How do you get your game out of the woods?

[sure as shootin']

So far the majority of the deer I've shot in the last decade I could drag out on my own, some with much greater difficulty than others. That being said, I'm not getting any younger so I'm trying to work smarter not harder on this issue.

I've had a few easy extractions where my son in law has taken a couple out on horseback, or he and his buddy acted like my sherpas and backpacked one out while I carried the rifles.

Perhaps the easiest one to get out which was a few miles from the truck was on a trailor cart I bought for my mountain bike but it was ALSO the hardest, most grueling thing I had ever done because I had to get my bike into the decommissioned area where they didn't allow any type of motorized vehicle.

It took me three hours of gut busting work to push my bike and trailor combo up a trail that was clearly not designed for this use. BIG MISTAKE! I had several ass over tea kettle tumbles! LOL

The day was worth it, however, because it only took twenty minutes to coast down a back road trail back to where the truck was parked with a deer in the trailer.

I now have a deer cart which you push by hand which has worked quite well on these decomissioned, no vehicle roads as long as they're not too steep,,,,wish those things had brakes. LOL

A few days ago, I bought a used Badlands 2200 pack (sweet deal) to give that a try on those hunts where you would not want to drag a deer out. I'll have to give the gutless method of dressing a deer to test it out.

And since I hunt alone or with my not strong at all wife when I do road hunt, I want to get at least 3-400' of rope and a couple of block and tackles which I'm assuming should help a lot especially if it's a down hill shot. Anyone use this method because I haven't? Any tips?

I imagine quite a few guys use quads but I doubt I'll ever get one. Never say never, though.

What do you guys use to extract your deer and other game?

[KyleSS]

Usually a John Deere 4650 with 280 series loader. It works pretty good.

[JustBen]

1. Watch where you shoot something. I've turned down good shots on great deer because it'd take me a day to get them out of the hole they were in.

2. Get in and stay in the best shape you can. Packing animals out is not easy.

3. Consider the gutless method. Less weight to pack out. At the very least, quarter in the field and make a couple trips.

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by KyleSS

Usually a John Deere 4650 with 280 series loader. It works pretty good.

hmmmm i use a 4020 most of the time

if it's really rough a quad/ sled

if it's really really rough debone and haul in a pack

[SportHuntingHelp]

I got me one of these kids things but at 4 he needs to muscle up a bit. I remember when I was a kid dad made me drag everything out lol and than pointed out that I probably was not working hard enough but he might let me have a beer once we got back to camp. Good times.

[Suka]

We bone out our game where it falls. Pack it out on packboards.

Bones weigh quite a bit, so does hide and hooves.

Tried a gamecart, brush and muskeg make them much more work than a packboard in our experience.

[jcrayford]

Originally Posted by SportHuntingHelp

I got me one of these kids things but at 4 he needs to muscle up a bit. I remember when I was a kid dad made me drag everything out lol and than pointed out that I probably was not working hard enough but he might let me have a beer once we got back to camp. Good times.

^This sounds like a great idea - wonder if I could drag my 17 year old to be my Mule?

Got a hunting buddy to help. Mountain bike in on relatively flat trail. Deer cart if there's no snow. Calf sled if there is snow. Gutless on the Cow Moose last November; that worked well. Meat just stuffed into the calf sled, then worked our tails off to get the sled back out to the truck.

But for the most part, the 2 wheeled deer cart is the best deal. Wheels always work better than anything else invented.... And they save your back...

J.

[claystone]

Couple young guys to "Teach" (Packhorse) and you're good to go.

[Hydro1]

This is what I do.
Note: Not me in picture.
For larger game, I just carry out the quarters.
I don't like game carts, I don't like most packs so I carry it.

[Mistagin]

When I was a young guy we used to just drag 'em out. Sometimes miles and miles; there were some late nights getting back to camp in those days. When I got older it helped to have another group of young guys do the hard work .

Now I just load 'em on the quad and drive home .
Now a moose, if I ever get one, it'll go in the tub trailer.

[chuck-the-chimp]

I built pretty well exactly this. But with beefed up bike wheels. I loaded half a moose in it and pushed it ~3km through snow. Slick rick.

[Ranch11]

I got a horse that is pushing 17 hands high and 1500 lbs. Ol' Jack always gets em out!

[neilsledder]

900 Ranger, just try to shoot carefully so I don't need to chase it to far. But I suck at hunting and don't get the chance to often lol

[AlbertaWhitetail]

i pull mine out by hand because im still young (22) but thinking about getting one of those plastic game sleds for when there is snow. make it a little bit easier. I also like doing by hand because taking a quad into the woods where i hunt & disturbing the area that much i dont like. Already have done 15-20 deer since i started hunting.

[craig82]

If your off a trail and can't get to it with a quad then debone put in game bags and get to walking. I've heard all kinds of things like sleds game carts ect ect. If I can haul a sled or game cart I can get my side x side in. Only way to get them out of a **** hole is to pack them , and like has been said befor bone and hide add up to a lot of weight.

