Hunting vehicle other than pickup??

[LostArra]

2010 4Runner Trail
Hitch hauler or utility trailer when needed.
No complaints other than a little underpowered with utility trailer hauling Ranger but the trip is only 2 hours.

 

[Kilboars]

2014 AWD Escalade is great for the 8 hours road trips to my lease and the AWD goes through the Florida sugar sand better than my 4x4 did. Hold all my gear secure and dry inside.


I'm only able to bush hog this slough every 5-7 years. As you can see below it looks like its never been cut.

 

[huntsman22]

What am I looking at here?

Honey Badger wheel. kinda a game/pack cart

 

[87TT]

 

[flatlanderhuffandpuff]

While it wouldn't be suited for the most rugged mountain hunting my outback does a great job getting around some pretty rough roads in upstate PA.

All wheel drive is a breeze in the mud and the snow with proper tire choice.

I've hauled whole deer inside with plenty of room for my gear.

You can find them cheap and you won't have to worry about beating it up.

Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk

 

[Blacktail_Packer]

I’m a commuter also. Over the past few years I’ve had a honda hatchback a Corolla and now a hybrid RAV4. I hunted out of the RAV last season didn’t have to worry about where to put the carcass but a tarp was my plan to get it to camp then an ice chest.
33mpg on the way up and did everything it needed to at camp (I didn’t push it but I didn’t drag the belly or spin tires either)

 

[dprice911]

Subaru Outback, all wheel drive. It’s been a beast for me. It’s a little difficult to put a whitetail into but once you figure it out, you’re good to go!!

 

[SoCalBoyDontKnow]

2001 Nissan Xterra
What type of hunting and terrain do you frequent with it?
mostly Oregon Cascade Mountains for elk and mule deer
What type of gas mileage do you get?
18mpg
Any pics of your setup?
Sadly no
I like it because it is short and is easier to handle than a bigger truck. I just wish I had that diesel power going up hills.

 

[Fatcamp]

Latest adventure. She wasn't as sure of the plan as I was.



2006 Corolla. This Fall we will use it for antelope and archery deer. Later the snow scares me and I want my truck along.

 

[Marmots]

I have been thinking about truck alternatives a lot because my 01 Ranger has 200k miles on it and every day with a good transmission and no timing chain rattle is a blessing.

The used truck market is Boise is silly. Folks are asking 12k for tacomas with over 300k on them. And people are buying them! I don't know what's up with that. Recently arrived Californian engineers buying first gen Toyotas as fashion accessories to try to vibe with the mountain town aesthetic? That's my strawman of choice. Anyways, I'm going to have to fly somewhere less yuppie-fied to find an affordable truck, or wait for the perfect salvage title to come along.

I have hunted out of a friends Outback and out of another friend's Crosstrek. I was really impressed with both and was thinking of selling my truck to replace it with a Subaru. I ended up with a contracting job where I need a truck, so I'll probably buy an econobox sedan for a daily driver and use the truck for work, hunting, and trapping. But if I had to have just one vehicle it would be hard to beat an Outback.

 

[Woodrow F Call]

I think that by the time you outfit something else to carry a bunch of gear on the roof and get through the mud and rough terrain, you will be getting poor gas mileage.

Tundras are kinda thirsty even by truck standards though.

If you stay on the road, a minivan would probably be ideal..... except getting dirty stuff in the cabin.

I've got a truck with a camper shell, I'll probably stick with that. Though mileage stinks.... especially with heavy ass mud tires.

 

[Mt Al]

Glad to see more of us admitting we use Subys to hunt out of! I'm not alone! Feeling empowered, so let's turn it up a notch: I put a trailer hitch on mine and towed a small pop up camper to a few hunts, roof rack allows for a (too large) canoe sometimes. Also put a receiver hitch basket/try on a time or two, just watch where the exhaust is coming out vs. basket contents. Still not going to get rid of my truck, but the majority of the miles get put on the Subaru so the truck lasts a few years longer.

 

[Historybuff]

I've sure enjoyed my 2013 Subaru outback. I've had it on multiple out of state trips loaded for a week and still gets 25 miles a gallon. Goes through mud and snow great. Fits big coolers and full carcass whitetails. And a great daily driver. It keeps the F-250 in the garage most the time.

 

[30338]

When I was young and broke, I hunted deer out of a 2 door Nissan Sentra. I’m 6’7” so it was tight but it was also cheap. Anyway, shot a decent whitetail buck and after field dressing decided to load him up with his legs and head sticking out of the trunk. Got home after a chilly drive and rigor mortis had set in. It was a problem.

 

[elkduds]

Just replaced our "fully depreciated" 02 Forester, sad to say. It had a receiver hitch for trailer, bike rack, hitch basket. I took it up many Colorado roads labeled 4wd only, usually slowly. The plastic engine undercover was chewed up, but the rest of the undercarriage was clean, never damaged it offroad. It held a lot of cargo w the back seats down. It was small and maneuverable enough to go around the biggest rocks and ruts in most 4x4 roads. If considering Subie for a play rig, suggest you check out the Forester.

 

[Jameson]

My uncle used to drive us every year from Salt Lake to Wyoming to hunt antelope in his Chrysler minivan. It went down every dirt two track that we needed. We would leave the sliding doors open and we felt like door gunners hanging out of a helicopter. I was impressed with the man van.

 

[LookinforDirt]

I'd be all over an Outback if I were going the non-truck/car route. An Outback with a small trailer (open or enclosed depending on your needs) could do a lot. Who cares what reputation they have (not that anyone said they cared). The AWD is way better than AWD on other vehicles. It performs somewhat closer to 4WD. Has more ground clearance than SUV's. They come with 19" wheels now but I'd try to pickup a set of smaller wheels off an older model and put full on off road tires on it. Or just buy a few years old model. You'd have a very good off road vehicle that has lots of cargo space with the seats/seat down, gets good gas mileage, and is very comfortable. Get a roof tote or hitch tote for the nasty stuff you don't want in the vehicle.

I have a medium tall roof long bed cargo Ford Transit van I use as a bare bones toy hauler/camper & also a family trip vehicle. I like having my stuff in a protected enclosed space. It's also a free place to sleep on long overnight road trips. It will be used for hunting to get me as deep as the roads will allow a vehicle like that to go. But I would be happy, and even prefer at times, to take our Outback. Better mileage, more comfortable, and very capable all around vehicle.

 

[conhawa]

Nissan Xterra. I leave a Hitch Hauler on there during hunting season to transport the deer.

 

[Ben442]

Anyone use one of the older Ford escapes? Seems like it would be a decent option.

 

[Dirty-D]

I once used a 2010 honda civic with a trailer hitch basket holding a yeti 75 for a doe hunt. Probably was making 27-30 miles to gallon with the extra weight hanging off the back and my nose up in the air coming down the freeway.