Hi all,

I'm finally going to start trying to hunt elk. I want to visit Idaho to scout and understand the areas that i"m interested in and will begin by spending a week there in August. I figure i can do a little small game hunting and fishing possibly. Is a 4 x 4 pick-up or one of those smaller AWD type SUVs a necessity? I see a few different models I can rent and would like to get it right.

Is it a must have? Probably not. But it is a nice to have. Problem with a 4-wheel drive is that one tends to go places one shouldn't. I have a full size pick-up with 4 wheel drive, but my next will be a mid-size pickup, also with 4-wheel. A little more maneuverable and still large enough to carry all i need.

If you want to get into places that are "cool" get a Tacoma with lockers.

As a native Idahoan, yes I would rent a four-wheel-drive truck with a bed in it. You may very well not need it for a September hunt if the weather is dry. Last year at that time I got caught in a thunderstorm and even on reasonably good gravel roads it was all I could do to get out with 4wd. That or a freak snow storm can happen any fall day.

A truck bed allows easy transportation of elk quarters to the butcher. An SUV can haul out boned meat in coolers. So can a truck, plus the rack and hide. And a jag of firewood for a week of evening campfires.

But I have also hunted in a VW beetle as a kid with success. Most forest service roads are pretty good until it storms. There are many ATV trails, but they generally are closed to hunt from an ATV during the big game season, but you can haul in your camp or retrieve game on most of them, but without your bow.

Roads also depend where you are hunting, as well as the primitive areas in the center of the state that is roadless. Renting a pickup is a little harder to do sometimes, so a good 4wd SUV may be the back-up. But I’d drive a plain old front-wheel drive van if I had to hunt elk. Just know your limitations and be willing to do some walking.

Good luck to you. It will be memories of a lifetime.

A couple fellows in our club hunt elk and they bring their front wheel drive sedans with large coleman cooler in the trunk. The bone out their meat at the kill site. The tricks are good when transporting whole carcasses or quarters ansd dont want blood or ticks in your cab.

Just a thought, I have had both and preferred the full size SUV. Suburbans, Tahoe, expeditions. 1st I can sleep in it if needed big plus for me for a overnight stay. 2nd all my gear is covered don't half to worry about a unexpectedly shower getting everything wet are digging threw snow to find it. 3rd I,am Abel to keep it all under lock and key at restraints,gas stations, motels, and while out hunting.I did have a bag of decoys stoled at a motel in ND. When goose hunting with pickup. And a tree stand at Cabela's parking lot out of pickup.

*trucks, not tricks

Forgot most important part, lol. get a cargo carrier for in the hitch for coolers.

I still have a 'mental image' of a friend of mine with a buck tied to the roof of his compact car.

4X4 is useful when the weather takes a sudden turn. Or the mud is deeper than expected. *it happens, remember the Boy Scout Motto.

I Would not go into the mountains in the fall without a 4X4 period. (Unless you like walking to town) Good tires are a must when it rains or snows on roads that have no stone on them. One year we had to ride an ATV to town to get tires (3) patched. Had 2 ply tires. Have been hunting the mountains for 30 years and I have seen a lot of days with nice weather conditions go to hell in a matter of a couple hours. Always be prepared!

Are you familiar with be wheel drive vehicles and where they actually will and won't go, when, and how? Most of the 4 wheel drive vehicles I've pulled put of ditches etc. got there because the folks had no business trying to do what they were trying to do.

A 4 wheel drive isn't the do all end all to mountain travel

I grew up in CO and we always said two things about 4WD:

1) The biggest difference between 2-wheel and-4 wheel drive is that is 4 lets you get twice as stuck in half the time.

2) Everybody’s got 4-wheel brakes.

