General Cycling Discussion - Hunting for deer and turkeys on bicycle?

Would hunting for deer and turkey on bicycle be a effective way to hunt? Its quieter than walking in the woods. Ive seen some turkeys riding on my bike. I imagine if I looked long enought I would see some deers. I just need to make a path in my woods for my bike to ride. I got a touring bike,a cannondale. I'll just have a bow or gun on my back then put my foot down when I see the deer and shoot it. I think it beats walking on foot,what do you think?

Are you allowed to have a gun on your back while riding bicycle? When I did see the turkey they didnt run away. I guess cause my bike didnt make any noise that would scare them.

Ive seen some turkeys riding on my bike.

Without your permission?? Shoot 'em.

Ive seen some turkeys riding on my bike. I imagine if I looked long enought I would see some deers.

THAT I'd pay to see :D

But I understand what you mean. In NC this would be illegal. Regs don't allow shooting from any vehicle, moving or stationary, and you have to be a certain distance from any roadway. Not to mention most hunters would consider this un-sportsman-like behavior. Then there's the safety issue of carrying broadheads or a loaded firearms on a bike if you fall. Just plain bad idea. Forget it. Now, you can, with the right precautions, ride to your trail head, then walk in. That may be doable.

Have you considered how you're going to transport that deer carcass on your bike?

Have you considered how you're going to transport that deer carcass on your bike?


Haul it in a kiddie trailer..:thumb::p

Have you considered how you're going to transport that deer carcass on your bike?

This...thread would be better posted in the Utility forum. You'd need something like a flatbed trailer since any deer worth taking is gonna be at least 100lbs dressed.

Not deer or turkey, but...

http://elevengear.com/images/confections/pics/chineseBikes_lg.jpg

Swiped from Elevengear.com (http://elevengear.com/)

Riding a bike through the woods is quieter than walking? Who are you, Herman Munster? :lol:

Well, you've got a constitutional right to hunt here in Arkansas. They just passed that into law.

Riding a bike through the woods is quieter than walking? Who are you, Herman Munster? :lol:
:lol:

Where I live it's illegal to discharge a firearm from a vehicle. I've brought up this topic at my hunter's ed and the instructor said that as long as I'm off the bike when I take the shot it should be fine. It's an interesting idea, but I'm not sure how practical it is. Oh, and make sure you have landowner permission before going on private land and please don't discharge your firearm across a right-of-way.

In NC the regulations also require that you be off the ground shooting at a downward direction in some counties. The rules vary by county. You probably would need to consult with your Wildlife Resources department and talk to a warden.

I've known people who've caught fish from a boat. I wonder if there's any similarity.

As a mountain bike guy, I have to comment there are probably more turkeys riding road bikes than mountain bikes. Just saying... :)

I've known people who've caught fish from a boat. I wonder if there's any similarity.

As a mountain bike guy, I have to comment there are probably more turkeys riding road bikes than mountain bikes. Just saying... :)

The A&S crowd would posit that the usual habitat for turkeys is behind the wheel of a car. :)

yu need tocheck with your local/state game warden. you can certainly adapt something to carry you bow of blunderbuss easily enough.

this might be a good turkey gun

http://elevengear.com/images/confections/pics/veloArtillery_lg.jpg

Theres no game warden where I live at. Havent heard of one out of all the people who hunt here for over 15 years. I live 10 miles out of town so nobody comes out to this area. I think i'll do it. A bow would be easier I think and it weighs less. No risk no reward. I'll probably ask the cop out here his opinion. He hunts and has a m16 fully automatic. Im probably too scared to ask though. I dont think he cares about us doing something like this,only strangers.

I have given the idea some thought. A problem I see is the unfamiliar trail or road you are on might have some unforeseen obstacles or bumps. You can go 20MPH on flat ground, and your head is 7ft off the ground. You could fall and bust your collarbone or something worse.

