That guy is intense
Lmao
Matt
No different as far as wear and tear on terra firma, and much less nimble
Personally, I would rather encounter a couple folks slowly trundling along on their Class 2 fat bike than kamikazes recklessly blasting down the trail on their carbon fiber full suspension MTBs, yelling, "Get out of the way!!", while pushing everyone off into the bushes.
While there are arseholes on FS Carbon bikes, there are bowhunters, rifle hunters, tree huggers and hikers who are arseholes too. Guess what, I'm beginning to see arseholes on ebikes as they become more popular as well.
On local MTB trails we can see trail impacts from literally one ebike rider (e.g. roosting skid marks on uphills, which is impossible for a non-powered MTB), so they don't necessarily have only the same impact as a non-powered MTB. Heck, when driven responsibly a motorcross motorcycle doesn't have much more impact than a non-powered MTB, but by the ebiker logic we might as well blanketly open up every mountain bike trail to motos...
By federal law, "low-powered" ebikes are below 750 watts.
We can agree to disagree. However, with the explosion in ebike sales, combined with the general aging of the outdoor-oriented population, it won't be long before the voice of the conventional MTB community is just a little squeak to policy-makers. The number of states coming on board, the DOI ruling, all indicate the direction this is headed.
BTW, yours is the exact same argument trad bowhunters made when compounds began gaining headway. I remember, because I was there. Now look where we are.
But the same drawing could be made for footwear, clothes, binocs/scopes, releases, broadheads………
The only question is where to stop. And the majority of recreationists/ hunters ultimately decides that.
Matt
Those against are where we use to be physically, and think it’s our time to give it up,?so they can have those distant honey holes with less competition.
That said, it is a double edged sword for us. Because it WILL increase the number of hunters in some of those hard to reach places as mellennials realize there is an easier way….
I think that's an inaccurate generalization. At least it is for me.
First, I'd argue that riding an e-bike requires more physical fitness than hiking in most western hunting terrains, especially with a pack on. An e-bike doesn't magically turn an old out-of-shape hunter into a mountain scaling beast. If that's your perception, then I assume you've never ridden an e-bike. If the trail is difficult enough to limit it to only the youngest and fittest hunters, then I guarantee you it's too difficult to ride an e-bike on...for virtually anyone.
My motivation for buying an e-bike had nothing to do with my age, level of fitness, or desire to access areas that I can no longer hike to. For me, it was all about being able to cover many miles of BLM roads and 2-tracks, that most hunters use ATVs on, and do it quickly, and most importantly, silently. It's a healthy alternative to using a noisy, stinky, wildlife spooking ATV for me.
My elk hunt last year was the perfect example of the benefits of an e-bike over an ATV. I routinely rode my e-bike into easy rifle range of the same elk herds that would spook badly when they heard an approaching ATV from over a mile away.
Rather than advocate for less restrictions on e-bikes, I'd advocate for more restrictions on ATVs, especially on BLM lands. I think that would provide a better hunting experience for everyone in the long run.
Matt
There are so many reasons I have jumped in. After having mine for over a year, I just received and put my wife’s ebike together yesterday! Hoping it gets her further out with me.
And Certainly you still have to be very physically fit to ride an ebike in the mountains. Earlier this summer I rode up a slope that would have taken me 30 min to walk. Took 10 on the bike, but I was winded and sweating when I made it up there. Could I have walked up it with a loaded pack on my back? Yep, but at 63, it keeps getting harder and with a bike I can go where I still want to with less total effort. And I burned less energy than walking up that same slope. Another mountain logging road was much longer but not as steep. Would have taken me an hour to get to the saddle i hunt. I made that in 20 min barely breaking a sweat. So depends on terrain.
But I stand by my logic that the naysayers are about numbers: keeping less capable hunters from reaching where they go. So I do at least see their reasoning. But like you, I realize that an ebike is not magic. You still have to work for every inch. I tried to go down a flat logging road that had years of deadfalls across it. I gave up after going about a mile. It was much easier to walk than try to get an ebike down it
