Hunting ATV!!! Help Needed!

My 07 rincon just hit around 17k and running awesome,I thought she was getting up there.Thanks

That's near where mines at. Still lots of life left in it. Only parts I've worn out so far are handgrips and tires Have seen several with around 30k on them, still going strong.

Don't all the atv's make 30k easy? I thought 50k would be a high km'er.
 
For hunting I would go for the grizzly 700 , no need for anything else. I also like the kawi 750. I never bought new so I just bought what the best deal was , hunting = Yamaha and kawi• work = polaris
 
I have a 2010 Honda 500 with Manual foot shift. It's a hard working machine with bullet proof parts. Third one I've had and the solid rear axel is tough. Best machines sold in my opinion
 
Too heavy for all machinces listed IMO. Out of the list I would go Yamaha 700 - why, my hunting buddy is a 5-star Yamaha dealer. You want reliability-Yamaha or Honda. I am not a Polaris fan.....fatherinlaw had one, nothing but a money pit and always ran like $%^&^&*(.

A Yamaha 550 Grizzly would be perfect. I have been using my old 1999 Honda 450ES (I have 6000km on mine/ my friends dad had over 20K on his prior to him buying a new Honda last year) and it has pulled out many a moose and elk back to camp / trucks. My good hunting buddy has been using his 2000 Yamaha 450 Kodiak since new as well.

Its nice to have power sometimes, but nothing that a 450 couldnt handle with some help once in a blue moon (up steep hills, or trying to come up a steep bank of a creek dragging a dressed-out bull moose behind.

Now, most of us at our camp are running Yamaha Rhinos...3 so far and I will be on the bandwagon this season....its noce to have a quad at camp thou to get into some tigt areas where an animal may drop and drag it out to the cutline or edge of cutlock if it happens to go into the timber.
 
My old quad was also a 98 grizzly 600
I ended up going with a 2007 grizzly 700 a few years back. My only regret was getting the first model year.It did have some teething problems such as a stall issue,power steering motor was vented etc.
I will be in the market in a year or 2 for a new quad and unless things change dramatically I will go with either the can am 650xt or another grizzly. To me reliability is the most important factor as i sometimes get 20+ miles from my hunting buddies. The grizzly is a reliable machine and probably has the best CVT system out there. My wife has a Polaris and although I like the AWD on it, it is not in the running for my next one. I'm not sure if you are buying new or used but if buying used in any case the previous owners maintenance and the way he treated the quad will have a greater impact than brand IMHO.
 
Lol, Im glad others have mentioned the notorious can-am frame cracking fiascle... Thats one of the MAIN reason I stayed well away from them when I was looking at ATV's, nothing beats a rigid tube frame for reliability/durability IMO, I didnt much like the idea of hitting a log the wrong way in the bush and cracking a frame... just sayin...
 
Power
Ground clearance
Good tires
& some locking diffs.

The 3 things you need for a good quad / any off road vehicle.

A perfect hunting quad is all this + quiet and durable.
 
Hey Guys!!

In July/August I will be in the market for a new ATV. Thing is I'm reading so much information right now my head is spinning. I'm basically going to be using it for general moose and bird hunting in Northern Ontario. I'd like to know what bikes you guys are using and how you like them. Here are some options that I'm considering and if you guys have any opinions or have heard anyhting about them, I'd love to know about it!! Nothing like some good first hand experiences. The ATV I've been using for the last few years was a 1998 Grizzly 600.

1. Polaris Sportsman XP 850/550 EPS- Great price from what I've seen. Apparently they're still having some problems with the engine. I also heard that some dealers are having problems getting parts. I feel sometimes that the 550 would be under powered if I needed to drag a moose out of the bush.

2. Can-Am Outlander 650/800 XT - A little more expensive, crazy HP for engine size. Seems to be hit and miss with engine/tranny problems. XT has all the options that I would be adding on the Polaris right from the factory.

3. Yamaha Grizzly 700 FI EPS - Seems to be average as far as price goes. Not as much HP for the engine size as compared to the other models.

4. Kawasaki Brute Force 750i - New dealer in town, my dad just bought one but haven't had a chance to try it. Seems like a really nice bike but also seems to be a little more on the expensive side.


Again if you guys have any opinions or insight I'd love to hear about it!
Thanks for the help!

I ride a 2007 Can Am 800, and after riding one I couldn't buy anything else. Guys take shots at them on the internet, b/c on the trail and in the mud they get their a$$es handed to them. I think Yamaha makes a quality machine, very reliable, great for hunting etc. I wanted to buy one for years, but I didn't like the way it handled after I tried a Can Am. A Rhino would be the cats meow for hunting IMO. Kawasakis are supposed to be good, but after you add the bumpers and winch to the price THEN compare it to the Can Am.(that goes for other brands too). Hondas are reliable, but no locking front diff, antiquated, sucked out. Poo's and Cats can be real lemons. I'd take Yamaha, Can AM, and Kawasaki demo ride all 3, price them, and strongly consider the dealer. I'd rather ride a lemon with a great dealer than a great machine with a jerkoff dealer. Enjoy what you get, and look at tracks for moose hunting!
 
Due to a accident which did permanent damage to my arm i switched to a utv for hunting, i have a prowler 700 xtx and honestly can say i would not go back to a quad.

The Arctic cat quad would probably work well for you, reliable, lower cost than the grizzly, and a longer factory warranty.
 
