can you sling a loaded shotgun on a mountain bike grouse hunting???

[brad coin]

gonna try something this year,,,Im seeing the grouse become used to 4 wheelers and motorized vehicles and let them pass by without flushing especially oct on,,,however you tend to unnerve them on traveled logging rds by going slower and quieter, I see it all the time walking main logging rds and flushing birds after a truck/4 wheeler passes the same spot,,,Im wondering though can you travel with a shotgun uncased slinged over your back on a mountain bike on logging rds or trails,,,can it be loaded while on the bike??? I know most laws are aimed at 'Motorized vehicles",,but thought someone might know Im guessing its the same rule has being on a horse whatever that is

[DonBo]

Not sure if it's legal or not, but even if it were, it shouldn't be. Sounds dangerous to me.

[NoWiser]

Ha ha....that doesn't seem like a good idea at all. Twig gets caught in front spokes..slam, BAMMM. Can't tell you if its legal or not, though. Sorry.

[brad coin]

I should clarify more,,,not talking about flying down the rds/paths but more of a coast/peddle/coast like say 5 mph and not actually shooting while on the bike but dismounting and reflushing birds on foot, and most of these are logging rds pretty esay to see any potential rd hazards sticks,rocks,,,also todays mid level mountain bikes with suspension are pretty hard to dump or wipeout unless your pushing it

[SkunkedAgain]

I think the responses are already giving you an answer. It doesn't really matter if it's legal. It probably isn't the brightest, self-preserving thing to do.

[bobbymalone]

Somebody brought this up a while ago.

http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubb...tin#Post1519130

[bobbymalone]

I think this picture still holds true.

[leech~~]

One state area we wanted to use M/bikes just to ride into Turkey hunting had a sign that said No motorized vec, of any kind including M/bikes! I think they are thinking you would be the motor? Let us know what you find out. I would think that maybe you could still ride with it unloaded and maybe cased at least?

[brad coin]

Im not one to ever downplay safety,,,but I need to also point out that Minneapolis police officers use TREK mountain bikes to patrol especially around the lakes and downtown and events/parades and they carry loaded firearms,,granted holstered and has far has better terrain!!! I feel alot more safer on a logging rd,, I live in MPL's and the potholed exposed expansion joints streets are alot more wipeout prone not to mention the 18 yr old girls with cell phones in their ear while diving,,,Go for a bike ride on Bloomington streets and your teeth will rattle by the time your done.,,todays mid level TRUE not cosmetic suspension mountain bikes are pretty stable. Id say that it would be a rare rare occasion when the gun would be loaded while slung on the bike I just would like to know if it can be exposed/uncased while riding,,,calling the DNR on issues like this is really time consuming these days with all the transferring,,not their fault they have had their depts hit with budget cuts less help.

[jigging-matt]

Comparing a Police Officer on a bike carrying a pistol that is in a SECURE holster and a hunter on a mountain bike with a Shotgun SLUNG over his back is not a good one. There is nothing that seems safe about what you are asking, no matter how slow you plan on riding.

[life=outdoors92]

i have never attempted to go to a grouse huntin spot with a 4 wheeler (i personally don't support them since i am a more traditional hunter). i use a mountain bike every time. its never loaded. this is wut my dad use to do too. if we don't walk through the woods right away, the sling goes over our back, and away we go down dirt roads and bigger trails on mountain bikes. never have had a problem. i would assume its legal, idk, but we have passed a few DNR officers before who didn't stop us. but then again, then officers up there know us well, and our real nice guys.

[brad coin]

life

Im betting you do well too? that noiseless approach really unnerves them on the main logging rds

[life=outdoors92]

always better than 4 wheelers

it sort of depends. cause when my dad is with, his dog trots alongside so she spooks them a little more. but if we don't, you definitely see more. we usually don't hunt them off the road like that, but if its rainy, or we need some dinner, we'll stop and go after them once in awhile. these mountain bikes were purchased in the mid 90s, and have been beaten up. the chains are noisy if you don't lube them down, so that can spook them too

[Acemac]

I think this picture still holds true.

epic Picture!

