
Electric bikes are becoming increasingly popular.
Indeed, 40 million e-bikes are expected to be sold around the world by 2023. Clearly, the demand for powered bikes is growing by the day.
One particular niche market that’s gained traction in recent years is the electric hunting bike.
Hunting has been around since the dawn of time. Each new age has heralded novel technology that has changed the way it’s done. E-bikes are the latest invention to be impacting the way people hunt.
Are you interested in learning exactly how it’s making a difference? We wanted to help.
Keep reading to discover 8 ways electric hunting bikes are changing the way we hunt.
1. Go Further, Quicker
The best hunting spots are usually far out of the way.
They’re a long distance off the beaten track, away from civilization and in amongst the bush.
Getting to these locations is rarely straight-forward! It can be a tough slog on two feet, hauling all your food and gear with you. Many hunters choose an ATV to navigate the terrain and get into position quicker.
Of course, that comes with its own set of challenges. For one thing, they’re noisy- an obvious disadvantage when you’re after stealth.
Taking an electric bike mitigates all of these problems. Hunters can travel significant distances with minimal effort and time elapsed in the process.
2. Easier Access to Harder to Reach Places
We just mentioned how hunting spots tend to be off the beaten track.
They can also require navigating challenging terrain.
Thick scrub, significant hills, and muddy paths make life hard for the average bipedal hunter. Sometimes you don’t have to walk a long way to have a tough slog on your hands.
Using an electric hunting bike helps make life a breeze. Get to the top of hills without a problem. Get off the track without issue. Get through muddy sections with ease.
Suddenly, the opportunity to novel exploration into harder areas becomes possible. Hunters can get in amongst the rough to scout out the territory.
3. Spend More Time Hunting
What happens when you get into place quicker and more easily?
There’s more time to hunt.
Hunters have more time on their hands. it means less time and effort spent getting into position. Tasks like checking for scrapes and rubs can be performed in a fraction of the time.
Tracks that take 2 hours to take by foot can be covered in half the time (or less). That means far longer proportions of the day can be spent on the hunt itself.
Get your positioning wrong and need to move on? No problem. Hop back on the bike and find a new spot. Life is far easier with a set of thick, powered wheels to call upon.
4. Carry More Gear
Strength is often a limiting factor.
There’s a host of gear the average hunter can’t take, simply because they can’t physically carry everything. It might be possible on flat, solid land. But to take everything through forests and over hills, for days at a time, the task becomes untenable.
The same goes for food.
With just a backpack to haul everything in and out, there’s only so space for food.
Being able to carry more means a) life on the hunt is inextricably easier and b) you can go hunting for longer periods of time.
That’s what an electric bike offers a hunter. A 5-day hunt becomes a 10-day hunt because you can finally take everything you need.
5. Leave Less Scent
Moving by foot can be an effective means of getting into position.
Indeed, for thousands of years, it was the only way!
Hunters are more likely to leave their scent behind like this though. Making direct contact with the ground is a recipe for leaving traces of your presence. Remember, walking takes significant effort; sweat and body odor ensues.
It doesn’t take much for an animal to pick up on your presence. Get the positioning wrong and a hunter can give the game away. A whole day stalking can be for nothing.
Using an electric bike requires less effort on the hunter’s part; it leaves less scent behind as a result.
6. Make Less Noise
The best hunters make very little noise.
There’s no room for error. One snapped twig can spook an animal and send it running.
Electric bikes are naturally quiet. It’s pedal power, after all! They’re also lightweight and easy to manoeuver. All told, they can be exponentially quieter than a clumsy person hunting on foot.
Want to know how the work? Here’s a link where you can learn about these bikes.
7. More People Can Get Involved
Young and old alike can now enjoy hunting more easily as well.
Some people may have hunted their entire life. Upon getting to a certain age, their bodies may no longer be able to take the strain. Those pack marches and days on the trail become physically unrealistic.
As we’ve seen, an electric bike takes much of the strain. Those hard to reach places are easier to get to. People who thought their hunting days were behind them can get back out there!
Likewise, young people can keep up and come along for the ride too.
8. Easily Transport What You Catch
Lugging a 300lb buck home is no easy task.
On top of everything else a hunter is carrying, that extra weight can be a serious energy sapper.
Electric bikes make this less of a problem. The extra power would make it an easier task anyway. However, some clever people have designed trailers to attach to the bike too. Simply put your catch on the back, and ride off home.
Final Thoughts on the Electric Hunting Bike
There you have it: 8 ways the electric hunting bike is changing the way people hunt.
Hunting has been around since the dawn of time. E-bikes are a relatively new invention that is just taking off. Combining the two is starting to revolutionize the sport. It makes the life of the hunter exponentially easier in all manner of ways.
Hopefully, this post has highlighted exactly how.
Like this article? Read more hunting-related articles right here on our blog. Just search ‘hunting’ to get started.
Aug 02, 2019 @ 12:18:51
Very interesting, Mike! We’re going out today, in fact, to scout for the bear season which begins on September 1st. Such a bike could be used on the snowmobile & walking trails to find spots to depart into the thick bush.
Thanks for this! GREAT IDEA!
Aug 02, 2019 @ 13:13:40
A dedicated off road e-bikepacking or e-backcountry bike or the ones at the hunting e-bike link makes sense. I wouldn’t give the bike in the picture (above) a chance in Hades of being useful in the woods. Plus, make sure you secure and safeguard the rifle or arrows in a way that if you biff, it doesn’t shoot an extra hole in your derriere. I wonder what sorts of scabbards or bow holders (or shoulder holsters for pistol hunting) are made for this application. The trailer makes a lot of sense and one could tie down a rifle or bow in the trailer in a soft case.