I ride a 2007 Can Am 800, and after riding one I couldn't buy anything else. Guys take shots at them on the internet, b/c on the trail and in the mud they get their a$$es handed to them.

If that was the case everyone would be riding one.....The switch is easily made...
That being said, the frames are an issue.. My uncle in his 70s had one with very few miles on it that had a cracked frame, that he fought for months to get them to cover under warranty...They said it was driver abuse (they use this one alot to get out of warranty)...Finally covered a the frame but he had to pay labour...He has another brand now!

People think its not that common...Have they looked for cracks/breaks? Do they know where to look?
Had this conversation @ camp last season.. The BPR guys(4 of them) all said it was very uncommon...Next day we took a good look, and two of the four machines had cracks...One machine had under 700K on it, the other one that had been ridden not any harder than I would ride has over 2000K...What surprised me was the one with the highest/hardest Ks on it was not cracked.. We did find a bit of a buckle in it though, but no crack...Just shows how hit and miss they are.

My cousin has one that has been welded three times, because warranty wouldn't cover it...He still swears by them...Hmmmmm

I do admit they do indeed ride nice...So nice, I have my eye on the BPR Commander right now...Not many issues with them thus far has it at the top of my list in a SxS...I am contemplating hard on purchasing one of these before fall, maybe sooner..See I'm not a BPR basher, just stating the obvious...Nothing more..
 
Last edited:
Captonion, that is pretty bizarre with your 70 year old uncle cracking the frame. I guess there are some bad ones out there. I'm a big guy(280 lbs), and ride fairly hard and I haven't cracked the frame. One guy I know bent his frame, he was doing motocross jumps, and breaks everything he owns. I mostly ride mud, and with 30" silverbacks I haven't had any axle problems. On the other hand, my buddy with his 700 Grizzley has broken his front axle with only 26" mud lites. I think the Grizz is a very reliable bike for most folks who don't need mega performance. I had a 1999 AC, 500 foot shift that let me down repeatedly, so I have no faith in them. What bikes have you seen that are really reliable Captonion?
 
If that was the case everyone would be riding one.....The switch is easily made...
That being said, the frames are an issue.. My uncle in his 70s had one with very few miles on it that had a cracked frame, that he fought for months to get them to cover under warranty...They said it was driver abuse (they use this one alot to get out of warranty)...Finally covered a the frame but he had to pay labour...He has another brand now!

People think its not that common...Have they looked for cracks/breaks? Do they know where to look?
Had this conversation @ camp last season.. The BPR guys(4 of them) all said it was very uncommon...Next day we took a good look, and two of the four machines had cracks...One machine had under 700K on it, the other one that had been ridden not any harder than I would ride has over 2000K...What surprised me was the one with the highest/hardest Ks on it was not cracked.. We did find a bit of a buckle in it though, but no crack...Just shows how hit and miss they are.

My cousin has one that has been welded three times, because warranty wouldn't cover it...He still swears by them...Hmmmmm

I do admit they do indeed ride nice...So nice, I have my eye on the BPR Commander right now...Not many issues with them thus far has it at the top of my list in a SxS...I am contemplating hard on purchasing one of these before fall, maybe sooner..See I'm not a BPR basher, just stating the obvious...Nothing more..

You would like it. I bought a 2102 Commander XT 1000 last summer. That thing is scary powerful in fact, 99% of my riding while hunting is in Low gear, and still do 25 MPH with it. Only minor issue is the rear end "squeels" a bit and gets a tad annoying. Believe it our not, this noise is normal. Minor detail though as you get used to it.

I still own a 2007 Arctic Cat 700 EFI, and a 1996 Arctic Cat 454 Bearcat. Both have tire upgrades, which is a must for any ATVs. Both of these machines have been great, especially the Bearcat. That thing keeps on purring after about 5,000 miles, and has plowed miles of driveway/yard. . No major breakdowns yet. So Arctic Cat (for a quad) would be top on my list.
 
What bikes have you seen that are really reliable Captonion?

Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha IMO are the most reliable...My experiences with Kawasaki are few, and far between.. No issues but not enough machines to say either way... The older Polaris bikes have soured me to a point that I would not buy a new model even though I have heard alot of good things about how much better the quality is.. A friend Has 2 RZR's that he has had good luck with..
 
These threads are pretty much useless. Brand loyalty with atv's is pretty crazy. How many POPO haters in this thread? Seems to be the current trend. My 3 POPO's have been trouble free and never to the shop. My rzr has 3000 km running huge mud tires on stock axlesand clutching with zero issues. ( Still original belt even) I also own a can am outlander 1000. Go ride a few and buy what you like the best. You'll find lovers and haters of every brand on the Internet, and in the REAL WORLD, you're just as likely to have a good machine, or a lemon with ALL BRANDS.
 
To the posters who talked about the frame cracking problems on the Can ams.......
Are these specific to the 800's or also 650's and lower cc machines?
Do you know if the new frame on the 2013 model 650 also has issues?
I have a couple friends with the 650's and neither have frame issues but "they may not know where to look" as one poster mentioned. they both have aftermarket skid plates which also may reduce the problem
Just curious as my next machine will be either a grizzly (again) or a Can Am 650
 
We use our Can Am for work and take it into some pretty ugly places,it has never let us down,only problems we have had are driver error.

stay safe
pounder


P1020613.jpg
 
Back
Top Bottom