ATV for Sheep hunt

Adventurewriter

Adventurewriter

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I lucked out and drew a second ram tag in my home state of Colorado. There is a really knarly but super important road for access to a critical part of my unit. I was in there five years ago with my Toyota 4x4 off-road and BAARELY made it in and was told it is worse now. I have a full sized Dodge now that would never make it. I'm thinking about buying a used ATV for this hunt and don't know **** about them. I don't want to spend a bunch and see quite a few on Craigslist. there are lots 20 years old that likely don't get used much and in the 2500ish price range. I'm not a machine guy any thoughts on one to avoid or any other info to arm me to make a good buy would be greatly appreciated. I'm 210 and would have my crap with me.
 
Honda's are the best bet for quads especially older ones. Older CanAms are meh...ok, same with Yamaha. I would just contact some of the owners and try and meet up and just test them out. Make sure they run to decent and that they start and idol decent. It's really no different than going to see a used vehicle.

I would for sure look for a 350 or bigger to haul you around comfortably, plus an animal if you have to pack it out on that. Major plus if it has a winch on the front and has 4x4, but honestly there's not many times I've had to use 4wheel drive on a 4 wheeler besides going through nasty mud, or up a hill that wasn't meant to be climbed with anything but a rock crawler.

Pull off the seat and check the air filter if you can. It's normally just in a smallish black case. Try and shine a flashlight into the gas tank and see if there'd any dirt or crud inside of there.
 
Honda or Yamaha first choice. Polaris machines are made awfully cheap these days, like most things I suppose.

Congrats on the Tag, Good Luck to you and your legs in that high country!
 
I’ve had an RZR 800 trail model for 13 years and it’s been a good machine. It fits in the bed of my truck.
I would get something fuel injected.
Always inspect the air filter and box. Dust getting through can kill a motor. If you can see that dust is getting past the filter, expect it to need a top end rebuild soon.
Of course check oil level and for any dirt or coolant getting in. My RZR does burn oil, so I have to check it often, but many people don’t and end up running it too low.
Shopping for older stuff, look close at hoses, connectors and anything made of rubber or plastic.
I’ve been pleased with my RZR.
 
Honda for sure, Ive owned two (2002 & 2013 models) in the past 20 years. The 13 model starts easier in colder weather and is fuel injected. Have used them very hard and no problems. Still running good. Congrats on the ram tag ! I was lucky and drew a ram tag last year it was an awesome hunt.
 
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When you say your looking for and ATV and then say you’ll have all your crap with you…….

Are you wanting a quad 4x4 or a side by side?

Sounds like your looking at the quad 4x4s but, how much crap are you planning to haul? Are you talking volume or weight?

I own a 2004 Honda Ranger 4x4 350. (Not for sale.) Small in the quad world and it will haul my 320 lb butt straight up, as fast or slow as I want it to go. I look like a bear on a roller skate!

Whatever you buy, I’d plan on taking it to a highly regarded Quad mechanic and have him/her go completely through it before I’d bet my sheep tag on it. Another $500 is peanuts in the big picture.
 
Buy the best you can, then you can sell it for what you paid? Low to free rental? I would go with a side by side if your not atv knowledgeable.
Alot safer, unless you have to bail...then your screwed anyway?
 
I’ve been around 4-wheelers for my whole life. Right now out in the shed we’ve got a Suzuki Eiger 400, Arctic cat 400, Arctic cat 500, and a Yamaha wolverine. One farm I work on has a Can-am and Polaris 500, and 2 Honda dirt bikes. The other farms 3 all have just a bunch of Honda 4-wheelers and dirt bikes.
In my opinion Honda is the best out of them all. They seem to last the longest and have the least amount of things break and go wrong. When ranchers who use and abuse them every single day for all sorts of things but Honda’s, that says a lot.
That said I’ve used and abused the crap every single one of the brands above and never had any big problems with them. I would say that with whatever brand you decide to go with, take care of it and you’ll be fine.
The above advice about considering a side by side and having a mechanic check it over is good advice too. It would suck to be stranded somewhere.
 
I agree Hondas are great quads.
Be careful though! Any quad can roll over fairly easily in a rough situation. I know I’ve had to bail off a couple times and have rolled mine over once. Scary!
There are a couple of places in my local area I will not attempt on my quad. Too much risk of rollover.
If that section of road is so rough that a Toyota 4 x 4 off-road truck barely makes it you probably will need a side-by-side with a lot of ground clearance.
Something like a razor.
Maybe before you buy it you should rent something or go with a friend that has an ATV and try out that bad spot.
 
