on foot and having the quietest engine possible during your approach. You WILL see SOME game on ATVs or hanging to the roads BUT you will see a lot more and better quality animals getting away from the roads on foot. Right now in my elk area, when I took that picture of the elk on the road that some of you saw posted, I was on a borrrowed ATV. Now if I tried that during hunting, they would be long gone before I even saw them. ATV has it's advantage when used as a tool but not when used to get to the start of your stalk. I got several areas picked out and I am playing the game against ATVers and road hunters by going in a mile or two and waiting for hunting pressure to push them my way.

I have no idea where to elk hunt that I could ride an ATV to start a stalk?!

The closest elk I’ve seen to a road was at least 3/4mi away. Most much further. That’s in areas that I might be able to see 100y on a good day.

 

[JLS]

I know of more than one spot in central Montana where you'll beat the ever loving snot out of a pickup to get up a designated road. I'd bring it.

 

[Jmnhunter]

hauling a trailer that far would be a PITA, if you put it in your bed, you should be able to strap the coolers on your atv racks and or a hitch carrier and store the rest of the gear in the cab (given you have atleast a extended cab)

 

[WyoDoug]

I have no idea where to elk hunt that I could ride an ATV to start a stalk?!

The closest elk I’ve seen to a road was at least 3/4mi away. Most much further. That’s in areas that I might be able to see 100y on a good day.

I usually walk a half mile to a mile in myself. I am also a meat hunter with two cow tags and a general. So rules are a little different than if I were hunting a trophy though this year I am holding the general for second week of my hunt unless I see 6x6 or better.

 

[Jwill]

I agree with one of the posters above, find a way to put it in the bed of your truck and bring it. If you're solo you shouldn't have that much crap to haul, lol.

 

[WyoDoug]

I haul the ATC I borrow from my neighbor in the back of my pickup. I would have been pulling a popup camper but someone is helping me make my retirement an epic hunt which I will cover when I post my hunt live. But seriously, most ATVs will fit in the back of your pickup and the ramps made for that are cheap and you can get them from places like Harbor Freight or any stores that deal in ATVs.

 

[badlander]

I’ve thought of putting it in the back of my truck. I’ve got a 4dr with a 6.5’ box and I have ramps.

My plan has been to leave my topper on and just road camp out of that if I’m not sleeping in the woods someplace.

I could give that up and just plan to tent it next to the truck if I’m not in the woods. Something bigger than my SG sky-air at least a few nights sounded pretty good though.

Im not Sanford and Sons talented enough to try and strap two 150qt coolers on top of an ATV and haul that 1/3 the way across the country, then load/unload strap and restrap every time I need to relocate. I’d have to try and get it all in the cab then. Ugh.

 

[brnsvllyjohn]

I have never hunted the area you are talking about but I do hunt a lot by myself for deer. I always take my quad and use it to drive the really bad roads and to do one way hunts. It is easier on my back to ride a quad than to drive my truck on the really bad roads. For one way hunts I typically park my truck somewhere then ride the quad a long distance away and hunt back to my truck. I may not always go all the way to my truck but if I need to I can. Where I hunt it tends to be very steep so I can try to hunt level or downhill to my truck. Obviously the roads have to be good enough to drive my truck back to my quad but it does open up some areas I might not go into if I had to climb back up.

 

[D4570]

If your hunting in "Central MT" your not going to be camping in the forest anyway...
Ever hear of MT gumbo?
Bring the ATV trailer or not. You can't go anywhere that your truck can't go but you may NOT want to take your truck where you can go...
Any number road on BLM land is drivable, many I do not want to take my truck on.

 

[badlander]

If your hunting in "Central MT" your not going to be camping in the forest anyway...
Ever hear of MT gumbo?
Bring the ATV trailer or not. You can't go anywhere that your truck can't go but you may NOT want to take your truck where you can go...
Any number road on BLM land is drivable, many I do not want to take my truck on.

Not sure what you consider “Central MT”. Maybe I’m way off base. Somewhere near the middle of the state seems like Central.

To my dumb eastern rear end the breaks are in the NE. No I’m not hunting the breaks, or eastern MT. Yes I’ve heard of gumbo. Hunted in it in Eastern and SE MT many times.

In the National Forest North West of Helena, where I have hunted previously, unless things have changed since last year I will be in the forest.

Thanks for setting this Easterner straight!

 

[SAJ-99]

@badlander, First make sure your purchase a OHV permit from FWP ($35). Second, if you want to park it on road at B and drive to A and hunt A to B, no one is going to have a problem with that. They also have use in setting up a base camp and then driving to another satellite spot to hunt. Again, no one will give you a second glance. Want to want 4 miles, kill an elk and then use the ATV to get it out between the 10-2 game retrieval hours, that is respected by your fellow hunters. It may suck if I'm sitting a water hole at noon and you drive by, but tough luck for me. you are doing what is right at the right time. If you drive that thing through the woods, off-road with 2 buddies on the back at 5 am to cut a mile or two off your walk, you are going to piss people off. If you don't care, go ahead. Everyone else does. You get to define the group you want to be in.

 

[SAJ-99]

If by central Montana you mean the breaks, then absolutely bring it.

A little piece of me died when I read this.

 

[badlander]

This post is headed where I was worried it would.

As a quick refresher to those who didn’t read the OP:

As I mentioned in my original post, I am aware of the the OHV permit. Also, the need for a spark arrestor which my machine has.

I am hunting solo so no worries about me hauling 2 buddies off road anyplace. I honestly have never seen an ATV off road in the area. Lots of ATV and UTV on the roads though.

The roads in my area are almost all open to pickups. The only reason I’m considering it is so I can hunt thru, not in/out in areas since I’ll be out there solo. If I had 2 pickups out there I wouldn’t bother bringing it.

 

[badlander]

A little piece of me died when I read this.

To me that’s NE right?

I live in MN, to me that’s Central US too but, I’m an Easterner when I get to MT too.

Geography was hard for me.

 

[SAJ-99]

To me that’s NE right?

I live in MN, to me that’s Central US too but, I’m an Easterner when I get to MT too.

Geography was hard for me.

No. The Breaks is as about as central as you can get in Montana. Maybe the snowies but when people say “central” it typically means the Breaks. My dying ember was in reference to the Atv use in the Breaks.

 

[MTLabrador]

No. The Breaks is as about as central as you can get in Montana. Maybe the snowies but when people say “central” it typically means the Breaks. My dying ember was in reference to the Atv use in the Breaks.

I know, it kills me too... But I’ve also been chained up on all 4 getting stuck in the gumbo when we weren’t expecting rain. I wished I had an ATV, or better yet a boat.

 

[amo16]

@badlander, First make sure your purchase a OHV permit from FWP ($35). Second, if you want to park it on road at B and drive to A and hunt A to B, no one is going to have a problem with that. They also have use in setting up a base camp and then driving to another satellite spot to hunt. Again, no one will give you a second glance. Want to want 4 miles, kill an elk and then use the ATV to get it out between the 10-2 game retrieval hours, that is respected by your fellow hunters. It may suck if I'm sitting a water hole at noon and you drive by, but tough luck for me. you are doing what is right at the right time. If you drive that thing through the woods, off-road with 2 buddies on the back at 5 am to cut a mile or two off your walk, you are going to piss people off. If you don't care, go ahead. Everyone else does. You get to define the group you want to be in.

With all due respect, if anyone is hunting somewhere where their hunt can be negatively impacted by the legal use of an ATV by another hunter (or non hunter for that matter), then the fault is that person's alone.