Getting your kill out?

[walley]

How do you guys get your deer or other large game
out of the woods to your truck or camp?

1. Drag it out yourself? Do you use a certain
technique or device to assist with this?

2. Use an ATV? Do you drag it, or load the animal
onto the ATV? If loading it, please explian how
you do it.

I mostly hunt alone in thick timber and a ATV is
limited travel in some cases. I don't have a horse
so I'm pretty much limited to dragging it a good
distance myself. I'm just looking for better options,
and wandering what everyone else is doing.

Thanks

 

[rabjr]

Most of the time I am alone and prefer it that way. And being a paraplegic I rely heavily on my CATV to do everything from getting me into the woods to retrieval of the animal. I've been known to jump off it and flop around like a fish out of water in order to get a rope around the animals feet and head, then crawl back up onto the machine and drive it on out. Thank god no ones ever around to see that! :rotf:

 

[Bountyhunter]

If I am not close enough to pull the animal out head first to my truck, then I split the hide down the middle of the back and pull off the front shoulders from the inside of the hide. Then I bone out the Prime rib, and loin back to the front of the pelvis on both sides. Then I disjoint the haunches and pull them up out of the hide. That is 6 large pieces of meat. Two front shoulders and two rear haunches (hams) and the two loin pieces. What is left is the hide and the skeleton and guts in one package for the coyotes. The only meat left is the rib meat. I bag the loins in a deer bag and bag the shoulders and haunches and pack out to the truck. This whole process takes about 15 minutes and it dispenses with skinning and butchering the animal. I picked this up from an old Herters book. It was a technique that Herter used in the late 1800's in Canada while hunting moose and caribou.

 

[shmrck1]

Kaboom,
I wait for my son and grandson to show
up and direct them the the truck location :winking:
snake-eyes :hatsoff:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I have a 2" wide Nylon strap maybe six feet long with the ends sewn to a "D" ring. It loops over my shoulder and 10 feet of 1/4" polyester line tied to that "D" ring. I tie the deer so that the head is up off the ground as I stand and the forelegs are tied up tight to the neck so they don't snag as I drag. Some that dressed out over 200# (I weigh 190#) and several I moved more than two miles, crossing gullies and ravines. I've hauled 34 of my own deer, some with help but most alone, one 6 pt. my wife took, and helped several other hunters haul deer out of the woods with it. Some took hours. All part of the hunt.

I'll probably wimp out this year and use my tractor to get the deer up from the creek 600 feet below the house after I get it down through the woods on the other side.

At least I won't have to lift it into a car trunk. Whew!

 

[BrownBear]

Depends on terrain, size of animal and distance. Where possible I drag deer out whole using a drag with shoulder straps (works best if you shorten the rope so the head is off the ground, along with some of the deer's shoulder weight).

If that's not possible, I bone them out and pack out the meat. That's legal here even for deer, but not in all states.

In Alaska there are "wanton waste" laws that dictate which parts have to come out, including ribs. If more than one trip is required as with moose or elk, you can't bring out the cape and horns till all edible meat has been taken out of the field.

I prefer getting them out whole if possible, simply for ease of hanging and aging the meat prior to butchering. It's possible to do a really clean job of field butchering, but then you have to do something with the meat once you get it home.

 

[CrackStock]

My first kill was a hog along the Pearl River. I dragged it a short distance overland to a tributary and floated it to the river where we could hoist it onto the boat.

I do not own an ATV and do not want one as I really like to take long walks in the woods with a gun and the ATV distracts that enjoyment for me. I generally drag mine out with a thick strap tied to a couple of ropes, but unlike one suggestion above I try to limit deer contact with my body so that deer ticks do not get all over me. A canvas bag made from painters drop cloth helps. I have used an old $17 plastic sled from when we lived in the frozen north, but I am looking at these wheeled carts which run between $100 and $200 for future use. I also have several friends who have assisted me with their ATVs. In return, I have helped them with repairs and parts.

We have dragged them behind the ATV, but I do not like this unless we used the old sled and we have pulled them onto the rear rack and driven them out while the other guy walked.

My uncle had an old Jeep that he managed to get almost anywhere. Not legal on some land, but he had a lease and was able to do this.

