King’s Outdoor World Blog

Video Review: 2007 Honda Rancher 420 4×4

I thought I had lost this video clip. Ah…found it. I took this short video review of the new Honda Rancher 420 back in November 2006 when I was invited to take a test ride at Honda’s facility in South Carolina. I also was part of a tour through their manufacturing and assembly line plant. It was very impressive the way Honda was so efficient at their facility. At the plant they have the assembly line for the new Rancher and also the Rincon 700. I was happy to see some of the improvements that Honda made on the new Rancher. Below I have posted a short video clip which goes around the machine and showcases some of the features. I have also included a short review that was published in the June/July 2007 issue of Hunting Illustrated Magazine.

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Honda Fourtrax Rancher 420 ES

It’s hard to improve something that doesn’t need improvement. That was Honda’s basic struggle as they released the new and improved Rancher 420 ES for 2007. There is no question that Honda had a good thing going with the Rancher 350; it provided years of tremendous sales and popularity. With 500,000 units sold since 1996, one would question if messing with a good thing would be bad. However, Honda timed it just right with appropriate and needed upgrades to continue to make the Rancher ATV one of the best-selling ATVs on the market today.

Honda beefed up the motor department and increased it from a 329cc air-cooled engine to a 420cc, liquid-cooled, four-stroke engine. The increase in ponies also brought about an increase in suspension travel, going from 5.3 inches to 6.3 inches front and back. Honda also improved the braking and added dual hydraulic disc brakes in the front. Like most new ATVs that you find today, electronic fuel injection (EFI) was also added to the new Rancher providing better throttle response, improved cold weather starts, and eliminated jetting problems for high altitude riding. Honda, however, elected to stay with the solid rear axle and not provide a rear independent suspension. Their thinking on this was to keep the ATV mechanically sound with a trouble-free, solid rear axle, less weight, good stability, and to keep costs to a minimum. These considerations sum up the mission of Honda – keep things maintenance-free and for a good price. There is no question that Honda has the reputation of building the most reliable ATVs on the market. The Rancher is proof of this and also proof that many people just want an ATV that works and that they can afford. This is where the new Rancher 420 ES really shines. With an MSRP of $5,499 and the added features, the Rancher will continue to be a great seller for Honda.

The improvements on the Rancher 420 ES carry over to the overall ride and experience on the trail. The bigger motor gives a good increase in power that was much needed to stay competitive and the increased suspension is noticeable. It’s hard not to like the new Rancher 420. It has all of the basics plus a few nice additions like EFI and front disc brakes. This ATV will not blow your socks off and, when pushed hard, can easily go beyond its capabilities. However, the market for the Rancher is the everyday person who wants a good-performing ATV that comes with some nice features, isn’t going to break down, and has a fair price. The Rancher 420 has good low-end torque and Honda’s ES (electric shift) transmission allows you to control the powerband for hill climbing to trail riding or pulling a trailer around the farm. The ATV handles very predictably and the suspension soaks up the basic stuff allowing for an enjoyable ride.

Honda may have been worried about what response they would get by changing one of their most popular ATVs in history. But they don’t need to worry much as everything new on the Rancher 420 is an improvement on an already winning formula.

107 comments July 27th, 2007

Fastest Bows for 2007

What is the fastest bow? In our latest issue of Hunting Illustrated (Aug/Sept 2007) I put together a Top Ten list of the fastest bows for 2007. I don’t consider this 100% complete or accurate, but this is what I dug up after a little research. I am sure I missed some, so if you know of a bow that is shooting over 312 fps (IBO) and it is not listed post a comment and let me know.

Below I have posted an extended list showcasing the fastest bows. I made the cutoff at 312 fps (there’s quite a few at the 310 mark). Just an FYI, the “Speed 2″ column is used on some bows and this is where the actual posted speed was a range of like 342-348, not a single number (so make your own conclusion).

One of our factory reps (Blake Stoker) just bought the X Force bow from PSE, which is currently the fastest bow on the market right now (update: Nope, the APA Black Mamba X1 is at 353 pfs…see comment below). I went out a couple of weeks ago and flung a few arrows. That bow smokes!

UPDATE (8/9/2007): Thanks to your comments, I have updated the list which now includes APA, Elite Archery and Ross Archery. The PSE has now been knocked down to third. The list is getting better.

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26 comments July 27th, 2007

Video: Look Mom No Hands! Oops!

We came across this earlier this year during the spring turkey hunt. Along a nice, flat dirt road was this flipped jeep. A photo of this was used as the Parting Shot in our Aug/Sept 2007 issue of Hunting Illustrated.

We first came across this about 5:45 in the morning when it was still dark. I crawled under there with my flashlight just to make sure there was nobody in there. We came back out later that afternoon and the vehicle was still there. Fortunately we found out later that the driver was OK.

