Hauling heavy loads into the backcountry requires a rugged tire, like Falken Tires Wildpeak A/T4W in 'light-truck' (LT) sizes, to get in and back out safely. (Photo courtesy of Falken Tires)
August 19, 2024
By Tony Martins
As a hunter of game animals, large and small, for more than 50 years, I always chuckle when someone asks, “have any luck?” Typically answering with one of several creative replies concocted over the years–some polite and informative, some not so much–I believe the best answer comes from ancient Roman philosopher, Lucius Annaeus Seneca: “Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.” True… true!
Preparation for late-season hunting can be a laborious and even exhausting exercise. Some wait until the last minute, and then speed through prep with their hair on fire, throwing things together. Some consider this activity to be a year-round endeavor. Experience has taught me that it matters not whether you hunt in the northeastern woods, southeastern lowlands, midwestern plains, northwestern rainforests, southwestern deserts, or western Rocky Mountains, late-season hunters should always prepare for the unexpected!
While I do not have a magic formula that will work well for every hunter, what follows are suggestions and examples from my own experiences that can help when surprises that are bound to happen, do. You can often make, or break, your own luck I believe. In fact, I have done some writing on this topic, and preparation is a key factor in having good luck, especially when it comes to hunting the late season.
A frigid late-November sunrise, and another day hunting the north woods begins. (Tony Martins photo) Getting There The best way to enjoy late-season hunting is through trouble-free travel and arrival at the chosen location. Some of us are lucky to have great late-season hunting in our own backyards where, if unanticipated issues develop, assistance is just a cell phone call away. Blow a radiator hose? Call a buddy to bring you a new one. Others may travel long distances into unfamiliar territory, where unexpected problems can be costly and may even ruin the hunt. Slide off the highway on a patch of black ice; first call a tow truck, and then pay a mechanic to replace the bent tie rod and realign the front end. In my experience, the two main problems encountered on late-season hunts are equipment failure and unexpected changes in weather.
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I got lucky on a hunt in early February for a couple of reasons. We had a front-wheel bearing failure, but fortunately it happened on the way home from the hunt. And, my hunting partner is a mechanic! We spent that night in a hotel about three hours from home, and then made the repair in the hotel parking lot the following morning—but not without assistance from a local acquaintance who brought us a tool needed for the repair that we did not have on hand. We were lucky to get out of that one with minimal cost and just a single day lost… after the hunt!
Travel Preparation & Necessities Ironically, I had installed a set of new tires on my daily driver mid-size truck prior to this hunt, hoping to avoid potential travel problems. For many years I have made it a habit to replace tires in the fall, for a couple of reasons. First, safety. Tires provide the best traction on winter snow, and slippery roadways, when new. Second, new tires are less likely to develop problems during late-season hunting where weather is often an issue, particularly when traveling off the grid.
In my opinion as a former owner of a tire dealership, “all-terrain” tires offer features that most hunters need, as versatility is the hallmark of this category. Less specialized than snow or mud tires, all-terrains can safely and effectively handle a much wider range of weather conditions and terrain types, including paved roadways in everyday use. Hunters today are more likely to carry some type of “multi-tool” rather than the celebrated “Swiss Army knife,” but the name itself is often used today to indicate multifaceted capability.
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The latest version of Falken Tires “do everything” all-terrain tire, the Wildpeak A/T4W , could essentially be considered the Swiss Army knife of tires. The “4W” designation on this new model stands for Wear, Warranty, Winter and Wet. Wear is used to denote “consistent performance that lasts throughout the life of the tire,” according to Falken. This is a great feature to have in a tire that can last up to 65,000 miles in standard load sizes and 60,000 miles in light truck (LT) sizes. Covered by a “Limited Tread Life Warranty, ” this tire will travel farther and last longer than other brands. Winter denotes “proven snow traction” and Wet represents “strong wet weather capability.” Features like these are outstanding, and should be demanded by late-season hunters.
