The Ultimate Duck Truck

Dan Houck

Every waterfowl hunter needs a truck, period. Maybe, I should not say truck just vehicle, because I have had some epic hunts in a Subaru Outback packed with full bodies (sorry Divebomb squad) and in a 1997 Toyota Corolla. In this article for simplicity’s sake I am going to talk about trucks, no offense to any guys that hunt with cars. I respect you more if you do!

My truck is a 2011 Chevrolet Duramax Crew Cab LTZ with a camper top/topper.  This vehicle has become the staple of my waterfowl and hunting career. To me it is the greatest truck ever made.  Why?  Because it is dialed in specifically to how I hunt. I am not a “Chevy guy” or a that guy. I am a reliability and dependability guy and this truck has proven its worth time and time again. I am nearing 430K and knock on wood, it runs like a top. It is scratched, rusted up, dented up, and broken in well beyond its years. When you hunt as much as I do your truck is going to get beat up, you need to be prepared to accept that! The thought of scratching a new truck terrifies me.  Right now my truck is at the point where if there are any additional dents/dings/scratches it truly doesn't matter.  

I recently started looking at new trucks.  The cost to buy a new diesel and the cost to have the truck set up how mine is now far exceeds the benefit. When the day comes that I am forced to let the “Mothership” go it will definitely be a sad one.  

10 years ago I was asked to go to North Dakota to freelance waterfowl hunt with a group of guys from Maryland.  They had been going every year for a few years and I was the “newbie.”  There were six of us going. North Dakota to where we were hunting was a 24 hour drive on the button without stopping and it was about 1,500 miles. I was told (I was the new guy you do what you were told) we are taking two trucks each with three guys.  We would not be stopping to spend the night-if you need to sleep you sleep in the truck.  One guy would drive eight hours while one guy rode shotgun and the other guy “slept” in the back seat.  Every eight hours we would switch to ensure everyone was safe and no one got overly tired.  It was a straight rip and there were no deviations to stop other then for diesel which fill-ups on a tank with the range of 550-600 miles were right at that 8 hour mark. Sidenote- Do not ever drive through Chicago without a full tank of gas-EVER!  It was during this trip my good buddy Mike who rode along said the three most important things on that trip were “The Mothership, the black lab in the back, and the iPad (scouting).”  It was on this trip I realized the importance of having a truck set up to how you hunt. If you are like me you spend a lot of time, energy, and money on hunting-being efficient leads you to being a better hunter.

In this article I would like to look deeper into what makes a waterfowl/hunting truck. 

Diesel or Gas?

First off the never-ending debate. I am a diehard diesel guy after owning both diesel and gas trucks. I am a diesel guy given the amount I tow and the ease of pulling boats and trailers.  They just serve our purpose better here for how I hunt. Dual axle trailers and heavy loads pretty much make the decision for me here. For guys that aren’t towing heavy loads or towing much at all there are lots of gas engines now that have a lot of power in both V6 and V8 that would suffice.  If I didn't tow as much as I do I would have a gas truck.  The costs to maintenance for gas trucks are certainly a lot lower than on diesels.  “Gassers” are way better getting into chiseled fields and down swampy roads then a much heavier diesel. You really need to decide how, where, and what type of hunting you will be doing the most. I will tell you when you only have to get fuel every 600 miles on a 24  hour trip that is nice. I can also tell you that having your DEF tank freeze and not being able to go faster than 55 mph and trying to get a new DEF tank in the state of North Dakota is not fun, trust me. At 100k the DEF tank was taken off and the truck was deleted.

