Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Hunting Rigs???

Just wondering what 4x4 people have or would like, for hunting, and why?

I'm not talking about wanting a super tricked out monster truck, but a practical vehicle either they already own or are likely to be able to buy and run..

For me, it would be a crew cab pick-up with a hard top/canopy over the load area for security and bad weather considerations.

Not sure of the exact model as they are many that would be suitable, but I'm guess they would be considered "mid size" in the US.

Favourite at the moment is the Ford Ranger due to a number of factors but good fuel economy being the major one. This is especially true as it would be my every day ride as well... Would like a small lift and some decent but not too specialised AT tyres...

I've had 4x4's that would be more capable off-road, but have lacked load space. I think the crew cab is a good compromise as it does most things well and offers no major down sides for my use...

So what do you guys think would be the ideal vehicle for your own particular situation ???

ive got a stock Chevy Silverado half ton crew cab with a topper on the bed and find its about ideal for where we hunt.....there are times when a shorter wheel base would be nice but it tends to loose out to having the extra space for dead critters, recovery gear for when someone gets stuck, coolers and the like.....my father in law has the same setup except its a Dodge instead of a Chevy.....

for warm weather rodent eradication ive got this

For us it would be a whatever truck is suitable for pulling the vehicle(s) you have on a trailer. A capable offroad rig up here is not going to be street legal, and many folks use boats.

If you want the best and most capable factory production 4WD made....it's called the Dodge Power Wagon, 2005-2010. I have a '06, and love it.

werent for the fact my hunting rig spends most of its time on the black top as its my daily driver i would have seriously looked at a Power Wagon....

We have a '91 Isuzu Trooper II at the ranch that is our primary hunting vehicle when we are there. It has a 4 cyl. with 5 sp manual tranny. Pretty good mileage and gets us around through mud/snow without fuss. Pretty quiet as well, so not spooking game unnecessarily.

I've posted this photo before, but I'm still impressed with the bang-for-the-buck on this rig.




Dad purchased a well-used 4cyl 5spd 98 Tacoma with a winch plate installed. I stuck a used M8000 warn in the front, a local 4x4 shop installed a 3" suspension lift, and we had 33" bias-ply Buckshot Mudders mounted on cheapo Cragar steelies. No other mods were done and this thing goes like crazy. The short WB makes it manueverable and the Toyota badge means it hardly ever sees a mechanic. A 97-03 4Runner could also be modified in a similar manner and would be a neat rig.

You got to be joking right.

k5 blazer

I don't think we the Tacoma in the UK unless its sold under a different name. We do get the Hi-Lux and this was the first popular 4x4 pick-up over here, and the vehicle that started to dent LandRovers sales to farmers and outdoors people.

I've probably used as wide a variety of rigs as any. I've used a large 3/4 ton Int. Harvester Travelall, a couple of 3/4 ton Dodges PU's with a shell top and later a 10 ft. truck camper, an International Harvestor Scout II, and a couple of Jeeps.
Which is best or prefered ? They are all a compromise. Jeeps, for instance, with their fold down tops, small size and removable doors are at their best during warm weather, say desert hunting. Easy to manuver, easy riding, and unlimited visiability can be big assets.
Trucks tend to work best in colder weather, their weight helps in ice and snow, and they often have lots of power and load carrying capacity. Always lots of room for camping gear, or even a fully equipped truck camper, but they ride harder, thus can be pretty tiresome on rocky, rough ground, and they can be very difficult to impossible in really tight places.
It's a matter of experience in where and how you hunt, and how much you are willing to spend on your rig. E

IIRC talking with an Aussie, Tacoma = Hi-Lux.........

Think so! There are a lot of excellent factory 4x4's out there these days. The Pinzgauer is on that spring to mind



Another, much bigger would be the Unimog:



That said, neither are what I would consider "practical" hunting rigs for the average hunter...

Know so!!! That's not a Dodge Power Wagon now is it. you just proved my point Thanks

I see where Ford Australia is making the new Ranger in XLT crew cab 4x4 with locking differential, 5spd, and 3.0L turbo diesel. Like the sumbich wouldn't sell here also.

