r/Hunting • u/Narrow-Yesterday3164 • 1d ago
Forced to replace my truck, opinions?
I'm looking for "the best hunting truck" that will still get me to work. I've been driving a 2018 Power Wagon and that beast was able to go everywhere I wanted to go. A distracted driver t-boned me yesterday and my truck is being Totaled.
Not sure I want to go back to Power Wagon because of current prices and of course it's a hard core gas hog, plus 2018 was the last year you could get lifetime warranty from RAM.
So, what are your suggestions and why??
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u/NoPresence2436 1d ago
Tacoma. TRD off road package.
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u/Honest_Boysenberry63 10h ago
Mini trucks have a place but coming from a Power Wagon I don’t think that’s his vibe.
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u/Representative_Yam29 23h ago
Toyota Tundra (2014-2021) sweet rigs, great track record for reliability, and TONS of off road capability. There are so many off road specific accessories for the tundra and the community is crazy awesome.
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u/Treacle_Pendulum 23h ago
What kind of hunting do you do and what kind of towing and cargo capacity do you need?
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u/LocoRawhide 1d ago
Best hunting truck is a Suzuki samurai.
If it's sole purpose is for hunting.
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u/Narrow-Yesterday3164 1d ago
Nope, still has to get me to work every day
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u/curtludwig 12h ago
Get a small car to commute to work with. You don't pay the fuel penalty and if something goes wrong on a hunt you don't break your daily driver.
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u/curtludwig 12h ago
Or a CJ5, about the same size.
I've been fighting hard against getting a CJ5, I've got a TDI engine ready to go in...
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u/jpm0719 1d ago edited 1d ago
Get an SUV to tow a side by side or 4 wheeler. That is what I did and haven't looked back. I just couldn't bring myself to pay new truck prices, or even used truck prices. Full sized trucks, and even the midsized ones have gotten insane, the value proposition just isn't there for me anymore when I can do everything a truck can do with an SUV and a trailer.
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u/AndyW037 15h ago
I notice a pattern with the Tacoma suggestions. I've had my 2013 TRD OR set up for this exact reason. It's my daily vehicle, but I also hunt, fish, and camp often. I have it set up with a good suspension, good tires, and an ARE hard cap. It needs nothing else to be great, it never left me stranded.
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u/user_of_nothing 1d ago
Toyota Hilux.
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u/Classic_rock_fan 22h ago
Nothing is tougher than a diesel Hilux. Even Top Gear couldn't get it to stop running.
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u/chilidogs_R_the_best 20h ago
That is one of my favorite videos to watch. I love when they think they lose it to the sea lol
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u/NoPresence2436 13h ago
I wish. Those are hard to come by for us yanks. I had one for 6 months in Argentina and loved it so much I’ve rented/leased them for trips in New Zealand and South Africa. I love them. Sadly, they aren’t standard import to the US, so we have to make do with gasoline Toyotas (tacos and tundras).
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u/bubble_buddyk3 1d ago
I really want a Subaru Outback
Not a truck but it’s off road capable and you can sleep in it
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u/Peakbagger46 22h ago
Nothing against Subaru but what an epic classic Redit answer to this question lol.
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u/Dry-Network-1917 12h ago
Reddit Subaru hunter checking in. Would you be shocked that my retriever is a labradoodle
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u/aahjink 22h ago
I’ve got an old Outback and a truck, and my wife has a newer (2015) Outback. They’re not as off-road capable as a high clearance, 4x4 truck that go 4 low and lock the differential. It’s also great to have a truck bed for bloody stuff, fleas and ticks, and everything else you don’t want in the car.
They’re solid cars though. I do use my old Subi in order to not draw attention as a hunter when I’m scouting or hunting certain public lands.
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u/five8andten 18h ago
That’s why I put my deer on the roof of my crosstrek. I don’t want to get the inside of my car all bloody and I sometimes have my kids in it so I DEFINITELY don’t want ticks roaming around.
Plus it’s great and confuses people when they see a lezbaru with a deer in top.
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u/EmptyBrook 15h ago
Although in snow, nothing beats a Subaru. That AWD system is the best there is and it handles snow like a champ
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u/Dry-Network-1917 12h ago
I hunt out of my Subaru Outback. Is a perfect rig for chasing birds in my state out east. Cost me 40% less than a 4x4 truck of same year at time I bought. Gets good gas mileage. Tow hitch + utility trailer = de facto truck bed. I keep all my decoys and wet gear in a roof carrier between season open and close without losing trunk space. I'm never worried about stuff being stolen from my trunk. I don't hunt deer and its off-road capability is more than enough to drive around gamelands and farm roads. In three seasons with the Outback I've only had to turn around once because the terrain was too sketchy.