[igorot]

Originally Posted by sure as shootin'

I want to get at least 3-400' of rope and a couple of block and tackles

Grab some pulley at princess auto it would help a lot.

[kmacisaac]

I purchased a Crazy Carpet from Canadian Tire and drilled 1/2" holes around the perimeter. In the holes I added the punch in style metal grommets similar to what you would get in a poly tarp. After dressing my game in the field, and loading it on the Crazy Carpet, I lace the thing up like a shoe with some 3/8" rope and leave a loop to pull across my chest/shoulder. It works real well if there is snow, or at the least wet grass. The whole deal cost me around $15 to put together and it rolls up neatly and slides into a backpack with virtually no extra weight to carry.

[LKILR]

Shank's mare

[Pathfinder76]

If its gotta go further than 200 yds it comes out in pieces.

[bessiedog]

Usually just drag the deer out.
Last elk I packed I cut in half, strapped it to me kids sled and bombed off the mountain/hill.
Took 6 hours.

My oldest girl was 13 at the time and helped pack the gear, guns, liver, heart and ran a rope to stabilize the load on side hills.

Next time, big stuff gets quartered and packed out on the trapper Nelson.

My back does not aporeciate my macho stupidity anymore.

[sure as shootin']

Originally Posted by bessiedog

Usually just drag the deer out.
Last elk I packed I cut in half, strapped it to me kids sled and bombed off the mountain/hill.
Took 6 hours.

My oldest girl was 13 at the time and helped pack the gear, guns, liver, heart and ran a rope to stabilize the load on side hills.

Next time, big stuff gets quartered and packed out on the trapper Nelson.

My back does not aporeciate my macho stupidity anymore.

Even though I do a lot of exercise I know as I get older I've got to be smarter. Just hurts way too much the next morning when you're not.

~not a spring chicken anymore~

[glen1971]

Either I use a game sled, quad, argo, or the best bet is if I can get the truck to it and it goes right into the box...

[Dunezilla]

The biggest game I hunt is deer. Anyhow, where I hunt I am usually no more than 20 minutes from the vehicle. I believe the further I dragged one out of that area was about 500 or 600 yards, that being said they are usually closer than that. Then I take my 5 minute walk to the vehicle & go back & pick up the carcass.

I curl the carcass up into a half ball before I drag them out. That way the head & legs don't get hung up as much on bushes, logs extra.

I could de-bone it but I am usually never that far in the bush to warrant that.

Oh, & I keep going with the exercise. I'm no younger either so being in my upper 50's I try to keep in some kind of shape, & I try to find easier terrain to hunt on.

[ROA]

I have a gas powered winch that works awesome to pull game out of a bad Spot. From there it goes on a quad or truck.

[M70]

I don't know much about packing but I used these bags. I realize that not everyone has access to horses but I easily walked this old gelding out of a neighbour's coulee that year. It was a walk in the park compared to other methods. Two years before that I was wrestling a two wheeled game cart near the same place. If I had the money, I would look at buying a Rokon. The problem with that is that it wouldn't get used much outside of hunting season.

I usually hunt farm land and the farmers are usually good about truck access. For those times I'm not allowed to drive to get the deer, a game cart or calf sled works pretty well. For the hunter that is travelling light, I saw someone that had used a child's "crazy carpet" with holes drilled along the edges to tie binder twine to keep the deer on the plastic. I've never tried it myself but it might work.

[Prdtrgttr]

Once you go gutless, you never go back!

[Bushrat]

I walk them out to the truck at gunpoint , then I shoot them. This is the easiest way.

[JD848]

I have shot big bulls and got them out ,once it took 8 hours to get one out alone,it feel in a bad spot and I worked for that one.
For a deer if their to heavy to drag cut in half or quarter or debone.

Foe moose you do the same ,also I use to have a roll of cable for wire line drilling they use in diamond drilling to retrieve there core sample. I had a thousand yrd roll and if I could get my truck close I would drag it out whole before gutting it and gut it at my truck.You need some one to guide it along so you don't hook things like stumps an trees, if all alone short pulls and take your time.

if you can make a light travois like the natives used from smaller dry poles if you stuck and put a quarter on it ,you would be surprised how well it works if the terrain is not to bad. a bit of parachute cord is always good to have along.

[JD848]

Originally Posted by Bushrat

I walk them out to the truck at gunpoint , then I shoot them. This is the easiest way.

That's the best way to go specially if you can shot em just right so they fall in the box of your truck.

[Homesteader]

Originally Posted by fish_e_o

hmmmm i use a 4020 most of the time

if it's really rough a quad/ sled

if it's really really rough debone and haul in a pack

It it's really really really rough, and uphill both ways, I usually just take some briquettes, knife, fork, and toilet paper.

On a more serious note, I did buy an Otter sled from Peavey Mart, but have yet to test it out. Should be the cats meow.