I met a guy by the name of Brian Lund and while I still have not been able to convert Brian over to the motorized kind (not yet!), he started telling me of his adventures while hunting by bicycle over the past 35 years. I asked Brian if he wouldn’t mind sharing his story.  

Brian shares his tales and images of his adventures over at FatBikeHunter.com.

He grew up on Big Wheels, banana seats, unicycles and Huffy BMX bikes. From 1973–1984, he was on a mission to ride anything that had wheels. He’s probably lucky to be alive honestly. If there was a jump or a drop, he was “sending it.” During the summer of 1985 his wheeled adventures stepped up a notch when he bought a Specialized Stumpjumper mountain bike.

By this time, Brian had harvested a few deer and some nice bull elk. It was common practice to hike 7 miles into camp with his father leading the way. Early sections of the trails to the hunting area were rideable, but they eventually led into Washington Wilderness land where bicycles were not allowed.

As a teen, his desire to ride only increased, so he and his dad worked out a plan. They started hunting lower game units, where his dad could sit and glass the hillsides. While Brian’s job was to cover more territory by riding the logging roads with a rifle or muzzleloader tied to his backpack, as scabbards and backpacks actually designed for hauling a rifle were not in his collection yet. During his college years, time for hunting was sporadic as he moved in and out of state. When he returned to the area he grew up in, hunting regained a position of priority in his life. It was then he decided to get serious about this “hunting by bike” idea. He bought a K2 Razorback with full suspension and was putting in the miles. By leaving a tree stand set up above a great elk bedding area, he could ride in early by headlamp and beat the hunters who were hiking. 

Encounters with wildlife were not uncommon at that time in the morning, including cougar and black bear. After several uncomfortable experiences, he dealt with the fear by just concentrating on pedaling. A modified kid hauler served as his first trailer. He started using it to transport his tree stand in and out of the spot each year. It was also useful for bringing in salt and tools for trail maintenance (downed trees, etc.), as well as for hauling meat.

Things weren’t perfect in the first few years. On one occasion, the haul-out load was possibly a bit too ambitious and he realized on the descent back to the truck that this was a very poor decision. He told me he weighed a hefty 155 pounds at the time, and the trailer was probably close to that. Brake failure was an understatement as he skidded out of control and flew into a ditch. 

The next year, he locked the trailer to a tree for a few days. Only to return to find the trailer was gone. Someone had actually cut the tree down, taken the trailer, and hauled it 2+ miles with a lock through the wheels, down a gated road. Although bummed, he eventually saw this mishap as an opportunity to improve on the first design.

The winter of 2014 was the first time he saw a fat-tired bike and electric bikes were not on the scene yet. They were up cross country skiing and instantly thought of hunting. In the spring, he bought a Raleigh Rumson with 4.95” width tires, cage mounts on the fork, and started to rummage around for spare parts for a rear rack and panniers. He bent the rack to make it fit the fat tires, bought some large cages to mount to the fork, and purchased a handlebar roll bag so he could carry everything needed for hunting. The desire to start hunting for multiple days led Brian into building another bike trailer which had removable wheels and a nicer mounting system. 

2015 was the year he started running into a lot more hunters with bikes. They would often chat about their experiences and compare set up. Facebook groups like Fat Bike Trader were starting to gain popularity where a few people would post pictures of animals that they had harvested. These types of posts created a lot of tension and drama because not everyone was appreciative of the “Bambi killers.”

In 2017, Brian started Fat Bike Hunter, a Facebook group, and accepted over 100 members during the first few days. The description was simple: “People who hunt and fish on fat bikes, eBikes, or mountain bikes may post harvest pictures, hunting inquiries, bike modifications for hunting, etc. on this site. Any criticism or anti-hunting comments will be grounds for removal. Happy harvest!”

As Brian aged, his ‘billy goat legs’ as he calls them began to age as well. He compensated by decreasing the overall load weight. A lighter pack, sleeping bag, pillow, and tent did the job. His wallet was lighter too, but it was all worth it. He was ready for the next season.

Over the past couple of years, there have been lots of e-bikes zooming around in camp, on motorcycle trails, and on paved paths near town. Many of Brian’s family members and friends own e-bikes and riders zoom past him all the time during family biking vacations, while he sweats it up the hills. He was getting very interested in the idea of an e-bike, and began doing some research about e-bikes, and that’s how we met. I run eBike Generation. But then he was halted by a tremendous life change. At age 49, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. As far as treatment goes, he was encouraged by the neurologist’s recommendation for regular exercise in addition to the usual meds. Since it is now essential for him, he tries to bike all four seasons of the year. 

Washington State is very strict about where you can ride e-bikes, which they classify as a “motorized vehicle.” Lame, but it is the current reality. When the laws change, Brian says when he’s older, he’ll likely be tired of being tired. At that point, He’ll be excited to buy an e-bike for mountain adventures. His dad, on the other hand, should have given in to an e-bike several years ago. It would be a game-changer for him during hunting season and he intends to persuade him aggressively. 

The e-bike industry and technology is simply exploding! It’s amazing how long the batteries hold a charge and how fast the bikes can go so quietly. While holding onto his pride of solo pedal-power, he does consider himself a future e-bike owner.

For more information visit http://ebikegeneration.com?aff=275.