How many are using a Sport SXS for hunting access, which one and your experience?

[Mt Al]

STOP IT!!! Youse are going to cost me a pile of money. Those all look like a blast, haven't had a need for one yet, but can definitely see huge use for a SXS with tracks for early winter when roads are impassable to the forest service, spring bear, etc.. My heart thanks for your sharing pics, my wallet does not.

 

[Gboots]

There are plenty of options that are a great mix of both. The newer kawasaki mules, polaris rangers etc. no reason to get one that is straight utility or straight sport.


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Agreed. Kawasaki makes the Trex 800 two or four seater with tiliting bed, which is a mix between sport and utility. Good machine and strong. I just sold mine for a sport KRX1000 but, the Trex was an awesome machine.

 

[Gboots]

STOP IT!!! Youse are going to cost me a pile of money. Those all look like a blast, haven't had a need for one yet, but can definitely see huge use for a SXS with tracks for early winter when roads are impassable to the forest service, spring bear, etc.. My heart thanks for your sharing pics, my wallet does not.

Lol! They do cost quite a bit of money. My wallet hasn't forgiven yet. It's going to be about another 3 years before it does, when the payments stop! Lol!

 

[NABG Hunter]

Our SXS's were a big help again on this year's our West hunt.

 

[NABG Hunter]

And, much handier than a back pack. LOL.

 

[mudinblood]

I have a RZR. I use it for hunting. I also use it on the dunes, and trails with the family while I'm not hunting. There are times I would like a bigger bed, but I have always got the job done. And riding in my RZR is 100 times more comfortable than riding in my brothers Can Am Defender. I also use the RZR year round with hunting being only a portion of what the machine is used for. If I used a machine 90% for hunting, then I would look more closely at a utility machine with a big bed. I have a rooftop cargo basket that I can strap to the top when needed. That makes up for not having a bed in those situations. If I did go with a utility machine, I would get one with a fully enclosed hard cab.

 

[Fatcamp]

Guy I bought a boat motor from this week had a brand new General in his garage. 27k to putt around gravel roads in Central Iowa. Cool rig for sure.

Resisting so far. I did use a bicycle much more this year. Does that count?

 

[406flyfish]

Picking up a Maverick Trail on Saturday. Hoping to put it to good use come archery. Wanted a Commander, however good portion of trails in SW MT are restricted to 50”. Anyone using Koplin gun case?

 

[NABG Hunter]

Picking up a Maverick Trail on Saturday. Hoping to put it to good use come archery. Wanted a Commander, however good portion of trails in SW MT are restricted to 50”. Anyone using Koplin gun case?

Be careful, they can be pretty tippy. These are pics of one that came on a HMT ride with us. Two different rollovers on the first two days. He parked it and road shotgun on day #3. It was brand new when he arrived. Not so much when he left. They're nice machines, but like all 50 inchers, they can be tippy especially at higher speeds.

 

[NABG Hunter]

They do come in handy though. Here's my oldest boy's buck in the back of my Wolverine about 10-12 miles from camp in CO last fall. He was a happy young man that day. LOL.

 

[406flyfish]

Dang. Luckily the trails around us aren’t as rutted. Wolverine was on my list but a little out of my price range.

 

[NABG Hunter]

Dang. Luckily the trails around us aren’t as rutted.

Funny you say that. He lives in Michigan, and road it for about a week here without any problems because the trails are fairly smooth, few ruts and not too hilly. But in WV, it's all ruts and hills. Just be careful. Both rollovers he wasn't going over 5 mph. I was right behind him both times.

 

[NABG Hunter]

Dang. Luckily the trails around us aren’t as rutted. Wolverine was on my list but a little out of my price range.

My Wolverine is a freakin' mountain goat. I've modded it out a bit to make it a very capable hill climber. One thing that helps the stability is to get wider tire/rims, and possible spacers depending on the rim offsets. It'll make it waaay more stable in ruts and sidehills. Just a thought.

 

[406flyfish]

USFS patrols the area I hunt. I’ve heard them handing out tickets to people who modified their width of their UTV. Posted up along the trails with a tape measurer.

 

[NABG Hunter]

USFS patrols the area I hunt. I’ve heard them handing out tickets to people who modified their width of their UTV. Posted up along the trails with a tape measurer.

Well, and then there's that reason not to do it. Where do you hunt? My Wolverine is about 62"+ wide now.

 

[406flyfish]

SW MT. A good majority of the trails are 50” so you would be really limiting yourself by going any bigger then 50”.

 

[fmyth]

I have a Rhino for hunting, a RZR for trail riding and a Honda Big Red at my moms farm for use as a utility vehicle. I have had them all over 9 years.

Rhino: Have only replaced tires and the carb (35$ on amazon)
Pros: cheap, light, small, narrow, easy to get in and out, reliable, cheap to fix/maintain, nice size bed.
Cons: Very loud and hot as the engine is between the seats, hard to find accessories. Slow but thats not a bad thing for hunting.

