Hunting on E-bikes

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NorthBorder

NorthBorder

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Does anybody here use e-bikes on their hunting trips? I've been studying up on all the different e-bikes on the market geared for hunters and have come to a conclusion that there are a multitude of them. I have narrowed the field down to a brand called Quietkat, either the Ranger or the Pioneer. problem with the Pioneer is there are really no independent reviews. I am still looking at other brands like the Radrover 6+, or will take into consideration any bike that you guys have personal experience with. Your responses would be muchly appreciated.
 
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I haven't used them, but I have wondered if these contraptions might have some military applications. I suppose if you are successful at hunting anything bigger than a turkey, you will need a trailer. Same as for carrying a lot of gear.
 
Let's see,
Almost no noise.
No exhaust smell.
Very little to no leaking oil, that also smells.
Almost no IR signature, more IR when charging if anything.

For expeditionary forces probably not.
For regional defense forces maybe.
As far as electric vehicles in general not just bikes.
 
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I like quiet but I’ll throw this out there. I have a friend that owns one of the louder UTV’s on our property and stuff seems to follow it around. More like ringing a dinner bell than sneaking around to bait for hogs. Like this little guy that popped out right behind him.

 
I have had a Rad Wagon for some years now, but only use it on pavement. LOVE Rad (unlike many eBikes: reasonable cost, no phone synch or other BS for making it go, simple wiring so even if something goes weird you can get to it it all and just re-wiretie it, the battery is simple and external so you can go so far as to get and bring an extra, etc) and love electric. There are studies about this, but it's all true: the eBike makes you work out /more/. Gives you confidence to go far, the extra boost to tackle the worst hills, etc etc. Lots of chance for them to work well as trail bikes for hunting, patrolling property, military purposes, etc. I think.

A note for anyone new to eBikes is that almost all of them have two basic modes. I strong prefer Pedal Assist, where you set an assist level and as you pedal it detects that, adds electric motor boost. They also regeneratively brake, so the same thing: when you brake, it automatically inverts the motor to a generator to both help with braking and put a bit of electricity back in the battery. But they also have a throttle, and you can just sit there and use only electricity. Not as fast, but it works. I have only used that when I had a chain break once, limped home on throttle but it does work after a fashion if that is your thing. A LOT of eBike reviews fall to Tech Guys not outdoorsy/bike guys who cannot fathom pedaling a bike so read close: they are doing throttle only mode.

But the Wagon is Very Heavy and has no suspension. I'd be leery of anything resembling off road with it. Rattled to death and maybe stuck but I'll try to remember to go down some trails next time I am out without the child or cargo on the back to not make a mess, see how bad it really is.

The Rover is apparently quite good off road, so despite going back to normal bike size (vs the cargo) I'd look at that one.
 
jmorris said:
I like quiet but I’ll throw this out there. I have a friend that owns one of the louder UTV’s on our property and stuff seems to follow it around. More like ringing a dinner bell than sneaking around to bait for hogs. Like this little guy that popped out right behind him.

Click to expand...


The noise I heard sounded like a plane flying over. Was that the ATV?

A father and son I know each camoed an electric golf cart. The only thing I could hear was the tires making noise over the gravel.
 
We were off at that point, and that was a plane.

It’s not unlike starting up the tractor you put out hay with and the cows come running.

Run the shredder or cut hay and coyotes are at the edge of the woods and the birds are circling.

I was just pointing out sometimes noise, other than rattling antlers or grunts, can attract them.
 
I can't help with the specific question - I had a fatbike from BikesDirect and later installed a Bafang electric kit - but will note that electric fatbikes are great for hunting. They are very quiet, can go just about anywhere - and fatbikes generally get along fine without suspension, as the huge tires at very low pressure absorb almost everything - and leave almost no trace. I took mine bowhunting in the local mountains and deserts and it worked beautifully, really getting me into places I couldn't have gotten to any other way. The only thing I'd be careful of is range: when these things run out of battery they are absolute pigs to pedal!
 
