Subaru Outback for Hunting - Crazy Idea?????

[AB2506]

I used to hunt out of a 77 Corolla 2door. It was all I had when I was in college. Rear wheel drive, 1200cc engine with a 4speed standard. Worst thing about it was the engine noise, at highway speeds, it was a constant waaaa.

It sat surprisingly high and was fun to drive on old backwoods dirt roads. We didn't seem to carry as much gear so it all fit. We pass shot or jump shot ducks as we had no decoys. We hunted deer and there wasn't much snow most falls in the 80s.

One cautionary tale. I shot my first buck deer on Remembrance day 1989. I was going to school in Lethbridge and had drawn a buck tag in 102, one of 3 zones they experimented with draws for mule deer bucks. (It worked, mule deer bucks grew bigger with less pressure). November 10th there had been no snow, but on the 11th, I woke up to a heavy snow storm. I headed south towards Milk River taking my time as the plows were not out yet. There was some performance issues, so I bought some gas line antifreeze at the gas station in Milk River. By Writing on Stone, the car was not doing well. It was dragging a lot of snow that was stuck to it. I drove into the park as there was a pay phone there if I needed it. Across the river, near the sandstone rimrock, I spotted a big old heavy NT mule deer buck following a doe, his nose up her butt. Great to see. I kicked some snow off the undercarriage and let the heat of the idling car melt more off. After about a half hour, the car seemed like it was getting a regular supply of gas.

On the road again. A friend had spotted a 4x4 buck when we drove past on a field trip the week before. Sure enough, he was in the same spot with a bunch of does. I got permission from the farmer and walked in. I managed to get him even after firing a warning shot. A skinny 24" wide 4x4. I was very pleased. I drove around to the nearest access point and was able to get right up beside the buck by driving very carefully to avoid rocks etc.

I couldn't lift the buck after gutting, so I cut it in two. The unskinned hind quarters in a garbage bag on the back seat, the rest of the deer it managed to fit into the trunk.

I drove home to Calgary as I had no place to hang it in Lethbridge. I probably loaded it around 11 or 12, got home at about 8pm. Parents were out somewhere. I could get the hind quarters hung and skinned, but the front half of the deer had serious rigor mortis and it would not come out of the trunk. i called a friend and together we got it out without cutting it up.

So moral of that story, the car worked. If a deer barely fits in a tight space, cut it smaller so it fits easily.

I last looked at Subarus in 2009. I really liked the Forested. It fit me nicer than the Outback and was cheaper. I could see myself hunting coyotes out if a Forested. Great AWD system.

Be careful which model you buy. If you get the turbo, at least in 2009, you had to feed it premium fuel or void the warranty.

A Subaru will work for you if you want it to. I tend to sometimes have 3-5 people with me so the F150 Supercrew works best. Seems a waste the rest of the year, but it is paid for and I love driving it.

Give the Subaru a try.

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by sns2

I wish I could afford two vehicles, but alas I can't.

In my earlier days I ran a Suzuki Samaria....for errands, hockey practices and yup hunting too.....so yup it can be done.

[elkhunter11]

A person can get by using pretty much whatever they have, it comes down to what will be practical and comfortable or you. Sure most people can quarter and drag their moose, or their deer 1/2 mile through a snowy covered field to the nearest road, and jam quarters into a Corolla if you have no other choice, but I would much rather drive a 4x4 pickup right up to the moose, and load it in to a pickup box, and drive away. And if you have back issues, dragging that animal across a field because you can't get a car to it, may not be an option.

[saskbooknut]

Of course, a Subaru Outback or Forester is not a Corolla - way more accessible cargo space, and way more ground clearance.
Pickups do not go any better than the Forester on Saskatchewan greasy mud, where wise people stay on the crown of the grid road. Not many mountain roads in Saskabush to try out.
Not saying the Subie is the "do all" of hunting rigs, just adequate with a little forethought and organization.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by saskbooknut

Of course, a Subaru Outback or Forester is not a Corolla - way more accessible cargo space, and way more ground clearance.
Pickups do not go any better than the Forester on Saskatchewan greasy mud, where wise people stay on the crown of the grid road. Not many mountain roads in Saskabush to try out.
Not saying the Subie is the "do all" of hunting rigs, just adequate with a little forethought and organization.

And a Subaru towing a trailer won't go through a field of snow, or a soft field like a 4x4 pickup. And you can't turn it around on a muddy backroad like a pickup that isn't towing a trailer. Towing a trailer because you don't have a pickup, has some major drawbacks.

