Why, When, Where to use an E-bike Hunting

Why, When, Where to Use and eBike while Hunting

WHY

Growing up as an archery hunter for the past 24 years, there are countless miles with boots on the ground, walking up and down roads, sweating, building up scent and losing focus on the task at hand.  Each of those experiences had me thinking… There has to be a better way. A way to be mobile, save energy, be scent free, and go further.  This is why utilizing an e-bike can completely change the way that you hunt and get you to the next level. 

WHEN

Whether you’re out west here in the rugged terrain of the Rocky Mountains, or east of the Mississippi, there are endless scenarios on when you should use an eBike to improve your hunt.  

On a recent Archery Mule Deer hunt here in Utah, I crested a ridgeline on an ATV trail riding my Bakcou Storm, to overlook a basin.  Right below me about 500 yards, was a buck with some incredible mass and multiple kickers that amplified the buck fever in me. At the bottom of this basin was an ATV road that looped around from where I was glassing this particular buck.  I knew my time was short due to the day getting warmer, and the buck ready to go back in the timber. 

I hopped on my ebike, riding the road around the ridge down into the basin at a dead end, so that I could get set up in the direction the buck was feeding. It wasn’t 10 minutes, and this buck fed into me at 7 yards, and I was able to harvest my best archery buck to date.  

Had I not had my Electric Bike, and Trailer to haul this buck out on this road, I would have had to make multiple trips back and forth to camp. Utilizing my bike on my pack out, turned what should've been a gruelling haul out, into rewarding and simple work. This is just one of many experiences of “When” is a great time to utilize a bike. Other times you can be well served using an eBike include:

  • Checking Trail Cameras
  • Hauling in gear utilizing a trailer
  • Retrieving your harvest and big game
  • Elk Hunting
  • Whitetail Hunting
  • Waterfowl Hunting
  • Turkey hunting
  • Getting into remote fishing spots
  • Scouting on logging roads legal to e-bikes
  • Camping

WHERE

As you may have read in one of our prior blogs, eBike laws are softening. The key is understanding and knowing the laws out there. In short, you can ride an eBike hunting anywhere that allows a Class 1, 2 or 3 as in the blog link above. There are many roads that allow motorized vehicles or non-motorized vehicles that would allow a Class 1 eBike. To determine the laws specific to an area, we recommend checking with that area’s agency and/or wildlife office. 

My personal favorite place to ride is anywhere that I'm able to take my side by side or four-wheeler. Compared to my motorized toys, it’s quiet and peaceful; all I hear is the sound of the rocks crunching below my tire. On a recent trip to Georgia, while we were riding on roads, we were able to hear a distant gobble that stopped us in our tracks allowing us to get set up. 

For myself, and all the hunters here at Bakcou, utilizing an electric bike has changed what I thought possible and revitalized my love for the sport. Let us know your favorite part of using an eBike for hunting in the comments below.