Moose hunt trip: Florida to Manning, AB
 

I’ve got a moose hunt booked end of Sept/1st week of October. I’ll be driving my F350 DRW 2WD and pulling a flatbed single axle trailer. The trip planner wants to take me through S. Dakota, N. Dakota, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton.

Another route takes me up to Montana, cross at Sweet Grass, AB then north on 2 to Manning. Which route in your opinion would be better?

Once I get to Manning I’ll be driving on unpaved logging roads for about 100 km until I get to camp.

How will Hwy 2 be north of Edmonton? Right now I have Continental highway tires on the truck. Should I change them out for all-terrain tires?

Thanks.

Done the trip a few times either way, I would definitely go through Montana & cross at Coutts. Coutts has a much larger, busier, informed border crossing going both ways than North Portal does.

Late Sep, early Oct might not be too tough roads, but you just won't see many 2WD trucks up there, much less a dually 2WD. You might truly get stranded with that rig, best of luck!

I can’t help you with the route up here, but I can tell you that Chinchaga road west of manning can get bad quick if we get rain. You won’t want to do it with regular highway tires if there is rain or a wet fall.

Highway 2 north of Edmonton will take you west on highway 43 and up through peace River I assume. The highway will be good, there might be a few rough spots, but will all be high grade highway. It is once you turn off from Manning that it can get interesting. (It could also be a normal high grade gravel road f it is nice and dry out.

My dad was up a few years ago with a 4x4 with brand new all terrain tires and he had to chain up to get up a couple of the hills around km 100.

It is beautiful country, but it can get pretty rugged if it is wet.

We were. Bit further north and a party was camped a ways further in than us and they had to offload their trailers and drive ATV’s out separate as the truck couldn’t get down the road with them on the trailer.

I’d go with the all terrains for the gravel you will hit north of manning. You could get lucky and more than likely have a dry fall.

I'd do the Montana route. And have fun, the chin is a good road you'll be fine. It can get bad after rain but I'm assuming you're guide knows more about your exact location than anyone on the interweb does. It just blows my mind how fortunately we are to live in Canada for our hunting. I go down that road every year and don't think twice you're driving across the US. Salute to your sir.

I am by Edmonton and did a quick estimation back to Florida. You will have close to 2 days of solid driving. The fastest route was the one through Saskatchewan and then the n/s Dakota as you indicated. You have lots of driving either way so the scenary will be up to you. Mountains through Montana or flat prairie the other way.
As for tires you will have paved highways to Manning. The concern will be if things get wet from rain or snow. Especially on the logging roads, they turn to grease really quick, depending on how the roads were built. Even some all terrains struggle when the treads cannot shed the mud. Travel would be very slow if at all. If things are dry no problem. Ideal option would be a coarser all season and a cheap set of chains, return them if you dont use them. I am considering that you have a warm climate back in Florida and most of your travel will be highway. To buy a set of tires just for the trip and shred due to heat and pavement really seems like a waste. But it's also a hunt your spending good money on.
My 2 cents, hope you have an awesome hunt.

Ive done both routes (not from Florida, but from Wisconsin.....usually go through Sask, but detoured once to see Mt Rushmore and the missile museum by Mitchell SD and took the Montana route from there). Can say without question the Montana route is better for scenery, the sask route is better for time, so guess its whats important to you.

As others have said, get the AT's and set of chains. If it gets wet and turns to snot on you then you'll be happy you did. or, work something out with your outfitter or host to meet you in Manning and bring you in/out and save yourself the headache or cost of new tires. Could get lucky and its dry for the duration, or could get in with no problem with your continentals if its dry when you arrive and then it rains or snows for a week and you've got yourself a journey coming out lol

Thanks for all the info. I’ve got chains for the truck, so that won’t be a problem. I think I’ll take the Montana route then, since it sounds like it will be a nicer view.

Now I gotta noodle on whether or not to get AT tires…

Could always buy tires here in Canada on the way if weather looks bad ,cheap Canuck peso compared to your American dollar ..sounds like a fun trip,good luck .

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Good luck on your hunt. Make sure you keep us updated on how you make out.

Was the 2WD F350 a special order?

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Will definitely keep y'all posted.

