How do you drag game out?

[Deputy819]

I fire up an old, beat-up riding lawn mower (that still runs/works great), hitch up a garden-cart to it and away I go. If the deer happens to be in some thick stuff (briars, brush, etc..) I can cut my way to it and have an easy egress route. I only hunt the property I live on...

 

[tmwtrfwler]

Not to rub it in but we just drive the truck to it....but we are in Virginia so the land we hunt is a bit different. Flip side is the land you guys hunt and variety of game is much better than ours.

 

[SavageHunter11]

Not to rub it in but we just drive the truck to it....but we are in Virginia so the land we hunt is a bit different. Flip side is the land you guys hunt and variety of game is much better than ours.

That is true, I can hunt 8 of the North American big game animals and never leave the state. It does take 20+ years of preference to pull the goat and sheep tags though.

 

[FIGJAM]

Boned out and on our backs. Elk are usually quartered and loaded on horses.

 

[KyCarl]

We hunt private land so I use my Grizzly in and out. I've had 2 deer 2 Hunters and 2 rifles and it hauled it all with no problem! I pack a few things in the waterproof box
that are nice..Snacks..Dry socks and gloves..Flares..First aid kit..
I love it!

 

[Zen Archery]

Quarter. Backpack breaks apart to pack out game. May take 2 trips on an elk but as they say, hard works after the animals down. Deer can usually quarter and pack out in one trip.

 

[seattleman1969]

When I lived in Texas we would drive up to it and throw the whole animal in the back of the truck...

Now that I live in Montana we quarter if it's not too far or skin, bone and pack if it is. If we are lucky and there is snow on the ground I drag it with cheap kids sleds over the snow...

 

[parshal]

I'm looking for better ways, too.

Last year, three of us broke down a cow elk and carried it out 4.5 miles on our backs. The next day it snowed a few inches and we used a sled to drag another cow out 3.5 miles. That was after breaking it in half and dragging it half a mile down the mountain over sheep fences. Neither of these were easy but I'll carry it on my back before I drag that darned sled again! It took two to pull it and one in the back to keep it from running down the hill.

We are thinking about having horses or llamas lined up. We're getting old. LOL

 

[jepp2]

For anything (antelope, deer, elk & moose) I skin and quarter where they hit the ground. Then into game bags and use my Freighter pack. Meat stays cleaner and cools faster and you aren't carrying any excess weight. Here is what a deer looks like after about 45 minutes.

 

[jdmecomber]

This was about 3/4 of a mile so it was fine.

 

[joseph singleton]

That is true, I can hunt 8 of the North American big game animals and never leave the state. It does take 20+ years of preference to pull the goat and sheep tags though.

Like rubbing salt in a old guy's wound....Enjoy you are Blessed we got SHARKS and GATORS

 

[Susquatch]

ATVs are just kids toys! Around my home farm I use a Man's tool - a full blown loader tractor. Goes through anything. Self loads the deer in the bucket. Works great to hang and gut them too.

Up north, I use a deer cart. It has 2 bicycle tires (mountain tires) on an axle and a big hammock strung out on supports, and drag handles. You tilt it down, slide the deer up onto the hammock, strap it down, and pull it out from where ever you are. The bike tires cut through scrub, mud, and even a foot and a half of snow. Any more snow than that, I'd use a sled.

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/70182

I replaced the stock tires with bigger mountain bike tires. Gave more clearance and pulled easier too. Just imagine a giant wheel barrow.

Often thought I should have married Bertha though........

 

[Jeffrey Van Zandt]

This forum is "Long Range Hunting", implying we're a bunch that are willing to take longer shots on game. I'm my experience, it's rare I shoot game closer to the truck than I am and longer shots means longer distances to drag game out. How do you all drag game out? Any clever devices or tricks to make dragging a deer or similar game out of the field? I just use a rope and lots of leg power but I'm getting older and lazier and might buy/build an easier way to get a deer out. What do you all do?

 

[Johnny blade]

Use my 4 legged friends. The ONLY WAY TO DO IT!