Negotiating the backcountry for late-season hunting requires a rugged and versatile tire, like Falken Tires Wildpeak A/T4W. (Photo courtesy of Falken Tires) A late November hunt for whitetails in the northwoods proved the value of good all-terrain tires. Twelve inches of snow blanketed the hunt area the day before my arrival, and single-digit daytime temperatures kept it around for the duration of the hunt. Good friend and outfitter Kevin, had just installed new all-terrains on his hunting rig, which we used to cover miles of farm roads and backwoods trails, without incident. And, without that mobility, I would not have been able to take my largest northern buck to date—a perfect 8-pointer that weighed 326 pounds.
After spotting the giant from a mile away, I sneaked into muzzleloader range through a small natural drainage and dropped the buck in a cut alfalfa field. Just moments after the shot, I was shocked to see Kevin easily motoring across the field toward my deer, in deep snow that I had difficulty walking through. “Don’t worry,” he said in response to the surprised look on my face, “I have permission from the landowner.”
His thoughtful permission, and those excellent all-terrain tires, saved us a couple of hours of miserable work in that frigid, snow-covered field.
Author with a massive 326-pound northern whitetail buck, taken two days before Thanksgiving in temperatures near zero. (Tony Martins photo) Here’s a snow travel tip: It should be obvious to readers by now that I believe new all-terrain tires are an important—possibly the most important—part of preparing my trucks for late-season hunting. Additional vehicle prep includes installing new wiper blades, checking belts and hoses, engine service including cooling system (protected to minus 50 degrees), chassis lubrication (particularly u-joints and ball-joints), transmission service (if towing a trailer) and gasoline treatment to clean fuel injectors. Finally, I make a point to inspect valve stems and set proper tire inflation pressures in all six tires, including two (yes, two!) spares.
Essential Gear Between hunting and fishing and working with my small pack of Labrador retrievers, I am in the outdoors year-round, often in the backcountry. I consider several items to be essential, and these can always be found in my truck, regardless of the season. These include; tool box with a full complement of hand tools (end wrenches, socket sets—heavy and light, breaker bar, assortment of pliers including fencing and wire-cutting, crescent-type wrenches, screwdriver assortment, hacksaw and folding wood saw), heavy gloves, axe/pick, shovel, ratchet straps, tow strap, clevis, spiked recovery boards, tire chains, wood blocks, hi-lift jack, emergency kit with flares, portable tire inflator, tire repair kit, battery jump cables, jump starter box, fire extinguisher, tarps, nylon rope, bungees, duct tape, paracord, zip ties, and first aid kit.
For late-season hunting, regardless of the duration or distance traveled, I add the following gear essentials; chainsaw with extra chain and fuel, portable generator (1000-watt minimum), two extension cords, 6000-lumen work light, 5 gallons of extra gasoline, large funnel, small propane canister with torch, and a second spare tire and wheel. That extra spare has bailed me out on several occasions, saving a hunt more often than I like to admit.
Essential gear always carried in the author’s hunting rig, with a few additional items that are added for late-season, back-country hunts. It pays to be prepared. (Tony Martins photo) Here’s another tip: Personal gear for late-season hunting is just that, personal. In addition to rifles and ammo, bows and arrows, and crossbows and bolts, here are some common items; weapon cases, shooting sticks, bipods, rangefinders, binoculars, spotting scopes, tripods, window mounts, cameras, ground blinds, chairs, treestands and accessories, trail cameras, frame packs, day packs, knives, game bags and processing kits, gambrel, coolers, field wipes, and maps. And, let’s not forget the proper licensing documents and personal identification that may be required in the field.
It was noted above that “luck” occurs when preparation meets opportunity. Here’s how I missed a late-season opportunity of a lifetime by failing to properly prepare… On the last day of another late-November northwoods whitetail hunt with buddy Kevin, the temperature dropped rapidly—more than 30 degrees in 3 hours—and it started snowing lightly. I was hunting a timberline adjacent to a cut alfalfa field where Kevin and I found evidence that a giant buck, or at least a buck with a giant track, had been feeding. Despite multiple clothing layers and sub-zero-rated boots, by mid-afternoon that final day I was shivering so badly that I called Kevin to come pick me up. The temperature gauge on his truck read 14 below zero.
