ive been reading this forum for a while and am getting a used quad, for hunting. and need some advice from experience.
i really like the idea of the hawkeye, as its smaller size should get me into tighter spots and go farther on fuel. awd allows easier turning than true lockup, the under rack storage, and lighter weight easier to get unstuck

quad will only be used on gravel roads and hunting.
setting up stands, feeders and dragging deer bear or quartered moose.
it wont be used for mud bogging or quad trail riding. don't want need or care for speed.

quad will be driven though bush and across cuts (areas cut down by forestry)

i do want a bike that steers easily so i like the polaris awd or arctic cats front diff lock to use in 3wd mode, which steer easier than a full lockup 4wd

any one take a hawkeye off trail?

with my budget I can afford an 07 hawkeye or an 03 sportsman/arctic cat 500

thanks

 

Personally I would go with the Sportsman 500. It is bigger, but if you are looking at moving feeders and stands as well as moose and bear, you will need the extra rack space. I whitetail hunt a lot and when I move my 55gal feeder it takes up all the room on my rear rack. Even a ladder stand will push the racks to the limit for room and a quartered moose would be a way to much for a smaller ATV in my opinion. Look at it this way a 200 ld 150 class buck field dressed will hang over both sides and the back of my 500 if I do not move it up no the seat some and even then it is going to hang over both sides. Take a measuring tape and get a good idea of what you want to haul and then look at the dimensions of the racks on both ATV's and make your decisions from there.

 

I would suggest the 500 also, but with your options I would go for the newer machine that is probably in better shape. That being the Hawkeye. It's your first machine and you will upgrade at some time. See if it works for you and if not, it's easier to sell a newer atv than an older one, unless it is severely abused. If it works, great. If not, upgrade to the larger sportsman when you can.

 

welcome to the forum. the hawkeye/3 or 400 sportsman are nice small nimble bikes, but they tend to be a little tippy if tight turns are are done quick or since it's not a wider stance, on slide slopes it might be as well. we had a 08' sp 400(a bigger engine,hawkeye frame) and it is 1" ground clearance more because of tires then the 300 sp./hawkeye and since you might be crosing clear cut and brush you might tend to get hung up more. i would agree on getting a sp.500 as well for better hauling, more ground clearnace and way better suited for work then the hawkeye. imo

 

The problem with what you want to do ,like pulling Mooses and deer is the Hawkeye has no Low range and small 22" tires vs the 500s 25" tires with more traction. Also heavy is a advantage when pulling loads for traction. The Hawkeye weighs 550lbs anyways and will need a winch if it gets stuck and a winch does not care if the ATV weighs 550lbs or 700lbs.

You can throw the whole deer on the rack of the full size 500 but it may not happen on the small chassis Hawkeye.

the AC 500 will do all what the SP500 will do, diff lock makes steering hard but its seldom needed ,the normal 3x4 will get you through most stuff. I would take the one thats in the best shape of those two.

 

Big O
Wonn't be putting animals on rack would be dragging them , neither of the bike are in rough shape the 500 has 800miles and hawkeye has 300 but is 3 years newer

 

The 300 is a deer puller the 500 is a moose puller. Plus the 500s larger racks carry more gear. Here are 2 500s loaded up when we head out.

 

imho, it looks to me like you have done a lot of thinking about this issue and to me it sounds like the hawkeye would fit your needs very well. However assuming the costs are the same, 3 years newer is nice, but a 300 may not be as re-sellable in the future, as you can see by the posts here.
In reference to other posts;
a. 25" tires will not inherently have better traction than a 22" tire, however it will be easier to turn/maneuver the 22"er's.
b. It's a lot easier to man handle 550 lbs vs 700 lbs (common sense here) if you don't have a winch or a good winch point.

 

Very cool!

 

Don,t wory too much about year. I bought 2001 because it was in lot better condition then most 2005s I was looking at.