Hunting and ATVs: Finding A Balance
By Mark Melotik
Can today’s modern ATVs and side-by-sides help you be a better deer hunter? Or at least be more efficient? Well, they can, but in most cases it comes down to following a set of fairly standard rules in the deer woods. Most of them are centered on one thing: Can your ATV of choice help you access your stand undetected?
When it comes to modern ATVs, and especially side-by-sides, today’s latest models offer jaw-dropping capabilities and performance. Some of my own recent experiences with state-of-the-art side-by-sides include Yamaha’s Wolverine RMAX series, which offered impressive speed and power as I scouted some new land during the summer and hauled targets around a 3-D course set on a buddy’s land not far from home.
But when it comes to hunting, you’ve got to know when the best option is sneaking quietly to your stand on foot, or using your ATV or side-by-side to get you there faster and more efficiently.
A great example of when to ride is when hunting ag fields or other farm-country field-edge areas. These areas see regular traffic from tractors, trucks and even ATVs, so deer are accustomed to these sights and noises. Having a friend or family member drop you off on the way in and pick you up after dark, when fields are likely holding feeding deer, can be a fairly stealthy maneuver. I’ve seen this work time and time again with deer none the wiser.
Similarly, I know outfitters who like to take this to extremes. They will place stands across varied terrain, not necessarily field edges, where they can drive ATVs on narrow two-tracks right up to well-placed ladder stands. And I don’t just mean close. The idea is for the client to step right from the side-by-side directly onto the bottom ladder rung to virtually eliminate human ground scent. And, of course, the process is reversed after dark.
I’m told it works like a charm, and so does laying out a system of trail cameras on a property where you can do much the same as you check SD cards on a regular basis. That is, of course, if your arsenal of cameras does not have the latest cellular capability.
But just because you have a sweet new side-by-side doesn’t mean it’s the wisest play. Those pin-drop-silent, early-morning hunts that require predawn travel are tailor-made for parking as far as you’re able from your chosen stand and then talking in slowly on foot.
Likewise, if you’re goal is using the predawn to sneak to the edge of a known bedding area to intercept deer shortly after first light on their way back from overnight feeding, caution reigns once again.
If you opt to use the smarter choice of foot power for those types of hunts, odds are you’ll soon be firing up your ATV anyway. You just might need it to haul back a tall-tined trophy.