Motoring down the iced-over gravel road, Kevin suddenly slammed on the brakes. “Did you see that bison?” he asked. Trying to restore my circulation in the heated cab, and with frosted windows, I saw nothing. We backed up to an open field notched out of a dense forest section, and spotted the animal, but it wasn’t a bison… Just 200 yards distant, sifting through snow to feed on wheat remnants in that field, was the largest black bear either of us had ever seen; so large that its shoulders were humped like a grizzly. “Do you have a tag?” Kevin asked. “Of course not!” I replied. “It’s the last week of November, below zero, and snowing… bears should be denned-up.” Talk about unexpected. And, for the first time since moving to the area 10 years prior, Kevin had failed to purchase a $12 resident bear tag.
It was 14 below zero when the author and his buddy spotted this giant black bear feeding on wheat remnants while hunting deer. With no bear tag, this surprise once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was lost to a preparation failure. (Tony Martins photo) With just 90 minutes of legal shooting light remaining, we raced to town; a 45-minute trip in dry weather and normal conditions. The fact that we arrived safely in town, bought a tag at the hardware store, and made it back with 10 minutes to spare in those dreadful conditions is a testament to Kevin’s driving skill, and the remarkable traction and handling characteristics of the all-terrain tires on his truck. We followed that giant bear’s tracks across the field and into the dense forest as time ran out. This preparation failure wasted an incredible opportunity.
Getting Home If the idea has crossed your mind that a set of top-performing all-terrain tires is vitally important to late-season hunting success, where rugged backcountry terrain and nasty weather can pose problems, you are catching my drift. But all tires in this popular category are not created equal.
Let’s take a closer look at Falken Tires latest and greatest, the Wildpeak A/T4W .
Be prepared for surprises when accessing the backcountry for late-season hunting. (Photo courtesy of Falken Tires) Unlike lesser all-terrain tires, many sizes of the new A/T4W feature a 3-ply sidewall called Duraspec, adapted from their mud terrain off-road tire line. Dedicated off-roaders know the toughness and puncture-resistance that 3-plies afford over standard 2-ply sidewalls, and there have been many times when this most desirable feature has saved my bacon while hunting the backcountry. The new, durable tread design incorporates “staggered shoulder blocks,” meaning every other tread block is notched at the tire edge, to improve handling and control, and assist in clearing debris to maintain traction. These top-notch features that give this tire an excellent rating for off-road performance also work well on pavement. The Wildpeak A/T4W has excellent ratings for wet braking, dry handling and tread life, with a remarkably good rating for ride comfort as well.
Winter performance is another area where the new A/T4W excels, and this equates to safety during treacherous winter road conditions. The weather front that ended my whitetail hunt early turned into a deadly blizzard the following day. My drive home featured long stretches of frozen pavement, blowing snow and zero visibility, 70 mph wind gusts and vehicles skidding off the highway. Several big-rigs traveling without tire chains simply parked on the roadway, posing hazards for inattentive travelers. Other less cautious drivers jackknifed their trailers, some rolling over into the center median. It was an eye-opening, white-knuckle drive, and a sobering experience. Several people died. My policy of installing new tires prior to hunting season paid off, and thankfully, I made it home safely.
The first hunting seasons are just a few weeks away as I write these words. This is the best time of year to replace worn tires, and there is no better all-terrain choice than Falken Tires Wildpeak A/T4W . These feature-rich premium tires are competitively priced, with a Limited Tread Life Warranty up to 65,000 miles (60,000 miles for LT sizes). That’s a lot of bang for the buck! Every Wildpeak A/T4W also carries a Limited Road Hazard Warranty . And, with a 30-Day Ride Guarantee as well, what are you waiting for?