I bought the truck used. It's a 2016 that I bought in 2018. It had 20k miles on it, was purchased, serviced, and sold at the same dealership. I got all the maintenance records for it. I paid $39k USD for it - which was a steal in my opinion. I would have preferred 4WD but the only thing I tow with it is a 40', 21k lbs fifth wheel (and also a boat). Down here in FL we don't really have a need for 4WD, so while it would have been nice to have, it wasn't a deal breaker for me.

All good! Don't forget about us in October. I'm looking forward to hearing about your trip. Good luck!

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This is my itinerary:
Ft. Myers, FL to Blairsville, GA (673 miles) ->Arrive 9/19
Blairsville, GA to St. Louis, MO (538 miles) -> Arrive 9/20
St. Louis, MO to Sioux Falls, SD (610 miles)-> Arrive 9/21
Sioux Falls, SD to Billings, MT (661 miles) -> Arrive 9/22
Billings, MT to Calgary, AB (536 miles) -> Arrive 9/23
Stopover in Calgary 9/24
Calgary, AB to Manning, AB (524 miles) -> Arrive 9/25

Outbound Mileage: 3,541

Hunt: 9/26 - 10/3

Manning, AB to Calgary, AB -> Arrive 10/4
Calgary, AB to Billings, MT -> Arrive 10/5
Billings, MT to Sioux,Falls, SD -Arrive 10/6
Sioux Falls, SD to St. Louis, MO -> Arrive 10/7
St Louis, MO to Blairsville, GA -> Arrive 10/8
Blairsville, GA to Ft. Myers, FL-> Arrive 10/9

Total Milage: 7,082
Fuel estimate: 400 gallons of diesel

I'm taking my Browning BAR 30-06 and my Henry 45-70. Browning will be primary weapon. Using BuffaloBore Supercharged Lead Free 168 gr Barnes TTSX ammo for the 30-06, and Hornady LEVERevolution 250 gr Monoflex ammo for the 45-70.

I'll second (third?) what others have stated here about the chains - My old hunting mentor took regularly took his 2WD Chevy through the Swan Hills gumbo, while carrying a camper and towing a tandem with his machines on it. The chains (and taking his time) were key.

With your chains, if you haven't yet, practice a bit at home so you're not scratching your head trying to figure them out while you're knee-deep in muck.

And bring some basic recovery gear (you can pick that up here too): A sturdy shovel, rope, traction aids, shackles. A battery booster pack can be handy too, especially if you're off the beaten path.

And like Savage Bacon says - let us know how you make out! Hope you have a great time up here.

Save your money on the All Terrains. With the Dually it won't make much difference in mud anyhow. You already have chains, as long as you know how to put them on that will solve any problems of wet roads. The Chin is a pretty good road, it has to get really wet before you will need chains. They run all manner of heavy trucks on it year round, most do not have 4x4 and even loaded semis rarely need to chain up unless it gets really icy.

Given the time of year, I would come up through Sask to save time, go back through Montana for variety and scenery. Hope you have a great trip.

Thanks. I grew up in Ft. Erie, ON and in winter chains were a regular part of life for me.

Great idea about the battery booster pack! I had one, but it crapped out on me; I need to order another one.

For the truck I just installed a Grille Bar, 12,000 lb winch, LED light bar, and LED fog lights for this trip.

https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/atta...5&d=1710517605

One question.

Your trailer. Can you unhook it and manhandle it yourself? What i mean is, can you lift it by the hitch and move it around by yourself?

Are you buying a freezer here to bring meat back? Is that why you're dragging a trailer?

Used to hunt that area for moose and grizzly(when it was still legal).

I'm sure you will enjoy it! Good luck to you...:)

Only suggestion that I would add would be to get yourself a bottle jack that can lift your wheels off the ground so that you can put the chains on nice and tight (provided you do so before getting stuck...lol). Also have some tie wire of some sort to tie up any loose ends and connectors so there's less chance of things coming apart and tearing up your brake lines or anything else underneath. I also like to put a couple of bungy cords or tarp straps on to help secure things. May seem like over kill but I'd rather do that then risk having a chain come apart and tear things up when you're trying to get through a bad spot.

