WDFW going around law makers ????????????

[10thmountainarcher]

This e bike issue is so simple. Why make it more complicated than it is? An e bike has a motor, therefore it's a motorized vehicle. Areas closed to motorized vehicles are closed to bicycles with an electric motor. That's an entirely different issue than should certain areas be gated or not.

I agree, how did this ever become an issue. A motorized vehicle is a motorized vehicle, close the loop holes!

My understanding is that by calling them motorized, it was requiring city riders/commuters to have to get motorcycle licenses and prevented where they could ride.  It wasn't really a hunting thing.  If someone in the city wanted to ride a 'bike trail' to go downtown/go down a sidewalk/ride a sidestreet, then they had to deal with being treated as a motorcycle.  So, now with the various laws/classifications, if you meet the requirements you can ride a bike trail by some duck ponds or in the bike lanes that go through downtown.  Just kind of spilled over into the hunting world....kind of like if they can ride those trails for non-motorized, then maybe e-bikes can be used for gated roads that say non-motorized.

Rcw specifically states electric bicycles are exempt from endorsement requirements.

[JakeLand]

I bought one this year and it’s sweet ! I see more damage from people leaving trash and damage from horses then my ebike ever does
What Damage does a ebike do to the terrain? Nothing does it allow us to get further yes in a way , battery’s only last so much  you’re still limited as you’re not going to pedal it very good as it’s 78 pounds
Ban ebikes then ban horses period

[Bango skank]

I bought one this year and it’s sweet ! I see more damage from people leaving trash and damage from horses then my ebike ever does
What Damage does a ebike do to the terrain? Nothing does it allow us to get further yes in a way , battery’s only last so much  you’re still limited as you’re not going to pedal it very good as it’s 78 pounds
Ban ebikes then ban horses period

Motorized horses are not allowed either.  Just regular bikes and regular horses

[hunter399]

I bought one this year and it’s sweet ! I see more damage from people leaving trash and damage from horses then my ebike ever does
What Damage does a ebike do to the terrain? Nothing does it allow us to get further yes in a way , battery’s only last so much  you’re still limited as you’re not going to pedal it very good as it’s 78 pounds
Ban ebikes then ban horses period

Like said many times
WDFW is not banning anything.
They never have been allowed on non motorized roads-closed roads.
Sorry for your luck ,I think many e bike user are gonna find out the hard way that they never have been allowed on closed roads.

[bornhunter]

I bought one this year and it’s sweet ! I see more damage from people leaving trash and damage from horses then my ebike ever does
What Damage does a ebike do to the terrain? Nothing does it allow us to get further yes in a way , battery’s only last so much  you’re still limited as you’re not going to pedal it very good as it’s 78 pounds
Ban ebikes then ban horses period

Motorized horses are not allowed either.  Just regular bikes and regular horses

Thanks Bango. Just blew some of my beer out my nose  

[JakeLand]

No motorized horses but regular horses do way more damage and there’s no denying it . Ebikes make it easier yes but a cake walk hell no

[bornhunter]

I know! Jet packs just like james bond used. Have to promise not to hunt on the same day you fly🤞.

Ok now its a joke,Just like this state has become.

Sorry Oh mah. Just trying to keep things lite. This is a great topic with some really good input. Some here are taking some of the comments too personal and that's not good. We are all buds here. Plus some of the comments are funnier than hell!  For some reason Bango's electric horse comment just cracked me up.

[JakeLand]

Well if they ban them maybe I could trade it for a donkey or a lama !

[Hillbilly Zen]

I want to add to my ebike rant to include this:

It’s not a hunting issue for me so much as it is a wilderness ease of access issue.  And I don’t see this as hunter vs hunter.  I said eff ebikes but that’s my political/policy perspective.   I see this as hunters very opinionated and voicing it amongst ourselves.  I will go so far as to say I will even vote against those who oppose my views And hope the dust of the law settles in favor of my own view.  BUT, it’s like any other set of rules in life we have to play by.  It’s not like I won’t be friendly to you on the trail (I don’t use many of those anyway!), or like I will try to sabotage your hunt because you’re on an ebike.  When I’m in the field, the rules are what they are.  I respect you as a hunter.  Any legal way you bring your game back to the freezer is fine by me.  In fact if you ebike in to wherever its decided they are allowed, I hope you are successful and have a great hunt!  The animosity is campfire talk: like chastising a Yankees fan or people who drink coffee you can see through.  In the morning your team is your team and your coffee is your coffee and we’re goin to hunt some deer so who cares. Is This is supposed to be a safe place for hunters to talk it out or are we supposed to blow smoke up each other’s backsides every post?  I’m new here.  Maybe I have it wrong 😜

[Oh Mah]

I know! Jet packs just like james bond used. Have to promise not to hunt on the same day you fly🤞.

