The $n$-doped and undoped silicon nanowires grown by chemical vapor deposition on quartz substrate were characterized using optical-pump terahertz-probe transmission experiments. Temporal decays of the differential transmission measurements are reproduced using a biexponential function with an initial photocarrier lifetime of ∼2 ps and a longer decay time of 10 ps to a few tens of picoseconds. Based on the influence of the laser fluence, a carrier capture and recombination scenario is proposed to explain these temporal decay curves. For both samples, the capture of photocarriers by the traps present on the surface of the nanowires plays an important role in the observed photoconductivity dynamics. Frequency-dependent complex photoconductivity data curves are extracted from the terahertz (THz) traces taken at different optical-pump THz-probe delays. These data curves are reproduced using a plasmon resonance model. The fitting procedure allows us to determine carrier scattering times of about 28±6 and 14±4 fs for the undoped and doped samples, respectively. Our results show that defects and ionized impurities introduced by $n$ doping the silicon nanowires reduce the photocarrier mobility and lifetime.