Almost three years ago, Ken Blackstock and his brother Robert came out to my home with one of Ken’s Intimidator electric “hunting buggies” in tow. I have a friend who had been using one of these converted golf carts and he was highly impressed at not only the vehicle’s service off-road but its low price when compared to nationally advertised units. With a price tag of about six thousand dollars, this sounded like just what I’d been looking for. But I must admit, I did have my misgivings.

What kind of range could I expect from an electric ATV? Would it have the power I need to negotiate steep terrain? How often would I have to replace the batteries?

I had visited with Blackstock on the phone several times and was anxious for us to drive the unit a mile or so from my home to some land that I have leased and put it through its paces.  If one can fall in love with an inanimate piece of machinery, I fell in love with what became my own electric "hunting buggy!"  It was whisper quiet, made no noise at all and it was powerful.  I never liked noisy ATVs with diesel or gasoline engines around areas where I hunt. 

With the three of us aboard, probably around 700 pounds, what was to become my personal hunting buggy easily traversed the steep grades of a couple of creek crossings and with the buggy’s high ground clearance, took us anyplace on the lease we wanted to go.

I was impressed but concerned about run time between charges. How far can I travel on fully charged batteries? Ken said he often drives his machines 20 miles between charges and has had them go even farther during tests. We drove the buggy a couple of hours and went into places on the lease that I had previously walked to.  I was convinced that this rugged machine would serve my purpose on terrain in Texas, but a partner and I also outfit elk and bear hunts up in northern Colorado.

I wanted a machine that would do double duty up in the mountains.  We have to traverse a couple of thousand feet in elevation change over the course of a three-mile drive. Could it do that, when hauling 3 or 4 men? I had watched some videos Blackstock filmed of his buggies traversing some grades as steep as any we deal with in Colorado and with ease.  After that initial test drive and watching the videos, I was sold. Ken and his brother left my home with an empty trailer.

I had myself an electric machine that has since proven itself on many occasions during the course of the past thirty months. Battery life is excellent with these units. Robert Blackstock, Ken’s brother, has been using the same batteries for the past 4 years and his machine is every bit as powerful as the one I’ve been using for just over 2 years. 

After Blackstock works his conversion magic on what most of us know as a golf cart, a huge transformation takes place. I truly believe the term golf cart leads many folks to believe that these hunting buggies would be better suited for negotiating the smooth surfaces of greens on golf courses than the rough conditions encountered on a Texas deer lease of a high country hunt in the mountains.  Nothing could be farther from the truth! After the completion of the conversion, the only link these buggies have with a golf cart is the frame. 

Let’s take a look at what actually occurs when a EZ Go golf cart is stripped down to the frame and transformed into a vehicle well suited for negotiating rough country. First, says Blackstock, the basic 3 HP electric motor standard on golf carts is replaced with a powerful 9 HP motor made in the US.

Next, the standard 175 amp controller is replaced with a 500 amp regenerative braking power controller. With this new controller, the vehicle comes to a stop on downhill grades when the accelerator petal is released. The batteries are actually recharging on downhill slopes as well.  

Standard leaf springs are replaced with heavy duty springs and heavy duty shocks. A 4-inch lift kit, new tie rods, 12-inch aluminum light weight mag wheels with 23-inch all-terrain tires, and front wheel hubs are installed. 

With a complete rewiring with 4-gauge wire and new heavy duty batteries, a flip rear seat that converts into a bed, gun or bow racks, metal basket on the front, camo bodies and new seats, the transformation is completed. 

Electric vehicles are ideal for night hunting hogs or predators when staying on the move is the name of the game. I use mine for transporting corn to feeders and, as the accompanying image shows, hauling game out of the woods. In the course of the last two years, my buggy has saved me untold packing and dragging of game.

My partner in our outfitting business and I pull our buggies up to the mountains north of Steamboat, Colorado and we’ve found them to be worth their weight in gold in transporting hunters quietly into the areas we hunt elk and bear. On many occasion, we have had game walk across trails a few yards in front of the buggies.  We live on a few acres in the country and seldom a day passes without our hunting buggy being put to work hauling wood, running to and from the mail box or just checking out the garden. 

My intent is not to bash gasoline or diesel off-road vehicles. They seem to serve the purpose of many outdoor folks just fine. For my money, though, I choose electricity and I especially like the dollar savings these converted golf carts provide. Regardless whether I am on a photographic mission, scouting for game sign or actually hunting, I like to be quiet when I am in the outdoors. When I am on my Intimidator, the game never knows I am there. I like that.

To learn more about these hunting buggies, visit www.sellfaster.com/planogolfcarts/

Listen to Outdoors with Luke Clayton each week  www.catfishradio.com . Luke visits with Bill Dance in the first segment, “At the Boat Ramp with Bill Dance” and in segment two, Larry Weishuhn drops by for a visit around the campfire. Lots of ‘hard core’ hunting and fishing talk every week. Email Luke via the web site with outdoor news from your area.