2006 Polaris Ranger
Browning Edition

Ray (Hawkeye)  Sedorchuk                                                                       

     As a child I remember many hunting trips where an old Willies jeep was our hunting vehicle of choice, we used the old jeep to build and bait bear hunting stands, drop off hunters and pick up game. As the years went by I remember the jeep slowly losing sheetmetal to the trees, rock, and elements. Unfortunately we needed to replace the jeep and the next step was the typical one rider ATV which worked well and had great abilities but lacked the cargo area we once had with the older jeep. Now that’s where the Polaris Ranger found it’s way into our hunting camp, the bench seating provides room for three hunters and the cargo area for our camp chores. I miss the old Willies but not enough to give up our Ranger or better yet a Ranger Browning Edition.    

       The Polaris Ranger is a four wheel-drive ATV with room for three up front seated occupants, supplies a rear cargo dump-box, great power, long travel suspension and impressive off-road capabilities. Really, the Ranger is the perfect hunting machine, it’s quite, transverses nearly any terrain, and can carry almost anything you may need into the field. Personally we own and use a standard Polaris Ranger with a 500cc engine but now Polaris has teamed up with Mossy Oak and Browning firearms to produce a Mossy Oak Browning Edition Ranger. The newly introduced Ranger has a few special Edition standard features, including standard 700 EFI engine, Mossy Oak New Break Up design camouflage (hood, dash, rims, decals), no-shine wrinkle black paint (cab frame, bumpers, screens); custom stitched black / brown / marsh green deluxe seat; Browning logos (hood and custom seat); Carlisle PXT off-road tires; 4.0 Warn winch; and a dual gun scabbard with Lock & Ride mount. MSRP is $17,049 Canada ($12,099 US).

    We have had the opportunity to use and test the new special edition Ranger on our property and even do a little hunting. Our days in the field provided some valuable experience with the complete Mossy Oak Browning package, camouflage and gun-toting tools made us wonder if maybe its time to trade in the standard ranger for a Mossy Oak Browning Edition. As stated earlier we have used the conventional ATV in many situations but in most cases the bigger Ranger prevails being bigger is better.  The Ranger is wider and longer than a conventional ATV, let’s go over some statistics. The Browning Edition Ranger comes in at 287cm (113in) long, 152.4cm (60 in) wide, 190.5cm (75in) high and with a wheelbase of 193cm, (76in) long. Many buyers are interested in cargo and towing specifications, the Ranger has a fairly large hard plastic cargo box, the dimensions are 143x101.5x31.5cm (54x36.5x11.5 in), vehicle payload capacity is 681kg (1500lb), Hitch tow capacity is 681kg (1500lb), and the cargo box capacity is 454kg (1000lb). The vehicle it’s self weighs in at 539kg (1185lb) and sports 27.9cm (11in) of ground clearance with a fully independent suspension. Speaking of suspension, up front you’ll find 20.3cm (8.0in) of suspension travel and in the rear we have 22.9cm (9.0in) of travel.  

    
     The Browning Edition is powered by a 700cc Electronic Fuel Injected engine that produces plenty of smooth, efficient power. Technical info includes a twin cylinder 683cc engine that produces 40hp and is liquid cooled. The transmission is equally impressive with a PVT (Polaris Variable Transmission) style automatic transmission armed for the rough stuff with high, low and reverse gearing. 

    The side by side cargo units are becoming more and more popular amongst riders, especially riders who work, play and hunt on their own property. When we talk about the Ranger we need to paint a picture of just how handy the vehicle is. Let’s say typically you and a friend decide that it time to start gathering the winter stock pile of firewood. The Ranger can take your chainsaw, safety gear and a hydraulic woodspliter into the wooded area and haul out a significant amount of firewood. Hunting with the Mossy Oak Browning Edition is another enjoyable experience. Just imagine a typical summer day, you and friend load up your rifles and hit the fields in search of those pesky varmints that have been ravaging your foodplots. The Browning Edition Ranger is quiet for a 700cc machine and sneaking up the fields edge is not a problem, you and your hunting buddy have now traveled to a high position looking over several prime fields. Both you and your partner pull rifles from the lock and ride double gun scabbards, as each of you rest on a slight hill over-looking the fields below several shots present themselves. As the day progresses, shots are taken and the Mossy Oak Browning Edition has served its purpose well, transporting you and your hunting gear to and from the field and the Mossy Oak camouflage has concealed the machine, blending the outline into the tree line.

Final Thoughts:

     Over the past three years side by side cargo units such as the Ranger have become more popular, almost all of the big seven ATV manufacturers have a side by side in the line-up and those that don’t are definitely working on one. There are plenty of reasons why these units are more in demand, one is the enjoyment of riding with another person and talking about the riding experience you are sharing. Personally I love riding along with a friend on old farm roads while taking in the fresh air, looking for wildlife, and enjoying the day with a friend. Polaris keeps improving the Ranger series with special additions such as the Mossy Oak Browning Edition and by adding small improvements such as the lock and ride system to the cargo box or by taking a wasted area under the seat and turning the space into dry storage. As I see it, the Ranger series is the most versatile vehicle Polaris produces, its sporty yet a strong workhorse. The off-road capabilities are surprising to the novice operator while working with the Ranger can open new doors to efficiency. I believe that when Polaris introduced the Mossy Oak Browning Edition they had a true outdoors enthusiast in mind, crawling over logs and rocks, moving swiftly through deep water and swamps, these are what the Ranger is all about. Don’t under estimate the potential of a Mossy Oak Browning Edition Ranger, 700cc of fuel injected, 4x4 power will make you hang-on with both hands.                     

   POLARIS XP Browning Edition SPECIFICATIONS