turbobrick
Well-known member
So the hunting thing is late onset, and its a serious addiction, but carcaine has been the monkey on my back since my teens. I had just finished the last major phase of the long term build of my '99 Jeep XJ when I went big game hunting for the first time. At the point that we started hunting out of the Jeep, it was caged, frame plated, fabricated 9" housings, TruHi 9 with ARB in front, low 9 with Yukon Grizzly out back, 5.38 gears, 4 speed Atlas transfer case, 37" tires, Raceline beadlocks, Mastercraft suspension seats, Radflo coilovers and shocks, way too much to list. Built for the Rubicon, not hunting, but it could go just about anywhere. A magazine feature shoot at the Soup Bowl on the Rubicon.
Myself, my dad, and brother in law hit the wilds of Nevada using the XJ to hunt muleys during early rifle season. My brother in law had been hunting for several years, so my dad and I were looking to him for guidance. The XJ is a tight fit for three guys and their gear, but we got way up on top before dawn on our first day. We hop out of the XJ, gather our gear, and the BIL says DEER in a hushed whisper. My dad was nowhere near ready, but I had my trusty -06 and after a couple warning shots harvested my first big game animal, a beautiful little forkey, and I was hopelessly hooked. We took him back to camp, and used the Warn comp winch and home made crane to break him down. Over the next few days, my BIL made a superb shot on on another forkey and we closed out the season.
My BIL was on a mission to Africa the next hunting season, so my dad and I were on our own. We only drew horns shorter than years speed goat that year, my XJ was under the knife again, so naturally I needed to improve my hunting rig. I bought a 230k mile 2007 Dodge Ram 2500 with the Hemi. It ran good, and I just did basic maintenance and welded up a lumber rack that would accommodate the new-to-me Yamaha Rhino, because carcaine. I also mounted a CVT pop up tent on the rack, along with mounts for coolers and water tank. We had great success that year, doubled on two goats, my dad harvesting his first big game animal.
The next year, I located a set of genuine Power Wagon axles from a burned truck. The 4.56 gears and selectable lockers were a huge upgrade. I also built my own hidden winch mount, tucking the 12k pound winch behind bumper like a real Power Wagon. We had another successful shorter than ears hunt, and two more small muleys.
Myself, my dad, and brother in law hit the wilds of Nevada using the XJ to hunt muleys during early rifle season. My brother in law had been hunting for several years, so my dad and I were looking to him for guidance. The XJ is a tight fit for three guys and their gear, but we got way up on top before dawn on our first day. We hop out of the XJ, gather our gear, and the BIL says DEER in a hushed whisper. My dad was nowhere near ready, but I had my trusty -06 and after a couple warning shots harvested my first big game animal, a beautiful little forkey, and I was hopelessly hooked. We took him back to camp, and used the Warn comp winch and home made crane to break him down. Over the next few days, my BIL made a superb shot on on another forkey and we closed out the season.
My BIL was on a mission to Africa the next hunting season, so my dad and I were on our own. We only drew horns shorter than years speed goat that year, my XJ was under the knife again, so naturally I needed to improve my hunting rig. I bought a 230k mile 2007 Dodge Ram 2500 with the Hemi. It ran good, and I just did basic maintenance and welded up a lumber rack that would accommodate the new-to-me Yamaha Rhino, because carcaine. I also mounted a CVT pop up tent on the rack, along with mounts for coolers and water tank. We had great success that year, doubled on two goats, my dad harvesting his first big game animal.
The next year, I located a set of genuine Power Wagon axles from a burned truck. The 4.56 gears and selectable lockers were a huge upgrade. I also built my own hidden winch mount, tucking the 12k pound winch behind bumper like a real Power Wagon. We had another successful shorter than ears hunt, and two more small muleys.
Last edited:
