Snow Chains and 3rd Rifle Season in CO?

[ricknolan]

I will be in unit 62 during the 3rd rifle season (last week of October and first week of November) camping and hunting around 9,000+/- feet. I have a F150 4x4 with 295x70x17 tires and an Artic Cat TRV 4x4 ATV.

My question is will in need to take snow chains for either the truck or ATV?

The last thing I want is to get stranded because I was to tight to spend $100 for chains for the truck or $60 for the ATV. If not needed I can spend the extra money for other toys, like bullets, powder and other fun stuff.

[lazylabs]

I would take at least one set of chains for the truck. There are some places that even sliding the front end off the side of a mountain in the mud could lead to a bad bad day. I use the heavy mud/snow chains with the V cleats. I have doubled the number of cross bars and they run a little smoother that way. Don't forget a few extra chain tightener straps and they tend to get lost/broken. $70 is a cheap piece of mind and possibly the very least you would pay to prevent a several mile walk in bad conditions. I have never had a lot of luck with ATV chains but then again I just enjoy spraying the mud/snow everywhere "struggling" to get out..haha

[kcebcj]

I live in the mountains of Idaho and for about 5 months a year and the truck usually stays chained up. This is rough steep country and getting in and out of here in the winter is a chore at best. What I have done but is not practical for most is that I took a good set of truck chains and cut them down to fit the tires on the truck. The cross chains are heavy and in powder snow they really hook up. If there is not a lot of snow and it’s very icy I swap out the front chains for a set of “Ice Breakers” which can be found at most tire shops here in the Pacific Northwest (Les Schawb). My advice to you is if you are going to be camping at 9,000 feet in late October on a back country road that’s not maintained and you are on your own you should have a full set of chains and all the snubbers along with the means of repairing a broken chain like lazylabs said. Carry a shovel even 2 if you have the room and a friend. If pulling a trailer to haul your camping stuff unload it and move it down to a lower elevation. Now all of this may sound like overkill but I have been at 9000 feet hunting in Utah and woke up to 3 feet of snow and spent a whole day just getting low enough to where we no longer had to dig.

As for the quad forget the chains waste of money. If you have good tires on it that’s all it needs. What happens with quads snow builds up under the skid plates and you high center. Chains or no chains you can’t go. If it’s really icy I have always been able to put a tire where there is no ice. Carry a small shovel.

Listen to the weather reports and if a major storm was moving in I would move my camp down the mountain. Good luck.

[nfhjr62]

I have a Chevy 02 Avalanche and chains are not recommend on my truck But a 3inch lift would help so i will just have to break down and get a lift.
LOL

[gamedog]

Originally Posted by nfhjr62

I have a Chevy 02 Avalanche and chains are not recommend on my truck But a 3inch lift would help so i will just have to break down and get a lift.
LOL

A lift won't do squat for you if you can't get traction.

[gamedog]

Originally Posted by ricknolan

My question is will in need to take snow chains for either the truck or ATV?

The last thing I want is to get stranded because I was to tight to spend $100 for chains for the truck or $60 for the ATV. If not needed I can spend the extra money for other toys, like bullets, powder and other fun stuff.

I'd consider a good set of chains as essential as a spare tire. You may not need them, but if you do , you'll be SOL without them. Good way to ruin a hunt. Trust me. Been there, done that.
I had a new ATV with 7 miles on it. Got it stuck (lost the front retaining clip for the 4wd) and went in with my truck to retreive the quad. By the end of the evening I had the truck in the ditch and the ATV stuck in the road
Thankfully it got cold enough that the gumbo mud set up by morning.

[silvertip-co]

...get the chains.

And good luck on your hunt.