Who hunts with a dirt bike?

[IdahoElk]

I recently picked up a Yamaha BW 200 that I am going to run on trails open to motorcycles only, should work great for that.

That's a great bike for hunting,it's low and stable.

 

[Blockcaver]

I ran 3 different Honda Trials bikes......a couple of 1976 era TL250s that were great Colorado single track and grown in mining road "mules" plus a mid 80's TL?200 (Not very good).

The 250s went very slow in low gear, had a super low saddle height, were quiet and only weighed 210#s dry due to the magnesium block.....very light for a 4-stroke 250 of that era. However I sold my last one in about 2007 as they were getting hard to find parts for and rubber components were deteriorating on mine. The Honda XR250R I got to replace it wasn't a good hunting machine for me as it was way too tall. They did get great gas mileage.

Anyway, I packed out a bighorn ram and mulie I arrowed, carried my backpack camps to the end of the legal motorized accesses for years and packed in tons of bear bait a couple of springs on them. It is a handful to ride with a heavy pack on but you learn to do it. I never used panniers but suspect they would have been great versus the weight up higher in a frame pack.

Now I find 4 wheels to be more practical and stable and wouldn't go back to the bikes.

 

[mchrist4]

How do you lock up your bike in the backcountry? You feel comfortable leaving it for a couple days?

 

[Phaseolus]

There was a guy who persisted in riding his moto into the west elk wilderness. He would lock it to a tree. The USFS was helpless. Someone (Who beat me to it) decomissioned it.

 

[IdahoElk]

How do you lock up your bike in the backcountry? You feel comfortable leaving it for a couple days?

Not many if any people hunt the spots I ride to so I just park off trail and out of sight. If you're on more used trails a cable lock works.

 

[Downeaster]

Ive got a decked out tw200. Its a pretty sweet hunting rig(low, quiet, and decked out to carry), but the lack of power to weight kinda has been gnawing at me in the off-season. Been thinking about trading towards a WR or a DR. Havent made up my mind yet, but im building a sweet full suspension E-bike, so my dirtbiking needs may shift more towards performance in the future. Bikes definitely have a place here. Best of luck

 

[Smash]

I’ve contemplated taking my ktm 520 exc with me out west. I use it for white tail scouting here in Michigan but I don’t use it during hunting season because these damn deer are spooked so easily.

It is an awesome bike as I can tractor up hills, race my buddies, put around looking for game, and also head into town for lunch.

The downside is that it is also a fickle bitch and requires a lot of love and preventative maintenance. If I did take it and use it on a two week hut. And rode for an hour or so every day from a base camp it would need an oil change before the end of the trip. If I was only using it at the beginning and end of the trip to get back to a spot and not reigning for a week I think I would rather have just walked in.

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[ACC]

My son and I used a couple CRF250Ls last year in NM they worked out great.

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[blackdawg]

I bought a TW200 yesterday. It’s primary purpose will be to help hide my hunting spots, both public and private from the locals who are always ready to do anything for a buck. I hope to get it setup for hauling tree stands, bows and rifles soon. It will however also be used in a few single track areas and I will hopefully decide if this was a good or bad idea, not selling the s x s anytime soon.


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[Where's Bruce?]

I may be purchasing one of these electric motocross bikes for silent travel on private property.

Even regular mountain bikes are prohibited in the public lands I hunt.

 

[husky390]

I bought this V-Strom last September and hope to use it for some scouting trips this summer. It'll work on forest roads but no single track. Either way, it's a lot more fun than driving a truck.

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[BrushyHillGuide]

I may be purchasing one of these electric motocross bikes for silent travel on private property.

Even regular mountain bikes are prohibited in the public lands I hunt.

What does something like that cost and what is it’s range, say, on flat ground? That would be pretty awesome for finding hogs to spot and stalk here at the ranch and for moving from spot to spot when calling. It looks awesome but also pretty expensive.


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[Crippledsledge64]

Its got to be nice to have one to help pack out, especially in some of that steep country in Idaho. That being said my goal is to hunt areas away from the sounds of dirt bikes, atvs, etc. They just interrupt some of the peacefulness for me. Each to their own, they definitely seem handy, especially when you need to get way back in there! Question though, anybody have any issues meeting horses on the trails when using these? Do they spook them?

 

[IdahoElk]

Its got to be nice to have one to help pack out, especially in some of that steep country in Idaho. That being said my goal is to hunt areas away from the sounds of dirt bikes, atvs, etc. They just interrupt some of the peacefulness for me. Each to their own, they definitely seem handy, especially when you need to get way back in there! Question though, anybody have any issues meeting horses on the trails when using these? Do they spook them?

I like to single track all summer and when encountering horses I pull off the trail, take my helmet of and talk to the rider,have not had any issues to date.
When hunting I'll take my bike in a few miles,park it and then hike in one to two more miles depending on where I camp,the last few miles are trailless so I don't hear anything but Elk bugling.

 

[Crippledsledge64]

I like to single track all summer and when encountering horses I pull off the trail, take my helmet of and talk to the rider,have not had any issues to date.
When hunting I'll take my bike in a few miles,park it and then hike in one to two more miles depending on where I camp,the last few miles are trailless so I don't hear anything but Elk bugling.

Sounds like a nice set up, ever worry about theft though?

 

[IdahoElk]

Sounds like a nice set up, ever worry about theft though?

Not really,where I go is pretty remote and have a hard time believing a random person would jump on a bike and take off but who knows?

 

[Smash]

Sounds like a nice set up, ever worry about theft though?

You could always add a key switch or if bike has any easy access spark plug you could pull it. If you get far enough back the ones who are also back there won’t be prepared to steal it or if they push it all the way out more power to them.


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[goodgrouper]

If there was easy access to the empty spark plug hole I guarantee in my area that hole would be full of dirt.

 

[pacoalcracker]

I use a 2017 Beta 430rrs to scout hunting areas. It's a very capable, light and reliable street legal 4 stroke. Of course, the 350rrs and 390rrs would work as well. The 250/300rr 2 strokes are great too, but you need to do some work to get them street legal. In my Pa area, having them street legal makes them much more useful as we don't have the large road-less expanse the west enjoys.

 

[jeffpg]

Ive got a decked out tw200. Its a pretty sweet hunting rig(low, quiet, and decked out to carry), but the lack of power to weight kinda has been gnawing at me in the off-season. Been thinking about trading towards a WR or a DR. Havent made up my mind yet, but im building a sweet full suspension E-bike, so my dirtbiking needs may shift more towards performance in the future. Bikes definitely have a place here. Best of luck

I am considering a 2001 Yamaha TW200 with 1300 miles that’s available locally for about $2k. I’d like to know how yours is decked out, what parts you used, etc.

Have you considered gearing the bike down? You’d lose top speed but pick up some grunt.

Thanks,
Jeff