Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's Best ATV for hunting ?

Which and why

Just my $.02 but, Think hard about dropping the multi 1000 dollars a good ATV, trailer, insurance and upkeep require. Even my pal's super fancy 6 wheeler just beats the living shiet out of you.

These have a cheaper lifetime ownership cost. (Don't see too many 25 year old ATVs still running)



He can go anywhere an ATV can, AND can't (Wilderness areas) also far more quiet, doesn't tear up trails or spew pollution everywhere. Higher view and a lot easier on the back too.

If we were here or here we'd be arrested if on ANY mechanical vehicle (even a trail bike!)





Insofar as open flat country goes, any area with fire service roads (BLM, Natl Forest) are usually open to serious pickups, which are quieter and far more comfortable than an ATV. That tiny box like object on the first step of the high butte at 3 0'clock is this:





and it seats 4, has A/C, a heater, a Cummins and will haul the horse trailer too.


Good luck.

There's two ways to go: Small, tough and capable like a Honda Foreman or big fast and comfortable like a Can-Am Outlander.

I've owned several brands, ridden with 'em all. The Hondas are going darned near as long as the four legged hay burner in the previous post and for a lot cheaper!

The good thing about one of the Hondas in that you can flip it over if you get stuck or rolled. They'll carry darned near anything too and have a rope pull starter.

I do like my Can-Am though. I ride a lot for fun and it just can't be beat (seriously) It makes an awesome hunting rig. It has the power to pull and carry a LOT for camp.

Hunting Honda:


Hunting Can-Am:


A few fun pics:


and the year before:


No matter what you get, getting out there's what it's all about:





I'll grant that horses can get a LOT of places (especially for sheep) that an ATV can't or isn't allowed but they sure aren't cheap! Sometimes I get insanely jealous of those four legged all terrain magnificent beasts of burden. A horse can't be ridden 50 miles in a day through the swamps slides and trails though.

A truck go where an ATV can go for hunting? Not even close up here. Down were the land's all locked up, I think it probably can.

Framis, go [bleep] yourself and the horse you rode in on!

you cannot beat a Honda in the reliablity factor, after you own several nothing beats a Honda, sure others are faster and ride better but at the end of the day (experiance dictates) your honda will tow your buddies Yamaha, or Polaris back to camp.

I've been rinding Hondas for about 20 years and primarily for hunting. They aren't the fastest or have the most ground clearance but I have never had one leave me stranded in the field. They are a solidly built, reliable machine that will give you many years of use as long as you do your part in maintaining them. The only thing I hear people complain about are the brakes and my fronts are about worn. I am seriously considering changing it to a disc brake system this summer. Ride red, you won't regret it.

My family has owned several ATV brands over years, but most of us have settled on the Honda's for their reliability, and resale value.

My first Honda took me places that my International Scout could not go so I sold it and bought a Chevy Suburban and trailer.

Current Honda is a 2002 450 Foreman.




If the Honda will not haul everything, I attach a two-wheel trailer. (meat wagon)


If the Honda is not up to the job, I bring something bigger.

We have had great luck with the Honda Rubicons. Double Rifle Rack, Dog Carrier, Silencer, etc. Love that Honda dependability!











BTW: We use these too.





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[img]http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh206/DoubleCK/DannyonRack.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh206/DoubleCK/BiscuitTJdog.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh206/DoubleCK/webbiscuitlt.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh206/DoubleCK/webbiscuit.jpg[/img]

After I get the rest of my pack gear I plan to get a quad to, if nothing else, help me take corn to the deer feeders out there in the woods, and also to help haul the deer back. Elk, I don't know.. doesn't sound right but who knows, if I have one it's sure cheaper than renting a horse.

But ya can't beat a horse, ... both have virtues

While everyone argues about Honda vs Yamaha vs Polaris vs Arctic Cat, the Kawasaki owners just keep quietly buzzing along with very minimal repairs to highly reliable machines.

What planet are you from. That'll be the day a horse is cheaper than even 2 large ATV's. When I get home, I put them in the garage and forget about them until I go on the next trip. Try that with a horse...

Anyhow, I have had several brands of ATVs, and I have to say that I would put a 700 King Quad up against them all. I had a Suzuki King Quad when they were originally only 300cc's. It was a great 4X4 and would go anywhere and haul anything...





