How many of you use 4 wheelers hunting?

I use a 4-wheeler a little. I use one to carry all my stuff to camp.
I will use one to get the elk out if it's legal.
I very rarely hunt off of one.

Now it seems that the whole craze is the side by sides. We get many, many out of staters that zip up and down the forest service roads on them.

I use one to pack deer out.

Years ago, all the guys at camp had 4 wheelers so I bought a Subaru with one bucket seat for $50.00 from a junk yard and put chains on all 4 tires.
My 4 wheeler had a heater.
I painted it camo, put some foglights on it and named it "Hop Sing" since the camp name was "The Ponderosa" and I was the only one not related to anyone.


A LATE EDIT: I do wan't to clarify that I only drove up to near my tree stand which was impossible for me to walk to. It also hauled deer kills down the mountain. I did not "road hunt" from this thing. The property was also only hunted by 6 guys total and was privately owned property.

Trucks, 4 wheelers, tractors, AR's and AK's do not make it past the club house during hunting season at my camp.

Some states don't allow them on many public hunting areas. Ohio doesn't.

jim in Anchorage said:

Where would it not be legal? Federal land? Why? Not being a wise guy but I hunt state land and could use a bulldozer if I wish.

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Arizona doesn't allow them in certain areas because they say it tears up the land and destroys natural habitat.

If caught in my state, if caught with a round in the chamber while driving anything in your hunting unit during the hunt, and with a tag, is considered road hunting, thus it's illegal.

I don't personally have a problem with someone using them to get from A to B, but these idiots that literally drive up and down the forest service roads hoping to get a lucky shot from the road, those folks don't even get a howdy or wave from us. And if we see them shooting from one, it gets reported.

GS

I use a Kawasaki mule

Kubota RTV...

i use a old yami bear tracker to pack in and out. eastbank.

When hunting ? Every chance I get!

I belonged to a 6500 acre club. The trucks were tearing up the dirt logging roads so we banned trucks. Everyone used a 4 wheeler once they came out (3-wheelers before that) or a golf cart.

The roads are getting so bad at our hunting club that I have been thinking about getting one or putting a lift kit on my truck so I can put some big tires on it . There are some roads that I can't drive down now . I also hate having my truck covered in mud for four months .

I would estimate that about 25% of our members use a 4 wheeler now .

On our lease they are used to pack out animals and on mountain trails mostly. I do believe they 'TELL" deer where you are traveling. The reason is other times of the year no 4-wheelers are on our lease.

I use the Kawasaki mules more than 4 wheelers these days when it's real cold if I am worried about getting stuck. If the road is good enough a truck is even more comfortable.

If I am walking and get something I generally just come back and get it with the tractor/FEL and just dress them hanging from the bucket.

That said if I can't get there via 4 wheeler I likely wouldn't want to drag an animal out of there but I do things differently than I did when I was spry.

FWIW if you hang a feeder on the back of any vehicle and if you see an animal you want to attract, throw out corn as you pass by they will come to you eventually.

Like starting a tractor has cows running to where your going to put out hay. Or slamming the old truck door causes the water to erupt where you throw out fish food. The noise isn't scary, it's a dinner bell.

Years ago, all the guys at camp had 4 wheelers so I bought a Subaru with one bucket seat for $50.00 from a junk yard and put chains on all 4 tires.
My 4 wheeler had a heater.
I painted it camo, put some foglights on it and named it "Hop Sing" since the camp name was "The Ponderosa" and I was the only one not related to anyone.

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lol
outstanding!

I use a 15 year old Honda Rancher to haul stands in and deer out but otherwise not regularly when hunting. I rebuilt the carb with a kit last year, new spark plug, and put a new choke cable on it but that is all I've ever done except patch a couple flat tires.

From our CO game regs:

Contact each public land management agency
for their current motor vehicle-use rules, regulations,
game retrieval specifications and hours, and
agency maps. Most areas do not allow off-trail
game retrieval w/any motorized vehicle. If you
witness or observe a violation of OHV misuse on
public lands, please report it to any law enforcement
officer in that area.

As Bobson points out, the land impact is too much here. Maybe it's the sheer numbers who do it, or the soil makeup that doesn't heal quick enough. Either way, CO requires one to stray on existing/approved trails regardless the reason one wants to do otherwise (i.e. retrieve game).

I have an ATV but it is solely a home property management tool, not used for recreation. I figure the day I need an ATV to get beyond the road/trail, it's time to take up fishing again. Each to their own though, until they start riding all over hell off road/trail.

Andy

There are very few places here in GA where you can use one on public land. There are a few designated trails. But on private property, hunt clubs and leases they are VERY popular. I have one, have never used it to hunt, but that will probably change next year. I've always hunted public land where they are not allowed. Probably gonna break down and spend the money to join a hunt club next year.

Yep, I use my Polaris RZR to get back and forth from the woods but I don't hunt from it. It's great for spending a few days camping with a little off road trailer.

jim in Anchorage said:

Where would it not be legal? Federal land? Why? Not being a wise guy but I hunt state land and could use a bulldozer if I wish.

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You probably hunt in the interior, BUT that's NOT true for all of the state land in Alaska...

DM

I find that most big game is found at least a mile beyond the wilderness/no motorized vehicle signs. That may be because a hunter on foot can hear 4-wheelers coming for 10-15 minutes before they show up on the trail.

That depends on where you're hunting. On large tracts of wilderness in most western states probably true. In the more populated eastern states deer or other big game animals are in close contact with humans on a daily basis. They think nothing of a farmer riding in a truck or ATV around the property doing chores. During hunting season a hunter using an ATV to get back onto the property raises no alarm.