How many that go out on hunts get to their final locations with ATV's?

P

PUGCanada

Member
EE Expired
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Location
Barrie, Ontario
I am a BRAND NEW hunter and I am looking at trying to get out with more experienced hunters to learn the ropes. I am doing all the regular things to help prepare myself but I have a specific question about ATV's. I currently own a very good condition Polaris Sportsman 450 that has been upgraded quite a bit. I was looking at selling it a few months ago but now that I am going to be getting into hunting, I am thinking I may end up keeping it but if I keep it, I want to ensure that it will come in use. Any hunting would be in Southern Ontario to lower Northern Ontario. Will I be limiting myself going out with people if I don't have an ATV or do the majority of hunters get to their hunting spots by walking? Would hate to, metaphorically, shoot myself in the foot by selling it and then want it back afterwards. When it comes to reasons to sell, we bought it about 4 years ago thinking we would use it all the time but I haven't taken it out since Pre-Covid. Insurance is like $50 a month year round plus yearly maintenance for something not being used. :)

Give me your opinions. And yes, I am aware that you can't hunt from the ATV. :)
 
Last edited:
You might want to go over the "rules" where you plan to go - in the area that I hunted in N.E. Sask, and couple falls ago in West Central Alberta - could NOT operate an ATV between a period before sunrise and noon - actually in Alberta you could, but could not have a firearm on board, whether loaded or not, whether encased or not. So, ATV sits in truck or at camp for that time. Is some places - Alberta Wildmore Wilderness area - no engine allowed, at all - not ATV, nor boat / canoe. I do not know what "rules" exist in various parts of Ontario - I never hunted there.

But, I doubt that I would go back to either place without one - moving camp, recovering downed game, etc. A very few times I rode in somewhere after lunch time - sat and watched until dark - then back to camp in the dark - never did get anything that way - but did get game when walking in, or walking out, during morning. A bit up to you and where you are, I guess.

Just a thought to consider - I suspect that wild game is very tuned to ATV sounds - likely going to really limit your likelihood of success by riding in to "your spot" - no doubt critters hear you coming and will know you are there - for hours. If you can ride there, so have / so will many others ...

My last hunt - left town like 4 AM - trailered side-by-side ATV to an unloading spot - about an hour in the dark along trails / tracks - stashed machine - then some time on foot - and were sitting for some time as light came up. Never did get anything that had licence for, but saw multiple stuff. After 12 days, I returned home two provinces away - 9:00 AM the morning that I had left - my brother phoned - has shot his moose right beside a trail we had driven every morning - was waiting for a buddy from town to load it into his pick-up - was parked on that trail, right beside that moose.
 
Last edited:
We would drive into camp with our gear, set up camp and then not start them again till we were leaving or had an animal on the ground. Walking is far quieter and you tend to see more at the slower pace. I would hunt with my brother in law and his ass never left the vinyl, whereas my son and I walked. He finally clued in that we were taking far more game than he was. He came around about five years ago and only uses his Gator to haul in gear or haul game out now. ATV’s serve a purpose, especially for the older hunter like myself, but walking is a far better experience, at least for us.
 
Another thing for OP to consider - if in the "boonies" alone on your ATV - so, take a dead branch through a tire side wall, bury it in muskeg, etc. and if you can not fix, then you are walking back - are you prepared for that?? I suspect having an ATV is not a solution to all issues in back country - actually brings on a pile of issues, that might not have existed - so from snowmobiling experience - can travel in 20 minutes much further than you can flounder back in a day - so head out for late evening "spin", and takes you two days to get back - if the damn infernal machine dies or gets stuck - and if you can deal with that situation.
 
yes there are many places I will ride my atv from home or from camp to an area I will hunt on foot.
Haven't had any issues with tires but I have mud lite II's and they are pretty much indestructable. I've had the same tires for 10 years.
ATV's are just another tool in the hunting shed. If it were me I would not sell an atv I already owned if I was just getting into hunting.
 
45ACPKING said:
yes there are many places I will ride my atv from home or from camp to an area I will hunt on foot.
Haven't had any issues with tires but I have mud lite II's and they are pretty much indestructable. I've had the same tires for 10 years.
ATV's are just another tool in the hunting shed. If it were me I would not sell an atv I already owned if I was just getting into hunting.
Click to expand...

I have the same tires! :) They have been great BUT on my 850 I had, I did puncture the side wall with a rock once.

Thanks everyone! Might consider keeping it.
 
