My new rig!

[bowtech721]

If you dont mind what did you have to give for it?

[funkster]

My only son It ran right under $600 with all the accessories! Would have been about 100 cheaper if I wanted to go with the blue.  My mom,wife and I got my dad a new hunting bike last season, so my mom, dad and wife all went in on the new one for me! My family is

[NGOWENS]

This may seem stupid to ask, and I am admit its because I am a newbie here, how do you use your bike for hunting?  I have a great MT Bike and would like to use it too if I could for hunting!!

[bowtech721]

My only son It ran right under $600 with all the accessories! Would have been about 100 cheaper if I wanted to go with the blue.  My mom,wife and I got my dad a new hunting bike last season, so my mom, dad and wife all went in on the new one for me! My family is

cool thanks !

[funkster]

This may seem stupid to ask, and I am admit its because I am a newbie here, how do you use your bike for hunting?  I have a great MT Bike and would like to use it too if I could for hunting!!

A lot of the westside hunting is private timber lands,they allow non motorized vehicles only. A mt bike works better than walking. It will get you deeper faster and most of the time you can get back to the truck faster because it is always down hill. I use an ATV bow holder on my handle bars to carry the bow. I have found this works the best,I have tried every way I could think of and it is the fastest and easiest way to carry a bow.

[NGOWENS]

This may seem stupid to ask, and I am admit its because I am a newbie here, how do you use your bike for hunting?  I have a great MT Bike and would like to use it too if I could for hunting!!

A lot of the westside hunting is private timber lands,they allow non motorized vehicles only. A mt bike works better than walking. It will get you deeper faster and most of the time you can get back to the truck faster because it is always down hill. I use an ATV bow holder on my handle bars to carry the bow. I have found this works the best,I have tried every way I could think of and it is the fastest and easiest way to carry a bow.

Awesome! makes sense! LOL  I guess since I am originally from Eastern WA and you can drive into almost anyplace it didn't cross my mind!

[funkster]

This may seem stupid to ask, and I am admit its because I am a newbie here, how do you use your bike for hunting?  I have a great MT Bike and would like to use it too if I could for hunting!!

A lot of the westside hunting is private timber lands,they allow non motorized vehicles only. A mt bike works better than walking. It will get you deeper faster and most of the time you can get back to the truck faster because it is always down hill. I use an ATV bow holder on my handle bars to carry the bow. I have found this works the best,I have tried every way I could think of and it is the fastest and easiest way to carry a bow.

Awesome! makes sense! LOL  I guess since I am originally from Eastern WA and you can drive into almost anyplace it didn't cross my mind!

Yeah that is why I stopped hunting on the other side of the mountains. You would be supprised how much fun hunting elk is when you are not "chasing" them because of all the road hunters winding them piss tight.

[NGOWENS]

Yeah really, when I went for Elk north of Spokane 2 yrs ago it was a freeway in the mountains!  Between people running saws for wood and people trying to get deep in the woods, it was impossible to get away from people except gated stuff....at that point if you didnt have a horse you were hiking for miles!  I think my brother and I hiked 8 miles up and down a mountain just to find people on horses up there saying there wasn't anything! LOL

Hmm, now I guess I need to find a place to go over here on the westside and use my bike some!!  If your looking for someone to go scout with on bike's let me know!!!!

[funkster]

I'll keep you in mind. Are crew has been working are "honey holes" for about 4 years. It has been a lot of work to find out where the elk always are. Just go to the wdfw website and look at harvest reports,don't be scared by numbers. They are there for a reason just go alittle deeper. Most hunters stop at the 5 mile marker,go 13 and you will be almost all by yourself.

[NGOWENS]

I'll keep you in mind. Are crew has been working are "honey holes" for about 4 years. It has been a lot of work to find out where the elk always are. Just go to the wdfw website and look at harvest reports,don't be scared by numbers. They are there for a reason just go alittle deeper. Most hunters stop at the 5 mile marker,go 13 and you will be almost all by yourself.

Good advice!  I don't want ya to think I am trying to get in on the action, just trying to tag along in the pre season to see what kind of things I can learn and what too look for more when I get out there in some new area looking for a good spot of my own!  I can imagine how it would suck for someone to basically "rob" your honey hole from ya like that!  Especially with ELK!

Anyway let me know if your able to show a new comer how to get going on his own honey hole!  Thanks!!

-Kris

[foambeetle]

Great bike, and those frame-mounted cargo packs are sweet . . . nice topic and thanks for posting.

I used a handlebar rack for my bow last year and it worked OK, but I know some guys shy away from them and attach them to their backpack etc.  (I've also seen the scabbard style attachments to the rear portion of the bike frame) . . . Anyone have thoughts on the pros and cons of the various methods for transporting your bow??  I liked the handlebar mount, but was concerned about taking an accidental spill and damaging my bow . . .so I was thinking of going with the "bow attached to me" route this year.

On bike trailers, some guys use them . . . some don't . . . pros & cons??  I'm relatively new to the mtn. biking for elk thing, and haven't put a trailer to use yet, but it seems like it would be a nice option for hauling a load when an animal hits the ground, etc. (brands like Burley and BOB) If anyone has insight on trailers they have used, please give a review of the good and bad.  I've looked at everything from the lower $ (hauling kids) to high end (touring/cargo) for bike trailers, still "thinking" about what might be the "ticket" function/price-wise.

happy trails

[bow4elk]

Black rims would look better.
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Agree...if you really bought it for hunting, flip it over, give the wheels a spin and hit the rims with a steady stream of flat black (overspray won't matter on the tires  ).  Love the frame color!

[bucklucky]

Is that bike very heavy? Thats what I hate most about my bike. My wifes is super light so I usually take it instead. I actually didnt realise that bike was a diamondback. I bought mine at walmart about 10 years ago so mine is a beater , $200.00 walmart special that weighs 30 pounds and has never shifted right.

[chrisb]

SO if you don't use a trailer how do you get the animal out after you've harvested?

[bow4elk]

Charlie, you'd be surprised what you can get today for $500.  I sold my old Cannondale SM600 and picked up a Specialized Hard Rock Comp (not high-end) and outfitted it with panniers, halogen lights, bar ends, bow rack, etc. and it's been a great ride for the $.  You can spend thousands but I chose to buy something I didn't really care too much about that had the features (alum frame, suspension, etc) I wanted.

Craigslist is gold mine for killer deals, so spend some time shopping there before you go and buy new.