Field Expediants?

[longcruise]

That's what my seargent called them in the service. It's the use or misuse of something to deal with a problem for which one is unprepared or unequipped for.

Any good "field expediant" stories?

My first ml hunt in '75 i had been in a motorcycle accident and fractured my left hand and left foot. I killed a nice medium sized mulie buck but he didn't die till he ran to the bottom of a steep gulley about 300 feet deep. It was all I could do to pull that deer part way up the slope through quakies and sagebrush but then it dawned on me that I had a couple chunks of large rope in camp!

Climbed out of the gulley and went back to camp got the rope, my '73 Torino and the wife. There was a dirt rode near the top of the gulley ridge so we backed the car up it to just above the deer and we tied all the rope together and tied it to the trailer hitch. Then we threw it through the crotch of an aspen that was just down over the edge. Took the rope (about 150 feet of it) down the hill and it just reached the deer. I'd told the wife that when I hollered she should drive back down the road and pull the deer up until she heard me holler "stop".

At the last minute I got the bright idea to grab the horns of the deer and ride him up the hill! I hollerd go and she slowly started pulling the deer up the hill. I was staying with him nicely and was thrilled not to have to climb back up the hill with a cast on one leg and one hand. Almost to the top and I hollerd "stop". Guess she didn't hear me! I hollerd stop again but she kept going. By that time the deer was half off the ground and headed toward the tree crotch. I was too scared to let go! When the wife saw the quakie waving wildly in the rear view mirror she stopped and walked back to see what was going on. She found me and the deer hanging from the crotch of the tree. The deer didn't mind but I was kinda scared!

I was able to slide down the deer and get my feet on the ground and let go so no harm done. Nice thing about it was once we tied the deer off in the crotch of the tree, that big long Torino rear end reached out over the edge and we got enough deer into the trunk to cut it loose so it slid into the trunk.

 

[Bill Hall]

Came up with a good system for skinning and cutting up elk when I am hunting by myself. All I need is my jeep, a come along, and a rope. First, stretch the come along across two trees as high as you can reach while standing on the jeep. Then, throw a rope over and tie to back leg of the elk and the bumper of the jeep. Start backing up until the legs start to lift. You can skin a little, then back up to lift the elk, and skin a little more til you work down to the head. Lay the skin hair down under the elk and start cutting it up in reverse order. If you need to lay a chunk down, you can put it on the skin to keep it clean. As you quarter it up, you just pull forward to let the elk down as it gets shorter. Of course, this only works if you can get your vehicle to the elk, but it worked for me twice so far. Bill

 

[longcruise]

Good idea. :thumbsup: I have tried to lift an elk into a tree using the typical little block and tackle sets sold in stores. NO WAY one person is going to get it up by hand!

Couldn't get a half an elk up either.