I guess too many would rather have $50k 13mpg King Ranch Platinum Edition Lariat 7,000lb F150 land yachts.....(grin)

And Unimogs kick azz

im guessing he meant as far as stuff availible for the US guy.....the Unimogs are cool as hell but pretty scarce over here.....

The best FWD ever build in the states that the average guy can afford would be the Jeep Rubicon hands down.;)

i am very much a Jeep guy but i hunt out of full sized trucks for the most part.....

I'm just the opposite I use my jeep all of the time. But my truck is a dodge dully, so If I go where I have to camp the jeep gets towed behind.

Mine is a 1998 Dodge Cummins, short box, extended cab. I pull a 20 ft gooseneck stock trailer or a 22 foot flat bed and use it for my every day truck. It has gone over some very nasty country, but I get 22 mph on pavement and 14 pulling the loaded trailer.I like it as it has enough clearance to get over bad ground and a solidly built differential and under workings that stand up to rough country.

I have a 9500 lb capacity winch on it,reciever mounted that I can put one either the front or back.

This is not a full 4 door,but has the smaller winged doors on the back.Sorta like cab abd a half. With the short box combined with it,it is no longer than a std pickup with a short cab and long box. Turning it around is less of a problem and you can get into snug areas and manuver the goosenecks.

The last truck I had was a Ford dully , 8 ft box and an extended cab.I needed 6 acres to turn th erig around with the trailer attached and you could not make a U turn o na 6 lane road .

We also have a 2004 Tacoma,but the problem with them is the wheel base width is narrower than a std pickup and traveling two track you are always fighting the steering as only one side will fit in the ruts and the other side is up out of the other track. This might not seem a problem to some,but put 100-200 miles on ranch roads in a day and it will readily become one.

(grin)

I could have taken all 5 of the critters this year hunting out of a car.

But if I had the money a new F350 crewcab/shortbox would be sweet.

My old F150 still runs great though and recently got a new set of Cooper ST's so I guess it'll have to do for another year.

First rig was a '74 International Scout, that squirrelly little machine could go places. It'd be cool to get one all fixed up and restored.

think it was last year we ran into a car avoiding the ruts going from the top of 7th to 6th.....forget the exact model but along the lines of a Focus....my brother and i just stopped and stared before we bout died laughing....course it was 2 teenage boys in blaze negotiating the hills and hunting out of it.....

Still using the Jimny at the momment and very pleased with it at the moment, within its obvious constrainsts





Bought it when I need a cheap 4x4 fast (my Isuzu Trooper died in a major way) and while its been very reliable and has done more or less everything I've wanted, I really do struggle for space at time...Hence my next 4x4 will be a crewcab..

Pete a Unimog on the Rubicon, yeah I went through this with my jeep as well. But the Unimog is just cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNuU-Wy7Ibw

There are a lot of highlymodifed 4x4's, specialist rock crawlers, that can do that sort of thing, but that Mog will be more or less ex factory; that to me is the impressive part..

my jeep not to highly modified and still goes down the highway at 75 with no problems And didn't cost a arm and leg

One the of guys in our hunting club uses a a military spec Volkswagen Transporter Syncro 4x4, similar to the one below, but without the EOD Robot!



They are about the same size as a 110 Landrover, but have far more usualable space. The engine is under the rear load area so there is no wasted space as there is over the hood area of most 4x4's. The drivers and passengers seats are fancy pedestal types as seen in some buses or trucks and the entire cabin floor is covered in a sheet of aluminium chequer plate, making cleaning easy..

I doubt it would be as good as a stock 110 LandRover off road, but apparently its pretty comparable to a typical crewcab pick-up..

my jeep! it works very well. its all about flex



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Joe,
Stock springs and shocks????

Regards,

Peter

prolly why you favor your Jeep and i favor my full sized truck is i dont have to deal with rocks like that where a short wheel base Jeep quickly becomes very handy to have.....

That brings up another interest debate...In the past, I have done a bit off-roading here in the UK, but when I am away hunting, I avoid anything too serious in case things go wrong.