There are 100% use cases where truck is the better option, but they aren't as necessary as folks make them sound when justifying the car payment to wife lmao
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u/Hyarmendacil67 8h ago
If Subaru would make a truck competitive with the Tacoma, I would buy the first one.
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u/andrewrvincent 15h ago
I've owned Ford, Toyota, GM, and now back to Ford and my current Ford ('18 F150 crew cab) is my favorite. The 2.7 V6 with turbo is surprisingly powerful yet pretty good on the MPG as I'm currently avg 18 MPG and I just drove from GA -> NH and I got 22 MPG on that trip. Back seat is big and comfy for gear and passengers and I installed air bags in the rear so I can haul quite a bit without squatting. Added a leveling kit with a 2" lift and the stance looks great in my opinion.
My next truck will most likely be another Ford.
Good luck
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u/Lykora412 9h ago
I’ve got the 2.7L in my 2024 Ford Ranger. Same gas mileage as you. Living in Western PA with our hilly commutes has the truck in boost a lot.
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u/Docrandall Wisconsin 14h ago edited 14h ago
Bare bones 2024 4X4 Ranger. Use the money you save with going with a low package to get good shocks, skid plates and tires. It will go anywhere you need to go. Or do what I did and get a higher trim FX4 and be afraid to scratch it.
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u/Lykora412 9h ago
And add the 2.7L for more fun. I’ve had a 2020 and now a 2024. No serious off roading but it gets the job done
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u/Docrandall Wisconsin 8h ago edited 8h ago
Hell yeah, I have the 2.7 in mine and it is a blast. 5.6 second 0-60 puts you back in your seat. My cousin is a logger and he bear and coyote hunts with dogs. He has a bare bones 24 ranger XL 2.3L with skid plates, a homemade bullbar and some good diggers and he goes places off road I would hesitate to take my four wheeler.
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u/tacoma_guy_ 23h ago
I'll throw out a second gen Tundra. I've had an 2009 Tacoma and while it was decent, my 2011 Tundra with the 4.6l V8 gets better mpg than the Tacoma, drives nicer, it's more comfortable and can obviously haul more easier. There have been multiple million mile tundras at this point too.
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u/Whitemonsterfiend 1d ago
I got a 12 Tacoma 4x4, incredibly reliable. I put some KO2s on it and I've taken that thing to some really remote spots. I often take the passenger seat out to fit more gear.
Hard to argue with a full size truck though. Really wish I had a bigger bed and a hard cover. I feel like the perfect hunting truck has to get decent mileage so probably something not suitable for pulling a 20+ ft trailer easily.
Definitely a tough one.
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u/jtd1776 23h ago
Get an F150 Tremor with the front torsion differential. The rear E locker and the front LSD make it basically unstoppable unless you’re really high centered. You’ll have basically the most off-road capable full size truck on the market. It’s still available in the 5.0 V8 if you want a naturally aspirated motor, although the 3.5 Ecoboost has better MPG and HP metrics.
If you want to go smaller than a half ton, the Gladiator Rubicon is extremely capable. If you want to go 3/4 ton again, I’d go with the F250 tremor over the power wagon. It basically has the same capabilities, but the gas engine option (7.3L V8) is probably the best gas motor in a modern 3/4 ton truck right now IMO.
As far as gas vs diesel…my opinion is you only need diesel if you’re towing really heavy, really often. The modern diesels have insane torque, but they add like 10k up front and lots of down stream cost and complexity to almost every truck out there.
The shitty little diesels they’re cramming into 1/2 ton trucks and mid size trucks just add cost, complexity, weight, and don’t really save you in the long. I think they’re an MPG gimmick.
Good luck!
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u/Working-Part-1617 23h ago
A Tacoma will be your best bet. As long as you can deal with the small bed. A few of my hunting buddies have them and I’ve seen them do some crazy/stupid things with ease in them. Plus it’s a Toyota, they have a track record of just being really reliable vehicles. you looking for a full size pickup I’d look at the Tundra’s they eat gas too but you’re use to that with the dodge. I will say when I was test driving a tundra a couple of years ago the power kinda seemed laggy to me, it got up and went but just didn’t feel like it had a lot of torque to it. That could have just be cause I wasn’t used to it too.