I looked at the oklahoma deer hunting laws dont say anything about shooting off the road being illegal. I guess I can honestly know that I think what im doing isnt illegal. The people and my cop neighbor with atv's ride on the road with guns on them and atv's arent even legal to ride on the road.

I spend a lot of time in the woods, hiking and hunting. I don't know how you would expect to detect the motion of a deer as you're riding through the woods. Also, stopping quickly will be much more difficult so you will miss a lot of shots at moving deer from that alone.

Get yourself some good boots and learn to walk quietly in the woods.

In Illinois it would be illegal to carry a loaded and uncased gun on a bike. Just like a motor vehicle. Game warden told me so.
However, bicycles are an excellent way to get further into hunting areas than most people care to walk. And yes, it is a quiet way to get where you're going. I don't think animals know what you are and don't get spooked as badly. Just get a guncase with a shoulder strap and you're good to go.

But what the heck. If you are intent on breaking the law why not just get a flamethrower or a machine gun and mount it on a tripod in the bed of the good old pickup truck?

A bicycle is an unstable platform for firing a weapon, for this to be practical the OP would have to dismount anyway.

For using a bicycle while deer hunting read the Patrick McManus article, "My First Deer." I believe it is in his book titled, "A Fine and Pleasant Misery."

One of the areas that I take my mountain bike, technically a wilderness park, but closed Nov-Feb as original owners retained hunting rights. When open, I take a camera out - Nikon DSLR and telephoto lens - for wildlife photography. Yes, plenty of wildlife sighted in the "off-season." By the time I stop, pull my camera around for the shot, they're gone.

Best is to bike in to a pre-determined spot (or spots) and set up. It saves a lot of hiking with equipment.

I must say that though I've never attempted to hunt from my bike, I used to ride in the woods a lot and I was forever "running up" on deer and other critters. Usually getting much closer than I would if I were on foot.
It may be that animals don't "compute" the steady-rolling sound of a bike with human activity. Why not give it a try?

Would hunting for deer and turkey on bicycle be a effective way to hunt? Its quieter than walking in the woods. Ive seen some turkeys riding on my bike. I imagine if I looked long enought I would see some deers. I just need to make a path in my woods for my bike to ride. I got a touring bike,a cannondale. I'll just have a bow or gun on my back then put my foot down when I see the deer and shoot it. I think it beats walking on foot,what do you think?

Are you allowed to have a gun on your back while riding bicycle? When I did see the turkey they didnt run away. I guess cause my bike didnt make any noise that would scare them.

I use to hunt deer, squirrels and rabbits with handguns.. I was just thinking of you hunting deer on a bicycle, say with a S&W Model 29 on your hip. :) IMO, that be quite an experience!! :thumb: We only passing this way one time, go for it!! ;)

nuff said....

http://www.cyclelicio.us/2008/11/gun-racks-for-bicycles.html

Doug in snowy iowa

I've gone pig hunting on a mtn bike in CA. Definitely can't stalk riding the bike. Basically used it to get around in areas where motorized vehicles were not permitted. Brought a BOB trailer and stash it along the way to haul out the kill or put the carcass on the bike and pushed it. Preferred bike weapon is a large handgun, but have use a rifle. Off the bike I stick with bow hunting.

If you could get the guns mounted correctly, you could probably rig your brifters as a trigger. That's some huntin.

If you could get the guns mounted correctly, you could probably rig your brifters as a trigger. That's some huntin.

kinda like one of those WWI pilots, I'm having visions of the blue max coming out of the clouds bearing down on a flock of turkeys.

it is also illegal in WI to have an uncased loaded weapon on a bicycle. I have posed the question to various wardens as it would be great for grouse hunting. as it is now I just haul it in a case with a shoulder strap. It lets me get down the logging roads a mile or 2 to the point where all the walkers turn around. I've noticed many animals will stick around longer than if you are on foot - deer - not so much.

IL and WI are the only two US states without some form of concealed carry for citizens, so other states may be more lenient on the issue.

You don't attach the gun to the bike. I am telling you, I have already worked it out.