Honda have been the best to me and my family. We have a couple of Foreman’s and a couple of Rubicons. The older one I have is a 2000 Honda Foreman with over 14,000 miles on it. Still runs great! Even been burned over in a wildfire. Came out of that one with only cosmetic damage. Have another 1,000+ miles on it after the fire.

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My experience with atv’s on craigslist is that most are scam ads with poached pictures…..certainly the really cheap ones…
 
buckhorn said:
I agree Hondas are great quads.
Be careful though! Any quad can roll over fairly easily in a rough situation. I know I’ve had to bail off a couple times and have rolled mine over once. Scary!
There are a couple of places in my local area I will not attempt on my quad. Too much risk of rollover.
If that section of road is so rough that a Toyota 4 x 4 off-road truck barely makes it you probably will need a side-by-side with a lot of ground clearance.
Something like a razor.
Maybe before you buy it you should rent something or go with a friend that has an ATV and try out that bad spot.
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Excellent caution advice. I’ve rolled my little 350 Honda quad once. It lite on me me…… busted multiple ribs, on both sides. I’ve “almost” most rolled both quads and my Polaris RZR 570 more times than I’d like to remember…… both styles can be rolled if your not careful BUT, as has been said, I find the quads a lot more dangerous to get around on than I do my side by side. Longer wheel base seems to make a big difference maneuvering through the really nasty rock piles.

It’s okay to get a wheel or two in the air but just make dang sure your still in control of what side of the unit you land on. Titts up takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to these damn things.

As busted up as I’ve been from horses, I don’t know that these machines aren’t killing more or us than our horses ever have.

Not attempting to dissuade you in any way, shape, or form, just trying to get you and your bighorn home in one piece. lol
 
Thanks for all the great advice. might up my price range and if I like it I have a better machine and if I think I won't be using it again much might just sell it as someone suggested. Seems like Honda gets the biggest nod overall.
 
Side note I have bought and sold lots of stuff on Craigslist and yes it is full of scammers anything I sell or inquire about I add "All transactions will be person to person cash only" and it seems to weed through the scammers
 
LBH I know you would buddy....never really had any use for one before my old Toy-Truck was an animal....

Mtn Squab what is KSL?
 
Adventurewriter, There’s a lot of good info for you in this thread! Like 2lumpy said, if you are new to quads, be careful! They can and do roll!! Beyond that, Honda is what you want. We own several. Ride them almost every day. Even have an ‘88 with probably 25-30k+ miles that still runs! 350cc or bigger and 4x4 of course. A winch isn’t mandatory but makes you feel good having it. I think we have 3 with winches but only used them a handful of times… pretty hard to get them stuck unless you’re in deep snow. Good luck on your hunt!! Also, for packing lots of stuff in, you might consider getting a basket on the front rack. That’s pretty nice. And if you a climbing a steep hill, put your ram on the front rack to keep the front wheels down.
 
A winch is nice and I’ve wished I had one, a few times, but…… a cheaper solution that’s maybe more versatile is a Come-A—Long for about $50. If I’m alone and headed into rough country I throw two and a twenty foot chain (for extra length) in my box. Dread having to use them but I have, on occasion, and not just for pulling the machine out. They come in handy for a lot of different things. Always keep them in my pickup, where ever I go.
 
I actually prefer my Honda dirt bike for accessing sheep and mtn goat country more than my Honda foreman. It negotiates rocks a lot quicker and easier than my 4 wheeler. When it snows the 4 wheeler is better. I’ve been on 3 sheep and over a dozen goat hunts with family and friends. I’ve spent a gob of time over the year scouting and hunting Colo sheep and goats accessing old mining roads. I get beat up a lot less on my dirt bike and it saves gobs of time. Just strap a pack on my back and go! Be careful on those mtn roads. There are guys every year that roll their vehicles!

If you are set in a 4 wheeler there are a few places that rent them here in Colo.
 
JimS is a 2 wheel hunting expert. If you decide on a dirt bike, there’s nobody better to consult with. In fact if your sheep hunting Colorado, regardless what you’re getting in and out on, he would be a wealth of worthwhile information.
 
2lumpy, thanks for the comments! A dirt bike works great for maneuvering around large boulder fields and tight spots but an ATV is certainly a lot more comfortable when the terrain is decent. Poor weather and deep snow definitely aren't for biking!
 
2lumpy said:
A winch is nice and I’ve wished I had one, a few times, but…… a cheaper solution that’s maybe more versatile is a Come-A—Long for about $50. If I’m alone and headed into rough country I throw two and a twenty foot chain (for extra length) in my box. Dread having to use them but I have, on occasion, and not just for pulling the machine out. They come in handy for a lot of different things. Always keep them in my pickup, where ever I go.
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And a come-a-long is great for hangin critters!
 