Then I bought a Suzuki Eiger and it worked well until I tried the 700 King Quad. I never thought I would own a big 4 wheeler, but these are so much more comfortable and will go places smaller machines can't. I had a Polaris 700 and it wouldn't handle sidehills as well as the King Quad, so I sold it and bought another King Quad.

In between all those I also owned a few Yamaha Big Bear and Grizzlies, but I would still recommend the King Quad. Reliability isn't a real issue with any of them, although I can't speak for a Kawasaki as I haven't had anything to do with them at all. My suggestion would be to go to Craig's list in your immediate area and look for late large ATVs. If you end up with Honda, Suzuki, or Yamaha, I believe you will be absolutely happy and you won't have to spend the extra thousand$ it takes to buy new...

You gotta consider the source. There's never been a bigger dumbazz to hit this place than Framis/Olddouche1942/Hosslady/Goodiewrench or whatever name the local transvestite is going by this week!

I have had a Honda Rancher since 2001. I think its the best all around atv out there. A midsize 4 wheeler works well becuase its not to big or heavy. Whenever it gets stuck on a log or in the mud, its easy for one person to man handle and get it free. Its been realiable for ten years, it always has enough power to get the job dob. I have ridden it along side many other atvs and it always holds its own. I will always recommend a honda.

Only a person who's never owned a horse would say something that silly. +1 On the King Quad (or the 700 Grizzly).

Went from this Honda........


to this one.......


without any regrets at all. Both have been absolutely reliable. I've also owned Kawasaki and Yamaha ATV's, and an original 3 wheeler Big Red. Can't say I've had bad service from any of them, but I think the Hondas are a cut above the rest....

I've been runnin' Hondas all my life. You can't beat 'em. Even the guys I know who choose other brands for one reason or another mostly still agree that for reliability, Honda is tops.
I have a new 680 Rincon that is plenty fast and smooth, but this '99 Forman 450 is a real workhorse. It's a lot like an old trusted 30'06...there's faster, but it get's 'er dun ever time.

I'll echo the sentiments about the Hondas, you just can't beat them. I've got two ranchers, a 2001 and a 2010. That being said, all the Jap bikes are pretty decent, with Honda being a step above. The only ATV I wouldn't touch with a stick is a Polaris. You can't spell Polaris with a P, an O, and an S.

I've been involved with horses my whole life and nothing will beat them, other than probably a good mule for getting into and out of the rough stuff but you'd have to be smoking whacky tabbacky if anyone thinks they're cheaper than an ATV.

Paid for land aside, 3-400.00 a year in shoes, 100.00 vaccinations, 500-4000.00 saddle, 100.00 bridle, 100-200.00 good pad. Plus 2.00-5.00 a day in feed when they can't be in pasture.

NOT a cheap hobby


Don't have one, but I'd probably vote Honda with a back up recoil starter for a solid bullet proof machine. I have a 700 Sportsman and the ride is great, never really had any problems but don't know if I'd get another one.

At the end of the day, they all have their strengths and weaknesses. The Honda being a so-so ride (my opinion) and not the ground clearance as the other ones, but it's probably built the best.

My Daughter and I have 450 Yamaha'S and are very pleased with them. Where we bought them we had our choice of either the Honda or the Yammie. The Yamaha had a bit more ground clearance and cost slightly less, so we went with them. We have been very happy with them but we probably don't put them to as much hard use as most of you Honda guys do so the Honda could be a better machine in the long run. One thing that we have found out is if you hava a ATV or a UTV be sure to put a winch on it. You don't need it very often but its sure nice to have when its needed. We also use the Guard dog and Trailer Dog for transporting them which saves a lot of tie down work.

Forget the debate, you really can't go wrong with any of the major manufacturers. Go look at them all and pick the one that is most comfortable and has the features you like. I picked Polaris because I liked the auto transmission, suspension, and active hill decent. I've had them for years and have not encountered a single problem.

Wife and I are going through this very thing right now. Our freind's we camp and hunt with run nothing but Polaris, and put them through everything you would put a 4 wheeler through. They have had excellent service from them. We had one Yamaha Grizzly 660 in camp and we would have to push it into the cook tent to warm up so it would start. The next one that friend bought was the same way. He went with Polaris after that. Looked at two Eiger's on friday, but they were overpriced for what they are. In the end, I think we are going either Polaris or Honda. As to the horse vs 4 wheeler, they both have their place, imho, and we use one or the other, depending on what part of the area we're going to hunt that day. If you can have both in camp, so much the better.

