I’ve been watching the rising popularity of e-bikes for a number of years. I still think horses beat e-bikes for hunting, but e-bikes have made some big technological strides in the last couple of years. For a week-long elk hunt deep in the backcountry, and especially in wilderness areas where e-bikes aren’t permitted, horses are still the best way to go. But for a weekend hunt when you don’t want to spend half your time dealing with the horses, e-bikes might be a good alternative.
Most of my hunting friends use ATVs or side-by-sides for hunting, and those machines work very well. But they’re noisy. And studies have shown that game animals get spooked by ATVs from much farther away than pickup trucks. You could leave the ATV parked until you get something, then use it to bring your kill back to camp, but that doesn’t help you get back into the woods in the first place.
An e-bike is a good alternative. They’re quiet, and they can help you get much farther than you could walking in the same amount of time. Granted, you can’t take them places you can’t take an ATV, because they’re still considered motorized vehicles. But you could ride one up the forest road and down a jeep trail to get you much farther into the backcountry than if you had to walk the whole way. And you won’t bump the critters as much as you would if you drove your ATV or even your truck up the forest road.
And with the right sets of racks and other packs, e-bikes can make hauling meat out of the woods a lot easier than packing it on your back.
The only problem is the price. The one I’ve got my eye on starts at about five grand. That’s a hefty price tag for a glorified bicycle. But I could probably save that much on gas over the course of a year if I rode it to work a couple times a week. At least that’s what I’m telling Santa, hoping he’ll bring one down my chimney this Christmas.