Tires/Wipers/XM Radio

I know a lot of guys that have jacked up trucks that have bigger rims and tires for the mud to hunt.  That is not me.  I have a standard all-terrain tire.  I put a lot of highway miles on getting to places I hunt and can’t stand road noise. I also don't want to sacrifice ride quality or MPG when I am on the road.  I definitely lose something when it comes to pulling into a field or going through the mud, but with a diesel the weight really makes it irrelevant.  If you are going to get stuck mud tires probably would not save me anyways. If I cant make it in my truck I am not hunting it or I will walk my way in to do it. In 2019, during a spring turkey hunting trip in Nebraska I ran dirt out of a river bottom ten miles without taking my accelerator off the floor board.  The tires that got me out that day are Cooper AT3 XLTs. They are the best set of tires I have ever owned. I have since then switched to Falken AT’s and I am on my fourth set of those which saved me in the Spring of 2024 in the High Country on the Black Hills of Wyoming. I am a freak about tire rotation and tire tread as I know I will be in some isolated areas hunting and want to get back home at some point. Do me a favor, carry a tire gauge!  Mine sits in my door jam.

I know with Spotify/iTunes/etc. there are a lot of options other than the radio.  However, if you are in the middle of nowhere Elk hunting I strongly recommend having XM radio. BPM and an energy drink get cranked up every morning to hunt. 

Great wipers are a must!  Each year I get new wipers on my truck at the start of hunting season. Trust me its worth the $40.

10 Non-Negotiable’s:

Before that initial trip to North Dakota I spent countless hours researching exactly what I would need.  I didn't want to drive that far and not be prepared.  There are a few items that I bought for the trip that do not leave my truck ever to this day. 

1-A tow rope/chains-it is stowed under my back seat in case either me or someone I am hunting with gets stuck.  It takes up very little space and can save a lot of headaches.  In Maryland when we get snow and ice its hard to get in and out of ramps and sometimes the tow rope comes in handy

2-Breaker bar-you blow a tire on a ride or blow bearings on a trailer you are going to want this.  It makes life a lot easier on the road and will save you a lot of time.  I am past the breaker bar point in my now carrying an impact to change tires.

3-A trailer jack/extra wheel hub or bearings-how many boats do you pass on Route 50 heading to or from the Bay Bridge with bearing issues?  Point made.  I am the guy who pulls over for those guys and helps btw. 

4-Gun box/storage box-before that trip to North Dakota 10 years ago my buddy who was a carpenter and I made a wood gun box with sliding drawers.  Mind you I also routed a custom shelf in back of my truck to increase vertical storage space.  Yes I am a camper top guy!  It carries everything I could ever need or imagine.  This allows for all the “little stuff” to be stored in compartments and me to easily access when I need it.

5-Seat Covers/Floor Mats/Clorox Wipes/Papertowels

6-Handheld Battery Powered Air Compressor and Portable Jumper Box-worth their weight in gold. 

7-Tool Box-I have a bag of tools for everything I could imagine that I would need to be able to fix/repair in my truck.  Mine is not large-screw drivers, fuel filter wrench, socket set/s, hammer, mallets (pounding stakes), are wrenches are just a few of the things I have in there.

8-First Aid Kit/Dog First Aid Kit-My dog first aid kit is more “robust” than my one for humans.  I would encourage watching @GunDogDoc free tutorials on how to construct one or purchasing one from @GunDogOutdoors.

9-Tylenol, Motrin, Anti-Diahrea, Cold/Flu Meds, Tums-How many hunts get ruined by a headache or one too many whiskeys?  

10-Binoculars-my binos are my lifeline and as I have gotten older I rely on them more now than ever.  I carry 3 sets in my truck-one small pair in my gun box that I use on foot turkey hunting, one in chest pack that I use when big game hunting with range finder, and one that stays in the “Mothership.”  The one that stays inside the truck is glued to the console.  I was not going to waste a cupholder for my Yeti and simply epoxied the rubber directly to my console.  Anytime I need to glass its right there either for me or for my hunting buddy.  

Last spring a good buddy flew to come turkey hunt with me and had rented a truck.  He didn’t have a headlamp, he forgot it (I don’t like lights walking into the woods so I made him use a green one).  “No problem Mike, I got an extra in my gun box.”  He forgot his sunglasses and my response was the same.  The bottomline is you have to know how you hunt to determine what you need.  Everyone has different priorities and needs, these will change with time, experience, and age.  You want to be safe, comfortable, and be able to enjoy your time outdoors.  Details matter!  Good luck afield and shoot straight.