ATV for hunting

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wigglenator

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Gents,

I am relatively new to moose hunting and am planning on chasing some moose this fall in northern ontario.

Historically the pops and I would just drive old logging roads and would never shoot anything that was more than 100-150 yards from the road. Easy enough to clean and get back to the truck for transport.

However, I much prefer walking in the small trails where traditionally I would just small game hunt. Have seen lots of moose 1-5 km off of any road where the truck could go.

I see lots of guys using ATVs to both hunt and transport their kill and it seems the most logical way to move the meat. I am however woefully ignorant of ATVs, their sizes, uses etc.

I purely want to use the thing to go in and get the quarters and get out. I dont plan on riding around on it to hunt.

My question is what do you guys recommend/use? Do you think the little 110-250cc ATVs would have enough juice to pull out a quarter. How reliable are these things (I would hate to have to haul out a quarter while pushing a bike)?

Any input you guys have would be much appreciated.
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I've carried tons of moose meat on my back.But a deer cart or quad after the fact would be easier now that I'm older and not as full of piss + vinegar.Find them on foot shoot e'm and get e'm out in pieces if need be.......[boned out ,if it's not edible leave it in the woods]........Harold
 
I think it's all relative to the terrain where you hunt. I hunt near Kirkland Lake Ontario and last year I shot a cow. Wasn't a terribly big cow but she was alright size. What we do is gut the moose at the kill site, tag it then tie the head to the back of the 4-wheeler and drag it out whole because that how we hang it in the garage. I shot the moose 1.5 km from the road where the truck and trailer were, I was using my uncles 2008 Grizzly 660 with aggresive tires and it took us right around the 2 hour mark to cover the 1.5km. So have a look at the area where you're hunting. I would think that a 350cc-400cc would be good enough on gas for trails but can also be a work horse for you when you need it.

My dad has an older Grizzly 600cc (98 I think) and once I learned it's capabilities, I can get pretty much anywhere I want.

PS- If you hunt where there's mud, get a winch. You never realize how valuable it is until you have a 600lbs 4 wheeler, a moose tied to the back, and none of it is going anywhere.

My dream quad is a Grizzly 700FI in the Camo body kit
 
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400cc min, get a japanese not chinese, you pay a bit more but they are much better quality. X 2 on the winch & 4wd for sure.
 
An ATV does allow me to harvest game further from the road. I have a small trailer I use to haul the ATV to camp and then it is used to haul out the moose if I can get it to the downed critter. Last year was a bull aapprox 2 km past a washout. Took about 45 minutes to retrieve, plus 30 minutes to get through the wash out.

ATV is also nice for scouting and afternoon partridge hunting.

I have a 450 honda, it works great. I have also used some of the older 350s and they were OK as well. My experience with 250s is that they suck for anything. They are barely adequate for transportation of the driver (low ground clearance).

PS - I use to do the quarter/debone method and carry on my back. I don't miss it.
 
I have an older Yamaha Big Bear, 350 cc engine. I once went on quite a major early moose hunt, any bull legal, with friend with older Honda 300.
We cut trail for over quarter of a mile, and one trip hauled out a larger than average, by quite a bit, bull moose.
There is a lot of advantages to smaller, four wheel drive quads. For starters, they will squeeze between trees better than the larger machines. And when you are working your way through the bush it is surprising how many trees are just that distance apart.
I would look for a smaller used one. I still would hate to say which is the best make, but they are all tremendous machines, and will last for many years, with just common sense operation and minimal maintanence. There are oodles of old ones out there in great shape, in the $3,000 and up a bit class.
 
GET a WINCH...if you've ever bottomed out your ATV (4 wheels spinning in mid-air) you know what I mean.
Especially if you hunt around swamps or in deep snow.

4X4 is mandatory for a hunting rig. 400cc+ (500 preferred) look for good ground clearance.
Stay away from that cheap import junk (Cdn tire, TSC stuff)..nothing but headaches.

PS Did I tell you to get a winch.;)
 
350 cc with a 5speed semi auto is great.very good on gas.i had a 1986 honda 350 4X4 for amny years(still runs great at the cabin)then i picked up a grizzly 660.good on power but not fun at all when you have to man handle it around.using the winch every time your stuff does get old very fast.right now i have a 350 bruin 4X4 had a half a moose on it 1/4 per rack.yes it was a LOAD for her but made it out.if your going to run the roads with it hunting.the auto tranny is not my pick.RPM is to high for my likeing.
 
