How to Prep Your UTV for Late-Season Hunting

Late-season hunting can be tough. As the season progresses, the temps drop, daylight hours become scarcer, and sometimes there’s even snow. Sometimes there’s a lot of it. All of those things combine to make a cocktail of potential misery for hunters. They can also be pretty unpleasant on your UTV.

If you use your machine in the late season to navigate snowy trails, haul gear to a box blind, or drag deer out of the woods, you need your UTV to work when you need it. There are a few things you can do before winter completely sets in to make sure your rig is running smooth during the late season. Here are a few things you should check before you head out into the cold.

Give Your Engine Some Attention

Start with your fuel tank. As the thermometer swings, condensation can form inside your tank, allowing moisture to make its way into your fuel system. Water in the system can cause starting issues. And if it freezes in the fuel line, it can get in the way of fuel flow and keep your engine from running like it should.

Adding a fuel stabilizer will keep your gasoline fresh, whether you’re driving on the regular or it's sitting in storage waiting for warmer weather. Be sure to check the manufacturer’s recommendations for the proper product and dosage. You don’t want to go pouring something in your machine willy-nilly.

While you’re under the hood, go ahead and take a peek at your air filter, too. If you spent the early season kicking up dust on dry trails, your filter may need some attention. Snow blowing around your machine can get into the air intake. When snow melts, it turns to water. When water meets dust, you end up with a muddy mess that can gum up airflow and potentially choke your engine. So before you hit any snowy trails, check the air filter and clean or replace it according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

It’s also a good time to check the oil, coolant, battery, and drive belt. As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It’s better to spend a little bit of time on maintenance than be stuck dealing with a minor issue on a freezing morning miles from the truck when you should be looking for critters.

Get a Grip

Your UTV might fly over muddy logging roads and rutted trails like a champ, but snow is an altogether different beast. If your deer woods get buried under inches of snow during the late season, it might be worth swapping out your tires for some tracks. Tracks give your rig more flotation in deep snow, which can help you get into places that would be downright impossible with tires alone.

Tracks can be pretty expensive. If you don’t have the money in your hunting budget for tracks, you should at least take a good look at your tires. Make sure the tread is healthy and the tires are inflated properly. If you plan to do a lot of hunting in the snow, you could also opt for tire chains or traction aids.

Prepare to Get Stuck

Getting stuck early in the season is an inconvenience. Getting stuck in the late season, when temperatures are cold and daylight is in shorter supply, can be downright dangerous. Before heading out into cold weather, make sure you have the tools you need to unstuck your UTV.

A winch may be the most important recovery tool you can have on a hunting rig. Pair it with a tree-saver strap, a snatch block, and a set of shackles, and you’ll be prepared for most recovery situations.

Make sure you know where your rig’s attachment points are located. Knowing where these points are can save you a big headache when your hands are cold and you’re knee-deep in snow. And improvising on the fly won’t always work out in your favor. It could also make things worse.

A simple folding shovel can sometimes be enough to get you out of a jam. Having one somewhere in your rig is just smart, even if it isn’t freezing outside. Traction boards can also provide enough grip for your machine to crawl out of a snowy rut.

Warm It Up

There are few things in life as glorious as climbing out of a frigid treestand with nearly frozen body parts and plopping your backside on a heated seat. I believe it is one of life’s greatest joys.

Heated seats and grips might seem like luxury accessories, but they can make a big difference when you’re spending hours in brutally cold conditions. A windshield is also a simple upgrade that goes a long way in cutting down on wind chill when you’re moving fast. A closed cab and heater are particularly nice upgrades for late season, especially on those cold, predawn treks.

Pack for the Unexpected

Even if you’ve prepped your UTV with all the appropriate cold-weather gear, there’s still a chance that you could end up stranded in the woods. Keeping a few emergency supplies in your rig could help you survive until help arrives, especially if you’re miles from the nearest road and daylight is hours away.

Stow an extra pair of gloves, a dry change of clothes, a first aid kit, and an emergency blanket somewhere in your rig. You may never need them, but you’ll be happy to have them if you ever do. A headlamp with spare batteries could prove invaluable if you find yourself dealing with a breakdown after sundown. A can of de-icer might come in handy on those extra frosty nights and mornings too.

A fully charged cellphone is always smart to have, but sometimes cell service and hunting country don’t exactly overlap. A satellite communicator can be a literal lifesaver when you’re hunting outside of cell coverage.

Final Thoughts

Winter is hard enough on hunters. Your UTV shouldn’t make things harder. Give your machine some attention before the weather turns wintry, and you should be able to spend more time hunting than fussing with a finicky machine. But be sure to pack some just-in-case emergency gear. Well, just in case.

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