Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 2WD pickup Colorado third season.

I’ve been in a bad situation in a 4wd truck in the mountains, had to walk 4 miles to a logging camp paid a guy on a skidder to come get us out of that mess it was ugly! Don’t plan on getting into that kind of situation again! Been 39 years ago...Huntsman22 is spot on!

I have hunted 12-13-23 all four seasons I never needed chains or 4 wheel drive..

Go for it. you'll either hunt with your 2WD or you'll stay home.

One snowy night years ago, we parked my little 16' camp trailer about 50 yds from the road. I had a '72 Blazer to pull it. During the night, the snow tuned to rain and by daybreak it was a muddy mess. I put a set of chains on the rear, 'drove' 5 yds and put the other set on the front. The next 30 miles to a solid road took us over 3 hours. We weren't sinking in but it was so greasy that the trailer was swaying from barrow pit to barrow pit even at 10 mph.

Yep . No 4Wd , no go .

If it gets that bad, its nice having a winch as well...

Amen .

And that gets into a whole new discussion on what you tie the winch hook to if there aren't any trees handy.

I'll be in CO for 2nd rifle in a 2wd as well. My buddy is meeting me there in a 4x4 suburban though. I'll have snow chains, hi lift and a warn on a hitch mount if needed, but we plan to just get mine to camp and then hunt from his. If its bad, i'll pay to leave it somewhere in town I guess. I have 2 broncos that I use here and the 2wd f150 is my road vehicle. If I drove one of my broncos 1700 miles id have to remortgage my house to pay for the gas.

Four wheel drives were not around to much in the fifties. Wonder how granpa did it, in his station wagon!

I grew up with 2 wd trucks, never again. I use 4wd around the place all year around, on all road surfaces.
The front wheel assist tractor is a Godsend too.
I have pulled out 2wd pickups with a team, 4wd trucks and my tractors, never the other way around

For the worst situations, including mud, it would be V-bar for me as previously mentioned by others.

However, on many trucks you won't have clearance for anything but cable chains on the front due to the upper A-arm. In those cases, I have used Z-chains. Not as good as a V-bar in the nasty stuff, but overall a more useful chain in my opinion, especially on icy roads and mixed conditions.

And with two sets of Trac-Grabbers, I don't feel unprepared. They are way more aggressive than any chain, as they essentially create large paddles on your tires.

I also carry a compressor, backup tire pump, and Hi-Lift. A bottle jack or exhaust jack isn't a bad idea, but a Hi-Lift is quick and easy to use. Assuming that the operator knows how to use it safely.

I have also winched with a Hi-Lift, but in many cases when I have gotten stuck, there was no anchor available. A deadman is sometimes an option, but can be a lot of work.

Hi Lift jacks are good for pulling out fence posts. That's about it. Worthless in the field on any newer vehicle. No place to hook the jack and with suspension on newer vehicles that have 10" plus of play, the jack is precariously balanced if you can manage to get the wheel off the ground at all. Spend the money on a quality winch. Many of the back roads in CO are no place for most stock 4x4's let alone a 2wd with or w/o chains. Unless you have a locker, that 2wd is more like 1wd. The weather will be bad at some point when you are here. Guaranteed.

I have been stuck in places with nothing to anchor to, so a winch won't do you any good unless you create a dead man. That can be difficult in frozen ground. And in good conditions it can still be a fair amount of work, when a Hi-Lift can often get you out of many stuck situations in a minute or two.

I won't disagree on the merit of a good winch, especially for true offroading or a work truck. However, most people who stay on road systems would be investing in something that they may never use. I don't think most people want the extra cost, weight, and suspension upgrades. A Hi-Lift or good bottle jack are probably sufficient for them. Advantage to a Hi-Lift is that you can also winch with it.

Of course, a good tow strap is something that everyone should have. I have pulled many people out of the ditch with a tow strap. But the people stuck didn't have a strap of their own, and neither did other passersby.

I have unstuck numerous vehicles with a Hi-Lift. Diesel ranch trucks, Jeeps, 1/2 trucks, SUV, etc. I know for a fact that it works. A receiver shackle or wheel attachment works on rigs that don't have suitable bumpers or sliders rated for jacking. Easy

Image from MileMarker:

This works extremely well, if you know how to safely use a Hi-Lift. Note that you directly lift the tire off the ground, and not the suspension.

From Hi-Lift:

4TH Point. The jack works very well in that application, however I have flat out never seen an elk hunter head into the woods with a purpose built Jeep. Rock crawling, yes; hunting no. I'm sure it's happened, but I've never seen it and that's over a 24 year period. The OP was talking about a later model pickup. The hooks in the hilift rim/wheel strap don't work with most aluminum wheels, so it's not even an option on newer trucks. I don't disagree with you and the usefulness of a hilift in certain applications, but in my experience elk hunting hasn't been one of them. If you can use it as a winch, a dedicated winch will work better, and with modern vehicles I'll take bottle jack over the hilift. Tow straps are paramount, should be standard gear in any off road vehicle.

I wouldn't claim that the wheel attachment works on all aluminum wheels, but I have used it on factory Super Duty, GMC 3/4-ton, and Tundra wheels among others. I'm sure that there are wheels that are not compatible, but it isn't hard to make your own attachment or adapter if so inclined.

That said, I still prefer lifting from the receiver and pushing the truck to one side or another if that is an option. Or simply lifting the rear tires off the ground and putting wood or rocks underneath. Even with the suspension droop, I've not had a problem doing it on a factory vehicle. That has worked for the vast majority of times that I, or others, have gotten stuck.

I do see custom Jeeps and Truggys out hunting, but that wasn't the point of that image above. Another from Hi-Lift:

It seems like you know what can happen. I'd just take some chains, work gloves, shovel, tow strap, maybe a shackle or two, and a jack of your choice. Your factory jack might be good enough. And some scrap wood. Just some smaller sections of boards. Stuff that many people carry anyway.

Those simple items can often get you unstuck from common mishaps. If you go into a big ditch or worse, you might need outside help anyway.

A way to inflate your tires is handy too, once you get back to pavement, if you end up airing down. I have a compact trail compressor, but have even used cheap Slime compressors. And even hand and foot pumps. It's slow though! Or drive slow to the nearest service station.

You're good. Carry two sets of rubbers in case one breaks. Don't let these guys scare anybody.

With today's yuppie trucks those are a necessity and work very well--I have one for each of my Hi Lifts in all four of my pickups. Although some of today's wheels don't have anything to hook on to.