[kifaru]

not at all I have had 8 subaru over 15yrs off the 8 one was a lemon all have mostly were driven in the UK and I got to 200000 miles with one, all were the outback and have just bought a 2019 crosstrek nice car would do for birds not deer not sure way everyone says a moose.

I hunt duck geese, pheasant and use a jeep grand cherokee. My only problem is wet dog and decoys in back but now I use a cargo rack for decoys and a good water proof mat in the back.

I have been thinking off going to a truck ie canyon diesel but have decided to run the jeep to the ground I have 300000km so still some life left.

I only went with the crosstrek as I didnt want 2 big vehicles.

[ceadog]

I hunted my first several seasons in a VW Golf with a hatch that didnt' open. Deer went in the passenger door. I rented a truck for a couple trips up to Hinton. I think you'd be fine, particularly with a small trailer.

Then again I bought a tacoma last fall and I haven't regretted that one bit.

[Scott h]

Originally Posted by Dean2

You are claiming 40 MPG out of your Forester Outback. What are these other 4000 people doing wrong cause their reported gas mileage is way off 40 mpg. The 2011 average is 22 mpg. The newer ones are showing average 24.

To be honest I find this pretty typical of people that drive small cars. Take one super highway mileage and call it that for overall. Sort of like the wallet target a lot of guys carry around to prove their gun shoots a half inch.

Full size F-150 according to the same site, pickup will average 16-19 mpg, I don't see this as a big improvement.

[IMG][/IMG]

Your graph is american mpg's not imperial

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by Scott h

Your graph is american mpg's not imperial

been down that trail already

[Tom Pullings]

There’s almost no situation in which buying a new vehicle to replace what you have makes financial sense. You can save a lot of gas in trucks just by slowing down on the highway.

What I might consider in your situation is picking up a nice low km used V6 half ton. The newer ones are pretty impressive on gas and can be had cheap since they’re lower trim models. They have as much power as V8 half tons from 20 years ago. Rams with the dead reliable pentastar V6 are particularly cheap if you buy them 2 or 3 years old and they’ll tow a lot more than a Subaru.

A word of warning though, if you drive with your foot to the floor and go 140 down the highway they won’t get much better gas mileage than a V8. Check fuelly for real life fuel economy figures. I find that most people think they can just look at their dash fuel economy number while going down the highway and claim thats what their vehicle consumes. It’s a whole different story when you start calculating km driven vs liters it took to fill your tank for every tank. Food for thought.

[JB_AOL]

Originally Posted by Tom Pullings

There’s almost no situation in which buying a new vehicle to replace what you have makes financial sense. You can save a lot of gas in trucks just by slowing down on the highway.

What I might consider in your situation is picking up a nice low km used V6 half ton. The newer ones are pretty impressive on gas and can be had cheap since they’re lower trim models. They have as much power as V8 half tons from 20 years ago. Rams with the dead reliable pentastar V6 are particularly cheap if you buy them 2 or 3 years old and they’ll tow a lot more than a Subaru.

A word of warning though, if you drive with your foot to the floor and go 140 down the highway they won’t get much better gas mileage than a V8. Check fuelly for real life fuel economy figures. I find that most people think they can just look at their dash fuel economy number while going down the highway and claim thats what their vehicle consumes. It’s a whole different story when you start calculating km driven vs liters it took to fill your tank for every tank. Food for thought.

You mean like the 1/2 ton truck that just broke down on him with only 60,000kms..

While I generally agree with the financial part, He already said, he doesn't want to drive a truck around 90% of the time when he's not towing.

[Justfishin73]

Originally Posted by JB_AOL

You mean like the 1/2 ton truck that just broke down on him with only 60,000kms..

While I generally agree with the financial part, He already said, he doesn't want to drive a truck around 90% of the time when he's not towing.

I didn't see the OP post about breaking down at 60,000,km

[Tom Pullings]

Originally Posted by JB_AOL

You mean like the 1/2 ton truck that just broke down on him with only 60,000kms..



While I generally agree with the financial part, He already said, he doesn't want to drive a truck around 90% of the time when he's not towing.

Any vehicle is a roll of the dice. A friend of mine just had his front diff cook off in his 2012 outback. I didn’t ask how much it cost to fix.

I went through the same internal conflict about a year ago. I thought there’s no reason I’m driving around in a half ton all the time when I’m rarely towing the boat or putting much in the back. If I could do 90 percent of my activities with a car why not just get one and a small trailer or borrow/rent a truck when I need it? I thought about a forester over the outback for the extra ground clearance which would be handy when launching the boat but after renting a car for 2 weeks on vacation trying to do all the outdoorsy things I like to do I decided I could never live without a bed. I ended up selling my half ton and getting a used GMC Canyon. It gets a bit better fuel economy and is marginally easier to drive in the city but to be honest it’s not really worth it to me. Now I want my half ton back. Alberta is the easiest province to drive a larger vehicle in so I’ve never felt like a half ton was in any way too big.

