All-terrain hunting: ATVs and UTVs afford greater versatility in the woods

More than a century of logging in North Idaho and Eastern Washington created a vast system of roads that have provided access to the woods for everyone and everything from hikers to mammoth-sized recreational vehicles.

While many locals have always outfitted their four-wheel-drive rigs for those excursions, access to that network of roads over the last couple of decades has been dominated by the sheer fun and versatility of the all-terrain vehicle.

But it appears that the ATV is losing its place atop the mountain.

“UTVs are probably more popular,” said Tyler Oas, the assistant sales manager at Westside Motorsports. “We have had customers coming in and trading ATVs for UTVs. They get to sit side-by-side and the cabin is enclosed.”

Utility vehicles, which look like the old-style dune buggies on steroids, provide all the thrill of the ATV combined with a cab, truck bed for gear and greater stability.

They are also a dealer’s dream. Oas said buyers can spend up to $20,000 on upgrades, including everything from insulated doors and heaters to engines that put out 100 horse power.

“It used to be that we’d sell five ATVs to one UTV,” said Alan McCord, a sales consultant at Spokane Power Sports. “Now, I’d say we are selling more UTVs than ATVs.”

The ATV is still the motorized mule of choice for those who choose to power their way through tight spaces. But the ATV’s off-road abilities also made them platforms for unethical users to cut their own trails, which has sullied the reputation of responsible riders.

“They buy them for different reasons,” McCord said, adding that UTVs are useful for working on fence lines and large properties. “For some of the older customers, they are easier and more comfortable to ride.”

Wife friendly

Wes Sifford, 24, of Coeur d’Alene, rode a Honda ATV to his bow hunting locations for years. Hunting along the St. Joe River, Sifford said he would ride 25 miles to get to the prime hunting locations.

“You couldn’t have done it with a truck. Those Hondas get like 40 miles a gallon,” Sifford said. “That year (2012) I put on over 700 miles on the ATV and that was the year I shot the big bull.”

Sifford said he would ride his ATV to different locations to find the herds, which were constantly changing position. One day, he stopped to have lunch at a known hunting spot. He let out a bugle and instantly was answered.

He called the bull into range and shot him with his bow. The rack measured just more than 4 feet wide and had 367 scoreable inches.

“There were days where we would … try to find them on open ridges and walk in on them,” he said. “So we covered a lot of ground. You couldn’t find them unless you got on the wheeler and started scouting.”

But even Sifford, who is a part-time ATV mechanic and full-time employee at the Coeur d’Alene Casino, has switched to the UTV. In his case, he bought a 2014 Polaris RZR 570.

“My wife always complained about the rough ride of the Honda,” Sifford said.

He said he chose the Polaris because it is 50 inches wide and can get it on the same trails as his former ATV. Plus, the side-by-side seating left enough room to install a booster seat for Sifford’s young son.

“My wife loves it,” he said.

Taylor Hulstrom, 20, of Kingston, said his family has added a UTV along with the ATV to get out in the woods.

“I live in Kingston, so we don’t need to drive. We take the four-wheeler or the UTV and we are hunting in 5 minutes,” he said. “They get way better gas mileage than a truck. With gas prices the way they are, it makes more sense.”

Hunting for sales

September is the time of year when ATV and UTV sales are cut by half. But both dealers said they do get a benefit from hunters seeking to find ways to make their treks a bit easier.

On a recent visit to Westside, one buyer was having the staff put on accessories to two ATVs he just purchased for the start of bow season.

“During the hunting season, we definitely see guys coming in wanting green or camo,” Oas said.

But the boost from hunting just can’t compare with the draw of warm weather.

“This is the time of year where it starts slowing down,” McCord said.

For those looking for options, both dealers have plenty. Oas said they have models of UTVs that are 50 inches wide, even though most are at least 58. ATVs generally are 48 inches wide.

The new ones require some coin. The 2015 Polaris Ranger UTV Hunter Edition was listed at $16,199.

“People are starting to spend money on toys again,” Oas said.

Motorsport’s bane

The folks who enforce the rules of the forest have also noticed an increase in UTV use.

“Over the 18 years I’ve been doing this, it started slowly with ATVs. Then they became a big thing. And now it’s UTVs,” sergeant Mike Sprecher of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said. “They are a lot easier to get around in than a full-sized truck.”

When used correctly, the all-terrain vehicles are amazing tools to get hunters in the woods and harvested game out.

But that ability to go places is often the same lure that leads to abuses. A single drive through the Coeur d’Alene National Forest reveals hundreds of “improvised” ATV trails that were made in violation to the forest rules.

Sprecher described an area where he hikes 90 minutes on a closed trail to hunt.

“Nothing gets you upset more when you are following the rules and here comes a guy (on an ATV) who is breaking the rules,” Sprecher said.

But the problems with hunting violations aren’t just limited to small vehicles.

“I don’t think we have any more or different problems with ATV users than people who drive out to their hunting spot in their pickup trucks,” he said. “We have road hunters no matter what their vehicles are.

“Everybody is trying to find to way to make it easier. And it’s not that we are trying to make it harder, but we do have a resource to manage.”