So, if you are a hunter you have probably driven on some questionable roads, trails, and possibly even ground that is not classified as a road at all. You may know how to get a car out of the mud. If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of practicing these skills, be patient you will get your chance, we all do at some point.
Today’s post is inspired by my last hunting adventure. So, I will talk about how to get a car out of the mud using some more common methods. Sometimes it is as simple as switching into 4×4 mode, and sometimes it is much more difficult. “Much more difficult” is the situation I was in last weekend.
We will break down several options you may want to have available to you and/or prepare for, with external sources where relevant. First I am going to run through a supply list (the essentials, and the nice to haves). Second I will talk about a couple of the easiest options for those that have spent a little more money and fully equipped themselves for the backroads and fields. Third I will cover some cheaper options of equipping yourself for these kinds of situations. Fourth I will cover what is likely the most labour-intensive and time-consuming method (but very possibly a reality you may face).
So let’s not waste anytime and get right into the nitty gritty.
Car Recovery Supply List
Alright, as far as a supply list is concerned we will list items that may be used separately or together in order to get your car out of the mud. The first thing you want to do when hunting though, is as we have mentioned in other articles, be prepared with food and supplies to stay the night if need be.
As for the items specifically that can be used in the recovery process, any of the following items may come in handy:
- 4X4 Vehicle
- Quad / Side by Side
- Vehicle mounted winch
- A portable winch or PullzAll
- Snatch Blocks / Pulleys
- Tow strap
- Shackles
- Blankets
- High tensile rope
- Rope Puller
- Shovel
- Saw
- Car jack
- Car Door Step amazon.ca / amazon.com (this is used if you are storing your gear on the roof – as we do with an SUV)
- Ratchet Straps amazon.ca / amazon.com (I always have them with me, and they can periodically aid by lashing branches together, or depending on strength help if you don’t have access to tow straps or high tensile rope)
- Phone or communication device
This list isn’t all-inclusive, and you definitely don’t need all the items (I don’t have all the items on the list). You do want to make sure you have enough of the items coordinated and available to get yourself out if the need arises. A 4×4 vehicle combined with a Quad (either of which has a winch) would be sufficient. Similarly if you have both vehicles available and a high tensile rope, you are probably good to go in most situations.
If you don’t have a 4×4 AND Quad, then you would want to make sure you are prepared with some other combination of items in the list to aid in recovering your car. As we move through the article I will explain how I would, and have put some of these items to use.
Quickest and Easiest Ways to Get a Car Out of the Mud (When you are alone).
I think anyone can figure these out, but then again we should probably list them even if just to be thorough.
First steps!
If you have a 4×4 vehicle, put it in 4×4 mode and try to drive or reverse out of the mud. I personally drive in 2 wheel drive, and only switch to 4×4 if I get into some questionable areas. If you are stuck, it is safe to say you can call this questionable (but all questioning should be gone). Switch to 4×4 or verify you are in 4×4 and attempt to drive. The key here is to make sure if the vehicle is not coming out of the mud, you do not hit the gas hard. This will cause the wheels to spin, and potentially cause you to sink further into this sticky situation.
Winching
If you couldn’t get out with your 4×4 attempt, then you would move on to using your built in winch (if you have one). Keep in mind that depending on what is around you may need to use snatch blocks/pulleys to achieve the correct pull angles. Also if you are not familiar with use of winches and/or pulleys to increase the pull capabilities of winches you may want to look into it. It is also recommended that if you have not been shown how to winch or rig properly, look into some instructions. Here is a video on Winching techniques.
If you do not have a built in winch, or it was not successful and you have a Quad with a winch you can make a similar attempt with both vehicles (the Quad and the vehicle) locked together for either a straight pull or possibly an angled pull.
If you have a Quad you can also look at using a “Recovery Strap” attached to both vehicles and attempt to pull the car out of the mud by using the Quad, which will hopefully be on stable ground.
The Cheaper Methods to Get a Car Out of the Mud
This section is where I usually find myself. I don’t currently have access to a Quad (those were the good old days), and my SUV does not have a winch mounted on it. So if my 4×4 mode doesn’t get me out, then I am left to the options we will be discussing from this point on.
Making Use of Portables
Given that I do not have a Quad or a mounted winch, I will usually make sure I am carrying a portable winch (2,000lbs straight line pull) or a PullzAll. Remember from the video I linked to above, the snatch block pulley used to create a double line pull will increase the pull capacity by almost double. Ultimately your 2,000lbs winch could pull almost 4,000lbs, and that is a lot more than anyone I know can manually pull or push. You would use the same principles as outlined in the linked video above, except your winch or PullZall will be attached to your hitch in the rear of your vehicle or potentially your recovery hooks on the front of the vehicle.