On a hunting trip, especially if I am on my own, the last thing I want to do is get my vehicle stuck and then have all the hassle of recovery ect as it eats into hunting time....So generally I pick the easist routes and drive well with the capabilities of both myself and the vehicle..

No 5.5" clayton longarm and 35" tires, this one is all stock besides tires I bought it for 1500 but I did put tires and wheels on it after the 1500


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It works great for getting though and around washed out roads as well, after all I do live in Oregon we get lots of rain

If I had more huntinmg locally, I would have something similar, probably a short wheel base LandRover.

As it is, I have to drive a minimum of 200 miles and sometimes twice that to go hunting, (each way) so I need something more reliable and comfortable than a LandRover though..

I've thought of picking up a pinzqauer, the 6 wheel vans would make for a pretty interesting hunting rig, with room for sleeping out of the elements.

our preference is to take two trucks just in case something goes wrong even if we can cram everyone into a crew cab.....ive had the 4WD go out on my truck back in a place where it was a really bad issue and damn near didnt get back out even with being towed through a couple spots......my FIL has busted axles and drive shafts out hunting.....if im staying close to certain roads i dont mind going by myself....if im gonna get out into some of the spots i like to go as a rule we take two vehicles....

washouts in the bottom of coulees is the one place i love my Jeeps but usually we haul to much gear to cram it all into a Jeep and have room to stack critters if we feel like doing alot of butchering

Nothing wrong with a landrover, I just like jeeps and they have a huge after market support at least in the States

Given their current popularity with various European Militaries, I think we are going to see far more surplus Pinzqauer on the market in the next few years..

Keeping with the idea of a camper, somebody else I know ran a Mitsubishi like the one below for a while..


Its more or less the same running gear and chasis as their successful 4x4 L200 pick up...The seats in the back folded into a very ueful sleeping area, althougth I'm not sure I want to share it with a deer carcass though!

I think they fill the same niche in their respective home countries...

Was looking at restored Korean war vinage jeep a few weeks ago and it made me think how far we moved from the idea of a basic, capable 4x4 thats a workhorse first and fore most...

In the UK, even the LandRovers have gotten very complex and seem to be catering more to the Yuppies rather than their traditional market of farmers and outdoor workers..

i kinda think the same of Jeep Wranglers.....test drove a new one last year and decided the sticker price wasnt worth it given a chunk of the stuff i was gonna be paying for was gonna be ripped out in the first month......ill stick to the used market....if they would sell me a bone stock 2 door Wrangler with a Rubicon drivetrain i would jump on it.....

they stopped making jeeps in 06 not sure what they sell now

my wife says they stopped making them in 86

Well they did! they started making that thing with square headlights than they started again in 97 and stopped 06

if i get a newer one im gonna find a used TJ, the JKs just dont appeal to me, damn things cost as much as a full sized truck.....

I really liked my cjs can't say the same for my back and kidneys though

TJs are great and I love the suspension.

aftermarket seats......thats all ive got to say

quoting my dad....."you have a bad back and you bought a CJ? are you retarded?"

Yeah I hear that, but I had my cjs long before I had the bad back....hhmmm might be something to that

Oh and I had aftermarket seats

no doubt TJ's ride better but i bought the 77 CJ5 for less than half of what the new quads i was looking at went for and i can haul another person and more guns easier.....couldnt pass it up....eventually might get a used TJ for around town and playing in the hills but for now the CJ will do.....also want my father in laws CJ7.....

Just have to keep a eye out for a good deal, as said I pick up a tj for 1500

What if I said......







I'm seriously looking at one like this....


For fishing, I really like fishing.

know guys on the other side of the state that use rigs like that for chasing cougars with hounds once it snows good.....

They use Tuckers for winter access on the trans alaska pipeline.

I could see that being a bit more comfortable than a snowmachine, but also quite a bit slower.

Well, we have a big damn lake that gets hard to travel when it freezes over.Actual "sno cats" like this can travel anywhere and pull a couple 4x4 trucks behind sideways while doing it.

If you want to pull a big ice fishing house around on a lake, this will do.

