Vehicle Advice (Do I Need a Truck?)

[Sportsman]

Yes to truck (or SUV that is actually meant for off-road) and 4x4. In AZ, clearance for rocks is an issue even when you don't need 4x4. I met an incline last year that needed 4 low. Growing up in Louisiana, it was mud that required 4x4.

 

[Rob5589]

For me, absolutely. Many dump runs, bathroom remodels, landscaping projects, etc, couldn't be done without a pick up. Hunting trips it is loaded down and towing my Jeep. But we have a good sized camp then head out for the day in the Jeep. Do you need one, only you know for sure.

 

[Bryanboss429]

When I was a kid, my mom and grandma showed me pics of my uncle and grandfather when they were up hunting. Pics of them standing in front of their sedans with the trunk open and deer heads and racks sticking out. great pics. I personally don't need 4wd where i live. I still use my 2wd Tundra for 90% of everything. If I only had a car I would be using it for hunting. One year my truck was broke down and my buddy and I were driving around in a Pontiac Vibe. We got some strange looks for sure, but we were doing what we loved doing. My hunting style has changed since then though. What ever works for you personally, go with it. Don't worry about what other people are thinking.

 

[FLAK]

Truck/not absolutely necessary. 4WD is pretty much a must for me, it gets
real muddy down here.

 

[boom]

Hi Roksliders, hoping you guys can chime in with some advice on vehicles. TLDR: Does a guy absolutely need a 4x4 truck for hunting these days? (Assume no hardcore 4x4 offroading is needed - Strictly driving to wildland parks/gravel lease roads for backpack hunting.)

A bit of background: I'm a bit of a car guy, and have always liked classic trucks. With that in mind, I picked up a 70's Ford F100 truck, and have been slowly fixing it with the goal of having it become a decent hunting truck/expedition vehicle. So things like topper, extra lights, winch, aux power, etc.

But the other day I made the mistake of adding up how much time/money I've put into that truck, and it hit me like a ton of bricks: Instead of putting that time/money into being in the field (or even camping with my family) I've stayed at home in the garage fixing a truck that I've only taken to the woods a few times. Which got me thinking: Do I really need a 4x4 truck?

Most of the hunting I do is backpack-style. Generally I find myself driving on decent paved roads, then detour onto a lease road/gravel park road, and then pull off to the side and park. Grab my pack, and start hiking. For meat processing, I usually do gutless, so I rarely have a full field-dressed animal in the back of the truck - It's mainly meat bags in coolers.

This all got me thinking that in some ways I could probably do just as well with something like a VW diesel Golf. Great mileage, lots of cargo space. Put a small 2" lift on it so it has the same ride height as a Subaru Outback, and carry some tire chains. Great mileage...

Has anyone else had these thoughts before? Or do you genuinely need a 4x4 full size truck for our hobby?

(Oh one other thing: Most of the work on the F100 is finished, and it'll soon be ready for action. So maybe I'm just burnt out from the project. On the other hand, as I get closer to finishing, I'm finding I'm not any "happier" having the vehicle around...)

I’ll need pics of the F100 to fully evaluate

My hunting bud drives a Prius. I occasionally will have to pick him up at the end of a road, but no big deal. He saves so much money on fuel.

I don’t think you need 4x4. Most of my hunts I don’t. Not sure I’m in Prius territory, but yea a small car would work.

 

[boom]

We are going to fill up his Prius on ammo when we go to AZ next year. Mahahahawhahaha.

 

[Napperm4]

Like most hunting gear “need” is subjective. A couple years ago we had a strange combination of events leading to me having to use this set up for a 2 week elk hunt. Couldn’t have done that without a truck but truthfully if I didn’t already own a truck, camper and quad for other things I could’ve made due with a tent and a lot of extra miles walked in. Unfortunately my Dad and Father in law are getting into the twighlight years and I don’t want to leave them behind.

If I’m solo I prefer to backpack in and don’t mind a few extra miles. I typically hunt alone in areas where anything but foot traffic is banned anyways. Easily accessed in the early season with a car since I’m usually parking off a hiway and walking in. Late season 4x4 is great. A lot of times I’m cutting the fresh tracks in the deep snow on the same road.

Every year for my old mans sake, we take a few weeks to hunt elk from a base camp (wall tent) because he can’t really walk anymore but is more than happy to hang out in camp or cruise some trails on the atvs. Camp is located in a valley about 4000’ above the logging road we enter on. You can get a car to the base of the mountain but once you cross the creek you wouldn’t have a hope in hell of getting the next 15 miles into camp.

Our group trips require 4x4, chains, high clearance and the truck is a wonderful thing to have to haul all the gear in, pull the other guys out when they get stuck (happens a lot)

Deer hunting we do a lot of road hunting. So the crew cab is great to hold a group of us and the back to haul all the carcasses into town.

 

[Wirrex]

If you have never had one you don’t need one. Once you have, there is no going back. I like a full size 4wd pickup for trip hunting and ice fishing. I used a car for the last two years out of necessity and am glad to be back in a late model Toyota tundra this year.

 

[cuttiebrownbow]

I have a subaru and they only thing that I am missing is the dead animal storage capabilities of a truck. I do week long hunting trips and fit everything I need plus everything I don't need in it. Two tree stands, cooler that fits three cases of beer and plenty of ice or two de-boned whitetails (how ever big that is), container with hunting clothes, container with hunting accessories and pack, duffel with extra clothes, a few gallons of water, bow in bow case, boots and extra boots, tent, sleeping bag.

I drive logging rods, rocky roads, rutted roads, muddy roads, snowy logging roads, icy rutted logging roads. Haven't felt worried about getting stuck yet (anymore that I did when I had a truck).

I went smaller for many reasons but there is no doubt though the truck was more convenient, especially for kill hauling and household chores. I would like to get a truck as a second vehicle at some point but the subaru would probably still be my main hunting vehicle.

Working on old vehicles is a waste of time IMO unless that is your hobby. Just buy a serviceable truck that will spend a lot more of its life on the road instead of in the garage and enjoy it.

 

[Poser]

I don’t have a 4x4 and get by just fine with my 2WD Tahoe. My GF has one but it’s not high clearance. There are some rough Forrest service road that I often like to access for Mtn biking, so I’ll either rope in a friend with a 4WD or hitchhike (which is usually pretty easy). I think that ideally I would have a beater for some of the access, but it’s not worth the maintenance, insurance etc. In terms of hauling animals or whatever else, never had an issue.

 

[Kootenay Hunter]

I'm fine with my awd SUV. If I need a truck bed I can always buy/borrow a utility trailer. I like the option of sleeping in a nice, flat, dry comfy bed on a solo hunt I have a roof rack and cargo tray for extra space at the moment, haven't had any issues.

A lot of trucks nowadays come with tiny boxes, so you're not missing out on a ton of space. I've hauled a washer/dryer on pedestals and 1.6 cu yds of baled soil in my SUV, no issues, just pack a tarp.

Trucks are great if you need the utility on a regular basis.

To each their own, in a perfect world I'd have a truck too.