Hey Mark, sounds like you and I have the same passions, bird hunting and fly fishing. I just bought a 2016 Tacoma. It's a 4x4, double cab, TRD off road edition. What you described in how you'll use it is exactly the way that I use mine. I don't do trails just to do trails, I use it to hunt and fish, and that can take me into some tough areas. Now let me give you my take on this rig.
I traded in a good truck, a 2002 Silverado, 4x4, crew cab, with the diesel motor. That was a great truck! That thing took me almost everywhere that I wanted to go. My other car is a 2012 FJ Cruiser (wife's). Another great rig. Between these two though, neither was quite right. The Chevy was a little more than I needed, in terms of a truck, and the FJ isn't quite big enough to haul everything and the dog. I think that the Tacoma is just the right size. I've taken it out for quail and chukar several times and it hauls everything that I need, and the dog too. The back seats lay flat, so that's where my dog normally rides. Mine came with a tonneau cover, and as nice as it is, I'll be getting a shell in the not to distant future. As far as handling tough trails, this thing is AWESOME! I've got some rough areas that I need to get into...Mojave Desert chukar hunting, and this truck just plain handles it!
I didn't go with the 4Runner because I think it would have been just a little to small. I really don't look at my Tacoma as a true truck, it's more like a SUV on steroids, but that's OK for me. The day after I purchased it I took the family to the Grand Canyon, that's me, my wife, my 20 YO son and my 9 YO daughter, oh yeah, and the dog. I have an old military trailer that I tow, I carry all of the camping supplies in it. The truck did great. I'll guess that I was towing close to 2000 pounds. I wouldn't want to tow a heavy load with this truck, but I'll bet a small boat or camper would do OK behind it. The only complaint was from my son, the back seats are quite a bit smaller than the Chevy, and he was a little cramped, not horribly, but definitely not the same as a full size truck. If I need to haul something big, I'll throw it into the trailer and get it that way.
Now, the off road system. I love the traction control on here, The MTS (A-TRac) works phenomenally. The crawl control works too, but I don't think it's needed. Everything that I do with the crawl control, I can do manually, without it. Although, if I get stuck in the sand, like in the commercial, I'm sure that I'll be singing it's praises. The locker is awesome. I haven't had to use it much (maybe 2-3 spots) due to the MTS, but it's there when you need it. I thought about getting a base model and having front and rear ARB air lockers installed, but I'm glad that I didn't and here's why. My previous experience with A-TRAC on the FJ showed me that this is a great system and would get me through almost everything that I need, this in combination with the rear locker is a great combo, if I'd of gone aftermarket lockers, then the price difference would have been negligible if at all, plus the factory system is under warranty, in the unlikely event that any of it breaks, I'm covered for 100,000 miles ( I bought the extended warranty, through my credit union for about $800.00). This is why I didn't go with he base model. Plus all of the other creature comforts are really nice too.
This truck rides really nice around town and on the highways. It's my daily driver and really comfortable. I had no problems driving it to the Grand Canyon, the seats supported me well the entire time. I'm 5'9" so maybe if you are taller that may be a point of concern, but for me, it fits great.
My only complaint is the MPG. It's not great. My average is just over 16 MPG right now. I got 15 MPG in my old diesel full size. Now I know that's comparing apples and oranges, but still, 16-17 for a small truck doesn't seem quite right. I wish Toyota would put a diesel in the Tacoma, I'd trade mine in, in a New York second for it. I wished that I'd of looked at the Chevy Colorado with the diesel in it. The truck does get up and move though, definitely more power than the FJ.
So, do I regret buying this truck? Not in the least, it's a great rig for what I need and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Feel free to ask any questions that you might have, I'll answer tot he best of my ability.