Newer tacoma (would rather have a hilux actually) 4 door, with a canopy (topper), 2" lift and 32" MT's. So practical. Can haul way enough stuff for two guys, can do jeep trails, small enough, large enough, reliable, decent milage (19 mpg hwy) and meteor proof.

I was just looking at the new Jeeps. While you can't, apparently, get the heavy duty front drive axle with the bone stock model(s), you do get the HD rear as a stock item. Which you really do need with the 6 cylinder engines. The Rubicon Jeep is the Jeep that the hard core jeep users have been building and dreaming of for many years. One wonders why it took Jeep so long to put it together.
I'm still driving my 2nd, a 2000 model Wrangler. It's been very impressive. I've had the front end alginment checked every year. Hasn't needed a thing in at least three years. I hunt it, off road for the whole season as a rule, and use it all summer and into the fall off road. The only break downs I've had have been tires. I've learned that, for my uses, I need to use 6 ply tires. Even those get ripped up at times.
As far as how much you push a 4WD when hunting, I limit myself to those areas which I know aren't safe. But even iffy stuff I sometimes try. If I have a passenger, he or she walks or waits while I do the "iffy" driving.
When I go hunting, my camp is a truck camper that sits on a very capable Dodge 4X4. If I break the Jeep, the Dodge can be used to drag the Jeep back to civilization. The plain fact is that off road driving puts far more stress on a vehicle than many understand. If it's going to break, it will do so when you need it most. The long held rule of picking such rigs is that tough constuction is No.1. E

What is the difference between the Tacoma and the Hi-Lux??

I believe the chassis are the same, it's just the hilux has the 4 door cab and short bed. Also the hi-lux are hard to come by in the states.

I'd opt for a trd tacoma, those electric lockers are great.

Cheers for that...I think both versions are sold under the Hi-Lux label over here...

A firend has a 4 door version, and with a "topper" on the back, and its hard beat for our circumstances. Its not the most fuel firendly of the 4x4's but I would think we were getting maybe high 20's /low 30's on a recent run up to Scotland...

Some of the newer pick-up/SUV's are getting in the mid to high 30's on runs, especially if you have them chipped...

Is that mileage the diesel varient or metric? I had a '94 3 liter toy truck that would at it's best get 21 on the freeway, city driving dropped it to 17, 4wd would drop it to 13.

Unfortunately toyota hasn't sold it's diesel trucks in the states, a pity.

My daily driver 4x4 is a 1996 Ford Bronco (the last year they were made) with a modified 351 V-8 (450 HP). It has a 3" body lift and 6" suspension lift and I run 10.5x36" tires (the biggest I can get by with on a 1/2 ton vehicle.

I tend to drive like some others have said. I choose the path of least resistance and avoid beating it all to hell.....but I do go wherever I want to go regardless. It does have the ability to go nearly anywhere and has enough space inside to haul gear and game. The down side is the 8-10 MPG I get.....on the highway or off, makes no difference.

For times when I "know" things will be tough and interior space is not as important, I drive my 1963 International Scout. With a 198 CI 4-cylinder engine it has torque that is unbelievable and 4.88 gears mean it NEVER bogs down (although top highway speed is barely 60 MPH).

The 32" tires give great ground clearance and though it's a bit heavy (Intenationals are built like a tank), it doesn't have to run fast as it can simply overpower most obsticles instead of trying to fly over them.

The ride however makes a Jeep CJ seem like a luxury car, but with the top off and the windshield folded down it is one of the coolest hunting rigs in the woods.

My wife drives an extended cab 4x4 Chevy PU (yes I AM embarassed about the Chevy label, but it's HER truck....actually considered putting a Ford emblem on the grill thinking it might fool the Chevy into thinking it was a REAL truck) that we use for less intense camping chores. Drives nice and hauls more gear than my vehicles.

What rearend does your 2000 have, some of tjs came with the heavy duty 44. I have a 2001 Sahara that has it my kid has a 05 sport that has it as well.

Generally speaking, I'm refering to turbo diesels, usually in the 2.4L to 3L sizes..We get petrol engined 4X4's, but they are usually extremely expensive to run over here as they get for worse MPG than diesels...

