E-Bikes on public ground

[Creamer]

I had an interesting experience yesterday. I had a few hours in the morning and a cell cam on public that had run dry in the last week or so. I wanted to move it to a new-to-me location so I set out to retrieve/scout/re-hang. When I get to the lot near the trail head, there was a guy beside his truck with a hitch rack. He had clearly been hunting, and on his hitch rack was a large e-bike. My first gut reaction was I didn't think those things were legal to use for hunting on public land.

This camera I was going after was just over 1.5 miles in, a pretty significant trek up a huge ridge system and carrying gear. I get close to where I need to cut into the woods for the camera and there's ANOTHER e-bike, parked off the hiking path. Now things are starting to add up for why the camera had run dry, and who the guy at the truck was waiting for. Luckily, the camera was still there. As I was taking it down, I saw a hunter with a climbing stand on his back walking towards the e-bike out the ridge above me.

As soon as I got back home, I messaged a guy (who most of us know) who knows this chunk of public well and would know if e-bikes were legal out there. I was informed they were not legal for use out there for hunting, or even riding off the paved trail. I got on the ODNR page and reported what I saw with the details I had. I wish I could have had their license plate but it was obscured by the hitch rack as I walked by the truck. I did get a text from the game warden thanking me for the report and he mentioned they've been having issues with folks using these for hunting on public this year. He'll keep an eye out for them, but I'm not optimistic he catches them unless they go back to the well again today and the warden cruises by.

It may not seem like much to some people, but I felt like it needed to be reported. It is complete horseshit to me that I put all my gear on my back and sweat my ass off getting back into a place like this, doing it the legal/right way, and somebody else breaks the law and rides the equivalent of an electric dirt bike up that ridge. I saw these guys, they were in poor physical shape and no chance in hell they were pedaling their butts back in there up that ridge system. If they were legal to use for hunting on public, hell I'd probably have one, too. It's hard enough competing with folks who simply have a drive to hunt and reach distant places around here, without them having illegal mechanical advantage to get that far.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I'd have done the same had I been in your shoes.

 

[Redneckfucker]

I’m with you in this cause the public that I hunt I’m right about 1.5-2 miles back in. I believe you did the right thing

 

[TinyTucky]

I was waiting for you to post this on here after seeing your post on FB yesterday. I would’ve done the same thing as you.

 

["J"]

Jeff, they’ll keep doing what they’re doing until they’re cited. People are generally lazy and will take advantage and then claim ignorance when caught. Hopefully they become enlightened when handed the citation…..

 

[Creamer]

I was waiting for you to post this on here after seeing your post on FB yesterday. I would’ve done the same thing as you.

"But it's not a motor."

 

[brock ratcliff]

I’d feel the same as you Jeff, if I were still mobile.
These things cause no serious damage to anything. Wild lands open to foot traffic only cuts off access to areas for a lot of people. Not just lazy youngsters, but old arthritic folks too.... I imagine someday soon e bikes will be legal everywhere.

 

[Bigcountry40]

Long walks and hard work is the great equalizer on public land and no amount of money should change that. If a person is not in good enough shape or is disabled and can't walk a mile or more than they don't need to hunt that deep. This gives youngsters without a lot money a fair chance to harvest nice animals. Some day my big ass will be to old and fat to walk deep and haul gear, it will be someone else's opportunity to take advantage

 

[Creamer]

I’d feel the same as you Jeff, if I were still mobile.
These things cause no serious damage to anything. Wild lands open to foot traffic only cuts off access to areas for a lot of people. Not just lazy youngsters, but old arthritic folks too.... I imagine someday soon e bikes will be legal everywhere.

I certainly see your point, and I agree that they will probably be legalized someday. But not yet.

 

[Bigcountry40]

I’d feel the same as you Jeff, if I were still mobile.
These things cause no serious damage to anything. Wild lands open to foot traffic only cuts off access to areas for a lot of people. Not just lazy youngsters, but old arthritic folks too.... I imagine someday soon e bikes will be legal everywhere.

Steve Rinella had a guest on his podcast, I believe it was a BHA rep, he was telling a story about an old man complaining at a public hearing about land access how he wanted a road opened up that only allowed walking because he was to old to hike back to his favorite elk spot where he killed several bulls, the BHA rep simply told the man "its someone else's turn"

 

[brock ratcliff]

Steve Rinella had a guest on his podcast, I believe it was a BHA rep, he was telling a story about an old man complaining at a public hearing about land access how he wanted a road opened up that only allowed walking because he was to old to hike back to his favorite elk spot where he killed several bulls, the BHA rep simply told the man "its someone else's turn"

And that IMO is idiotic. These same wilderness access areas allow travel by horseback but not an ebike? Gotta draw a line somewhere I suppose, so using the most common form of travel from 100 years ago is where we choose to draw the line... genius.

