Elk Hunting Truck

[Swede]

So you are an elk hunter. Well how have you equipped your truck? Is it painted camouflage colors? Does the horn double as a location bugle? Can you reduce the air in the tires, from inside the cab, so you have a lower profile while sneaking around in it. Does the vehicle center consul have a makeup holder filled with camouflage face paint?
My pickup has to double as an everyday truck, but it is stocked with things I commonly use in the elk woods. I don't use face paint so there are no accommodations for that. I have a deep center consul where a camera, hand gun, bullets and binoculars go. There is toilet paper there too and under the back seat. I always have a note book and paper handy as well as a pen and pencil. I have maps galore as well as waypoints I want to keep track of, or check out when I am in certain areas.
Since the pickup has an extended cab, I can place my bow and extra clothes on the back seat and day pack on the floor. Often there is a tarp and a pair of boots under the canopy that covers the bed of the truck. This time of year there are tire chains under the canopy and a kit with rain gear so I don't get too wet and cold if I need to use my chains. Being the great husband I am my wife can keep one of her umbrellas in a pouch behind the front passenger seat. There is no room for that when I am off hunting.

[wawhitey]

Best thing i ever did truckwise was put a canopy on and get a 4" chunk of memory foam that i cut to fit. Throw in a big heavy -25°F sleeping bag and i got a tent on wheels. Other than that i just keep some basic stuff in the truck at all times. Spare pair of binos, spare aa and cr batteries, spare knife, coil of rope, fire starter stuff, tp, couple husky bags, flashlight, gallon of water and a box of ammo for each one of my guns. Never did understand the camo truck / camo seat covers thing.

But really the memory foam + giant sleepimg bag is awesome. Also keeps huge elk sheds from sliding around and getting banged up

When you need to throw a bloody carcass in the back, just roll up the foam and sleeping bag and jam em behing the front seat

[Swede]

I forgot to mention fire starter, string, knife sharpener. Don't leave home with no fire starter. I don't leave a flashlight out, but maybe I should.

[dhoey]

I too drive a mobile tent, no memory foam though. Bino's are always in the truck. Paper in a ziplock behind the back seat....right next to the truck chains and tire repair kit.

[ishy]

I've got a little 20 year old Trooper that just keeps running. 99% of the time it does just fine, but I would love to have a truck again. I use to love my canopy with memory foam. I actually built a little frame to be able to sleep over the folded seats and wheel wells in trooper this year, but didn't get to hunt long enough to try it out. For the record I have fit elk in a Camry-sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to get in the woods.

[Beendare]

I've got a Tundra with a shell...but don't hunt out of it much. I have a whole hardware store in my DuHa storage under my back seat; jumper cables, air compressor, first aid...etc but its always there.

[N2mywake]

I've got a Titan with 250k miles, it's about to make it's 3rd trip to Colorado this fall. The topper works out great, since we travel from KY. I will have to shop for tire chains this trip (since the road in is supposedly pretty rough).

[Fridaythe13th]

I have 2 car seats, with a bunch of crumbs around them. I jealous, if I keep anything of value it get broke pretty fast. kids cant just sit and enjoy mother nature.

[stringunner]

Tundra here as well. Always carry a tool box, shovel, binos, and wet wipes (much more refreshing than tp ) year round. Other than September it also has three car seats in the back seat, soon to be 4, 3 in back, 1 in front. Not much room for anything else. During hunting season, between the truck and camper trailer, I haul around a mini sporting goods store. My dad always makes fun of me for all the crap I bring but I never want to be left wishing i had the one thing i left at home.

[cohunter]

My first was a '53 Willys Jeep. Then Graduated to an '87 Bronco II which we used until 2 years ago when it wouldn't start at random intervals. That didn't seem to be real comforting sitting well out of cell-phone range. Now we use a no-frill pickup, but it gets us there and back. I'll never forget my first trip to New York City. Flew in to La Guardia and then caught a taxi to a place a ways outside the city. I grew up in a tiny town, so I was pretty awestruck by the enormous buildings and scads of people. About 5 minutes into our drive we pull up beside a 15yr-old minivan with a whitetail buck strapped onto the roof. In downtown NYC The point is - the truck doesn't really matter; all you need is SOMETHING to get you there and back.

[Heartwood]

My hunting vehicle is a Dodge diesel pickup with a steel topper with locking tool boxes along the sides and a lumber rack on top. I often use it to sleep in and can lock supplies in the tool boxes when at a trailhead or jumping off point. The steel topper works great for cooling meat at night and keeping meat relatively safe from critters. I use a Subaru when just backpack hunting for a few days. It is about a 3 hour trip to some areas I hunt.