That was only a problem with the carb models. New ones are all FI. My biggest complaint with Polaris quads is their weight. They do climb like a billy goat though and have a great ride. If you're going to use the quad for sporty trail riding (like we do), the Honda's are the least exciting of all the Jap bikes.

Sure like my Grizzly 700's with fuel injection and power steering. All three of them. No problems.

The Yamaha 660 is a cold starting son of a gun. The Grizzly 450 with the carb does not have the same issue. I have used a Honda Rancher for a long time but I prefer the Grizzly 450. The 4wd system and locking differential is better in my opinion. The Honda does have the smother engine.

Here is a good comparison video obviously biased toward Yamaha.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-48DQkyYpo

It isn't the prettiest by any means but I have to say an old King Quad is pretty awesome. You have the option of 2wd or 4wd, high-low-or superlow range, reverse, independent suspension and small enough and light enough to get around in the woods in tight situations. We have had one at our hunting camp for years with no issues. With its old blue and pink color combination we affectionately call it the "Queen Quad".

That's not neccessarily true anymore. The newer Ranchers and the Rincon are great trail riding machines but not so good for hard utility type work or playing in the mud. My wife has had 2 Ranchers and they are quick on the throttle and a very snappy machine but they lack in torque when it comes to playing in mud or hauling heavy loads, same with the Rincon. I put a gear reduction in the wifes 09 Rancher and it made a huge difference torque wise. My biggest complaint with the Polaris is that they are ugly as sin and I hate their rack system.

I agree with the 450 size / weight vs. the big dogs.

I've also seem many a polaris guy brag how they outpull and out perform honda.

Oh a quad won't out due a horse in the moutains but on flat land where other things apply a horse would be a heck of alot harder.

It's hard to outpull and outperform anybody when you're broken down, which is the usual state of most polaris's I've seen.

I'll take the old Tote Gote for hunting anyday...I have had most atv's and there all good if you take care of them.They each have there quirks which some are good and others aren't so much in certain circumstances. I have always leaned towards Yamaha anything and still do even with Honda's in the arsenal...If I were to buy a new machine it would be the Yamaha w/power steering...

I also went from this...





To this....





I use it year round...and play on the Raptor when the wife lets me.



But as I get older,this ain't to bad either.



Jayco

Hard to top the fun factor of a Raptor.

Yeah..My wife made me sell my 250 dirt bike..Said I was to old to act like a kid and I don't heel like I used too..



Jayco

I have had dozen of bikes over the years and Yamaha or Honda has been great on reliability for sure. Now ATV I have had Polaris, Honda, Yamaha, along with a Suzuki.

I like the Yamaha's 550's one for a fact! I do have an older 2004 Honda-450 Foreman with 500 miles on it (chore duty mostly around the place) but never could trust that electric shift tranny. I finally worked the bugs out of it and now it is much better but those "power steering" Yamaha's are a piece of cake to drive in tuff terrain. It sure keeps a man's upper torso from getting wore out during the day.

The only problem I ever had with a Yamaha, was driving across 500 acres of flooded land to get to the duck blinds, now that is were a 350 Honda really comes in handy. I gave up duck hunting 2 years ago......to ride more with my ATV.

All of these pictures make me want to hunt and ride, ride and hunt! Great thread full of pics!

Go to Moab for a week and rent one of each every day. Thousands of scenic miles and every brand and size of ATV is there for rent. You will have an awesome vacation and get some education as well.

Regardless of brand I've learned a couple things that might help you:

I pull the kids up the hill in the snow on their sleds with my ATV. It has a selectable 2wd/ 4wd option as well as selectable front diff lock. In 4wd in 15-20" of fluffy snow, I can get about 1/3 up the hill and it bogs and stops. Three wheels spinning and done. When I back up about 3 feet, engage diff lock in the front, it climbs the whole way up the hill without any struggle at all. It's a bugger the steer in diff lock, but it's night and day more traction.

So I would not buy one that does not have the ability to LOCK the front, not limited slip, but selectable LOCK. The Can Am I used had some auto locker and it would engage climbing in and out of tire ruts which would rip the handlebars out of your hands and about through you over them at times. I would never choose an auto Locker on the front of an ATV! With the Selectable design you use it when needed and turn it off when not. A much better plan!