 

[Bigcountry40]

And that IMO is idiotic. These same wilderness access areas allow travel by horseback but not an ebike? Gotta draw a line somewhere I suppose, so using the most common form of travel from 100 years ago is where we choose to draw the line... genius.

horse travel in Ohio really isn't an option on most/or any state land, but I see your point out west. Like I have said in other e bike threads, if they are legalized, I will probably buy one, but I hope they are not (in Ohio), we make things to easy for people as it is.

 

[Big_Holla]

JMHO when it comes to whitetails they will adapt. People start pouring in deeper to get away from crowds the deer will be in places overlooked as they ride by. My dad and I used to hunt state land up in the thumb of Michigan and that was what we found. Guys would pack in and go deep, we hunted within 100 yards of the road and often the parking lot and used to always see deer working their way forward to bed.

 

[Creamer]

JMHO when it comes to whitetails they will adapt. People start pouring in deeper to get away from crowds the deer will be in places overlooked as they ride by. My dad and I used to hunt state land up in the thumb of Michigan and that was what we found. Guys would pack in and go deep, we hunted within 100 yards of the road and often the parking lot and used to always see deer working their way forward to bed.

This is a fact. On my way out of the woods yesterday, I went through the woods instead of following a trail because 1) it was a shorter route and 2) I had never been in this one little spot. I don't like hunting bottoms, but there was a ton of doe sign down low. I'll be taking a camera or two back in there after gun season to possibly find a spot to take a late season archery deer. Easy access, one of those little "people don't go in there very often" spots.

 

[triple_duece]

JMHO when it comes to whitetails they will adapt. People start pouring in deeper to get away from crowds the deer will be in places overlooked as they ride by. My dad and I used to hunt state land up in the thumb of Michigan and that was what we found. Guys would pack in and go deep, we hunted within 100 yards of the road and often the parking lot and used to always see deer working their way forward to bed.

Bingo! I used to be the two mile guy at the end of trail. Got tired of seeing nothing or passing cause it wasn’t worth the drag. Also my age, physical fitness and anger at deer are no longer the same. Now I hunt the “dustline”, which is no more that .2 of a mile from wherever I stop my atv or truck. And I see more and kill more than ever……EVER!

I now hunt the places where I’d laugh at someone hunting. Behind check stations, close to the road, places where no one says that looks like a good spot. I’m guessing eventually others will figure it out on high pressured places and will have to figure out the next area to hunt. I enjoy not going balls deep in the woods and makes me want to hunt more.

How many people of putting a guest in the camp stand that no member would hunt and killed the biggest buck on the place? Same thing

 

[TinyTucky]

There’s a particular public parcel that i used to hunt a lot, and used to go as far in as i could, i would occasionally see deer. Knowing what i know now, i kill more deer damn near within eye shot of my truck. I wonder how many more deer I could’ve killed over the years had i known that sooner lol.

 

[Bigcountry40]

Bingo! I used to be the two mile guy at the end of trail. Got tired of seeing nothing or passing cause it wasn’t worth the drag. Also my age, physical fitness and anger at deer are no longer the same. Now I hunt the “dustline”, which is no more that .2 of a mile from wherever I stop my atv or truck. And I see more and kill more than ever……EVER!

I now hunt the places where I’d laugh at someone hunting. Behind check stations, close to the road, places where no one says that looks like a good spot. I’m guessing eventually others will figure it out on high pressured places and will have to figure out the next area to hunt. I enjoy not going balls deep in the woods and makes me want to hunt more.

How many people of putting a guest in the camp stand that no member would hunt and killed the biggest buck on the place? Same thing

Writers run articles every year in outdoors life and field stream saying this very thing, its just another version of hunting hunters, once you have the public land escape routes/patterns figured out it can be really successful. I never tried it because I always did pretty well with the method of going deep.

 

[giles]

With how I feel this year, I'd have one if I could afford it. It would also help my mental health being able to get in and out of places again. I'm 42 and can't hunt unless I have help lined up. This would eliminate that problem for me.

 

[Bighoun52]

Pa has the same issues. Not legal but a ton of people are using em. I know our officer well and told them what was going on but she hasn’t pushed it yet. Don’t know if the higher ups are telling officers not to enforce it or what.

 

[CJD3]

Im thinking about getting one down the road. The poachers and trespassers hear me coming on the 4 wheeler on our land…