You get a couple of simple, single barrel break open shotguns, remove the stocks, trim the barrels to about 12", and attach them to your helmet with a clamp which releases the instant each is fired. You put a rubber bumper on the gun so it isn't damaged when it hits the ground. The shot goes forward, the gun goes backward, and there is no recoil to contend with. It would knock you silly. You aim by looking, fire with a bite trigger, then when the action's over you can pick up and reload the shotgun.

Planning this stuff is not why I cycle around chomping my teeth at whatever frustrates me. There's another very good reason.

I think it is a good idea, and I know a guy who does this, he's a bow hunter(mounts the bow on his handlebars). If you consider that many hunters get around on an ATV, scaring away anything within a mile, it makes sense if you have alot of ground to cover. Get in to your hunting area via the bike, silently, and if you get a hit-dress it out, hang it in a tree, mark your GPS, and collect with an appropriate vehicle. Turkeys could be bikepacked out.

Old thread, I know, but thought I should share my experiences. We have a lot of public access land out here that get gated when hunting season opens so the roads have been maintained during the off season and are good for bikes during the season.

We used bikes to access walk-in only areas where people on foot would usually turn around, much like a previous poster. We had no trouble biking up on grouse, but they were Franklin Grouse (ie Fool's Hens). I have a friend who does the same thing hunting bear - bike in, then walk. They just plan on packing it out on foot - don't think they have a trailer for 300 lb carcass.

An acquantence used my homemade flatbed trailer in much the same way, he stashed the bike and trailer near his chosen hunting spot. He then returned to the bike, got it as close to his spot as he could, loaded it up, then biked it back home.

I don't think it wise to bike with a loaded gun either. I used a break action shotgun and only loaded up when off the bike. Simple to do with a bolt-action rifle too. It was dodgy enough riding with a shotgun that I worried would get harmed if I wrecked - don't want to even the possibility of it going off in a fall.

MD

Well, you've got a constitutional right to hunt here in Arkansas. They just passed that into law.

Having solved all the state's other problems...

I don't hunt, but I live a mile from the Tahoe National Forest and I've ridden my mountain bike there for 25 years. Before cycling was common here, I used to ride within 50 feet or so of deer pretty often, and occasionally saw bears and bobcats (no turkeys here). It would have been easy to shoot the deer, if I wanted to and if it were legal (don't know if it is).
These days, there's a pretty constant stream of bikes in the area, at least on weekends, and it's unusual to see wildlife at all. I have more deer in my vegetable garden than I see in the woods.

A buddy and I used to go pig/deer hunting on mtbs in CA. We variously carried bows, rifles, or handguns. Never got anything when on the bikes, but sure had fun.
256245

I tried it briefly, but only to get in and out of the woods more quietly than on my atv. Didn't really work for me cause I'd sweat a ton and then try to sit in my climber for a few hours in the cold. Just went back to parking the atv and walking more.

A friend of mine does some turkey hunting on his mountain bike and tells me it works well.

I've ridden up on many turkey's while on a road bike, but they were never on public land and one would need to get off the road before taking a shot anyway (not counting FS roads) which is easier said than done in clipless road shoes.

256344



Me, I'd forget about hunting deer on a bike simply because it's not going to work well in our area. We rarely stalk....and when you stalk, the deer will spot you moving even before they smell you.

I have a friend that uses a bike to get to the hunting spots. He is a very, very successful elk hunter. But the trouble with the bike is the distance into the woods you can get - you're gonna have to walk that distance out and back four times with the quarters if you take a big elk. And the first trip out will be with antlers and hide (maybe), so you get to make sure you don't resemble an elk riding out...

BOB trailers are used by a few elk hunters, here,
for the haul out afterwards, behind their MTB's ..

that is who bought mine, when I got my 2 wheel trailer, instead.

For using a bicycle while deer hunting read the Patrick McManus article, "My First Deer." I believe it is in his book titled, "A Fine and Pleasant Misery."

OMG haven't read that in years but remembering it now made me laugh out loud!
-