A kid with a fishing pole riding a bicycle is an iconic American image. It's so vivid in my mind's eye that I was surprised there was no such illustration in the Norman Rockwell database.
But the bicycle can be used for hunting, too. I'm not into hunting so it never occurred to me, but if you use a bicycle for transportation, there's no reason you can't use one to get closer to your prey.
It's easy to see why. Who hasn't surprised wildlife along the trail? This fall I surprised some turkeys on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail in eastern Washington, and I've scared up browsing deer.
Is it legal?
A Corning (CA) Observer reader asked recently whether it was legal to hunt from a bicycle.
The writer noted that he was teaching his grandson how to hunt small game, but all the walking made him tired. His grandson suggested a bicycle, which would allow them to cover more ground, not make much noise, and not burn any carbon fuels, like an all-terrain motor vehicle.
According to the Observer, shooting game from a bicycle is not specifically prohibited in California. Shooting a firearm “on or from” a public road is prohibited, however. The Observer suggests getting off the road, even though the hunter might think he's on a private logging road.
Further, loaded rifles or shotguns are prohibited in any vehicle or conveyance (which is a bicycle) while on any way open to the public, such as a forest road or logging road.
Also, bicycles are prohibited — for hunting or any other purpose — from wilderness areas.
Bows and firearms
Searching around, I found a forum for bow hunters where many said they found bicycles useful.
One outfitted his mountain bike with a bow holder on the handlebars and used a canoe to row himself across a river where the bridge had washed away. He wrote that he had “miles of unpressured moose habitat” to himself, but added that he never got his moose.
Another hunter used his mountain bike to access closed logging roads in his search for elk. Many spoke of the range and silence of a bicycle.
Getting small game such as turkeys, quail or squirrels back home is easy enough, while larger loads can require some ingenuity.
The Texas bow hunter forum has pictures of hunters carrying game in their trailers or slung on a pole between two bicycles. There's a picture of a bicyclist with a dead deer slung over his shoulders and a New Zealander with a wild pig lashed to his back like a backpack.
Still, I don't think I'll be packing anything more lethal to wildlife than a Canon PowerShot Digital Elph on future bike trips.
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