Hunting rigs

[danesdad]

What do you drive now?  How will the price of gas affect your next purchase?  If you had to go buy a new truck tomorrow, knowing what you do about gas prices and the direction they're going, what would you buy?

[allthingshunting]

I currently drive a 2500 HD Chevy Silverado crew cab - 6.6L duramax diesel.  When i first bought my truck in March of 2007, i was paying approx. $ 2.75 / gallon for diesel and this was about $.40 to $.50 cheaper per gallon than regular gas.  In just over a year, it has gone up to just under $ 5.00 / gallon and is now significantly more than regular gas.
Would i still buy the same vehicle?  I guess i think i wouldn't.  I would still own a truck regardless and i feel the benefits of diesel (longer engine life, higher gas mileage, etc.) outweight a gas truck of similar specs.
 
Will these costs keep me hunting the way i am accustomed to for the last few years....the answer if most definately yes.  It already has in the spring for turkey.  While in years past we drove approx. 2 1/2 hours to the eastern shore of MD from Southern PA (Probably about 3 times during the season) this year we made the trip exactly 0 times.  We still hunted the same amount of time, but we opted for areas we have far less success in, but are only 20 minutes away, as opposed to making the trek to where we have had great success in the past.  P.S. we did not have any luck this year for the first time in five years (that includes 4 hunters) where at the other place, we have averaged 2 birds / year over the last 5 years.
The only thing saving me the rest of the year is the phenomenal hunting we have access to for deer in fall within the 20 min drive.  I feel really bad for those who must travel up state to get to their hunting grounds.

[GTOHunter]

I usually drive my 2 wheel drive 1991 GMC Suburban to where I hunt about 7 miles towards town so it won't hurt my hunting very much,or I can simply walk out behind my house where we hunt on 105 acres of our Farm Ground.Gas is $3.65 and going up around here where I live so I don't take as many drives and I try not to make any un-neccesary trips to town and waste gas,we just bought a 1996 Chevy Dually Crew Cab with the 454 engine to pull our 24 foot Camper with it and we have only went camping 2 times so far this year and have cut back considerably because of the high gas prices,since we live out in the country any ways we are going to set up a level site to park the camper on,fix up a few electric plug-ins and do some camping right here by our home and invite some friends out so we don't waste gas.

[Sailfish]

I just bought a new Expedition. I need my vehicle to be all purpose:
 
Towing capacity to pull the boat
Room for the kids and suitcases and camping stuff etc
And also as the family vehicle. We travel alot, so the 'extra's' it offers helps
I'll pretty much use it for hunting as well. I got a rubber cargo mat for the back with sides to prevent anything from spilling over.
 
The gas part does stink, but we work from home and maybe fill up 2 x month +/-
 
So yes we would purchase again knowing the current gas prices.