[JB_AOL]

Originally Posted by Justfishin73

I didn't see the OP post about breaking down at 60,000,km

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=358881

[Justfishin73]

Originally Posted by JB_AOL

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=358881

Ah, wasn't in this thread.

[JB_AOL]

Originally Posted by Tom Pullings

Any vehicle is a roll of the dice. A friend of mine just had his front diff cook off in his 2012 outback. I didn’t ask how much it cost to fix.

FOR SURE.

I went through the same internal conflict about a year ago. I thought there’s no reason I’m driving around in a half ton all the time when I’m rarely towing the boat or putting much in the back. If I could do 90 percent of my activities with a car why not just get one and a small trailer or borrow/rent a truck when I need it? I thought about a forester over the outback for the extra ground clearance which would be handy when launching the boat but after renting a car for 2 weeks on vacation trying to do all the outdoorsy things I like to do I decided I could never live without a bed. I ended up selling my half ton and getting a used GMC Canyon.

Same here. except we went to an explorer and use a 4x8 trailer when needed. Much happier now, than driving a truck around for literally no reason. I've only missed my truck once in the past 6 months. Wanting vs (honestly) needing a truck are two completely different things.

[Tom Pullings]

Originally Posted by JB_AOL

FOR SURE.







Same here. except we went to an explorer and use a 4x8 trailer when needed. Much happier now, than driving a truck around for literally no reason. I've only missed my truck once in the past 6 months. Wanting vs (honestly) needing a truck are two completely different things.

What’s wrong with driving something you want but don’t absolutely need? I could live in an old travel trailer. I don’t need a house but I want to live in a house. I don’t really need to have hobbies but I enjoy them and I want to continue doing them.

[JB_AOL]

Originally Posted by Tom Pullings

What’s wrong with driving something you want but don’t absolutely need?

Nothing..

Tom. My point was.. Wanting is different than needing. He doesn't "NEED" a truck to go hunting, is it easier, sure. But maybe he only goes hunting for 1 week a year, and that is ALL he "needs" the truck for. But the other 51 weeks of the year he's dragging around the extra length and size for no reason.

YOU CAN'T make the decision for SNS2, Everyone's priorities are different, only he can (and will) decide if he's willing to live with the pros/cons of using an suv for his hobbies.

FTR.. Everything I do as a hobby says I should be driving a truck (according to albertan's standards), yet I somehow manage to continue doing them (w/o a truck).

[Tom Pullings]

Originally Posted by JB_AOL

Nothing..



Tom. My point was.. Wanting is different than needing. He doesn't "NEED" a truck to go hunting, is it easier, sure. But maybe he only goes hunting for 1 week a year, and that is ALL he "needs" the truck for. But the other 51 weeks of the year he's dragging around the extra length and size for no reason.



YOU CAN'T make the decision for SNS2, Everyone's priorities are different, only he can (and will) decide if he's willing to live with the pros/cons of using an suv for his hobbies.



FTR.. Everything I do as a hobby says I should be driving a truck (according to albertan's standards), yet I somehow manage to continue doing them (w/o a truck).

For sure. I was being a bit of a smart Alec with that last one. All I can say to the OP is trade your truck for a friend’s car for a couple weeks and see how you get on. A lot of people go through this same thing and end up back in a pickup.

[elkhunter11]

Knowing sns2 ,I believe that he was simply frustrated with his truck being out of commission again, for the second time in less than a year. He hunts waterfowl for pretty much two months every year, and a trip or two for big game, and ice fishing on a regular basis, so it's not like he is driving a pickup all year , just to have it for a few days each year. Now that his truck has been repaired, and he has cooled down, this will all be forgotten, until his truck breaks down again.

[timsesink]

For guys running a small vehicle for hunting, buying a cargo rack for the rear hitch is a fantastic way to go. Brought many a deer home on a rack on the back of my van, way better then a trailer!

[sns2]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Knowing sns2 ,I believe that he was simply frustrated with his truck being out of commission again, for the second time in less than a year. He hunts waterfowl for pretty much two months every year, and a trip or two for big game, and ice fishing on a regular basis, so it's not like he is driving a pickup all year , just to have it for a few days each year. Now that his truck has been repaired, and he has cooled down, this will all be forgotten, until his truck breaks down again.

Damn, he knows me well!

Haven't decided, but I am not gonna rush out just yet.