Personally, I have always found a (human-powered) mountain bike to be much faster than a pickup on any surface requiring 4WD. And on anything too steep to climb on a bike, walking is usually faster.

my son has a Tacoma with lockers, without beating it to death, it would shock you where we have gone A guy sitting in a side by side said to my son. Pard! How'd yu get that thing up here>> Answer, Just Drove It! I cracked up, The guy in the side by side scratched his head as we went around him>> GREAT TRUCK!!

I am a forester who lives, works and hunts in Oregon and who has traveled all roads in all conditions as part of my job. I have also traveled quite a bit in Idaho, primarily looking at timber. I see lots of good advice here, starting with tires. When renting a vehicle it may be a challenge to be insured you have tires appropriate for mountain travel, but tires are your first potential fail point. Beyond tires, I personally own pickups, but definitely see the value in larger SUV's for the sake of keeping gear covered from rain and dust. Packing meat in a SUV isn't a big deal as long as you use a tarp to keep blood from soaking into interior flooring. As has been pointed out, four wheel drive can get you worse stuck than possible in two wheel drive, however I would still most definitely recommend four wheel drive for mountain travel when elk hunting. As was pointed out, you can experience some of the darndest weather and condition changes when in the mountains.

4WD truck without doubt.

Necessity?…. It probably is if you want to maximize your experience and hunting time. I’ve lived my whole life in places that need 4wd to get out of the driveway a lot of times, I won’t own one that can’t run chains either, and I will second the usefulness of diff lockers.

All that said, you can still hunt without all that, but you may spend many hours getting unstuck or finding routes to get somewhere

I’d use a mule

I wouls use my Yukon 2500 with a modifyed 8.1. Haul my horse/Mule to our main camp and start from there.

And don’t get me wrong… I haven’t owned anything but 4WD/AWD in over 30 years.

My son has a little RWD that’s a hoot and a half to drive, but he has a set of Summer tires and a set of Winter tires, and he doesn’t ever have any place that he absolutely has to get to, like work.

I love my Tacoma !!

Mud is the worst. I'll take snow over mud anytime. Get a good winter type tread and watch your ground clearance. I don't know about out west, but around the mountain roads back here, wide tires are about as useless at teats on a boar hog, they want to float too much on snow. Here you need to dig down to the dirt. But the guys who live in that stuff out there can better tell you what to rig yourself with.

Spot on George, and I don’t know where in Idaho you’re planning to go but mud here in eastern Montana is no joke and it comes every bow season at some point. Winter here the snow blows in so it’s very hard and gets ya good and stuck.

I might have chewed through that with front chains on but I didn’t have them on. I’ve put my winch to good use this winter trying to hunt coyotes.

Bugle up had a good point on the tires. We learned our lesson early on the first year hunting spring bear in northern Idaho and blew out some tires. Now, all factory truck tires get replaced with 8 or 10 play. The rocks on the roads were absolutely wicked. I don't recall our group having a problem since.

The southern part of the state isn't nearly as tough on tires, but if you have a choice--and you likely won't on a rental--take the more ply tires. And to put thing in perspective, all through the '60s we ranched and hunted into December with two-wheel-drive pickups with a set of aggressive chains and a 1,000 lbs. of weight in the back, along with a pretty dose of common sense. And we were stuck a bunch, too.

Yep good tires is the key to getting to & from places. With lots of mud,rocks & snow. Good luck !

Thanks for all the replies. I plan on scoping out the western part of Idado, mid state, Weiser River zone. I can see myself not spending too much time doing any driving on anything remotely gnarly. I'll probably spend a lot of time just getting acquainted with the area and getting my bearings on where everything is as far as lodging, airport, very high level and maybe do a little boots on the ground action. I see this as mostly being a familiarization trip. Then i'll do it again next summer and hopefully actually pursue an actual hunt in 2024. And if i do this year after year, then maybe i'll get an elk by no later than the seventh consecutive year. And i'd be happy as a clam with a cow.