Add comment July 25th, 2007

Special Bowhunting Issue of Hunting Illustrated

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Hunting Illustrated Magazine: Special Bowhunting Issue
Aug/Sept 2007 Issue: Available on Newsstands July 20th

It is that time of year to get geared up for the archery season. We have put together a special 100% archery issue that is packed with awesome stories, articles and much more. Here is a breakdown of what you will find:

Fresh Sign: The Latest News and Insights
Ask Mr. Mule Deer: All archery questions
The Dueling Duo: Crossbow Controversy - Do crossbows belong in the archery industry
Bowhunting Big Muleys: Planning and Executing a Successful Archery Buck Hunt
Bowhunting For Big Bulls: Tactics & Tips for Successful Calling
Shooting: Shot of a Lifetime - Six Steps to a Better Shot with a Bow
Bowhunting: Verminator Style - Can You Successfully Hunt Coyotes with a Bow?
The Untold Challenge: Hunt Mexico Bow and Arrow Style
Archery Black Bear Hunting: Tips and Tactics for Bowhunting Big Bruins

World’s Biggest Typical Archery Velvet Buck: A Record Archery Buck that Scores 205 1/8 Net Typical P&Y
Archery Record Pronghorn: A New Record for Wyoming
The Promise: Hunt for a Monster 5×5 Nevada Elk
Sticks For Bows…May Break Your Bowhunting Woes: A tremendous Kansas Whitetail Buck Taken with a Longbow

Behind the Re-creations
Franklin Bull: World Record Non-typical Archery Bull
Ulmer Buck: A Great Vevlet Buck from Nevada

Hardcore Bowhunting: Fitness First
Your New Best Friend: What Bow is Right For You?

Finally…The Big One (Cover Story Buck): A Massive Archery Buck from Alberta
Performance Archery Gear: King’s ShadowCamo Mini Catalog

Suzuki King Quad 450: A Great ATV With All the Features

Just For Fun: Crossword Puzzle
Just For Laughs
Braggin’ Board
Video Vault

Corporate Interview: Sims Vibration Laboratory
Mule Deer Watch: Here’s Something to Chew On…
Nuge Factor: Uncle Ted, What’s the Answer?
Parting Shot: Look Mom No Hands! Oops!

Dont’ get Hunting Illustrated coming to your door yet? Sign up now by calling 800-447-6897 or
click here
($24.95 Six issues/year. You also get 10% off all King’s Products. Free ShadowCamo hat.)

2 comments July 20th, 2007

Biggest Archery Velvet Buck in the World!

Something that has kind of stayed under wraps is a magnificent mule deer taken in Colorado last year in 2006. This buck is now the biggest archery velvet typical mule deer in the world! This world record buck was taken by Tim Roberts during the archery season. The photo above is a sneak peak at what you will see in the new Hunting Illustrated Magazine coming out this week. We have the story on Tim’s record archery mule deer and some great photos. We also break down how this buck matches up with the other great velvet typical archery bucks taken in recent years.

So what does it score? Tim’s buck is very symmetrical but has a 2 1/8-inch kicker coming off the right main beam which caused some extra deductions. The official Pope & Young score is 209 2/8 gross and 205 1/8 net typical. Tim chose to keep the velvet on the antlers or it could have challenged the hard-horned P&Y typical world record which scores 203 1/8. For now, Tim’s mule deer is the largest typical mule deer in the world taken by a bowhunter in the velvet category. Congratulations Tim.

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You can read the story on Tim’s hunt and see his cool kill shots in our Aug/Sept 2007 issue of Hunting Illustrated (Special Bowhunting Issue) out this week. You will also be able to see this Colorado giant in our upcoming 2008 King’s Mule Deer Calendar.

15 comments July 18th, 2007

Video: Mark Hogan 264 Gross Mule Deer

I have been gathering up some great heads for our upcoming 2008 King’s Calendars. I was recently at Mark Hogan’s house taking pictures of his great Utah velvet buck. This monster mule deer scores 264 gross and is 37 1/2-inches wide. What I really like about it is it also has a tremendous 217 typical frame to boot. Mark’s buck was also featured on the cover of our Hunting Illustrated Magazine back in January (Jan/Feb 2007 Issue) and will be featured in our upcoming 2008 King’s Mule Deer Calendar.

Mark was also able to get his hunt captured on film and has some great footage. Christensen Outdoors has recently released their new hunting DVD, Big Bucks Vol. 2, which has the footage of the Hogan buck. A great DVD that you can buy right now in our Video Vault. Click here to order on-line or call us at 800-447-6897.

1 comment July 17th, 2007

Video: ATV Race - What’s Faster?

Here we have four Sport Utility ATVs in a dual for which one is faster. The Yamaha Grizzly 700 vs. Arctic Cat 700 vs. Can-Am 650 MAX vs. Can-Am Outlander 800.

6 comments July 12th, 2007

Limbsaver’s New Bow

I recently did an interview with Limbsaver (Sims Vibration Laboratory) President and Founder Steven Sims. This interview will be published in our upcoming Aug/Sept 2007 issue of Hunting Illustrated. Some exciting news coming out of Limbsaver as Steven told me about their new bow they will be releasing this fall. Here is a short excerpt from that interview:

We’ve wanted to do a bow for five years. We have the technology that can truly bring archery to the next level. We will produce several different lines of bows. We are starting out with an upper-end type of bow and then moving out into a totally new technology. We are not only going with a compound bow, but also with the crossbow market as well. In October we will be shipping out our first bows, but the main push will be next year at the ATA Show.

2 comments July 11th, 2007

Eagle Takes Down a Deer

This video is circulating around quite a bit lately. This is some incredible footage of an eagle taking down a deer. It looks pretty set up, but still shows the power of what an eagle can do. This footage ties in to an article Michael Burrell did in our Mule Deer Watch section of Hunting Illustrated about Eagles and Deer. You can read some comments about it on this earlier post and see another video clip here.

Here is another clip of video that is basically a photo slide show of some amazing photography of eagles attacking animals from deer, fox to wolves!

1 comment July 11th, 2007

July 4th Parades with the King’s Rig

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This past July 4th was busy as we participated in three different parades. There is nothing like small town USA and the parades that are part of the fourth of July festivities. I drove our show truck and trailer with family and coworkers as the kids threw candy, Otter Pops and King’s “God Bless America” posters to the crowd. All in all it was a great time. Here is a short clip of some of the parade action.

Add comment July 5th, 2007