Trading with a friend is not a bad idea at all. Anyone got a Forester or outback they want to trade for a 2016 F150 for a week or twO

[bagwan]

Originally Posted by sns2

Damn, he knows me well!

Haven't decided, but I am not gonna rush out just yet.

Trading with a friend is not a bad idea at all. Anyone got a Forester or outback they want to trade for a 2016 F150 for a week or twO

Does it come with a tow truck. Ha. Couldn't resist. I've got a 3/4 ton Duramax that sits most of the time but wifey likes her 5th wheel for camping. Cost wise and practicality you should stay with the Ford but but but.

[fish_e_o]

i ran around this year in a rav4 it was a lot of fun. i put duratracs on it, a waterproof cargo liner, a tool kit with a come along, a roof rack, an emergency kit that had extra hunting stuff in it like toques headlamps a spare knife hand warmers etc,

it doesn't fit layout blinds or a ton of goose decoys.

luckily i had my truck when i plugged all my deer (except the one i hit with the rav).

it was great for running the dog around for puddle shoots or upland.

the hitch rack is an absolute must imo unless you like the smell of blood and dead things while you're driving. the roof basket was nice for this too (especially for flea ridden coyotes) .

it was great for ice fishing when all the big trucks are parked at the shore.

i liked it so much i'm building a jeep after the incredibly sad demise of the rav

[jungleboy]

Wait a year and get the new Bronco when it comes out . probably have the ecoboost so economical and more room than a compact car

[Bush Critter]

I had an 1988 bronco 2 that was an awesome hunting vehicle, light weight, easy on gas. Rear seats could fold down so it had tons of storage space and enough room for two people to sleep comfortably. It had a roof rack, could loaded it up at the hardware store no problem. A small suv type vehicle is fairly versatile for hunting and every day use but if you can only afford one vehicle get a truck...

[Spidey]

Nothing to add other than if you go this route, a decent front winch may be a worthwhile investment. Here's a link to a good thread with pics on pimping out Subaru's for the off road lifestyle

http://offroadsubarus.com/showthread...ighlight=winch

Something like that would get an Outback punching above its fighting weight

[JB_AOL]

Originally Posted by Spidey

Nothing to add other than if you go this route, a decent front winch may be a worthwhile investment. Here's a link to a good thread with pics on pimping out Subaru's for the off road lifestyle

http://offroadsubarus.com/showthread...ighlight=winch

Something like that would get an Outback punching above its fighting weight

I like the way you think..

But this is nicer..

https://lpaventure.com/blogs/projects-outback

[sdb8440]

Here's another option which splits the difference...a used/new Honda Ridgeline. It will go everywhere that your F150 can (tire dependent), rides like a car, city/HWY mileage is 14L/11L per 100 on my '06, new one is 20% better. Has a good sided bed with tie downs, the tail gate swings to the side making it easier to get to the in bed water and dust proof trunk. Said trunk can also be filled with ice to keep the birds cool if it's a warm day...and there is a drain plug. Tow rated for 5000lb ( I pull a boat about 3500LB no issue). Rear seats flip up to reveal under seat storage where you can store your shotgun away from prying eyes.

Best part other than maintenance, I have spent exactly $500 on repairs on my 2006 that I bought in 2015 (now with 317KM) They are rated as bullet proof. Check out this link to see real world reliability rankings. You can look at rankings for every vehicle.

http://dashboard-light.com/vehicles/...Ridgeline.html


http://dashboard-light.com/vehicles/Subaru_Outback.html

Good luck in your search!

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by sdb8440

Here's another option which splits the difference...a used/new Honda Ridgeline. It will go everywhere that your F150 can (tire dependent), rides like a car, city/HWY mileage is 14L/11L per 100 on my '06, new one is 20% better. Has a good sided bed with tie downs, the tail gate swings to the side making it easier to get to the in bed water and dust proof trunk. Said trunk can also be filled with ice to keep the birds cool if it's a warm day...and there is a drain plug. Tow rated for 5000lb ( I pull a boat about 3500LB no issue). Rear seats flip up to reveal under seat storage where you can store your shotgun away from prying eyes.

Best part other than maintenance, I have spent exactly $500 on repairs on my 2006 that I bought in 2015 (now with 317KM) They are rated as bullet proof. Check out this link to see real world reliability rankings. You can look at rankings for every vehicle.

http://dashboard-light.com/vehicles/...Ridgeline.html


http://dashboard-light.com/vehicles/Subaru_Outback.html

Good luck in your search!

The Tundra has an even higher reliability rating, way above the other pickups, and one of the highest in the industry.

http://dashboard-light.com/reports/Toyota.html