Hunting prep for ATVs

This column marks my 20th anniversary of writing an outdoor oriented column in The Frontiersman. I will be beginning my 21st year with next week’s column. I would like to thank Palmer’s internationally renowned author, Eowyn Lemay Ivey, and the then managing editor, Frank Ameduri, for giving me an opportunity to try my hand at this writing thing. Eowyn helped me get my foot in the door and Frank offered me the chance to do this regular column, perhaps despite his better judgment. Thanks, Jeremiah, for keeping me straight!

I also want to thank you, the readers of this newspaper, for the many words of encouragement you have given me over the years. Some of you have offered information to answer some question I may have raised. A few of you have politely, but passionately, disagreed with either what I said or how I may have said it. That’s the way it is supposed to be, as long as we stay civil.

Now, on to the important stuff! Several big and small game seasons will open on Aug.10, next Wednesday. Many of you will utilize either a four-wheel ATV or a side-by-side UTV to access your hunting area and to even hunt from while travelling from one glassing location to the next. If you are successful in harvesting an animal, you will also use the ATV/UTV to haul out your meat, either in the bed of the machine or in a meat trailer. You may have already used the vehicle to haul in your camping set-up prior to the hunt.

The excitement of getting ready for the hunt often overshadows some serious considerations in readying and operating the ATV/UTV. Let’s look at a few of the obvious ones. First, is your off-road vehicle in tip top condition for operation miles off the road system and over rough and unforgiving terrain? Have you had the vehicle serviced this year, including things like oil and filter changes, lubricating the various grease fittings, inspecting the condition of your tires, and planning to carry extra antifreeze (if your vehicle uses that fluid), oil, and fuel?

It’s also a good idea to carry a set of wrenches and other assorted tools to work on the ATV/UTV if it breaks down and either a small tire compressor or manual air pump along with a tire patch kit in case of problems with the tires. I don’t carry a spare tire for my four-wheeled ATV, but I do for my six-wheeler (along with a jack), together with the patch kit and a foot pump. A spare drive belt and extra spark plugs are other good items to bring along.

Something else I learned about the hard way was having some sort of ground anchor in your gear in the event you get stuck when there is nothing to attach a winch cable to in order to pull yourself out. I carry a small Danforth anchor in the ATV gear, along with a shovel, and that serves well to get that machine unstuck using the mounted winch on the front. I’ve also got a small snatch block to add extra pulling power with the winch. I haven’t gotten the six-wheeler stuck, yet, because I am a cautious operator, but I have ample chain, cable, and straps, plus a snatch block, which should get me out of whatever I get into. That and the 4,500-pound winch should help keep me out of trouble.

When I operate my four-wheeler, since it is an open riding set-up, I wear a full helmet with a face shield, a pair of heavy leather gloves, and generally wear a long sleeve shirt, a pair of heavy material pants and my nine-inch hunting boots to protect my feet. My six-wheeler has a full, enclosed cab mounted on it, so I usually won’t wear the helmet or gloves, but my clothing stays the same. The six-wheeler has seat belts to hold you in position, along with roll bars, if something should happen to the stability of the machine.

I have never, thankfully, come close to rolling or flipping either machine while side-hilling or going up a grade. Probably the steepest grade I ever tried was with the four-wheeler on an icefishing trip where we were running a backwoods route to get to the lake. I was towing my meat trailer with all the gear, and we came to an ice-covered slope we needed to go up. Even with chains on the tires, I couldn’t climb the grade towing the trailer. We gave up and went a different route.