[RAMMONT]

My newest hunting truck is a 1958 M37 3/4 ton military truck with the original flathead 6 gas motor. It's in good enough shape to use it as a daily hunting truck in the local area but it will need some time and money to get it in to the condition that I want it to be in. With a final gear ratio of 60:1, this thing crawls and the PTO winch is pretty handy.

M37 truck 640x427.jpg (132.02 KiB) Viewed 18037 times

[wawhitey]

That thing is sick!

[N2mywake]

now that is sweet!

[Dr. Rx]

I tell you... best thing I ever did was buy a long bed diesel with a shell..... I carry everything and still have room in the back to crash if need be..and never ever worry about my stuff getting wet.
last year i had my wall tent, 2 big coolers, cot, etc.. it was awesome..

never need to pull a trailer again...


Kris

[Herd Bill]

This is how we roll. A very successful trip last season.

[Swede]

Herd Bill, welcome to the forum. You have a great looking truck, and the antlers look like they may have come with a great story. Feel welcome to join us in the campfire discussion and tell us about that F150 and about your hunting.

[WapitiTalk1]

Dandy "bed full o racks" herdbill. Welcome to the campfire; glad to have you on board.

[Backyard]

Talk about making a grand entrance.
Welcome to the board!
And yeah, nice truck and payload!

[Swede]

I have a friend that covered the whole outside of his late model Toyota truck with spray in bed liner material. I like Herd Bill's much better.

[Lefty]

08 Tundra
A long time ago truck readiness for trapping seasons meant all the fluid changed tune-up maybe tires, I do the same with fall hunting seasons.
I include emergency supplies, extra spare tires, equipment for getting out of stuck situations Jacks, shovels and platform lumber.. For really bad situations I always had a bed mat that served multiple purposes including tire support when stuck and as a thermal break when sleeping. Sleeping bag , extra “normal “ clothing , Extra food
My truck is set up now and is still a work in progress, I ‘ve added a canopy last month, a roof rack will be added to the cab of the pickup and to the canopy mostly for hauling a canoe. I need something to story fishing rods to the canopy. Last month I made a foam bed, R-10, with outdoor carpet on top cut to d=fit the wheel wells.
I larger first aid kit, , travel GPS lots of small emergency supplies. I always have water ( or ice) A hilift jack and a low hydraulic shop jack,.. Binos, sunglasses, reading glasses, knives, tire repair kits compressor,

Generally Ill carry some of the same gear when ATV'ing,.. I forgot to add a fencing tool and wire clips

[Brendan]

My Truck is an F150, Extended Cab, with a 6.5' Bed on it, with a cap. Don't think I could ever go without a cap after this combo.



Approaching 100K miles on it and love it. Even with the rooftop carrier, I am considering putting a raised floor in the bed with two slide out drawers under the floor for extra storage and organization. Similar to this, but I'll build it myself:

http://www.truckvault.com/Products/By_V ... _Truck.php

But, one of the best upgrades? I have a hardwired mount for my phone on the dash just to the right of the steering wheel. I can load it up with all of Elknut's Audio, and hundreds of hours of Elk Hunting and hunting podcasts to get me through a cross country drive...

[Herd Bill]

Thank you for the warm welcome. I do have some good stories to share. It will take a little bit to collect my thoughts and articulate it in writing----Don't want to type up one long run on sentence. ha

The cap is a great feature, Brendan. Looking into it for future hunts.

[Roosiebull]

mine is my everyday driver, recently got rid of my 08 tundra, for an 07 Tacoma trd....way more handy in the hills...I was going to tear up that tundra, and it was blue and showed every scratch...the Tacoma is silver, and shows none. perfect rig for what I do.

[Scorpyd shooter]

my '02 Cummins has 345k miles on it, most of my trapping is done from Honda Rubicon, hunting coyote from truck, but in mountains I used ATV to do most travel to hunt deer

[WapitiTalk1]

mine is my everyday driver, recently got rid of my 08 tundra, for an 07 Tacoma trd....way more handy in the hills...I was going to tear up that tundra, and it was blue and showed every scratch...the Tacoma is silver, and shows none. perfect rig for what I do.

Bad memories...... I had a gray Toyota TRD and the Mrs. talked me into getting a newer full size Chevy. Love the Chevy but really, really miss the Yota. The TRD was arguably, the ultimate modern day hunting rig

[Scorpyd shooter]

I had '92 ext cab, good rust protection, front axles groned loudly at -10 or 0 degrees, they couldn't find a way to stop it, sounded like a seal orsea lion, rode real rough, my '94 RAM rode smoother, seemed to be made well otherwise, mileage was better with rams v8