Tailgating is a great warm-up for hunting season. If you’re still lugging a full-sized grill around in the bed of your truck, however, don’t. There’s a much better way. Grills have downsized significantly, allowing you to cook burgers and hot dogs on the deck as well as create a hot breakfast before the hunt. Griddles are a great complement to any grill; they may not be as portable, but they allow you to multitask with a host of great foods like eggs, bacon, potatoes, and pancakes. One of our guys stopped at Cabela’s in Sidney, Nebraska, on the way to elk camp and purchased a large griddle that matched a Coleman three-burner stove. The French toast we enjoyed in the remote wilderness tent was heavenly. Check out these items for starters:

Blue Rhino Portable Lp BBQ Grill with Griddle (pictured above): There’s a 126 1/2″ chrome-coated flat cooking surface on this grill, room enough for up to four nice-sized burgers. Add to that a 100 1/2″ non-stick, cast-iron griddle surface; www.sportsmansguide.com

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Blacktop 360 Portable Grill: Twist the patented Hellfire infrared burner up to 11 and hit cooking temps of 650 degrees. Your meat is certain to cook up fast, keeping your ravenous tailgating bros at bay; www.blacktop360.com

thCAG0RD7TColeman Roadtrip Propane Grill: This portable, lightweight grill is ready to go with you anywhere — camping, tailgating, the beach, and more! Compact in size, this piece is roomy enough to cook for five or six people. The InstaStart ignition offers fast, dependable lighting without matches. A fully adjustable, 6000-BTU stainless steel burner provides even heat distribution, and the porcelain-coated grill grate is removable and dishwasher-safe for simple clean-up; www.coleman.com

292627_ts[2]Browning Buckmark Table Grill: Lightweight and easy to carry, this is the perfect addition to your outdoor cooking arsenal! Fire up the 12,000-BTU stainless steel tube burner and use the 246 square inch space to grill up hot dogs, brats, burgers, steaks, and more. Learn more at sportsmansguide.com.

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Joe Byers has more than 1,000 magazine articles in print and is currently a field editor with Whitetail Journal, Predator Xtreme, Whitetails Unlimited, Crossbow Revolution, and African Hunting Journal magazines. He’s spent the last three decades depicting the thrill of the chase and photographing the majesty of all things wild. Byers is a member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association and numerous other professional and conservation organizations.