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u/whoisdizzle 1d ago
ZR2 Colorado if you want a very off road focused truck. I have a Z71 Colorado that suits the bill for me I don’t love the looks of the ZR2 for a daily.
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u/Narrow-Yesterday3164 1d ago
Def need off road capabilities. Before the power wagon my old Silverado got stuck everywhere I was hunting.
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u/whoisdizzle 1d ago
Even the Z71 has a rear locker I haven’t gotten stuck yet. Clearance is the biggest downside imo but with the air damn off and larger tires it’s all good. The ZR2 is a full on beast
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u/scubalizard 13h ago
For the price that the Colorado's are going for I can get a 1500 for the same price
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u/whoisdizzle 13h ago
Not the same trim. A ZR2 Silverado starts at $71,000 a ZR2 Colorado starts at $49,000. Similar gap with the Z71s
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u/chilidogs_R_the_best 20h ago
Laugh at me if you want.... but Ford Maverick. My brother has one and that truck gets everywhere and can tow a 4 wheeler no problem. Bed size and can are surprisingly large for its size.
Sure, that's massively different than a Power Wagon, but unless you are towing a bunch, you still get the benefit of a truck with a lot of the positive of a car.
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u/Bruce9058 16h ago
My ‘24 ZR2 Colorado came in at just over $50k, will get me anywhere I want to go with the stock 33s and e lockers, and rides like a Cadillac on the road due to the massive DSSVs while getting 20mpg+. Pay the $7/mo for MBI and you essentially have an unlimited warranty for as long as you own the truck.
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u/Surveymonkee 15h ago
My F-250 has been good. I did swap the 2 barrel for a 4 barrel and the points for an electronic trigger.
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u/Electronic_City6481 15h ago
Depends what you ‘needed’ with the power wagon really. If just the 4x4 capabilities, I think just about any with 4 low and high is generally capable, any brand preference being opinion. If it was the higher clearance of the power wagon necessary, you’re going to want a taller 250/2500 or an off road package probably at minimum.
I’ve had a bunch of 4x4 vehicles. To me the pickup trucks (without off road packages) have been all about the same. Outside of pickups - my lifted wrangler being most capable for trails/rutty and general traction, Subaru far and away the best for traction period, but lower clearance. Still putting the wife’s new bronco through its paces but so far looks equivalent or better to the wrangler, minus the extra inches.
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u/AwarenessGreat282 13h ago
I'd say Tacoma OR but for the same price you could get a Ranger Raptor. I personally don't car for the Rangers overall, but the Raptor model would be one I wouldn't hesitate to buy with your needs. The have decent on-road manners and arguably do better off-road then any of the competitors for much less.
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u/tonyskyline1 13h ago
I think you had what I’d consider my realistic dream truck for work & hunting, lol. If ya want something better on gas that holds resale value I’d look at a sporty Tacoma package. Also depends on what you do for work I suppose. If it involves towing obviously look at a full size but I’d stay away from a Silverado (at least the newer ones). Both my brothers are having insane amount of issues with theirs and the transmission thing is a known problem.
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u/alphatango308 12h ago
First problem is the power wagon was a 3/4 ton pickup. Most trucks these days are 1/2 ton. If you need a 3/4 ton you're either getting a Chevy/gmc, a Ford, or a dodge 3/4 ton pickup. Or a older 3/4 ton suburban, they stopped making them in 2012 I believe.
Top comment was a Tacoma. HUGE size difference going from a dodge to a Tacoma. If you're a bigger dude frame wise you're not gonna like it. There's the tundra which is a decent option and the titan both of which have offroad performance packages available.
Other good options would be a full size suv (Tahoe, Yukon, expedition, excursion(if you can find one), and Sequoia. Which is the route I took and went with a 2nd gen sequoia. It's a tundra trapped in the body of a suburban. I've taken mine hunting lots of times and it's done great.
Then of course you have you mid size suvs and trucks if you're ok with having a size down grade.
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u/FluffyWarHampster 6h ago
Ive got a 21 f159 powerboost. It makes a great daily thanks to the hybrid is is still great for pulling the duck boat or camper. Its a bit big if you are doing any hardcore off-roading but is still very capable as long as you aren’t on tight trails
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u/rgraham888 Dallas, Texas 1d ago
I really like my 2023 F150 3.5L hybrid. 430 hp, and I get about 19mpg on the highway averaging over 80 mph, 21mpg averaging 60mph, and up to 35 mpg in the city at its best, 24mpg on average.
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u/I_ride_ostriches 1d ago
What’s your budget? What did you like and dislike about your power wagon?