Even old Isuzu with a none turbo 2.8 diesel would typically do 30 to 32 MPG on a run. The 2.8L was was a great engine that was evetually killed off by tightening of the emission regulations but the Isuzu engines that followed were junk...

Heavy duty front and rear ends have long been an option. Those in the know would always order them with any engine stronger than the 4 cyl.
The trouble was, at least here in Kalifornia, is that none of the dealerships would stock them. You'd have to special order them.
Mine is a stock, 4 cyl version. Has worked alot better than I ever thought it would. E

Don't know how handy you are with a welder and a little fabricating, but if you have any problems with the stock D-35 get yourself a Ford 8.8 out of a Explorer cut the brackets off and weld on some new TJ brackets. That's what I did for my SE TJ got a limited slip and disc brake to boot. If I lived where you do I would have a serious rock rig.

most the rock crawling stuff is lost on me, other than the occasional sandstone out cropping they are a non issue......dont know if its a blessing or not as far as my pocket book is concerned.....fine clay gumbo mud is my "world" when it comes to off roading, dont get alot of rain but creek crossings can get interesting....

I done the mud, Sand,(Oregon Dunes 25 miles away)and the rocks. Some thing about rock crawling it's just a hoot

What I hunt out of now:



What I will hunt out of, when I get around to fixing it up:

My huntin rig:

i aint running to the other side of the state just to play on rocks

I have been looking for something similar just to get to the highway.

Pete, have you looked at the Navarra? I'm on my fourth Nissan and I've never had any serious problems with them. Mine is the US version, of course, with a V-6 petrol engine, but I'm sure the Euro version with the diesel is available.

If you have the research time, you might go over to www.australianhunting.net and look over their 4WD forum, too. A lot of the guys on there are running Navarras or Hi-Luxes, or the Nissan Patrols, along with the Fords and Isuzus.

Be forewarned, of course, they're Aussies and they bag everything, especially Land Rovers and Hi-luxes Apparently, nothing whatsoever can hold up to the bush over there.

I love that !!

Well I bought one on Saturday.

Dave,

What year, and if you don't mind me asking, how much?

It's an 82, model 1342, gasser. 318 with a 5 speed manual trans. It's got 1375 hrs on it, very nice condition and I gave $4500. I've seen these rigs in lesser condition with a 12000 price tag on them so I think I did really well.

That's awesome! and sounds like a great deal. Heck, you can barely get a pair of used snowmachines in decent condition for that much$.

Thanks, I sparked it up tonight, rolled it off the trailer and we went for a few rides.

FREEKING AWESOME!!!!!! LOL!!

I love this thing!! I went places that you never want to be with a truck, I mean wow, this damn thing goes anywhere!! I love it!!

So how thick does the ice have to be before heading out on the lakes? I could see that being the one area where caution should outweight valor.

I also bet you could pay for the thing in a year or two just pulling people's trucks out of places they shouldn't have gone

the ground pressure is low with this thing (pounds per sq inch) but it still weighs as much as a full sized pickup.

So, I'll wait till it's safe ice thickness for trucks. (wait for some snow cover too, the ride is smoother on snow)

Does it turn decent in the tight areas?

Specs say 18' turn radius, Tom, our hunting cabin is 24' wide to put that into perspective. You can turn this thing around inside that cabin, I think that's pretty tight.

I freekin love it.

northern dave; that thing is so COOL!!! I'd get one too, but we don't get much snow here in Arizona at 1500'!!

Well that's crazy, very cool

I don't think you should try that.

That seems like a perfect rig for up there. Can't wait to see it in action.

You should have seen us last night in that thing tom, lol!!

cross country cruising. It was awesome lol!!

I went a different route than most for my hunting vehicle, but it is also my daily driver. 97 Lexus LX450 (Toyota Landcruiser with a Lexus badge). Run Nitto Terra Grapplers during the off season and Buckshot Maxxis during hunting season. Yes I get a lot of comments when I put the Buckshots on the Lexus! Also have a custom built receiver hitch basket to put on the back to carry waders and other duck hunting equipment. Also works well for the occasional deer that wanders into my sights. Luxury, comfort, and the ability to get me into and out of more places than I really have any business being, all in one neat package.