Since I have gotten much older and a little wiser I no longer like dragging deer, especially when there is no snow and it is up hill. I found a new use for this winch I bought last spring. It worked the nuts for hauling my deer out of the creek bottom. Sure beats working up a sweat. I think I am going to like this winch a lot.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10129/MVC-011S%20%28Custom%29.JPG)
bitternut - I'm with you on that. For several years now, I have driven to the deer with my Deere. Then load them in the bucket and out we come. The loader works great for field dressing, and as well for skinning and breaking the deer down for butchering. Shoulders off, hind quarters off, and rib cage left for trimming off meat. I then hang the rib cage remains in a tree for the birds to pick at most all winter long. Have to hang it high to keep the coyotes away from it. :)
I bought a deer cart after I spent 4 hours dragging a deer. It works great. Three deer is the most I have had on it at a time. I also use it to haul my goose and duck decoys and firewood. It is supposed to hold 400 pounds. 600 pounds bent the wheels a little bit but it still works good.
Quote from: beenthere on November 23, 2005, 10:29:01 PM
I then hang the rib cage remains in a tree for the birds to pick at most all winter long.
Why would you do that? Jest wonderin' as usual... :D
asy :D
?? 'cause it gives the birds something to eat (like beef suet, only venison at and sinew) during the winter when the pickins are less due to the snow on the ground. Some people buy beef suet (fat) and hang it for the woodpeckers and the chickadees and the nuthatches. I just hang the deer rib cage as there is plenty to 'pick' off'n that. Adds a bit of character to the forest too. :o
Hope this helps the wonderin' mind dar. :)
Aaah, thanks,
I can go about my day happy now.
I had visions of the birds building nests in the rib cage and having the ribs to look out from... :D
asy :D
Depending upon the location, a game cart works well. This mule deer taken by son Todd, in the rear along with his friend Chris, is being "carted" off the Rocky Mountain Front near Augusta, Montana in early November.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/game-cart.JPG)
I'll tell yuins a trick I discovered one year when my back was out.I was gonna use a come a long to pull a deer up into my truck.Well I laid a 10 foot plank on the tailgate to slide it up on and when I started pulling it up on the plank to hook him up I found that it was real easy to just slide him right up on in the truck by hand. My back was hurting so bad I never dreamed I could slide a 200 pounder in the truck up a plank. :) :)
Since I hunt alone a lot, I always carry a short ladder section the length of the pick-up bed during the deer season. This makes loading a deer into the back of the pick-up very easy by yourself.
First tie the deer to the ladder section, place one end of the ladder on the tail-gate, pick up the other end and slide it into the back of the pick-up with the deer on it. I've loaded some large deer easily alone this way where I couldn't have done it otherwise without help.
Thats usin yer head by dang :D
I've thought about one of those deer carts, even made on for myself. Problem comes in when you have lots of underbrush and downed timber. The brush wants to hang up between the wheels and frame and when you come to a downed balsam fir, you have to contend with the limbs along with raising the cart to go over the tree. Uusally now I use a plastic sled. It slides better on bare ground than a deer and if you can get the front started over the downed tree, it slides right up and over. Make sure you have the deer's legs and head tied in well so they don't flop out and hook the underbrush though. If you have snow they slide really easy. I had no problem dragging a small deer nearly a mile by myself on snow. :)
The sleds slide up a plank into the back of a pickup realy easy too.
Yes, the plastic sleds work well also, especially with snow. I carry one in the back of the truck all winter with the snowshoes. After the deer seasons, I use it for "sledding" tree marking paint, paint guns, etc. into the timber marking areas for the day.
I guess that one can get plastic cover guards to go over the spoked cart wheels that help some when going through bush. Best to use them on trails though.