2 wheel drive or 4

J

jonmac

New member
My wife and I are planning a trip to Mount Rushmore and to also do some Pheasant hunting while there.
I have a 2 wheel drive truck so am wondering if this will be good enough to hunt public land or am I going to need to get a 4 wheel drive?
We are planning on the first or second week of October.
 
4WD has gotten me out of trouble at times, but could get you further in trouble. Very weather dependent decision, nice to have the option of 4WD and quality AT tires. Good luck.
 
Chessie 67 said:
Keep in mind that non Resident pheasant season begins October 21, I believe…
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This is correct. The non-resident season doesn't start until October 21st. If you are here during the early part of the season your 2WD will be just fine. In fact a 2WD will be fine any time during the pheasant season if you just use some common sense.
 
That should be a great time to visit Mt. Rushmore. The crowds will be gone and hopefully the snow won't be deep.
2 wheel drive will get you everywhere you should be😉
 
If you need 4WD to get to your public hunting spot, you probably don't need to be out there! However there are some public spots you have to get off the paved road to access.. that is if you want to drive right up to it and park on top of it. It's generally the drifted snow that is going to get you so it's more about snow depth and ground clearance just as Rogue Hunter pointed out.
 
Early/mid October a 2WD truck will be fine most of the time, & in the parts of the state I hunt, would get you to/from almost all the public areas. If things turn to grease, you just adapt. Don't go places a 2WD shouldn't go. Shouldn't be a big deal. I rely on 4WD most often to get me out of parking spots, whether that be the "designated" spot, down in a ditch, or whatever. I carry a shovel in the winter. If I'm hunting with a younger person who seems like they'd be a pretty good shoveler, I'm probably a little more bold.
 
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I'll admit, even with a 4x4, I'm still kind of a wuss when it comes to "off road areas". I'm not inclined to go down a dirt road that has water covered ruts. Ya just don't know how muddy and deep they are. Where 4 wheel works best for me is where the snow covered parking area is 2-3ft below the road grade, and getting back up onto road may be a challenge.
 
Chessie 67 said:
Keep in mind that non Resident pheasant season begins October 21, I believe…
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That's immediately what I thought when I read the initial post too. Early to mid October the pheasant season isn't even open yet. May want to re-think the timing of this...
 
I was going by what fish and game told me the opening day was when I called.
So is October 21 a bad time to plan this?
 
Personally I have needed 4WD enough times on just a frozen road with a little snow, that I probably wouldn’t venture outside the gravel without one. Where guys get in trouble is thinking 4WD is a license to go anywhere. It is not and you will get stuck waay worse with it then without. Like has been said above, it doesn’t take much of a slope and a few inches of snow and you could be out of luck without it.
 
carptom1 said:
Personally I have needed 4WD enough times on just a frozen road with a little snow, that I probably wouldn’t venture outside the gravel without one. Where guys get in trouble is thinking 4WD is a license to go anywhere. It is not and you will get stuck waay worse with it then without. Like has been said above, it doesn’t take much of a slope and a few inches of snow and you could be out of luck without it.
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Good advice. I was a teenager when the 4x4 craze started. Was involved in some crazy stuff. Had no fear and was seldom stuck but when I did it was bad! I'm glad I had those experiences with mud and water because it gave me a pretty good sense of what is or isn't a go. Now days I take no chances, especially with water. One of the conditions that will get you is driving in on a frozen road. Even when temps won't get in the 30's. A little sun and instant slip and slide!
 
jonmac said:
I was going by what fish and game told me the opening day was when I called.
So is October 21 a bad time to plan this?
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The opening weekend has the most hunters in the field of the entire season. I'd plan a couple weeks after the opener.
 
birddude said:
Good advice. I was a teenager when the 4x4 craze started. Was involved in some crazy stuff. Had no fear and was seldom stuck but when I did it was bad! I'm glad I had those experiences with mud and water because it gave me a pretty good sense of what is or isn't a go. Now days I take no chances, especially with water. One of the conditions that will get you is driving in on a frozen road. Even when temps won't get in the 30's. A little sun and instant slip and slide!
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I had that exact experience a couple years ago hunting by myself. The road slowly got worse the further in I went. At 1/2 mile or so the gravel all but disappeared with no way to turn around. Finally I found a flatter area with some grass. I just did basically a u turn through it hoping there wasn’t a big ditch or log. Once I got headed back in the right direction I started to relax as I knew I would make it out. On another note… about 20 years ago I got sunk in a field road to the point I had to climb out through the window. 😀. I don’t push it now
 
Slipped in with 2X on greasy road at a 45 degree angle and out with 4X. Thank goodness the ditch was dry. No damage.
 

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Honestly I don't push my trucks real hard and I use common sense when going places I have never been. I just want to go and enjoy my time so I will probably never get off gravel roads.

Thinking of getting a winch to try to be prepared as much as possible.
Thank you for the replies.
 
jonmac said:
Honestly I don't push my trucks real hard and I use common sense when going places I have never been. I just want to go and enjoy my time so I will probably never get off gravel roads.

Thinking of getting a winch to try to be prepared as much as possible.
Thank you for the replies.
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The old man told me the difference between his 2wd and my 4wd was that I had further to walk when I got stuck
 
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