How helpful is a bike?

[Mr.T]

I'm new to hunting for Bear as a primary target so sorry if this question comes over a little simplistic but I was wondering how helpful a bike is? I hunt EWA for deer and the FS roads are open and you can drive for days. Recently drove HWY2 looking for places to explore and mostly hit gates that were closed. Because I didn't want to hike forever I decided to see how many pull offs I could find and kept hitting gates. How many of you use a bike to get in or happen to find your way into Bear country without one? Time is very limited for me so I'm planning for a full day trip on Sept 7th. Wish me luck!

[jackmaster]

if its set up right with a trailor and stuff they can be super helpful especially with bear because they are like trying to drag a huge bowl of jello  good luck to ya

[D-Rock425]

I've been biking for the first time this season.  Saves you a ton of time especially on the way out in the dark.  Some spots would take me 45 minutes to walk out bike cuts it down to less than 15.

[lostbackpacker]

it helps alot.  makes that 5 mile walk out to the truck in the evening go pretty quick..

[acnewman55]

rode my bike 18 miles up a gated road last weekend to get to an area i wanted to scout.

no way i'd get there on foot.  no way i'd be able to pack out a bear without a set of wheels.

definitely gets you into places you might not otherwise go, and gets you out a lot quicker!

[Ripper]

Do it. I'm looking for a trailer of some kind for my bike. Not to thread jack but does anyone know of a place that makes bike trailers for hunting?

[h20hunter]

http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/bik/4006297857.html

http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/bik/3973700289.html

http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/for/4006260310.html

[jackmaster]

Do it. I'm looking for a trailer of some kind for my bike. Not to thread jack but does anyone know of a place that makes bike trailers for hunting?

angle lake cyclery has a pretty awesome trailor, sorry i dont have pics of it, but it would be perfect for huntn, its about 204th an pac hwy out by seatac airport

[bmccalister]

I have been using a bike to hunt and it is great; however, you do need to get into shape to handle the hills and to haul out a load. I made a bike trailer out of a kid hauler I got at Wal-mart. Works great. There is a thread in backcountry hunting about this topic. It also has some good pics of homemade trailers.

[steelhead]

I have taken many deer, elk and one cougar out with a mountain bike.  Ride in with gun slung around your back and a packboard in the gun rack on handle bars.  When you harvest a animal lay packboard across the seat and handle bars.  Tie the pack to handle bars, load quarters on it and push out.  This gives you use of hand brakes for hills.  Never used a cart but did pick one up this year.

[Mr.T]

Hey thanks everyone for the replies...sounds worth haulin in the back of the truck for exploring gated roads.

[Harborhunter]

Very helpful.  You can cover ground a lot faster and it makes hauling animals out easier too. 

[kevinlisa06]

I will be taking my bike in for the first time this season come Sunday. Wishing it would be Saturday but were selling our last pup in the morning and am in a wedding in the afternoon so Sunday it is. Should save me lots of time in and out of the woods.

[Moose-head]

I am using a bike and keeping a two wheeled wheelbarrow locked in the the back of my truck.  Since I am close to the non-motorized roads I think that the wheelbarrow will help get anything out.  So far it is only my lard butt that I have been dragging out at the end of the day, but there is always hope.

[Taco280AI]

Just depends on where you're at, but can be great and save lots of time. I've hunted places where it is steep going on so might as well walk the bike, but that hour going up turns into five minutes (literally) going back down. Other places I've gone miles behind the gate relatively fast, compared to walking, and covered more ground than possible on foot. Packing out sucks if you don't have a trailer behind you.

[KFhunter]

bike ain't worth much on the east side I think you'll find.


If a gate is closed typically the road is overgrown.  I don't get behind too many locked gates with a good road behind it - some- but not enough to justify a bicycle.