I thought about a dirt bike for about two seconds...I flipped a mini bike when I was about 11 and busted myself up. I got ran over by a car when I was about 16.... four breaks in one leg I was in a rehab group and there were about 12 other guys all motorcycle wrecks....never trust the things! But appreciates the thought!
 
Adventurewriter said:
I thought about a dirt bike for about two seconds...I flipped a mini bike when I was about 11 and busted myself up. I got ran over by a car when I was about 16.... four breaks in one leg I was in a rehab group and there were about 12 other guys all motorcycle wrecks....never trust the things! But appreciates the thought!
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Those rockon bikes are some serious units they are 2 wheel drive and can store extra fuel in the wheels and have racks on them for gear. They are low to the ground and easy to maneuver but pretty pricey but if I was in the market I would seriously consider one theres not a place you couldn't get one of those things
 
I’ve got a 2005 yamaha kodiak that just keeps going and going. No regrets on that purchase. It’s a 400. Goes quite a ways on a tank of gas and has plenty of power. Only thing I would recommend is find a fuel injected model of whatever brand you end up choosing. Nothing worse than climbing a steep hill at 10,000+ feet only to have it start bogging on you. It’s an experience that will leave you sh!tless, wishing you brought a change of clothes. Don’t ask how I know all this.
 
Congrats on the sheep tag man! That’s awesome. I say buy an old Honda 00-09 put a new OEM carb in her and be done with it. You’ll have it the rest of ur life GUARANTEE!
 
If you are looking for an older bike I would look for a Honda Foreman 400 or 450. The Honda fourtrax 300's are also Bullet proof, there are still a lot of them running around that were built in the late '80's. I had a couple Yamahas in the early 2000's and they are not as stable as the Honda is. We have a Foreman 400 and a Yamaha Kodiak 700. I've had other bikes including Suzukis. Early Polaris bikes are always in the shop. I had a Honda 500 and that was pretty good. The Hondas don't have the best suspension but they are good enough. My all around favorite machine was a Yamaha Grizzly 550. I liked it more than my Kodiak 700 and the Grizzly 600 I used to own. That 2000 straight axle Grizzly 600 was the most unstable quad I ever owned. I rolled it several times. You could literally rock it side to side holding one side of the handlebars and get it to lift wheels off the ground.
 
SxSs with a steering wheel are A LOT easier to operate than an ATV with handlebars. If you are not use to handling an ATV/dirt bike for hours on Rocky roads your arms are going to be soar. Don’t want that to effect you when the time comes to squeeze the trigger.
 
Honda dirt bike! You’ll miss all the rocks the wheeler guys hit! Wheelers and s by sides also have low clearance on Boulder fields. A dirt bike is much quicker and easier! If you are experienced on mtn bikes a dirt bike will be a piece of cake!
 
jims said:
Honda dirt bike! You’ll miss all the rocks the wheeler guys hit! Wheelers and s by sides also have low clearance on Boulder fields. A dirt bike is much quicker and easier! If you are experienced on mtn bikes a dirt bike will be a piece of cake!
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I did that for many years and I'll take a four-wheeler over a dirt bike any day when it comes to hunting.
 
So you would rather hit every rock on narrow mining roads on a 4 wheeler than merely going around them with a dirt bike? Also, on 2 track roads with sage, one side of your wheeler is riding in the ruts and other side/wheels are hitting every sagebrush bush! Talk about a slow, rough ride! I have both a dirt bike and 4 wheeler. Until it snows my wheeler sits in my garage.

Obviously a wheeler or side by is nice because you don’t have to wear a backpack but they certainly are a rough, slow ride.

I would also be aware that there are hunters killed every year when wheelers roll or roll on top of them. A buddy of mine at worked died when this happened to him at work a few years ago so keep that in mind!
 
Adventurewriter said:
I borrowed my Buddies electric bike and am lucky to still be alive....so gave in and bought a used Honda Rancher and ready to give it a go I haven't had it on the road yet this next week
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Good choice!
I have a 2010 Honda rancher with power steering.
Mine is the 420 TRX.
It does everything I need it to do.
 
SS trust me there is plenty of giant mountain and canyon left...you draw a sheep tag and treck from home in your moccasins chewing on pemmican and dried berries I'll kiss your ring;)
 
So it’s ok to fly a super cub directly into the hills within spitting range of dall sheep in Alaska but not an atv for access to bighorn sheep on old mining roads in Colo or elsewhere? Explain?
 
jims said:
So it’s ok to fly a super cub directly into the hills within spitting range of dall sheep in Alaska but not an atv for access to bighorn sheep on old mining roads in Colo or elsewhere? Explain?
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Why would anyone answer a question you ask? You never answer anyones questions…
 

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