Partition and a large doe

[joelkdouglas]

Took a large doe last night, a second deer in the freezer for the season. I still have my buck tag in my pocket--now I get to be especially picky!

Distance was roughly 100 yards. She was looking around, cautiously stepping out of the brush to feed along a field of fresh cut clover. There was a yearling doe and a fawn with her--I had passed on the yearling about a half hour earlier.

At the shot I lost the sight picture because of the recoil. When I looked back I saw a deer run off, and I'm working the bolt, lining up the crosshairs...then the deer I was now aiming at turned and looked back, and I realized it was the yearling. I stopped looking through the scope and looked back to where I shot the doe. There she was, lying on the ground.

Then it gets interesting. There was about a half hour of light left, and I still have to dress her and get her uphill to the truck, but not too far. I tried to drag her uphill before field dressing her so I could use the headlights if need be, but I gave up halfway up the hill. Got her field dressed, and dragged her to the field edge so I could drive the truck over and load her. I call the meat processor, and he says he'll meet me at 8:00 pm, and it's only 7:15, so I think I'm good. Then I go to put her in the back of the pickup...and I can't load her! She's too heavy. And I lift weights, and I run, and just the day before I almost scored a perfect on my annual fitness test.

I called the processor back and told him I would meet him this morning because I couldn't load her. Thankfully a buddy (Josh) drives half an hour to meet me and put her in the back--I owe him a bottle of Maker's Mark. Thanks be to God for the blessing of a second deer and for Josh's help--otherwise I would have had to cut her in half.

Rem 700 custom rifle--McMillan Classic stock, Rock Creek #3 barrel, Timney trigger, PTG one-piece bolt, Leupold 6x42 scope
30-06 handloads--58.8 grains Ramshot Hunter, CCI mag primers, Nosler brass, 180 Nosler Partitions moving about 2750 fps

And I was wearing my hunter orange Nosler hat!

 

[Guy Miner]

It was the hat! :grin:

Congrats on a good clean kill. You obviously placed your shot well and the combo of bullet & cartridge is classic. I've been messing with Ramshot Hunter and 180's and like what I'm seeing so far...

My son and I have killed a few mule deer does that were BIG. Tasty too...

Guy

 

[Hegland]

Then I go to put her in the back of the pickup...and I can't load her!

Lots of steaks in there! :grin: Congrats on your prize. Sounds like a very classy rifle, too!

 

[JD338]

Congratulations on the doe.

JD338

 

[truck driver]

A 4x8 sheet of ply wood and a come along sure comes in handy in those situations. :roll:
Good job on getting the doe.

 

[Guest]

Congrats on the Doe, They eat better than the Buck sometimes. :wink: The 06 is STILL a Deer Killer! :mrgreen: Your load sounds good too.

Don

 

[FOTIS]

Congratulations

 

[DrMike]

Fine job, Joel. Congratulations. I actually take does preferentially anymore.

 

[Guy Miner]

Wish I could Mike. Been trying for a doe tag here for several years. Maybe next year...

Guy

 

[joelkdouglas]

Thanks for the support, and the suggestion about the plywood.

The best thing about taking a couple of does before November is I have sufficient meat in the freezer for the year, and that takes the pressure off killing a small buck. Now I won't hesitate to let a small 4-point walk and wait for his big brother!

 

[1Shot]

I can tell you how to load even BIG deer by yourself. Tie a rope around the deers neck with the rope angle on the back side of their head so when you pull them up in the truck they slide on their back bone. Climb up on the tail gate of the truck. Reach down the rope as far as you comfortably can and pull on the rope. Once you get the deers head past the tail gate just walk back into the bed of the truck. It will pull the deer right up in the truck.

 

[joelkdouglas]

I was thinking maybe a pulley? I have a camper shell on the pickup, but I could attach a pulley to the front tie down brackets.

 

[Anonymous]

I've loaded some big caribou with a couple of 2x10s and a pulley.

 

[Guest]

I've used a pulley to lift heavy deer into a pickup bed. The trick is to set it up ahead of time, and have some way to maintain your rope tension while you readjust your grip on the deer and the rope. I used the pulley setup from a game hoist, as it has a locking notch for the rope. Just set up with the rope around the neck (and if rigor has not set in, pull the front legs into the loop if you can) and put the rope in one hand, and your other hand on, or arm around the deer's chest. squat the deer up, and pull the rope. Either hand-wrap to maintain tension, or use a braked pulley, and readjust your rope grip and then your deer grip, and pull/lift in combo until you get most of the front half of the deer on the tailgate. With the rope under tension (braked or tied off) you can just whip the back legs up onto the tailgate and then pull the deer into the bed. It sounds harder than it is. A brakeable pulley or block&tackle will save you a lot of hassle and make the work intensely easier.

Another option is to drag the deer to the side of a ditch and back down with your truck, but you have to be able to drive out of the ditch, so watch that.

 

[Firebird]

Come-a-long and fifty feet of rope. Also great when your truck gets stuck! Now where do I get a classy hunter orange nosler cap!!!

 

[joelkdouglas]

Come-a-long and fifty feet of rope. Also great when your truck gets stuck! Now where do I get a classy hunter orange nosler cap!!!

Here ya go...

http://www.shootersproshop.com/apparel/ ... range.html

 

[1Shot]

With a truck with a camper top I have used a chain attached to both tie down hooks up at the cab area of a pick-up- truck with a pulley system that comes with a game hanging outfit with a much longer rope added to it. Hooked the top of the pulley to the center of the chain brought bottom part down to where the deer lay on the ground and hooked it to a rope tied around the deers neck and then pulled the deer up in the truck. It helps if you use a board or piece of plywood as a ramp from the tail gate to the ground. I have seen people use a BIG eye bolt mounted in the bed up close to the cab of a truck to hook a pulley of come-along to.
On most deer I load in my truck with a camper top I still just use the old rope around the neck standing on the tail gate method. I have the tail gate down but the back hatch door on the camper top is closed down. I stand on one end of the tail gate and pull the deer up and I backup toward the other end of the tail gate and pull the deer up on the tail gate. Then I can get down and push the deer into the back of the truck.