Ok now its a joke,Just like this state has become.

Sorry Oh mah. Just trying to keep things lite. This is a great topic with some really good input. Some here are taking some of the comments too personal and that's not good. We are all buds here. Plus some of the comments are funnier than hell!  For some reason Bango's electric horse comment just cracked me up.

It is a serious issue but the motorized horse got me a little also.

I want to add to my ebike rant to include this:

It’s not a hunting issue for me so much as it is a wilderness ease of access issue.  And I don’t see this as hunter vs hunter.  I said eff ebikes but that’s my political/policy perspective.   I see this as hunters very opinionated and voicing it amongst ourselves.  I will go so far as to say I will even vote against those who oppose my views And hope the dust of the law settles in favor of my own view.  BUT, it’s like any other set of rules in life we have to play by.  It’s not like I won’t be friendly to you on the trail (I don’t use many of those anyway!), or like I will try to sabotage your hunt because you’re on an ebike.  When I’m in the field, the rules are what they are.  I respect you as a hunter.  Any legal way you bring your game back to the freezer is fine by me.  In fact if you ebike in to wherever its decided they are allowed, I hope you are successful and have a great hunt!  The animosity is campfire talk: like chastising a Yankees fan or people who drink coffee you can see through.  In the morning your team is your team and your coffee is your coffee and we’re goin to hunt some deer so who cares. Is This is supposed to be a safe place for hunters to talk it out or are we supposed to blow smoke up each other’s backsides every post?  I’m new here.  Maybe I have it wrong 😜

right or wrong you and i dont get to choose,the law as some keep saying is what the anti everything lobbying bureaucrats in Olympia decide they want them to be.All i'm saying and no one has to agree with any or all stances but if you are on a side trying to strip how someone else does things at least have a good reasoning behind it.It was not illegal when they were made,i wish that 1 would stop saying that.when e bikes were made there was a reason for them not to be designated as a vehicle one of the great selling points for them was the outdoor use on trail rides.not just licensing and insurance.it has already been shown on here with the fed. law that was posted for fed. lands so its not just the state that had the designated the way they were.

This is new whether some want to admit it or not,they have been making e bikes for years,they are mostly made here in the U.S,they have 0 emissions,they are quieter than a generator,They don't leave any trace behind other than tread marks not unlike a pair of boots.and everyone is allowed their opinion on the subject even me.I could care less if anyone used them or not but i feel very strongly that we as Americans need industry to come back and to hinder sales because of some semantic point(its got a motor on it)like everyone on here don't know the diff.User group against user group needs to stop as has been said by many many time's,At least when its something like this that dont amount to anything to anyone for any good reason. 

[fishngamereaper]

I really don't get the confusion on the subject.

I'm not saying you cant own an e-bike. I'm not even saying you cant ride an e-bike. I'm just saying you cant ride an e-bike on gated roads designated non MOTORIZED access. ( In my best Sam Elliot voice)

Not trying to ban or outlaw anything. Just trying to point out that most of the gates I hunt behind have wording that includes "non motorized access". It seems simple. The signs have been there for years. Its not my land to make the rules for. And the rules are there for a reason. If you don't like it petition to have the rules changed or hunt somewhere that allows you to access the land the way you want to.

[Skyvalhunter]

By the way that was a poor representation of a Sam Elliot voice. Maybe try Clint Eastwood or something

[fishngamereaper]

By the way that was a poor representation of a Sam Elliot voice. Maybe try Clint Eastwood or something

 :chuckle:If you remember Tombstone that's kind of what I was going for.

[Seabass]

I wish it was possible to distinguish between pedal assist and straight up electric bike. I have ridden the pedal assist versions. They help but you can’t push a button and go...your ass has to pedal.

[Platensek-po]

I also am of the camp that says if it has a motor it’s motorized. Not sure why people keep talking about a ban? It’s restricted not banned. I understand it’s not a dirt bike or an atv but it’s still a motorized vehicle. Around my house people ride atvs behind closed gates all year long. The timber company doesn’t seem to care much and I don’t either. But I do enjoy places where there are no motors.