I hunt off my bicycle (not "e" powered, but "me" powered). It is a fat bike, 4.8" tires in the front and 4.3" in the rear.
The best thing about my current set up is tubeless tires. VERY expensive to set up, but with slime inside you just don't get flats anymore.
Run right over a cactus, no problem.
I would highly recommend that you consider buying a bike that is set up from the start for tubeless, otherwise it is very expensive to change over as it requires rims, tires, rim tape, slime, and valve stems.
Most tubeless are set up as " tubeless compadable", but actually come with tubes, the final product still cost another $100 more, but if the bike is not set up for them it could cost as much as $900 more by the time you relace the wheels for tubeless rims, buy tubeless tires, ect.
 
So you sneaky snake two miles to your hunting area and thump a big buck. How do you get it out? It was all I could do to get mine on my Yamaha ATV last year and don't think that I could ride a bike with a 150 lb. piggybacked deer.
Then there is the legalities of trespass, especially on Government land. I have a friend who got the hots for a Mountain Bike. He paid a pretty penny for it and then found out that the Wilderness area that he wanted to hunt was off limits. Nothing with tires allowed. Foot or horse access only, plus, you couldn't get off of designated roads on ATV's or bikes that were open to vehicle traffic.
 
When I was younger (about 8 years ago), I used a mountain bike to take closed roads to a cypress swamp. If it was a dry year, I could ride until I hit 6" deep water. Then I would chain the bike to a tree and hunt from there to the hammocks where the deer hung out. If I was successful, I would gut the deer and drag it to the bike. (If it was close to water, I wouldn't gut it and just floated it to dry land and then gutted it.)

Then I would place the deer's gut cavity on the seat and tie the front feet to the handle bars. I used bungee cords to secure the body to the frame. Then I would walk the bike out with the rear legs acting as outriggers dragging on the ground.

It was sooo much easier than dragging the deer to my truck. I usually had to go about 1 1/2 miles to the truck. With an E-bike you could probably just walk along steering it while the battery did the work, I suppose.

Fortunately, I bought a piece of hunting land that is laid out so I can reach most any place with my truck or tractor.
 
shoobe01 said:
A note for anyone new to eBikes is that almost all of them have two basic modes. I strong prefer Pedal Assist, where you set an assist level and as you pedal it detects that, adds electric motor boost. They also regeneratively brake, so the same thing: when you brake, it automatically inverts the motor to a generator to both help with braking and put a bit of electricity back in the battery. But they also have a throttle, and you can just sit there and use only electricity. Not as fast, but it works. I have only used that when I had a chain break once, limped home on throttle but it does work after a fashion if that is your thing. A LOT of eBike reviews fall to Tech Guys not outdoorsy/bike guys who cannot fathom pedaling a bike so read close: they are doing throttle only mode.
Click to expand...

Check your local laws, the e-bikes that have the throttle aren't legal to use on roads in all places. In NC they are treated as mopeds.
The e-bikes that are pedal assist are legal in some places where bicycles are allowed because they have to be peddled to make them work.

How does North Carolina define what an electric bike is?
The state of North Carolina (NC) defines an E-bikes are defined as “electric assisted bicycles,” so long as the e-bike’s motor is under 750w, has a maximum speed of 20mph, and has operable pedals. The same rules of the road apply to
both e-bikes and human-powered bicycles.

Pedal assist only.
e-Bikes with throttles are considered mopeds. See edit below.

What are the rules for riding on the road in North Carolina?
Electric bicycles are permitted to ride on all public highways and roadways with a posted speed limit of less than 25mph, on sidewalks, in bike lanes and on bike paths. Operators of electric bikes must yield the right-of-way to pedestrian and human-powered devices.

That is just about worthless to me. It would be off road only, or running over people on sidewalks. I've not seen "a less that 25mph speed limit" in the town I live in anywhere.
https://evelo.com/blogs/ebike-laws/north-carolina

All I'm saying is check your local laws before speeding thousands on an e-bike for any reason.

