Golf Cart Safety Tips To Know While Hunting
Every hunter knows that safety is always the priority when hunting. Safe hunting practices extend to hunters, equipment, and vehicles, including electric hunting carts. Below, we explain the benefits of electric golf carts for hunting and provide safety tips that hunters should know when using them.
Why You Should Use a Golf Cart for Hunting
Before we get into safety tips and how to operate a hunting golf cart smartly and safely, let’s delve into why someone would use a golf cart for hunting in the first place. Electric 4x4 hunting carts offer many advantages to hunters over other off-road and all-terrain vehicles, from mobility to simplicity.
Better Mobility
Firstly, golf carts are great for hunting because of their mobility. Golf carts are much lighter and nimbler than the average off-road vehicle, which makes them capable of navigating tough terrain that’s too difficult for heavier vehicles like four-wheelers and heavy-duty pickup trucks. A properly equipped hunting golf cart with off-road tires, independent suspension, and a tough battery can easily navigate mud, snow, sand, and even rocky terrain. With an electric hunting golf cart, you can reach terrain and areas that hunters never could in an ATV or truck, at least not without scaring the wildlife!
They’re Quiet
This brings us to the second benefit of using a golf cart for hunting—they’re much quieter than an ATV or 4x4 vehicle. Anyone who’s been on a four-wheeler before knows they’re not the quietest vehicles available, and when hunting, you don’t want to charge into the terrain with an excessively loud engine that startles wildlife. But as many people who have golfed or used them before will know, an electric golf cart is much quieter thanks to its electric motor. In an electric hunting cart, hunters can move around the terrain with much better stealth without worrying about their targets running off at the sound of a loud engine.
They’re Convenient and Safe
Golf carts are also much easier and safer to operate than an ATV or 4x4 vehicle. Golf carts have a low center of gravity and slower peak speed, making them less prone to topple over like a high-speed four-wheeler. Thanks to their light carriage, golf carts are also much easier to operate than an ATV or pickup truck in difficult terrain. Plus, golf carts are small and easy to store in many garages or backyard sheds with minimal effort.
They’re Customizable and Versatile
Another reason many hunters love using a golf cart is that they’re so easy to customize and change, depending on the terrain and the hunt. There are numerous hunting modifications for golf cart owners—whether they need camouflage coverings, gun racks, or even hunting blinds. And when you need more seating for a group of hunters, a rear bench seat can easily be added to a golf cart to seat up to four people—unlike ATVs. Golf carts can also have built-in coolers, decoys, and whatever else you need for your hunting trip!
Safety Tips for Operating a Hunting Golf Cart
While golf carts are generally much safer vehicles to operate while hunting, there are still some safety tips every hunter should know before using them for their next hunt.
Inspect Before Use
First, hunters should ensure the golf cart is in top shape before taking it off-road. The great thing about electric golf carts is they’re much less complex and easier to maintain than a four-wheeler or pickup truck. But before setting out, inspect the golf cart thoroughly to ensure that the battery, brakes, tires, and other components are ready for a hunting journey. You’ll want to fully charge the battery before heading out, and it’s also wise to bring a portable charger to ensure that you can charge the cart if it dies in the wilderness.
Ensure Weapon Security
Weapon security is obviously a significant concern for hunters and should be at the top of their safety checklist. Whether you’re bringing rifles or bows and arrows, ensure they’re all safely secured in their compartments before heading out. A mounted gun rack and weapon storage in an electric hunting cart is essential to safely secure weapons while driving instead of having them bounce around and distract you.
Drive Conservatively
When driving a hunting golf cart loaded with people, equipment, and weapons, driving conservatively is critical. While hunting golf carts are sturdy and reliable, hunters shouldn’t push them to the limits while fully loaded for a hunting trip. Take tough terrain and bumps in the ground carefully and avoid hazardous terrain like rocks, swamplands, and mud as much as possible. Operate the golf cart from only the driver’s seat, avoid erratic movements and sharp turns, and consider adding seat belts to your golf cart for maximum safety while on board.
Avoid Distractions
Another key point of safely operating a hunting golf cart is to avoid distractions when possible. When navigating the off-road terrain of a hunting area, there are many ways sudden problems can arise and prove disastrous if unseen by the driver. Keep your focus on the terrain in front of you by silencing your phone and keeping things like food and drink out of reach and out of sight. If you become concerned with equipment or any mechanism on the golf cart, stop and get out to investigate instead of trying to deal with it while driving.
Watch for Inclement Weather
Every hunter should also monitor any inclement weather in the area while operating their hunting cart. First, it allows hunters to prepare so they’re more comfortable in dreary weather and will influence how they drive their hunting cart. And second, while hunting golf carts are incredibly durable and versatile in the toughest conditions, they’re not invincible and can be susceptible to getting stuck in mud or standing water like any off-road vehicle.
Don’t Overpack
While it’s good always to be prepared while hunting, you don’t want to overpack and stress your hunting golf cart. If you’re packing for hunting and camping, you don’t want to overload the golf cart with equipment and riders, as it’ll decrease the versatility and capability of the vehicle. Familiarize yourself with your golf cart’s manual and weight capacity, and be mindful of it when packing for your next hunting trip.
Where To Get an Electric Golf Cart for Hunting
If you don’t have an electric golf cart for hunting but would like one for your next trip, you’ve come to the right place! Trail Buggy offers heavy-duty, off-road electric golf carts with features like independent suspensions, ATV tires, four-wheel disc brakes, and more! Order one of our carts at our site or contact our staff to learn more.
