Terasec

has anyone tried outfitting a regular mtn bike for hunting?
have been using it for scouting and has been great,
now want to use it for hunting,
either looking for ways to attach bow, stand etc, to it,
or a small bicycle trailer,
where i hunt has miles of fireroads to use to get around on,

BrianDamage

several folks do that around here, because Wheeler Wildlife Refuge only allows hunters in on bikes or on foot. Most just make the holders and trailers themselves, wish I had some designs, I'd share them.

Ifly

I just buy a cheap Walmart brand and rig it out like this.. BIKE

Rebel Hog

Ifly, that looks pretty good!

kevin1

With a super light climber or pop-up blind , and a very light deer cart to tow I could see that doing well for someone in far better shape than me .

mowhitetailman

I have used a moutain bike with a game carrier in tow to haul my tree stand, bow, etc. in a conservation area that does not allow any other tranportation besides walking. In Missouri, we have to stay on the gravel roads. This is a special hunt area. I can make the 1.25 mile trip in onlya few minutes, as compared to walking. I get with <.25 mile of where I hunt and park the bike. If I use a heavy stand, I use the gamer carrier to haul it closer by hand. If I use a lighter stand, I leave the bike and carrier near the road and walk the rest of the way in.

I use an old base to a child's seat that we used for my granddaughter and modify it with bolts to hold the carrier in place for towing.

RedAllison

I suppose if you are restricted and can't use ATVs or the "redneck golfcarts" then a mtn. bike would be the logical choice. But I used one for a bowseason several years (and pounds) ago! I quickly learned that the tires aren't wide enough to easily manuever across mud over about 1" deep. And I also learned via mud "racing stripes" that fenders are desperately needed. Even riding on wet grass or leaves will result in a spray that quickly wets you down and gets crap allover your equipment.

But I recall seeing some generic, black plastic "one pair fits most makes" types of fenders that go on mtn. bikes. If I were to get really serious about ones use again I would track down the W I D E S T set of tires I could find to perform better on soft ground. Oh and I would get the BIGGEST seat I could find, most seats today are a joke! OUCH...

I agree also on a Wallyworld elcheapo. The main thing you are buying are gears and a frame. Spray painting, modifying and jerry rigging are things you are gonna do on ANY of them so I wouldn't spend several hundred dollars on one (or how about the $4k Mtn bikes from Mercedes?). Plus you are gonna be on public land, no sense in spending the big bucks on something that could get stolen to begin with.

I also hated getting heated up and all that scent as a result of pedaling in. But they definitely are time savers unless you are in hilly or mountainous country! Then I would just walk. You'll expend more energy pedaling like mad at 1mph up a steep hill than if you just walked up it at a normal walk pace which is around 2.5-3mph.

Good luck,
RA

Terasec

Thank you,
didnt think of the fenders and back spray,
the place i hunt is 48 acres of my own land,(which i dont need a bike for) and thousands of acres of stateland with miles of 4x4 trails logging roads and fire roads,
i already have an el cheapo that i am considering outfitting,
my last bike got stolen (in NYC not the woods) so not looking to invest much in it,
just want cheap transportation thats capable of carrying gear also considering a pull behind cart/trailer will consider it for carryingbig game out also

Ifly

I use my bike on public lands where you need to go a long way from crowd on walk in, no-vehicle areas. I don't use it off road..unless it's a good firm fire break or woods road. It's not good in sand, hills or mud.
I get cheap bikes because they don't last me but about a year and a half or so. I leave them in the woods, at camp and go through a lot of deep water, etc..
Like has been said..number one for me is a big wide seat..and number one also is a shock absorber post for the seat..then number 1-1/2 is change handlebars to ones that bend back where I don't have to lean so far forward to reach them.
I also use it as game cart.
HOG
Hog1
Deer

Bowman515

I used some old lawn chairs to make a rack for carrying my stand and gear. I stap my bow on top of my stand with bungee cords. I put an old milk crate on the front of the bike for my boots. I also made a folding cart which attaches to the back of the rack for hauling deer out.
I have only used this on gravel roads. Loading and unloading can be tricky because of it being top heavy.