Hauling deer

[boomer68]

Just wondering how people who hunt by themselves haul their deer out without a ATV. Do you drag it after gutting, or quarter it and pack out?

 

[DrMike]

I've done both, boomer68. I don't own an ATV and so I seldom have the luxury of using one. If it is within a reasonable distance to a road or clearing, I'll drag it. This assumes it is not in a woodlot with a great deal of deadfall or heavy undergrowth, or it assumes that I have a good snow pack to make dragging easier. Otherwise, it is quarter and carry.

 

[SJB358]

I have gotten to where I would rather quarter the deer on the spot. Gets rid of the guts and animal parts from around the camp/house area. If a quad is available, I will bring them back sometimes, just depends on the situation I guess. Scotty

 

[boomer68]

What do you bring along for gutting and quartering? Do you use plastic bags for carrying the quartered meat?

 

[wildgene]

...I just drag 'em, generally it's not worth the time or effort to go get a 4-wheeler, you can't get one to the deer, or it's illegal to operate one where the deer is...

...I can only remember quartering one deer, a huge muley buck that ended up in the bottom of a very steep canyon, every other deer I actually ended up packing, I cut in 1/2, & packed out a 1/2 @ a time...

 

[jimbires]

don't put warm meat in plastic bags , it can spoil quick .

I drag and use a deer cart . I hunt on state game lands and they are closed to motor vehicles . Jim

 

[martineta]

I fillet the meat without gutting the deer. Carry the meat out in Bags in my back pack. The carcass is left for the ravens, coyotes, and bears.

 

[Guy Miner]

About half a boned-out mule deer buck is in that pack my hunting buddy is carrying. I've got the other half in my pack. We were about three miles from the trailhead, up about 8,000' in Wyoming when he got the deer. Doggone him! :grin:

For two guys, a boned out mule deer, or quartered, isn't bad at all. One guy can do it too, it's just going to be more work. In 2009, I quartered up and packed out this young mulie right there on the spot, using that flat rock I'm standing on as a work surface part of the time. My son grabbed all of our gear, stuffed it in his pack and I hauled the deer out of the canyon in two trips, quartered.

Couldn't fit all four quarters in my pack, and didn't take the time to bone it out. Besides, it was one heck of a steep canyon and the trip out was all uphill. I think two trips was a smarter way to tackle the problem.

So, either quartering or boning out makes a lot of sense if it looks bad for dragging out the deer. For gear, not much is required. I can quarter a deer with just a hunting knife, and a real sharp, smaller knife helps a lot when boning it out. A small folding saw can be a help, but isn't necessary.

Guy

 

[atmoshpere]

+1 to pretty much everything Guy said, although I do often take the time to bone them on the spot if it is down a canyon. 1 person with a good pack can take out a boned deer by himself. Of course I've never had to pack one 3 miles yet :mrgreen:

It is too steep where we hunt to use anything other than your legs+packframe, except for one ridge that is ATV accessible.

 

[Polaris]

I have only public land to hunt so I have to kill 'em with my boots to get decent hunting. A few years ago I bought a deer cart from Sportsmans Guide and it is the best $75 I've ever spent. Works great in rough terrain so long as you have some sort of trail. I plan my hunting spots accordingly, being somewhat near at least a good deer trail. The cart will roll over logs up to 6" and easily hoist over bigger ones. The only thing that messes with it is deep snow or mud. If you get one, throw away the straps that come with it and replace with 16" rubber shock cords and an 8' length of rope to strap on your deer.

 

[tecumseh]

I gut and drag them out.

 

[JD338]

I use a game cart unless it deep snow, then I drag.

JD338

 

[efw]

I'm the same as others.

I drag if I can, and do the gutless field dress if I can't.

Never have ATV and don't really care to. Obviously just a personal thing, but it would kinda ruin the experience.

 

[Ridge_Runner]

In the past I've had the easiest success by using a plasic 55 gal. barrel split and made into a sled, it moves over rocks and limbs effortlessly, leaves and grass even better, got a 200# bear out myself that I shot 9/10's of a mile from my truck. took me an hour and 20 min.
RR

 

[1Shot]

Where I hunt in the bean fields of NC I usually drive the truck right up to the deer. Some times I have to drag it a little ways out of the beans but not far. Put a rope around it's neck/antlers and stand on the tail gate and pull it right up into the truck. If it is too wet to get out into the field I have a folding game cart that I use. I carry it in the truck bed when it is wet. Just fold it out and lock the braces in place pull to the deer and pull the deer right up on it and it balances right over the wheels and you can almost pull it with one hand. If I was in the ruff country I would carry a pulley set up to hoist the deer up off the ground and de-bone the meat off and cut the head off with a small saw and pack it out leaving the carcass where legal.

 

[DrMike]

Now, that is just too easy, 1shot. Very nice, however, and I'm appreciative when I'm able to do it.