Quad versus Side by Side for hunting

First, 500 cc is enough power for hunting needs for one person.  I’ve had Polaris 500, Yamaha 450, Honda Pioneer side by side 500 and now I’ve a Honda 420 Rancher They have all been great machines.  

The advantage of the Pioneer side by side was the roof and enclosure. I was hunting a lot with a friend and two big guys riding on a quad doesn’t do it.  A little girlfriend, a dog, or a child works just fine.  The Pioneer was perfect.  We had sufficient room for us and our gear and the dog.  It was perfect in cold weather because the enclosed inside heated up from the engine heat.  The windshield was great in rain.  It was however like having a little ‘car’ in the backwoods. Before I could afford ATV’s I hunted on foot, stalking, in ambush and only had a Broncho or a Sport truck.  I felt like I was driving a little Jeep in the side by side, cut off from nature. It was the same when I had a side car motorcycle. The ‘experience’ of two wheels was missing.  With a quad I feel like I’m riding a horse.  Hunting with an enduro motorcycle required too much attention to the road whereas the quad lets me look all around.   

If one is mainly taking passengers then the 750 or 800 might be better. We found the 500 Pioneer sufficient. To my mind nothing  beats the quad as a hunting platform..  It’s has the joy of an off road  motorcycle but gives the stability for looking about while driving. It’s easier to park the quad or side by side than a two  wheel when game is sighted and you go for the bow or gun.  For comfort stick with a truck

My old cockapoo partridge hunting dog preferred the truck. When I’d unloaded the Pioneer he would jump back in the truck. He liked the comfortable seating. The side by side seats are like cafeteria chairs and probably would benefit a cushion. I can sit all day on the quad.   I definitely could hunt more comfortably in snow and rain with the Pioneer but I could dress for the Quad and be more in tune with the environment.That’s why I went back to the quad. 

I love the Honda 420 rancher because it’s lighter weight. I can do 50 km/hr  backwoods with it and 60 km/hr with the 450 and 500 but I ‘m not racing when I’m hunting.  Mostly I’m travelling at 10 to 15 km/hr. I’ve carried deer on the 450 and my friend carries moose out on his. So far I haven’t had to face the problem of carrying out moose with the 420 Rancher.   I’m hoping to put my Rancher to the test and believe it will be up to it.  So far I’ve only had it this year and it’s only had to carry me, the dog and  grouse and rabbit.

With regard to accessories, I had a windshield on the Polaris and admit that was sweet in rain and snow. I had chains for the Polaris and that was especially good in snow. I don’t like hunting in heavy snow now.  If I wanted to do this more I’d get a snowmobile though the Polaris with chains worked really well.  I don’t have a lighter /USB charging port on this Rancher and expect I’ll have one installed. That was on my previous machines and I really appreciated it. 

I did have hand guards added to the Rancher and missed the heated handles I had on the Yamaha. The Honda tires that come with their machines have all been sufficient but there’s an even more gnarly set I’ll probably upgrade to one day.  I had hard box luggage compartment on the back of the Yamaha and Polaris and loved it.  I could have gone with that again but instead chose soft Kolpin bags. The hard compartments were a thousand range whereas the soft which works great were only a couple of hundred dollars. 

I really do like having the stacking square gas tank. I used to carry a spare can buggy corded onto previous machines. This is way superior.  I have had the gun clamps on all my quads whereas the rifles and shotguns stood in the Pioneer much like they do in the truck.

I carried a chain saw mounted to the back rack but the mud splash was an issue. I used it only once or twice.  Now I’ve a folding saw and axe I take along. 

I had a muffler which reduced the sound on the Yamaha but after a couple of years it rusted out. I don’t know it was that much of an improvement. 

I did have a WARN winch installed on the front of the Rancher with the Honda kit.  It’s the third WARN winch I’ve had on my machines. I ‘ve used it to pull trees out of my path. It helped me pull up quarters of elk from down a ravine. That last deer I shot from the truck, Wel,  I had to use the winch from the Yamaha to get it from the ground into the truck bed. I’d loaded the ATV that night early and was driving out at dusk when I saw the deer and shot it. I expect I’d have had to quarter it to get it into the truck bed without the help of the ATV winch.  

I’m an older guy now.  It’s been decades since I carried a deer down a mountain side on my shoulders. When I was young I carried moose and deer on pack boards out of the woods for miles. I ranged everywhere and was in place in the dark before dawn and hunted till after dusk. Now my knee and back hurt and carrying my rifle a mile or two is work. I used to carry a pack sack too with thermos and such. I like that the ATV carries all that.   That last mule deer I shot just driving in my truck, a couple of hundred meters from the logging road, just about did me in getting it back to the road onto the truck  So now I’m ‘road hunting’. I may ride or walk but I’m looking for animals that are close to the road.  

I got more game when all I did was stalk and sit in ambush but I have a hell of a good time riding the Honda 420 Rancher on the trails.  I’d be an old fool if I shot anything too far from a road today It took me all day to get the quartered elk out to the road.  Besides the grouse and rabbits prefer the logging road.   I’m happy enough to shoot them. The dog’s just as excited.  The truth is my Honda 420 Rancher makes for a great hunting experience.  People who don’t even hunt get them to ride around in the backwoods.  That’s how much fun they are.