Lots of good vehicles are mentioned. As for me, I like my Jeep Rubicon 4dr with lockers and my Honda utv with big mud tires. I usually can go about anywhere I want. the honda has a winch but the jeep does not.

I doubt you can rent one and change out the tires

"I doubt you can rent one and change out the tires"

Seems like a challenge! :)

I've hunted colorado for 55 years in two wheel drives, front wheel drives and four wheel drives. Got in trouble with all of them. Don't overthink it. Just be careful.

Can't rent one but if buying one look at used H2 hummers there amazing. Lots of toys to play with 3/4 ton air ride load leveling air raise for more ground clearance front and rear locker and like driving a Cadillac full leather. And they are all Chevy parts.easy to find.

Something like this will get your elk out. :^D

Bushytail, that an old dodge powerwagon?

Drive your truck to the trailhead, then have a horse for hire guy meet you there with a horse or go in on foot. Seriously. Or a mt. bike to get you into the fotest svc roads, then hike. Forfet the 4 wheelers, they are more trouble than they are worth and not legal on public land anyway.

I made it to 8000 ft in a small car rental. Quite a show for the 4 wheel drive passengers ahead of me. Just have to know how to drive terrain.

There ya have it, learn how to drive and you can go anywhere in a small car. Lol

hey that looks like JAKE, it's what a friend of mine named his old '47 I THINK IH wrecker truck.

I have an old Willy's Jeep and I have never got it stuck in over fourty years of hunting in Oregon. It's very light weight. take an easy lift jack and to even I get it high centered on a log it's easy to jack it over the log.

I’d go with a Jeep too

I like a windshield. And automatic tranny, p/w, p/s, p/b, p/l, a/c, heat, push button 4wd with push button 1st, a 6'4" bed, driving 75mph to where I'm 4wheeling, a big azz gas tank, a hitch ball, etc. No quad sxs atv does all that. When the road gets rougher than that I generally walk. I've used my sons atv a few times. While it IS fun, no thanks.

OP, a 4x4 is not a necessity to elk hunt. unless you have a specific area you know and need to 4-wheel too, you can easily get by with a 2 wheel drive especially at lower elevations in september.

as others mentioned, be smart and use your head especially if going alone.

there are exceptions but most areas that require 4 wheel drive usually have many other hunters. it's kinda the mindset.

some of the best areas i hunt are where i park just off the road and hike in 1-5 miles. many other hunters drive by these areas on their way to other areas that require 4 wheel drive.

road conditions, elevation, time of year, and possible worse case weather conditions should determine whether you have 4 or 2 wheel drive.

Get you a Toyota fj40 crusier, good little truck. Gas saver it's not but they go.

"Don't let the "Cribber" on your Elk hunting horse pack trips eat your fancy purty high dolla wood riser or bow " Seen it happen ! ??

The answer is always cummins.12 valve 24 valve or 6.7,you can't go wrong.

Jeeps only, lightweight, good gas mlg, excellent maneuverability, narrow for tree clearance, lockers, std tranny if starter fails, easily winched, sheepherder jack will get you out of most dire situations, and the resale value is unbeatable!;^) Hire mules to pack out the elk! Been there done that! Now hunting my 3rd Jeep. Started out w/ a '56 Willys, then '78 Renegade CJ7, now '01 Sahara. All w/ full skid plates, lockers, and std trannies. Got hi centered once in the Willys, but winched off easily. Also forded lots of streams, creeks and snow puddles. But as mentioned above, gotta have the smarts to go along w/ the equipment, and know it's limits!

for crawling in the boonies you want tall skinny tires. get the axles up outta the muck.

directional treads too, for my money, I go forward & do not plan on backing out. I want the tires to clean. Like the old POWER KING 7.50x16s. not for long distance trekking.

I zoomed in on the pic of the yellow tow truck with big tires. It looks like it says international R200 on the side. Maybe some of you guys know more about them. Also has some harbor freight adds on it too. And a Matt’s off-road recovery add.

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