Low range is absolutely mandatory. Don't even look at an ATV that does not have a low range!

IFS or Solid Axle? This is a tougher choice. Mine has IFS for long rides it's better. It cannot carry the weight that the solid rear axles can. My 30 gallon agri sprayer squats this thing big time til the tires rub the fenders. I still prefer the articulation of the IFS rear, but it your going to expect to pack a lot of weight then the solid axle may be better.

A 12v outlet. Can't even begin to tell you how handy this is. It's a must for cell phones GPS, garden sprayer, electric lift, spot lights, air compressor etc. A must have.

Finally tires. Your gonna get what you get but when time comes the replace, buy The Bighorn radials. This is "the tire" for all terrain. I've had them on three different ATVs and a 2wd motorcycle now. I've never used a better tire. My week in Moab last week at least half of the ATVS and side by sides are running this tire. that says something in Moab!

Full bottom skid plates are a must to slide over stuff. I have ricochet full bottom skid plates and they make more of a difference sliding over rocks and logs then you can imagine. The open bottom frame of an ATV gets the edges caught on everything.

Full floor boards I think are pretty much standard now, but they are a must have too.

If you choose to get a winch, the warn with the rope cable is so nice and easy to use. I would not choose a wire cable winch lead for an ATV again.

I've Owned Hondas, amazing and unbreakable. Yamaha's equal in every way with some better 4X4 selectable features and the front LOCKER. Suzuki, great performance but nagging little stuff was always breaking. I've also used several other the hunting partners have. Polaris, way to finicky and unreliable IMO. Can Ams:........ wow........... these are spooky powerful and can launch you into space. I've never driven a more responsive and powerful ATV EVER. Great fun for trail riding but a bit too much "sport" for my taste when hunting.

As an aside to this, I borrowed a Yamaha side by side, I don't know the name. It's the first model they ever made. It's a rental at the shop in Moab. It had 2400 hours and change. It looked old fashioned compared to the new ones for rent. I asked the guy about this old beast. He said that it has been the most reliable machine of any type they have ever had. He's only done maintenance and put on about 10 sets of tires! This is a rental with people beating the crap out of it every day. It's also the one with the recovery gear now to go rescue the ones that break down. Has an owner limited top speed of 33mph but just keeps ticking away! I was impressed with that track record. Hope these observations help

Yamaha's first UTV was created in 2004 and still bears the same name today, the Rhino.

Have a 93 Honda 300 Fourtrax.....jus like a timex....takes a
lickin and keeps on tickin....time for a new gastank now
but thats it....

Oh I don't know. I keep hearing that, but it only cost us about $400 a year to feed 3 horses and they started out a lot cheaper then the ATVs. We do have good pasture to put them on so only feed during the winter and not all the time either.

I have always liked my little Honda Rancher. I belive it is just a 350, but I have never needed more power from the rig. It does very well.

Wholeheartedly agree! Kawasaki's seem to be a little cheaper made than the others, but still much better than Polaris from what I've been around. I've only owned Yamaha (2000 Big Bear, 2001 Kodiak, and now a 2010 Grizzly 700). I personally like Yamaha's for their power, lighter weight than most other large atv's, more compact, tighter turning, etc. - bottom line, they serve me well in tight woods, etc. If I can't go around it, I just go over it! Sorry guys, those side-by-side are definitely great for the trails and stuff, but you won't keep up with me through the woods where there are no trails.



Me too! Bought it last year prior to heading to Colorado, swapped the tires over from my Kodiak . . .



It's not quite as new and shiny looking now . . .

I bought a yamaha Grizzly 550 and am glad I did. Been a real good machine. Starts right up after sitting all night in -10 degree weather in altitude. My buddy bought a Polaris at the same time. Seems to be a nice ride, but as we soon found out, being just a little bigger and wider, he could not get in and out (and around) as easily as I could on the forest trails. Just an observation.

My buddies have Rhinos, the are tough. They are dependable. I'd have to say this though, a Ranger can carry more and is just as tough. Over the last six years, I've been shocked at the abuse the family Ranger has taken and not died from! It'll carry a whole large moose too! (A Rhino won't) Both great machines.