[Big Dave2]

For those who seem concerned about the original posters safety, what if he were to mount a gun rack of some sort to the handlebars or some other part of the bike?

[DonBo]

For those who seem concerned about the original posters safety, what if he were to mount a gun rack of some sort to the handlebars or some other part of the bike?

I think the original question was, can he carry a LOADED shotgun on his bike. I don't care how he carries it, loaded does not sound like a good idea to me.

[BobT]

Agreed. Too many opportunities for disaster. Rocks, ruts, roots, stumps, thick mud, potholes, you name it. We all think we know how to handle our equipment but it is that over-confidence that makes us dangerous.

When I was logging, it wasn't the new guys that got hurt. It was usually the experienced veterans that figured they knew their equipment best.

[SmilinBob]

Why not rig some sort of scabbard,(I've seen duct tape and cardboard, to leather, to ATV style ones) to the front forks, or vertically on a rack on the back? That way you could secure it to the bike and if you did crash the gun would be secured and protected as well as offering easy access. A couple clamps and a little imagination should get this done pretty easy.

[Harmonica Bear]

Why not just unload it, put the shells in your pocket?

[BucksnDucks]

Comparing a Police Officer on a bike carrying a pistol that is in a SECURE holster and a hunter on a mountain bike with a Shotgun SLUNG over his back is not a good one. There is nothing that seems safe about what you are asking, no matter how slow you plan on riding.

So let me see if I understand your thinkn correctly now then.. A police officer has more experience with his firearm than a hunter does? I would like to know how many rounds said police officer have put down the barrel of his sidearm, versus a hunters grouse gun? I'd be willing to bet that latter has quite a bit more experience! I see nothing wrong legally or safety wise with the orginial posters ? Most ppl sounding off against his proposal I dont think are aware of the proven track record that a guns safety holds. None of my guns have ever went off with the safety on! Some off you ppl think the worst case scenario, is the only way things ever happen. Ride on my man! Ride on!

[SmilinBob]

Look into a BDS double shoulder single point sling, TAB sling or, outlaw sling, these may be the answer you are looking for. They can be found be searching your search engine of choice. The outlaw sling looked to me to be the most promising.

[BobT]

Quote:

None of my guns have ever went off with the safety on! Some off you ppl think the worst case scenario, is the only way things ever happen. Ride on my man! Ride on!

Suppose your licensed driver child felt that way about running stop signs. Has been doing it for months and never even had a close call. Must be perfectly safe to continue running stop signs.

There is also a considerable difference between carrying a holstered handgun on one's hip and a long-barreled shotgun slung over one's shoulder where it is more likely to be in the way and catch on tree branches and such. I use a sling on my rifle and I can experience how cumbersome it is to climb into my deer stand with it slung over my shoulder. Couldn't imagine even considering the thought of not unloading it before making the climb. A shotgun probably weighs considerably more than that handgun as well. The peace officer on a bicycle is also generally riding on much better road conditions and doesn't have to deal with the many obstacles one would likely find on back country trails that contain mud holes, rocks, overhanging tree branches, etc. It's not even a close comparison.

[jigging-matt]

Bucks, the fact that you think you are more proficient and experienced with your shotgun than most law enforcement officers is ridiculous. Besides that I was trying to point out a weapon secured in a holster and a weapon freely bouncing around on someones back. If you look at accidental shootings in the field, many times it is the experienced hunter, who had gun saftey that claimed they knew what they were doing.

[DonBo]

I don't care who's more experienced with what type of weapon. To ride a bicycle with a shotgun slung over your shoulder, loaded or unloaded, is just not a good idea.

Put it in a hard case and strap it to the bike somehow, then take it out and hunt. No problem.

[DanH]

Please advertise where you are when you do this.

So I can be somewhere else.