CS

 

[chuck-ia]

let me clarify. IF you cannot walk, I have nothing against an atv. flinch

 

[chuck-ia]

I would rank using an atv right along with using a scoped inline shooting sabots in muzzleloader season, I know this might tick some of you off, just how I feel. Having said that, I built a deer cart about 10 years ago. Ranks right up there with being one of my most valuable hunting tools. flinch

 

[whitetrash078]

I don't know how you would feel about this[url] http://www.cabelas.com/cabela...parentType=index&indexId=cat601052&hasJS=true[/url] but you could make it yourself for cheap and feel that you did honest work to get your kill out of the woods. Where I live there are always old bikes and their wheels by the dumpster and you could use some 3/4" rigid conduit and a bender to make one. :hmm:

 

[GrizzlyBear]

I've packed out elk quarters by pack, by sled, by back, and by game cart. I've drug deer out whole and I've used the strap / d-ring method mentioned earlier.

I've never boned an animal out in the field. Thinking I might try that this year. Have to check the legalities first.

By far the easiest is the game cart...but it requires an extra trip to get the cart to the animal.

 

If its a deer I cut it in front of the hind quarters and put it on a pack frame,then go back for the front half.If its an elk I quarter it then pack a hind quarter and front shoulder out the first trip then the same on the second trip then the rest on the last.

 

[Mad Professor]

This is not going to help with big stuff (elk, moose). I carry a 8' length of 3/8" nylon rope. After gutting truss the front legs up around the the back of the antlers (for does you need to tie them to the head/neck, keeps the legs from hooking brush as you drag. Tie the other end to a ca. 1- 1 1/2" X 2' stick, use this to pull the load. I like the idea posted above about a shoulder harness too!

If I'm going to be in deep woods and/or deep snow I have ca. 50 ' parachute cord (550 lbs test) and two VERY small aluminum pulleys ( the cordage is handy to have anyway if you need to do an overnight...). If I can't get the beast out I can hoist the animal high enough into a tree keeping the coyotes and ground bound vermin away till I can get help.

If I'm at home I fire up the 9N Ford ............. :grin:

 

[guncobbler]

I've used the plastic deer sleighs on my long hauls in the NF in VA. This year I hauled my tree stand in with a converted "twins" sized baby cart with 20" wheels. Got a large deer the same day and hauled the deer out on that. The baby cart is a little wide for the woods but I have a mile of farm roads to travel before I hit the woods and that made the world of differance. I won't even put my rucksack on my back if I can cart it in. GC

 

[mart]

A method I have always wanted to try but haven't had the brass to yet is; after killing a deer, hike to the nearest road or well used trail, lay down clutching your chest with both hands. When someone stops to help you gaspingly explain that you have just taken a deer but that the ticker may give out on you. If played right one can probably get the deer hauled out and loaded in your truck while you "recover" enough to drive home. :rotf: Probably won't work for you young guys but in another few years after I cross the 50 mark I may have to give it a go. :thumbsup: Mart

 

[renovato]

I've always huffed and puffed and dragged and carried..and cursed and cursed and cursed! Mart, I like your idea the best!

 

[meathead]

Cabela's mag Game cart here.Used it for two elk, two mule deer. One elk was quartered, the other left whole(field dressed), both deer whole.You have to pick you path through thick timber and blow downs, some times you have to unpack and repack, but the cart is a real life saver! For long distance hunts, I just take the cart with me! Kind of nice to let the day pack and heavy plains rifle ride in the cart!They fold up for transport in smaller vehicles and for storage. I bring it folded out and good to go in the back of the pickup.Kind of tricky on steep slopes, but doable. Meathead

 

[Alberta Black]

We just usually drag out our deer with the same tool that Stumpkiller uses but usually we have snow during deer season.
Sometimes we also use a modified plastic sled.

But somewhere I saw a photo of a hunter with a deer strapped to a two wheel dolley like they use in warehouses and thought that the idea had some merit if there is no snow.

AB

 

[shmrck1]

mart,
Very similar to my method. I play on my age,
and it's the only time it pays to be 61.I would
call AARP, but they don't take woods calls :rotf:

snake-eyes :hatsoff:

 

[Vaino]

W/ elk we cut off the 4 quarters, neck and strip out the loins and tenderloins and sausage meat. The rib cage and spine are left behind for the bears. The meat in game bags is then tied to the back pack frame and carried out. For whitetails, because it's illegal in Wisc. to cut up a deer before it's been registered and ATVs can't be driven off road, dragging is the only way out. I use a tree stand safety harness around both shoulders and a 4 foot rope and this eliminates any back twisting that a single rope or hand pull causes. The only easier way is when my son and grandson do it....Fred