semi OT varmint hunting ??’s

cmatera

Active member
Since the Jeep dealers here would not help me, I bought an AWD minivan. Will it get me to the PD’s and back?
I hear you guys talk about loading your vehicles to go PD hunting. Do you worry about traveling with all that gear getting stolen at motels etc?
 
Clearance would be a concern. Getting high centered is no fun getting undone, let alone what you may have smashed,torn or ripped off.
I sleep with my guns, all of them.
Jeff
 
Sounds like you need to get rid of your wife so u can get a 4wd truck and ditch the soccer mom van...never leave the guns in the truck. Not too concerned if they take my tent and smelly old sleeping bag...
 
No, the wife is good. She’s bought me more brand new vehicles (like 30) including trucks from Taco to Super duty, than anyone I know. I bought the minivan because at 63, it’s easier to climb in an out of on a daily basis. All the soccer moms are currently clogging the roads with large SUV’s that they can’t drive any better than they could the minivans. Too busy texting and checking A$$book.
Guess loading/unloading the guns into motels (many of which do not allow guns anymore) is the way to go.
Actually, I don’t have to worry about getting stuck. My wife told me to pay $575 for just me per day (no food or lodging except for a field lunch), for as many days as I like, for a fully guided hunt. Then the guide will transport me there!
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There should be some PD spots in CO, maybe nearby?

Depending on the hotel & town I may or may not take my guns inside. The other option is to park close with a vehicle alarm system. Yes, it would be a bummer to have a breakin on the road.

When parked & away from the vehicle is another worry, again try not to have much of value inside. A potential thief should know, you likely have an accurate gun and could be on over watch over the truck.
 
Prairie dogs are mostly out on the plains and as such given good weather you can get into a lot to towns with nothing more than a honda civic or even smart car . Given bad weather or thunderstorm brewing up you can frame out your fancy jeep or jacked up pickup .
 
We went on a p-dog hunt in 2017 to South Dakota. Decided to do an on your own hunt outside of Pierre, SD. We rented a minivan and drove out there. The reason for the minivan was to look like a family traveling as opposed to hunters. Also, it gave us 23MPG average over the 2,500 mile trip as opposed to 15MPG for a V8 Tahoe/Pickup. Off-road, the minivan was somewhat sketchy as the ground clearance had us worried. It worked as long as we took it slow and it was dry. Nothing works when it's wet with the plains gumbo mud. Coming out of the field one afternoon provided us with a flat tire when we ran over metal on the road.

The next morning, we took the van tire to be fixed. We left our guns in our motel room in Pierre with a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. When we came back to the motel after fixing the tire, one of the cleaning crew mentioned to us on the way in that she attempted to open the door to our room and someone was in the room blocking the door from her opening it. This concerned us so we went into the room to find motel management left a note on the bed stating that if we needed anything to let them know. Why they went in the room when a Do Not Disturb sign was on the door, I have no idea. However, my opinion is that someone was watching us and knew what we had with us. Nothing was taken. However, it had us on full alert. From that point forward, we made a judgement call whether to draw attention to ourselves and take the guns into the room or leave them in the "mini-van" and look like a family traveling.

With that said, you can't be careful enough. Some items to consider when traveling:

1) Don't look like a hunter/shooter outside of the field
2) Rent cars with privacy class to prevent prying eyes. Consider a blanket over your equipment.
3) Park under street lights close to the motel door
4) Observe surroundings before unloading
5) Understand crime reports in that area
 
There is a lot of good info here-thank you all. Sounds like even the $70,000 Ford Raptor I looked at yesterday may not save me if it gets wet, and the minivan may actually be a better stealth vehicle. Trucks that look like hunting vehicles, especially with out of state plates are targeted. As for the guns, my van has an alarm, so I’ll cover them up and be discreet. I am disabled, and always hunt alone, so I can park in the handicapped spots that are usually close to the entrance.
 
There are pd spots in CO, but mostly on the Eastern Slope. I am on the Western Slope, so will probably go to WY, MT, or N/S Dakota.
 
I’ve been told (by a guide) that when it starts to get wet get out quick, as there is NO vehicle that will not get stuck. Now I believe it. Once, in MO, I stuck my brand new 1999 black Chevy dually with 4x4 and a 454 engine up to the frame. $6,000 in damage when it slid down a hill and hit a tree trying to pull it out. I guess that scenario is much the same elsewhere.
 
Originally Posted By: cmateraI’ve been told (by a guide) that when it starts to get wet get out quick, as there is NO vehicle that will not get stuck. Now I believe it. Once, in MO, I stuck my brand new 1999 black Chevy dually with 4x4 and a 454 engine up to the frame. $6,000 in damage when it slid down a hill and hit a tree trying to pull it out. I guess that scenario is much the same elsewhere.

On our most recent pdog hunt, we were caught in a heavy rain while in the field with the guide. We were in a Ford Expedition and let's just say that us trying to get out quickly was a roller coaster ride. I've never slid like that prior. Slick wasn't the word for it.
 
Last month, I left all my extra water and food with two families in two AWD minivans that weren't prepared and weren't going to be going anywhere for a few days while they waited for the road to dry out. Greenhorns from California.

- DAA
 
A new development for June. The wife may go visit family so I have the choice of boarding or taking along our 4 year old F German Shepherd. She hates the boarding facility and travels well. I’m currently heavily leaning towards taking her. I have a truck with camper shell & a pen for her.

The main issues is out shooting, the lodging is ‘pet friendly’. I plan to keep her in the pen while shooting, if away from the truck, tie her to a post or light boat anchor while shooting.

Anyway, no worries about theft, she just wouldn’t have any of it. I’m not calling her an attack dog, just at least a very effective early warning system.

All she ever wants is to be along with us, that can be anywhere.
 
I never tie my dogs up when I'm hunting or just shooting as they can't escape or fight very well if a wild animal wants them for dinner. I always take them with me or leave them in the camper with all the widows open so they don't die from the heat.
 
If I do end up taking my dog, she would be 20 yards behind me while shooting. Not anywhere that a critter would sneak up on her. I also wouldn’t leaver her in the truck during hot or cold weather, only short periods with us nearby.

I have traveled a lot with dogs. It’s just the time during shooting I was thinking about. We even take our Shepherd out grouse hunting, no adverse issues with that. She is acclimated to shooting, I just like to keep her accounted for & behind the muzzle a bit to reduce the noise.
 
Please remember your dogs have ears. They don't have ear protection. I'd try to find someone to care for them in their home. Had a friend who target shot with his dogs out all the time. They were deaf. I wonder why?
 
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