I need to spend more time hunting vehicles instead of game on deer leases, as it seems like an awful lot of good project trucks are hanging out there. This 1973 Jeep CJ5 wears awesome colors with a healthy dose of patina, and looks like a worthwhile project with the seller claiming no evidence of rot-through. There are some mechanical needs to sort out but it does run; the problems seem limited to the gear shifter itself, possibly speaking to a linkage issue. The paint is said to be original and the tires appear to have healthy tread on them. Find the Jeep here on craigslist in Paradise, Texas for $4,800.

On more than one occasion, I’ve seen trucks pop up for sale with the seller mentioning it was found on a deer lease. Presumably, many of these trucks ended up there before they became valuable, and were just tired trucks that were no longer useful as daily drivers. Of course, many of these properties set aside for hunting purposes seem to be in territories known for being a sportsman’s paradise, such as Texas and Montana, which conveniently have very forgiving climates for vintage sheetmetal. We’ve seen Isuzu Troopers, Ford Broncos, International Scouts and other classic square-bodies appear for sale after years of being squirreled away on a private lease; imagine waking up one day and realizing the family beater is actually worth a few bucks.

Now, one of the downsides to such a vehicle is that it’s not typically looked after in the years when it’s used expressly as a hunting rig; weather-related concerns really aren’t perceived as an issue, so the trucks sit outside with little in the way of protection. That’s why it’s of little surprise to see this CJ5 emerge with no soft top and a solitary bucket seat – hell, your buddies can just all pile in, or if you’re the solitary type, removing the seats gives you more room for hauling back your trophies. The good news is with this truck being in Texas that the floors remain in excellent condition and the same goes for the body. It’s incredible that it retains original paint, too, which is a bonus for the next owner.

And what will that next owner do? Should it continue in the tradition of being a fine hunting vehicle, or is time for the Jeep to finally be treated to a life of luxury and restored back to new condition? There’s part of me that believes the answer is somewhere in the middle: perhaps it should continue its legacy on the hunting lease, but be freshened up to at least provide several more years’ worth of dependable service to the sportsmen that use this rig. Whatever the future holds, the awesome original colors and mostly rot-free condition make this CJ5 a Jeep worth preserving for the next generation of hunters.