Edit to add:
State law also requires mopeds be covered under liability insurance coverage with limits no less than $30,000/$60,000/$25,000. Failure to maintain liability insurance coverage constitutes a lapse and may result in the revocation of the North Carolina license plate.
https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/title-registration/vehicle/Pages/moped-requirements.aspx
 
Oh yeah, like everything: local laws prevail, and as above road laws are not necessarily game laws, etc.

The annoying part to me is somewhat the opposite; all mfgs I know of restrict their bikes to the lowest state speed anywhere in the US. Here in KS you can go up to 30 (well, I guess 29.999) with a non-licensed powered vehicle of any sort, so eBikes — pedal or throttle — are good to go. But also, mine and most come from the factory governored to 20. I light-hacked it to 25, but you can buy (generally much better, but a bit expensive and I am lazy, cheap) aftermarket control boxes for the Rad bikes that are more programmable, can go to 30. If you live in such a state.
 
Interesting information. I have been considering an e-bike to just get outside more.

jmorris said:
It’s not unlike starting up the tractor you put out hay with and the cows come running.

Run the shredder or cut hay and coyotes are at the edge of the woods and the birds are circling.

I was just pointing out sometimes noise, other than rattling antlers or grunts, can attract them.
Click to expand...

This is true especially hunting on active farms. Wen I did deer hut on farms I would also carry a rag soaked in diesel for a cover scent. Most animals are use to the smell of diesel on farms.
 
jmorris said:
We were off at that point, and that was a plane.

It’s not unlike starting up the tractor you put out hay with and the cows come running.
Run the shredder or cut hay and coyotes are at the edge of the woods and the birds are circling.
I was just pointing out sometimes noise, other than rattling antlers or grunts, can attract them.
Click to expand...

I was on a 6000 acre timber tract that the club had the hunting lease on. The Timber company made 30-40 acre hardwood clear-cuts during the deer season.
The best place to be to get a deer was on the edge of where they were cutting. Shortly after the logging crew shut down, about a dozen or so deer would show up to eat the tops of the trimmed trees.
 
tightgroup tiger said:
All I'm saying is check your local laws before speeding thousands on an e-bike for any reason.
Click to expand...

^^^This. A few years back my oldest son and I contemplated buying e-bikes for bow hunting on a large tract of public land that adjoins his private property. While the area is open to regular bikes....the riding of e-bikes is against the rules. So much for that idea.
 
Patocazador said:
Shortly after the logging crew shut down, about a dozen or so deer would show up to eat the tops of the trimmed trees.
Click to expand...

Years ago I took off early to bow hunt a stand that I had seen a large buck on previously. Had stayed outta there until I knew I could get in there early and hopefully not disturb him. Being a long way in on a large tract of public land, it was hard to get to that stand without every deer in the neighborhood knowing you were coming unless it was raining hard or the wind was blowing hard. Unknowingly to me, a logging operation had started in the area since the last time I had been there. Logging is always a possibility in this area, but is mostly done in the winter when the ground/swamps are froze. Coming in from the opposite direction I didn't realize what was going on until I got into the tree. While I never actually saw the loggers, I could hear every word they said. Could even hear the brush crunch as they walked, they were so close. Saws running, multiple folks talking skidders moving logs....just a cluster. I would have left, but the walk out was another 3/4 of a mile and that was just to the truck, not to the next stand. I stayed thinking maybe they might spook a deer by me with all the commotion. Wasn't long and I heard the saws stop, the skidders shut off and the guys telling each other good-night. With a breath of relief I thought I might have a slight chance of seeing something right before dark in about 2 1/2 hours. I hadn't hardly heard the last truck door slam and the truck drive away when I heard the brush crack behind me. I though it was just another logger maybe checking out the area for the next day. Not being careful turning around, I was surprised to see the large 10 staring at me at about 30 yards away. He apparently knew exactly what those slamming truck doors meant and was coming in to see what fresh browse was to be found. Never got the chance to raise my bow as he snorted and jumped into the brush. I learned a lesson that day about how well deer can pattern people. Got him a month later in a blizzard, across the creek, about 1/4 mile away.
 
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