Good choice

As most have already stated, 400 mininum and 4x4 with a winch, not the cheapo winch either, Warn or Superwinch. I have a Suzuki 500 Vinson with the automatic and love it. Ground clearance it good but not totally important, that's what the winch is for.

Try to get a unit with High and low range as some of the Yamaha's only had the high range. Low is very usefull for climbing hills and such with your load.

Stock tires will do for now but if you ever have to replace them some of the aftermarket stuff is really great price wise and more aggressive.

Stay away from 2wd and 250 bikes as they are only used for manacured trails. Any mud and your winch will be doing all the work.

One last word of advise is to carry extra cable for the winch and a comealong. Some logging areas have few trees or even stumps within the winch cables reach so an extra 25-50 feet of cable is very nice to have. The comealong is just incase you sink your bike and need to retreive it, a winch will only run so long on the battery.
 
When you get your winch do yourself a favor and put synthetic line on it. You need to put a new fair lead on it if it has been used with cable.
 
If all you want to do with it is get moose out of the bush, then you owe it to yourself to buy a Suzuki King Quad 300 or Suzuki QuadRunner 250 4x4 (same bike basically).

There completely shaft driven (no clutches and belt). Low to the ground and have 4 wheel differential lock (ALL 4 wheels). They also have an extra low range ("Super" Low).

Our party has had 2 of them over the years and nothing has worked harder than those bikes...you can find them for dirt cheap too.
 
I get a kick out of all these guys that say get a 400+,500+ or even 600+ cc quad. A lot of smaller bikes have the gearing to haul just as much, if not more then the bigger bikes.

Honda, suzuki, yamaha, AC, kawi all make little bikes with lots of low end, they wont break the bank either, and are usually a lot more reliable.

My 400 cc big bear has more low end then a grizz 660, and my big bear will fit places a grizz won't ;)
 
archie_james_c said:
If all you want to do with it is get moose out of the bush, then you owe it to yourself to buy a Suzuki King Quad 300 or Suzuki QuadRunner 250 4x4 (same bike basically).
QUOTE]

100% Agree, I don't own one, but have seen one work. Old beat up 80's something and it kept right up with my 05 big bear as some of the new big bores lagged behind. One of those good keep it stupid simple bikes no working man should be without!
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Recommendations:

- 400cc min.

- 4 X 4

- High and Low gears with CVT belt drive.

- Independent suspension = Happy lower back, more ground clearance, smoother ride

- Solid rear axle = Tougher, less ground clearance, harsh ride

- Winch mandatory, avoid No name crap, bring extra 50ft of good rope.

- For tires, go one size up, a 400-500 run 26" and 600 up 27" ,ITP XTR are a great set of boots.

- Avoid that GingPang-PingPong crap! ...... cause its crap. Stick to mainstream manufactures


outatvpics004.jpg
 
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If all you want to do with it is get moose out of the bush, then you owe it to yourself to buy a Suzuki King Quad 300 or Suzuki QuadRunner 250 4x4 (same bike basically).

There completely shaft driven (no clutches and belt). Low to the ground and have 4 wheel differential lock (ALL 4 wheels). They also have an extra low range ("Super" Low).

Our party has had 2 of them over the years and nothing has worked harder than those bikes...you can find them for dirt cheap too.
Click to expand...

:agree:
YEP! We pulled many a moose with a 350 Suzuki Quad Runner. Small, light. If you can get it stuck, it's easy to jump off and muscle it back and forth while working the throttle. We walked it over a beaver damn one time to get into an area. Try that with a big 700HP ATV. Get one with 4 wheel differential lock. You dont' need a 500+ ATV. It's not a horsepower issue, it's a traction issue. So, get a used one for a good price and put some good tires on it and you're set. Sure, the bigger one's are more comfortable for running trails all day, but you need one for just moose hunting.
 
A small trailer and a small bike ( 300 honda/ suzuki) is good enough for hauling most of the big game that is got. I see the big bikes and big tires and the big holes they dig in the end of the trails that make it a challenge to drive on. If you can make a folding flatdeck trailer and a small quad that they both can fit on the back of the truck and there should be enough room to fit a moose/ elk on the side also.
 
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