Great ideas. I have two bottle jacks (12 tons each), jack stands, and a hydraulic lift that will be in the truck with me. For both the truck and the trailer I have a heavy duty nylon cargo net that goes across the top and anchors to a set of D-rings

No such thing as overkill when you're doing a 7,000+ mile trip. I appreciate you guys going over this with me.

I assume with that rig your already running 10 ply tires. That would be my only suggested upgrade as you already have good suggestions. Safe travels and good luck with the hunt.

Just get your self some tire chains with some V bar on them . Thats all the big logging trucks use on their hyw tires.
I drove a 1/2 ton 2 wheel drive truck to every drilling rig in Alberta and BC for 15 years as a mechanic. then a 4x4 after that and it was always in 2x4 Never even had tire chains . But if i had a trailer to pull i would have gotten a set . Been down the Chinchaga Rd many times ,even drove straight threw to Dawson Creek from that road . Tire chains will work a lot better than any off road tire if it rains and freezes. Plus the tires you have on now will be so much nicer on the hyw . But if you need a new set of tires the BF Goodrich Ko2 is what i would throw on the back .

Getting to Manning is not the problem. From Manning into the Chinchaga area is the problem.

A 2 wheel drive without tire chains pulling a deck trailer is a recipe for disaster if it is a wet fall or if it is raining or you go in dry and it starts to rain.

Better to go in with a 4 x 4 with tire chains from the hard top. No one can ever understand the gumbo in that area until they are calf deep in the ruts.
This gumbo takes months to fully dry out. It is sticky, slippery, and greasy.

The best tires under the sun will plug up with this stuff. Even tire chains are a challenge sometimes.

Rough Service Tow Trucks are usually $700 and that is for the attempt, not the tow. If they cannot extract you from the ditch, you still pay then it is even more money for the next piece of equipment.

Drewski

I recommend good heavy duty set of V-bar chains. I hunted over 30 Alberta WMU's, my previous 2 trucks were 2wD and with good set of tire chains never got stuck or not made high ridges. I have had problems on extreme ice with 4x4 and aggressive Duratrac tires, needed to chain up.
PS Always put your chains on before you get in trouble.:bad_boys_20:

Yes, I can move the trailer by hand. I'm bringing a couple of big ice chests for the meat. I'm estimating 300 - 400 lbs of meat. I may get a 3rd ice chest. That's why I'm bringing the trailer.

Never thought about a freezer. I suppose I could bring one of my generators along to power it. Hmmm......

Funny that you mention the BF Goodrich KO2. I've been looking at them and I think they will be my next tires. The Continentals that I've got on it now really have quite a bit of tread left; I don't think I'm going to drop $2,000 on a set of tires if I don't really need them for now.

Here are the chains that I've got: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Will they work?

Yikes. I'm hoping that I don't end up in a ditch, but if I do, I'm counting on my winch and straps to get me out. If I have to go 15 mph the whole road, so be it.

Regarding the chains, right now I only have them for the outside drive tires. Do I/should I get a set for the inside wheels as well? I would be they would be a PITA to put on though.

Cannot comment on tire chains on a dually rear end. However, and this is something funny about people, most never try to put the chains on in dry conditions on hard pavement to learn how to do it.

So do not be one of those funny people. Put the chains on a few times for practice.

Now the fun part, when you put on the chains, you want the cross link to drop INTO the side lug. That is what keeps the chain from letting the tire spin free from the tire.

Next, go and get blue "arctic" bungees. Doubt you will find them in Florida, so go stop in Edmonton at Gregg Distributors who will have the proper bungees. Arctic bungees stay flexible in cool - cold weather. Black rubber just breaks.

Finally, if you have to cut off excess links on the side chains, or add links to the side chain, do so at home. You do not want 6 inches of chain spinning around beating up your brake cable and bashing up your fenders.

It is wise to bring a rain suit, big rubber gauntlet gloves, and a big piece of cardboard to lay on to do up the inside links on the inside of the tire before you go to connect and tighten the outside links.

On a muddy side road, with a truck dripping in mud with mud going all over your hands, pants and jacket you will think of this advice. Once the chains are on, strip off the grimy rain suit and gloves and leave them outside the truck in the box.

Drewski

For what it is going to cost you in fuel and hotel rooms you could fly from Florida to Edmonton and then rent a vehicle to drive to Manning.