If you’re planning to scout your local area for summertime whitetails or permission to hunt new properties — two wheels are often better than four.

I’ll never forget the moment when I realized how beneficial scouting new property from a bicycle could be. As I buzzed around county highways and gravel roads, staring down timber lines, deer trails and agricultural fields, it hit me — searching for new land on a bicycle is not only fun, but it’s easier to view properties from the seat of a bike than from the driver’s side of a car.

It was sometime in June 2014, after my wife and I had moved to rural northeast Wisconsin, when I first rolled into the driveway of a landowner asking for permission to bowhunt. From the county road, the property laid out nicely — its small hills featuring character and diversity, drawing me in. I even spotted a few trees from the road that would make intriguing stand locations.

I slowly peddled up the landowner’s gravel driveway and politely introduced myself. We immediately struck up a friendly conversation about hunting and the surrounding area. I was not able to gain permission on his land because he already had numerous hunters, but a new strategy was born — scouting deer and potential hunting land from a bicycle! And I soon learned that when you have no foot access and can scout only from the road, a bicycle can be fun and beneficial.

Low-Impact Scouting

To believe in a different method of scouting, its purpose must make sense and the results must be better (or place less pressure on deer) than other methods of scouting, such as driving by in a car or shining deer at night. One of the main reasons I scout from a bicycle is so I can slowly and meticulously look over new properties from the roadside, and quickly pass by those of no interest. It is amazing the new perspective gained about a property by riding by at 5 to 10 mph as compared to 55 mph.

If possible, scouting a potential property using an aerial map should be the first step, followed by hopping on a bicycle to confirm if a property is even worth your valuable time. Satellite mapping is excellent, but there is nothing like on-location scouting. If you do not have permission to scout a potential piece of property by foot, riding a bicycle to view its perimeters is the next best thing.

Bicycle Benefits

The major downside of scouting from the road in a motor vehicle is how landowners might perceive this activity if their home is nearby and you are spotted. A jacked-up truck or even a car parked along the road jammed with your buddies sends the wrong message to a landowner and might come off as pushy and aggressive. However, strapping a binocular around your chest and riding your bike, occasionally stopping to view deer or other animals, is more passive. Riding a bicycle is a leisure activity and appears non-threatening and peaceful to landowners. I know this because I have rolled into driveways in both a car and on a bicycle. I will tell you, I received more cheerful looks when pulling up on my bike.

If your goal is to gain permission to hunt on a property, riding a bike is an excellent option. Even if you are unsuccessful in gaining permission on new property, riding up a landowner’s driveway on a bike and striking up a conversation will likely result in a positive experience.

As mentioned earlier, I had an enjoyable chat with the landowner who denied me permission. Had I come onto his property stirring up dust in his gravel driveway with a car or truck, his initial reaction might have been different. After our conversation, he went as far as suggesting neighboring landowners who might grant me permission to hunt on their lands. One of them gave me permission, and that eventually led to access on two neighboring properties! I have since killed deer and captured quality bucks on trail cameras throughout these properties just minutes from my home.

Another important factor a landowner might consider is the distance a person traveled in a car vs. a bicycle. Someone in a car might have come from miles away to scout or knock on doors for permission. Distance matters, because a landowner might not be as willing to give permission to a hunter who could be from another county or even out-of-state. Whereas if you are stopping by on a bicycle, you are likely a local, and the landowner might be more friendly when it comes granting or denying permission.

Another benefit of bicycle scouting is the opportunity to gather detailed intel from the road. It serves as a great method when searching for trails, funnels, bedding areas, etc., and even spotting rubs from the roadside.

And by peddling by a property at dusk, that can easily be viewed from the road during summer and early fall (always attach a blinking safety light to your bike during low-light conditions) you might even be able to identify those specific spots where bucks are filing out into an agriculture field. This will be valuable information if you gain permission to hunt on this land later. You would have a starting point for placing your stands, where you can work back from the field into the timber.

Riding along county roads in hilly terrain might be a little exhausting, but riding up and down ridges and steep hillsides allows for a bird’s-eye view of a property. Believe me, it’s well worth a little extra huffing and puffing to get an elevated vantage.

And this illustrates another benefit of scouting from a bike — exercise. Most whitetail hunters don’t train like Western elk hunters do, but where I hunt in southwest Wisconsin, scaling 1,200-foot bluffs and ridgetops carrying a bow and treestand on my back is no joke and requires serious physical fitness. Avoiding odor-packed sweat and tired legs means it’s important to get some exercise prior to the season, and there is no better — or enjoyable — way than to hop on a bike and start peddling!

Less Stress on Deer

Riding a bike not only provides you with an excellent lay of the land, it also can be one of the best ways to avoid pressuring and stressing deer. Bucks in highly pressured areas are educated when it comes to vehicles and human pressure. Driving by without stopping does little to disrupt a feeding buck. However, stopping your truck to have a look at that buck will have him seeking the nearest cover.

Also, sizing up bucks can be easily done from a bike because you will most likely have some time to glass them before they spot you and run off. Riding around scouting on a bike can seem like an outlandish tactic at first, but you would be amazed by how much you can accomplish and the detailed information you can compile about a property.

As you have probably gathered by now, scouting from a bike can produce excellent results. Not only are you able to develop positive relationships with local landowners, you will develop a great sense for the landscape. From drive-bys to shining at night to trail cameras and walking a property on foot, there are many different forms of scouting, but few are as low-impact and resourceful as doing it from the seat of a bicycle.

— Paul Annear is an avid deer hunter and freelance writer, hailing from the Driftless region of southwest Wisconsin. He currently lives in northeast Wisconsin where he enjoys the challenge of acquiring, scouting and hunting new properties.