When I don’t have my electric winch and associated gear (shackles, snatch block, blankets, etc…) I always have a Rope Puller and some High Tensile Rope in the back of my SUV. That takes less room than the other gear mentioned, so is easier to leave in there permanently. A rope puller is similar to a cable puller except it is designed to allow you to pull an unlimited length of rope. The one I use is a “Maasdam A-O Long Haul Rope Puller, No Rope, 3/4-Ton” amazon.ca / amazon.com. This is the type of device that an arborist would use. I also have 150′ of 1/2 inch rope from an arborist supply company that is rated in excess of 6,000lbs. This allows me to tie-off to a solid object (usually a tree) from a long distance and use the rope puller to attempt to manually winch myself out.
Labour Intensive Methods to Get a Car Out of the Mud
Failing all else, you can attempt any of the following. Just be prepared, you will probably get tired and definitely dirty. You can attempt to dig yourself out of the mud. You noticed I listed a shovel as gear you may want to have with you. I would suggest a normal size shovel, even if it is short handled, as opposed to one of the mini survival shovels. The last time I was stuck (the pics have been included) the ground was clay. Clay definitely becomes a chore and a mini shovel makes it an even bigger chore.
Shovelling
If I was at a point where I am using a shovel to get myself out, I would also take advantage of a saw and cut down some pine boughs. Try to dig to a point where your tire seems to be mostly out of the mud or clay, and place the boughs under the tire to provide traction when you attempt to drive out again. I would do this for any tire in question, and not try to get away with only the worst tire. That mentality could cause your other tires to spin and sink further.
Jacking
If you have really sunk into the mud it may be easier to take a slightly different approach. Dig where needed to get your car jack under the frame (as though you were going to change a tire). Place rocks or boughs under where you will position the car jack to prevent it from sinking, and start jacking. Attempt to jack the car high enough that you can place boughs under the tires. Placing them perpendicular to the tires is best. Essentially you want to try to create a small wooden bridge for the tire to keep it from sinking back down into the mud. Place enough boughs that your car can ride on them until you clear the mud pit.
In the pictures included in this article, when I am beside the car, I am jacking it up. We had sunk far enough that the wheels were not touching solid ground and the undercarriage was resting on the clay.
Flip-Flop-Winch
The last resort of self-recovery would be to make use of a Flip-Flop-Winch. This requires the high tensile rope in your list of supplies at the very least. If you have a saw, then you have made the chore a little easier. This DIY winch is made from two large logs (this is where the saw could help). The rope will be tied to an anchor point, most likely a very sturdy tree. We then loop the rope around two logs that are set perpendicular to one another. After creating the loop around the logs we continue to your car and tie it off. Once you have the loop set properly, you will then flip each log over, one after the other repeatedly. This will wind the rope on the logs and cause the car to be “winched” towards the logs. This is a long and tedious method, but it is a very powerful method when you are alone.
For a video example of how to set up and use a Flip-Flop-Winch Click Here.
The Wrap Up
No one wants to be stuck in the mud. We also know that the easiest method to get out is one I haven’t mentioned in this article, and that is because I was addressing this as though you were alone. The easiest method is to have someone else pull you out using their vehicle. So if you are hunting with others wait for them or call them on the phone or communication device. If you are alone but close to home (you are the lucky ones if you don’t have to travel to hunt), call home and get someone to give you a hand. You can also flag someone down on the nearest road to help you out. My experience is hunters are helpful. I have been helped with no expectation placed on me, and I have helped without expecting anything.
The above methods will work in most cases. I have gotten myself out of several situations using the techniques and/or tools listed above.
Things to Remember
The thing to remember is no your limitations and don’t be too hard on yourself. My last hunting trip resulted in the undercarriage sitting on clay (as mentioned above). It was later in the evening and Karolina and I tried, 4×4 mode, we tried a rope puller, we tried tree boughs, and we tried jacking the car up. The rains came in and we settled in for the night in the car. We always go prepared for that scenario. In the morning the one spot of clay was no longer one spot of clay. The clay we were in was almost impossible to walk through, and the rest of the road now looked questionable.
We weighed our options, and thought the best option was to call a hunting buddy to bring his truck and quad out to help us, we then headed out on foot to meet him on the main road so we could direct him the 10 miles/16 kilometres into the bush where we were. Yup that was an unplanned hike. We continued hunting while hiking, he got there and we were out in a matter of 5 minutes.
Ironically it is not always the 3/4 tons and diesels that get to pull people out. Our hunting buddy got mildly stuck on the way back to the main road. He would have been able to get out, but to speed the process we hooked him up to our SUV and gave a tug.
Know your limitations, stay safe, be prepared, and make sure you have a plan that you could attempt in a similar situation.
Keep Smart and Hunt On everyone!
Scott