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GC For hunting

8K views 17 replies 15 participants last post by  amr40509 
#1 ·
Do any of you use a grand cherokee for hunting? I'm in the market for a new vehicle and while I do think a truck would better serve hunting duties, I don't exactly like driving a truck day to day. Having just sold my '03 dodge ram, I liked the power, but hated maneuvering parking lots and driving tight trails, which leads me to think the GC would shine.
 
#4 ·
What type of hunting? Waterfowl no problem. Deer with a tarp in the back or something to protect the interior thats your call. Going to mall? Depends on how upscale the mall. Pheasant, grouse or wild turkey shouldnt be a problem.

Bear or moose a pick up would work better.

Lawyers a Range Rover or Porsche Cayenne are great decoys and will help draw them in for the kill shot.
 
#5 ·
It can be done. Would make getting to camp a lot more fun! I would consider several accessories: factory tow pkg which includes rear load leveling suspension. Then you can get a hitch mounted cargo carrier...I've seen guys haul deer out that way. I would also get a roof top cargo basket for extra gear that you can't fit inside. Also, complete set of all-weather mats front, rear and cargo area. And lastly, neoprene seat covers. You'd be ready for action!
 
#8 ·
Avid waterfowl hunter here. I either field hunt or hunt out of my boat, which I tow. I do it with my pickup truck. The JGC in our family is my wife's car.

For field hunting I would prefer the pickup with camper shell any day for fitting the max amount of gear and decoys. For dragging the boat I don't suppose it would make that much difference...but there is no way I am going to be able to take mama's new leather trimmed Jeep.

I have, however, taken it on a few 1/2 day scouting trips. :thumbsup:
 
#10 ·
I do a lot of bird hunting over a lab with my '14 Summit. My biggest issue is finding the correct dog crate. The problem is the angle of the lift gate and it exists with almost all similar vehicles. No one is making a crate front that is angled so that it is parallel to a closed liftgate...they are all vertical. This means the crate bottom has to be placed 18" forward of the gate bottom in the closed position which wastes space and forces you to keep the rear seat folded down. You can pack gear between the crate and gate but you have to move the gear when loading/unloading the dog. Inconvenient when the ground is wet and the dog is ready to go. I will soon modify my existing crate so the door end of the crate is the same angle as the lift gate alleviating the problems outlined previously.

There is another issue when the rear seats are folded down; the headrests also fold down and stick into the rear foot well. Bottom line is that the rear foot well, where a passenger would put their feet, now does not allow for much storage. I've always found this area to be perfect for storing shotguns as they were easily accessible with the rear door open but inaccessible by the driver when driving which the law requires in some states.
 
#11 · (Edited)
I don't bird hunt so would be more for hunting whitetails in the fall. Maybe a smaller truck would be better. I've heard rumors of the Chevy Colorado having a turbo diesel for '15, but think the GC's look so much nicer. As mentioned it won't be until this summer I'll be buying so have plenty of time to research.
 
#13 ·
I don't do much big game hunting but do a lot of waterfowl hunting and some upland bird hunting.

The Jeep can do what I need...but probably isn't the best choice...it's just 'too nice'.

I have a base model (with 4WD) '06 Nissan Pathfinder with slightly oversized all terrain tires that I hunt out of. I find that the extra space is nice when I have it full of bulky gear and frankly I just don't mind getting it nasty inside.

I try to take care of my Nissan, but I drive it through a swamp, fill it with big wet/bloody dead birds, and dump muddy waders and gear in there all of the time. It's dirty, and a little smelly.

That said, the Jeep can go where it needs to. Even with the 'better' tires on the Nissan there are a couple of muddy/rutted sections that are a little uphill on the way to our blind that I have to take a good run at to make it through. There are 6 of us that share this hunting lease and unless the ground is frozen only my Nissan and my buddy's Blazer (with mud tires) have been getting back to the blind. The other guys have been parking a mile away and hoping for a ride.

Yesterday I had client meetings that prevented me from using my Nissan (like I said, it's kind of nasty right now) during the day and needed to run out to the blind to gas/start the generator that keeps the water thawed (it was mid 30's yesterday and raining when I went out there, currently 5 degrees). I had 15 gallons of gas with me that I wasn't going to carry a mile, so I just drove out in the Jeep. I was pretty worried about the 'Touring Tires' that came with the OR2 package getting me in trouble. I set it in 'Mud Mode' and it got in and out with no issue, actually it did it with zero drama and crawled through nasty spots that usually take momentum.

I think my plan for this year is to keep using the Nissan, clean it up in the spring and sell it. Then get a beater truck. If I only went on a couple of trips a year to hunt I'd probably use my small enclosed trailer and the Jeep, but for my needs (several days a week during waterfowl season) the trailer isn't a good solution. The Jeep would be fine, but I'm just not willing to keep it that dirty for a 60 day season.
 
#15 ·
Parked next to a guy at the diner who had a new JGC. He uses it for bow hunting. I do not know what he hunts for but suspect it is deer. This county does not allow rifle deer hunting... just bows (and cars!). Doubt he'll dirty the inside... bow hunters don't hit their targets or fall asleep in their tree stands in my neighborhood!
 
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