I don't use my atv to get where I'm going deer hunting in Swo I just use it to get deer out when possible. Down here farm practises being what they are and the deer numbers what they are ATVs don't spook deer at all

While bear hunting in the mid northern areas I use my atv for transport but usually park it 1/4 mile from the bait site and walk in from there. There's arguments that bears get accustomed to the sound of the atv but checking trail cam photos over the years I've seen time stamps proving the approaching atv has spooked bears off the bait. Whether or not I'd have had a shot by walking in I don't know. Either way I think an atv is a very positive thing tool to have. I rarely use mine outside the hunting season. It's a Suzuki 400. Dejardens or what ever statefarm has become now it's $13 a month insurance when insured with my truck
 
Spent a lot of time hunting (and many times harvesting) within a few minutes walk of where I parked.

Other places had restrictions on the use of ATVs before mid day.

Have seen some folks that were keen, that went out hundreds of KMs before first light, to hunt other areas too.

In the end, it really depends on where you are and what the regs have to say.
 
I'd keep it til you actually figure out where you'll be hunting. You could end up on public land, you could end up lucky and find your way into a camp. Said camp may need a guy with an atv, even if just to haul firewood. Finding a place to hunt is hard enough as it is, having an atv could possibly get your foot in the door at a camp, if that's what you're looking to do.
 
I take the 4-wheeler to within 1/4-1/2 mile of where I'm intending to hunt. Saves a mile to a mile-and-a-half of walking every morning and evening from where I park my vehicle. Aside from saving wear and tear on my legs it helps keep me from getting hot and sweaty before I reach my stand.

If you do manage to kill something, an atv will save you from a heart attack trying to drag it out. You should try dragging out a big buck over dry ground at least once to fully appreciate what a blessing a good 4-wheeler is. It's also handy for taking tree stands, salt blocks, bait, etc, in and out of your hunting spot.

I hunt about an hour east of the OP, as the crow flies, so similar terrain. If I didn't have an atv I'd probably be limited to birds and bunnies, just from the perspective of moving carcasses.
 
PUGCanada said:
I am a BRAND NEW hunter and I am looking at trying to get out with more experienced hunters to learn the ropes. I am doing all the regular things to help prepare myself but I have a specific question about ATV's. I currently own a very good condition Polaris Sportsman 450 that has been upgraded quite a bit. I was looking at selling it a few months ago but now that I am going to be getting into hunting, I am thinking I may end up keeping it but if I keep it, I want to ensure that it will come in use. Any hunting would be in Southern Ontario to lower Northern Ontario. Will I be limiting myself going out with people if I don't have an ATV or do the majority of hunters get to their hunting spots by walking? Would hate to, metaphorically, shoot myself in the foot by selling it and then want it back afterwards. When it comes to reasons to sell, we bought it about 4 years ago thinking we would use it all the time but I haven't taken it out since Pre-Covid. Insurance is like $50 a month year round plus yearly maintenance for something not being used. :)

Give me your opinions. And yes, I am aware that you can't hunt from the ATV. :)
Click to expand...

50 sounds high.. I pay 80 a month for a Pioneer 500 and a Talon full coverage.

I.dont think you'd be limiting yourself in Southern Ontario as there are few hard to access areas.. in eastern/ near north you may want one.

. If it's not costing much to own, I think you'd miss having it.. maybe look into trail riding and off road camping with it.
Having the ATV does open up more areas of you like exploring off path.
 
Norton said:
Is that a normal insurance rate in ontario for a quad, $600 a year?
what a rip-off.
I'd think about getting rid of it too if I only used it a few times a year & just foot hunt.
I pay $115 a year.
Click to expand...

Not sure what company he goes through but that's definitely not normal pricing. I pay $85 for the year for liability, $100 if I add fire/theft.
 
ATV is a valuable hunting tool to me. Allows me to cover a lot of areas in shorter amount of time, uses way less fuel than a truck. Allows me to explore new areas that would be difficult to get into by any other means. Also I use it to retrieve downed game.
 
Keep it. They come in really handy. You never know, you might start heading further north for moose one day and they're really nice to help haul moose out of the muskeg.
 
Yes, I believe my yearly license/insurance costs are about $135.00, so I think the OP is getting hosed at $50.00/month.

I would not be without my quad. As has been mentioned, if you have to pull an animal out of some area, the quad does
it with ease, whereas, for you to manhandle it would be a daunting job.

I usually walk the last 500 meters or so.....when I need the quad for recovery, it is easily accessed. Dave.
 
I.just checked my policy for my 2 SxS..the liability portion is only $ 110 for the 500 and $135 for the 1000. The resy of the premium is accident and theft replacement and personal loss of income/ injury.
In Ontario all you need is liability.
 
So far, all I had to use is my 2-leg drive, with great boot tread traction. Possibly, when I get older, I'll purchase a four-wheeler to haul out my game.
 
It might be different in Onatrio, but in B.C., despite all the "I only use the quad to get to my spot" stories I read on sites like this most people ride around on them all day. In fact I've only ever seen one parked quad and that was in a motor vehicle closed zone it shouldn't even have been in.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom