Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Need ideas on a new hunting truck

So I have come to the point where I think I would be best served driving a car (gas mileage) during the week and then have a dedicated weekend/hunting truck but I am having mixed feelings on just what direction to look. I know I want a 4WD a have an old chevy 2WD for hunitng now but it doesn't get everywhere I need to go but should I look for a SUV ie. bronco, jeep, 4runner etc. or a pickup f150, ram, tacoma, etc?

So I plan on making the move next year and I will have a budget of about $4000. I want something that will be reliable and look fairly nice in the driveway during the week. My wife and I were one of the first to build in our neighborhood and we had a bunch of snots come in behind us, I know they hate my faded '90 silverado now, I know they will give me grief for having an eye sore since I am the HOA President.

I won't need to modify it for much, no rock crawling and the like, I just need to traverse old wash outs and shallow creek while hauling out deer.

I have been watching the local craigslist and see my options as follows starting with my favorite idea...

1. 90's fullsize Bronco with avg mileage of 150,000

2. 98 - 2001 fullsize ram, f150, or z71 mileage avg 130,000 most z71's have rebuilt trannys which makes me leary

3. 98 - 2002 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee, 95 - 98 4Runner

4. 98 - 2002 Ranger or S10

5. 94 - 96 K5 two door Tahoe

6. 98 - 2001 four door Tahoe

7. 90 - 95 Toyota Tacoma 200,000 miles and look like they drove through a can opener factory. Really are these things really worth that after 22 years.

So what are your thoughts on a good hunting truck with a reasonable budget?

I am open to other ideas.

I'd look no farther than a used Tacoma. Even if I had to go over 4k.

I bought my last one in 2004, had 68k and I paid 9k for it. 4x4, 4cyl and a great hunting rig.

4k is tough. i started out in that range last fall until i saw what it bought me. of course i'm in PA so the salt takes its toll up here and you most likely don't have that problem down there. i ended up dropping $14k OTD on a 2006 ram 1500 4 door in real nice shape with 60k on it. looks good, runs great and is really comfortable for me and my boys. i wanted something that would last me 8 or so years without costing me money all the time. i only put about 3k a year on my truck for hunting, camp trips, etc.

I bought used 4 cylinder toyota extended cab 4wd truck when I made the decision...
room behind the set for stuff that I could keep locked up. a bed I could put a camper on if I wanted to...
I didn't want to have a common hauling area with the cab because of gas smells or other odors from saws, garbage or what ever. and I didn't want seed ticks or other parasites off of deer or other animals that I might be carrying inside where I'm riding...

Despite my desire to own a Bronco, for a hunting rig, I would definitely go with a pickup. Nice to be able to throw a bloody carcass or muddy clothing in the back and not worry about having to smell it on a long road trip. I detest Dodge and don't like Chevy. Strangely, I don't mind GMC (knowing full well that GMC and Chevy are the same truck with marginally different trim). So I would look for an F-series pickup or a Toyota.

Yeah I here you guys on the scent issue of contaminating clothes before a hunt in an suv. On hauling out critters I would just put basket on the receiver.

Oh and rust really isn't an issue in south Alabama

Get an mid 90's Cherokee.

Straight 6 will run forever, decent MPG (I get 18 highway), and depending on your area can be bought for around 1500 (what I paid for mine)

You can use the rest of your money to buy accessories to make it your own.

I drive a 1988 Toyota 4Runner. It has the 22RE motor, and after some 300,000 miles, it is still bullet proof.
If I were you, I'd try to find one just like it.

Late 80's early 90's jeep or older Toyota pick up. Lots of parts around for those. If you only have 4k to spend odds are you will need to fix some stuff when you get it or soon after.

4Runner, Tacoma tough for 4K, but a Cherokee could be had in that range, and dead stuff hauled in one of those receiver hitch baskets on the back will keep the interior livable.

My ideal hunting truck would be a 4x4, standard, 4cyl Tacoma with a flat bed. The resale value of Toyota trucks will make is difficult to find a decent one for $4k.

My ideal vehicle for hunting is the one I own.



To make it more ideal a 2 inch lift and put 31 inch tires on it. A roof rack and a light bar across the top would be added on as well.

I did put two square lights on the front bumper, a bit brighter for off roading.

Plenty of room for all my hunting gear on the back seat and enough room in the back to put two full sized coolers.

I would buy an older chevy or GMC. 98-01 should be about right. A rebuilt tranny at 130k should last for a long time. I would stay away from that age (or any) dodge ram. I had an 01 and while I must admit it was tough pickup, it was a POS. I had 130k on it and blew up the motor. I like Chevy a lot and currently we have 2 of them. I had a 94 with 210k on it that I traded on the 01 Dodge, big mistake.

If you can find a Toyota Tacoma or maybe a T100, then do it.

I'll take Pat's new truck,with a leather interior.

Having owned a small wagon, a couple SUV's (one currently) and a minivan, I offer this consideration. Please forgive me if you've already thought about it. I tend to travel very heavy. Me, a lot of stuff, a friend, with some stuff. Current SUV, 10 year old Cherokee, can't haul as much stuff as my Caddy sedan. My full size SUV (80's Trailduster, the Ramcharger equivalent for Plymouth) couldn't haul as much stuff as my Caddy. The Tahoe's and Suburbans owned by pals seem to have enough interior room. I don't know how much you haul, but the little and mid-size SUV's could force choices you don't want to make.

Off road transportation hasn't been my issue with Mules, Gators, etc. when I got to where I was going. Never had a pick up, but my $200 minivan with 200k miles was my best hauler until somebody rammed it while parked on the street in front of the house and totaled it.

Carefully consider your space needs before going midsize. If you travel alone and light a Cherokee might work. If you're taking stuff to set up a big camp, you might need a trailer.

As far as high mileage Toyota trucks are concerned, one of my deer hunting hosts swears by his Tundras. He's got two now. One with 160K and still looking good and going strong.

I'll add the idea of the flat bed is one I've seen many of the locals use. Though a couple hundred mile drive to hunt might mitigate in favor of pick up with camper shell or lid.

Figure out how you'll use the vehicle: how much stuff, how far to drive, companions and their gear, etc. That will go a long way to narrow the type you need. Then you can find the right type at the right price.

Very nice. If I lived where I hunted, that would probably be the one.

I've had two jeep Cherokees and was very satisfied with them. Both had four wheel drive and I used a rack in the receiver for the hitch for hauling stuff I didn't want inside. I usually had a good tarp with me to haul deer and hogs if I needed to. A roof rack made hauling tree stands easy. I would buy one tomorrow for hunting if something happened to my Nissan truck.
The only real modification I made was a 2" lift and larger tires. That didn't help my gas milage much but the engine and drive train handled the larger tires with no problem. It had plenty of ground clearance and was difficult to get stuck. I did put a couple of louver type hood vents on the last one I owned. Cherokees tend to run a little hot and in stop and go traffic it would get really hot until I put the vents in the hood.