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

Planning on parking on county roads not using any forest service roads...elevation about 8000ft got chains and weight in the back...What do you guys think?

wouldn't do it in Utah especially alone.......

Could be bone dry.........

Could be fightin' 3' drifts

What do I think? Good luck. Don't kill someone...

Meh, probably no biggie. My gang didn’t get their first 4x4 until 88 and they started hunting CO in 1955. They had some long and miserable rides out of camp back in the day but with chains, shovels, and come alongs they always made it. The last decade we haven’t had any snow to speak of in the 3rd season. We hunt in the SW part of CO at about 8000ft.

I did it for years in Idaho. Snow chains and a shovel. I would try to a find a portable winch.

Short of an all out major storm, you're good. Somehow we managed to get around in elk country for decades before Al Gore invented 4wd pickups..........

I just find it easier to plan for a worst case scenario rather then dealing with it on the fly. I do about 3-4 out of state hunts a year. It can ruin a hunt, or worse.

YMMV...

Get yourself a Wyeth-Scott "More Power Puller". It is a 3-ton, 6000#, vertical lift hand winch that will pull 12,000# equal to the slope that electric winches are rated. If you can find an anchor point it would most likely get you out of a ditch.

I'd rent a 4wd.

My 3/4 ton '69 GMC two wheel drive did just fine getting me up to the trailhead for many years. You'll be fine with the good advice above here!

Thanks for all the advice! I realize if a major snow event is in the picture I’ll rent a 4wd...

You'll do better with your 2wd and chains, than most of the 4wd's you can rent.....

Thanks huntsman22! I agree.

You need 4x4 and chain up up all 4 tires on steep icy mountain roads. I would have died more than once driving a 4x2 with 2 chains on steep icy mountain roads. These are FS roads with steep drop offs

probably get by on the lower elevation roads with 4x2 with weight in the back and rear tires chained.

like huntsman stated chains are advised. Plus a tow strap and shovel

Just a uggestion . . .

Make sure you have something substantial back AND front to connect the "portable winch or come-a-long to.

Another arrow in the quiver...

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/14529736/tracgrabber

When things go south, sometimes the more options the better.

l drove from Fort Collins, Colorado to Laramie, Wyoming on Hwy 287 for many years with a 2wd., 3/4 pickup, limited slip rear end, V bar chains, snow tires and a 3406 Cat engine block in the bed. Went around the gates, even in the blizzards. Only problem was the snow would pack in the grill and overheat the engine, and had to clear it out often. I was young and had a good looking wife !

Carry one with you. You need 2 steel fence posts cut off about 3' above the fin, a big hammer, and some strong non-stretchy rope.
Drive a post where you need an anchor, leaning a bit away from the truck. Drive it until the fin is totally buried, deeper in soft soil or sand. Drive the 2d one about 3 or 4' behind it the same way. Tie the rope to the top of the front post and take a few wraps to the bottom of the 2d post. Welding a couple cross pieces to the posts will help keep the rope from slipping. Tie your winch rope to the bottom of the 1st post.
If you anticipate sandy soil, add a 3d post.

The absolute vast majority of my critters were accessed by foot after driving main roads a smart car could get down, but when you need 4 wheel drive, you need it.

There's no substitute for chains, especially on ice but they're a total PIA to put on for small runs of nasty spots or icy hills. Way easier to flip the 4x4 switch, then go back to 2WD when you're through it. Sometimes 4x4 doesn't do squat for you if the ice is slick enough and you throw a hill into the mix. That's when chains are worth triple their weight in gold.

Just a couple things to think about.

Chaining up the back wheels of a 2WD pickup will get you moving, but you'll head to wherever physics wants you to go. Chains on the front allows you to actually steer too.

Just one more thing to think about.