The Debut of The Green Monster

Wow. What a machine. The Kawasaki 4-seater Mule is just an an awesome machine. The special tracks make driving through a rutted rice field like a Sunday drive. Instead of going up and down the ruts, the tracks bridge over and the driver and passengers barely feel the rut. The other obvious advantage is that the tracks give the machine a two-foot lift, allowing enough ground clearance to make high centering a thing of the past.

Third Coast Outfitters has had many vehicle solutions through the years. Does anyone remember "Old Yeller?" It was a yellow Honda Foreman, and the dealer gave us a $500 discount because it was yellow and they couldn't sell it. Its strength and power to withstand "Randy" was impeccable. Yes, it was yellow, but it didn't matter since most of the time it was covered in mud anyway. It had 14-inch tires to make it a force to be reckoned with in the rice fields. It was a good friend for years; its Honda engine lasted and lasted.

After Old Yeller, we got another Honda Foreman, but it was hunter green. It trudged through the mud like any good Honda, carrying customers and pulling a trailer filled with decoys through the mud, the blood and the beer. Unfortunately in this business, good things tend to be too shiny at the goose house and it got stolen. It's a good thing the business has insurance.

Three years ago, we decided to buy two Suzuki Samaris. These are 1988 model Suzuki SUVs that we outfitted as hunting utility vehicles. Last year, Chad painted one of them black to better blend into the field. They work perfectly to carry the load of decoys in the muddy mess, BUT the farmers often complain of the ruts that they worried the Samaris were making (even though they are very lightweight and we didn't think they were making ruts - oh well, c'est la vie). Hence why we decided to get a Kawasaki with tracks.

Here's the deal. The Monster will carry you, your gun and all your gear right to the pre-set spread. No trudging through the mud, no leaving your stuff in the truck because you didn't want to drag it out to the decoys. So what is going to be missing from your hunt? The hassle!