RZR (10k miles no problems ever not even a broken belt)
Pros: rides nice at faster speeds, stable on off kilter trails
Cons: wide, harder to get in and out, very little storage more expensive to insure as a lot of idiots own them and think they are Robby Gordon.

Big Red (farm vehicle)
Pros: bigger bed, easy in and out, reliable have only replaced the fuel pump since new
Cons: rough ride, hard to find accessories, heavy

I am looking to replace the Rhino and the RZR with a something like a General or Wolverine. I need to drive both but I want something thats reliable, easy to get in and out of, quiet, less engine heat in cab, and has lots of accessories available like glass windshield, doors etc.

 

[lifeisgoodsteve]

Update on my experience:
Honda Talon X4
1300 miles

( Sorry for the long post, but figures someone considering a sport sxs may geek out in their research and find it valuable. )

Ratio of Sport v Utility
Use still majority of time is spent getting to mountain access points or moving between them if no game found. That said, it's still been very helpful in a number of projects around the property.

Spent about 10-15hrs of a number of drag harrow passes prepping the small pastures for overseeding. There are some old, abandoned irrigation ditches so the clearance actually came in handy simply driving through them slowly, even with an 8'x8' 1/2" drag harrow with 4 big concrete filled tires on the back.

Snow plows nice too, though we had little snow this winter.

Enough utility to be nice for collecting and transporting firewood, misc. etc..

Space for Hunting / Utility Use
Recommend getting a 4 seater so the back seats can be used for cargo. I've got enough space and storage now so I've always got backpack and basecamp items so I have a choice.

Helpful Mods for Hunting (almost all to combine utility/cargo space with sport suspension/chassis)
Roof rack - I can put items I rarely/never plan to use up there, out of the way, plus have tons of space if I need to strap anything down.
Milwaukee packout mounts - in bed and on roof. Makes it super easy to be organized with a box each for basecamp items, recovery gear/first aid, etc.. Then I can swap between sxs or truck as needed.
Bed extender - very nice for more bed/utility space on a sport sxs
Rear seat cargo deck - likely make my own soon since only a couple times I've carried people in the back seat.
Light bar - stock lights are pretty dark on tight forest road corners when driving at night

Enjoyment or Lack of Frustration driving on miles of potholed-washboard forest roads (vs. my 3/4 ton diesel)
Fun factor is great !! Plus it's fun for even just cruising up for day hikes or scouting when not hunting season. I have much less concern about being able to turn it around or getting stuck in snow/mud vs. my 22' long CC long bed.

So glad I got the sport model since the comfort level is so much nicer when driving 1hr+ on dirt roads. While the comfort is there, the reality is that I still only drive 10-25mph normally for safety reasons due to blind corners, since I always assume someone's coming the other way. It's such a tease because I want to drive it fast but my value of peace of mind is higher.

Cons (vs. a Truck/SUV/Old cheap Tacoma modded)
Loud - I always wear earplugs on the street getting to the forest roads and if at any speed on the forest roads too
Climate comfort - on long drives you gain bumpiness comfort but lose climate comfort as you'll feel the wind and cold. Front windshield was so valuable for those long street/forest road days getting to an area.
Price - Still don't know if a cheap Tacoma with $$$ into suspension mods would be better. Pros and Cons, but since I already had a 3/4ton truck I'm still happy I got the sport sxs.

Cheers,

s

 

[mfllood3800]

For a long time I used the Ranger for the big bed. But realized I dont need it unless I have another hunter. Which rarely happens. I now use a RZR 900 as it is smaller and "hides" in better areas going undetected.

 

[NABG Hunter]

I have a Rhino for hunting, a RZR for trail riding and a Honda Big Red at my moms farm for use as a utility vehicle. I have had them all over 9 years.

Rhino: Have only replaced tires and the carb (35$ on amazon)
Pros: cheap, light, small, narrow, easy to get in and out, reliable, cheap to fix/maintain, nice size bed.
Cons: Very loud and hot as the engine is between the seats, hard to find accessories. Slow but thats not a bad thing for hunting.

RZR (10k miles no problems ever not even a broken belt)
Pros: rides nice at faster speeds, stable on off kilter trails
Cons: wide, harder to get in and out, very little storage more expensive to insure as a lot of idiots own them and think they are Robby Gordon.

Big Red (farm vehicle)
Pros: bigger bed, easy in and out, reliable have only replaced the fuel pump since new
Cons: rough ride, hard to find accessories, heavy

I am looking to replace the Rhino and the RZR with a something like a General or Wolverine. I need to drive both but I want something thats reliable, easy to get in and out of, quiet, less engine heat in cab, and has lots of accessories available like glass windshield, doors etc.

I suggest you look at the Yamaha RMax 1000. It's an incredible machine. Good luck choosing.