Drag or Pack Out?

[NullPointerException]

I'm hunting a small piece of public land starting Tuesday (I have a special permit that allows me to hunt a piece of land that normally forbids hunting). Based on where the deer are hanging out, I'm expecting a roughly 1.5 mile trip to the truck (relatively level ground) if things go well.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a novice at field dressing. The one antelope I've downed with my bow I had a buddy gut in like 10 minutes and we had the truck right there.

As a result, I'm wondering if I should do the gutless method and pack out or try to drag the deer back to the truck. I'm going to be hunting solo, so I'm also wondering if there are any contraptions that I can use to get a whole muley buck into the truck. For the gutless method, I've watched about every video on the internet about it and I'm wondering if someone can give me an estimate of how long it would take a total noob to do a deer. I'm a little worried about taking a shot in the afternoon and starting the process as I'm losing light. I have a decent headlamp and extra batteries should it come to that.

For the record normally I wouldn't ask, but I was out there scouting yesterday and saw a giant. I did a "dress rehearsal" stalk and got to 52 yards before him and his buddy noticed me. They didn't bolt and continued feeding. At that point, I backed off and let them continue eating.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

IMO, there has to be a pretty compelling reason to drag a deer. Like it's downhill, with snow on the ground, and I can see the truck.

 

[EastTNHunter]

I usually drag a deer if it’s short distance, but have begun to favor quartering, especially if it’s a long distance out. And I’ve done it by headlamp light several times.

Just make sure that you have game bags (I use thrift store pillow cases) and a good backpack. I have a bad back, so the angle of hanging over the deer is far worse than carrying it on my back using a backpack with good straps and a kidney belt.

 

[mevertsen]

I am done field dressing. Even if I can drive to it.

I will skin and quarter on the spot. It fits easier in the truck, and less waste when I get home.

I have a nice pack frame I got for about $70 a couple years ago and I have used a few times. Absolutely love it.

 

[brymoore]

Drag a deer a 1.5 miles? No

 

[coleslaw]

Wheeled game cart, garden cart or a snow sled will work. I packed an entire mule buck out solo in one trip last year, (quarters, cape, neck meat, loins). Granted it was only 1.5 miles, but now I know it is doable and anything farther than 1/2 mile from the road is getting quartered and packed out. It also makes it easier to throw everything into the cooler right away once you get back to the truck.

Here in the Midwest, dragging seems to be the only method for some reason... I've learned better methods over the years.

 

[brnsvllyjohn]

I would rather make 2 trips packing a deer than one trip dragging a deer. On a really large animal I cannot carry it by myself so 2 loads. I will usually go 300 yards +- and drop the first load then go back and get the other half. By going back and forth when I get to the truck I am done and don't need to hike all the way back to the kill site. Others will have different opinions but this has worked for me. This is where game bags help a lot. Depending on conditions I will sometimes go all the way to my truck with the first load but each situation is different. Be sure to mark any meat you walk away from. I have spent way too much time walking in circles looking for half a deer.
I also own an old one wheel deer cart that works well. Never found a 2 wheel cart I liked. If the terrain is cart friendly they can make it easier.

 

[thomas89]

Yeah +10 votes for quartering.

Unless it’s some goofy place like WI where you are allowed to quarter but have to bring everything except the guts out anyways. Goof balls in that state I tell ya.

Quartered an antelope 1/4 of the mile off the road last year, definitely less “waste” as at least the coyotes got to gnaw on the rib cage and scraps vs. going into a landfill somewhere.

 

[Sytes]

A pack sled makes a deer drag a cake walk, based on the conditions you shared. Heavy weight on back or pull a slick bottom sled?

Think smarter vs work harder.

To each his/her own.
**************
Edit added:

I'm going to be hunting solo, so I'm also wondering if there are any contraptions that I can use to get a whole muley buck into the truck.

Magnum Deer Sleigh'r Game Sled

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Easy to pack in... as JLS shared, conditions define the value, as a given for any hunt and equipment, clothing, etc.
I've dragged sleds into / out of Wilderness areas, 15 + miles on a few occasions and packed the sled shared in the link most all the time for elk and deer. Worth it's weight... dry ground or snow... mud slicks or suction.
Better to have and need than to need and not have, a common theme.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

Heavy weight on back or pull a slick bottom sled?

Depends on the ground surface. I drug a bull out in a Jet Sled once on dry ground. It was great till the frost melted. After that, not so great.

 

[pjd243]

been using a game cart for 20 years , has never let us down

 

[Slm864]

I would drag it just so you can tell about the misery later

 

[Dsnow9]

I have dragged a number of deer. Up hill, through gulleys, multiple miles. Don’t do it. I always hunted with a small day pack and didn’t want to go back for the other pack. I now hunt everything with my sg and will no longer be dragging.

 

[MO Betta]

If feasible, gut the deer there and use a dolly/game cart/sled to bring the animal out whole to process at home. It will allow you to take your time processing the animal in a more sterile environment. I like to let a field dressed animal hang for at least a day before processing.

Gutless method works fine, being new to it you might take a couple hours to break it down, not a big deal. Pack a tarp to to work on if you choose to go this route.

 

[Wildabeest]

IMO, there has to be a pretty compelling reason to drag a deer. Like it's downhill, with snow on the ground, and I can see the truck.

Agree with this. I normally don’t even contemplate dragging an animal out, but last year my son and I both took muley bucks within and hour of each other, and also happened to be uphill (mostly) in 6” of fresh snow and less than 1/2 mile from where we could get the truck to. So instead of going through the trouble of quartering and packing them out, we just gutted them and drug them out. It was definitely the easier way to go, but since I wasn’t prepared for it, I decided to use my new rifle sling as a drag rope. Worked OK going downhill, but once on the flat section at the bottom, it broke . $30 down the tubes, but it was still the easier way to go. I’m now considering getting a jet sled since I’ll be hunting that same area again, but it likely won’t be my default way of getting an animal out in the other areas I hunt. I’ve seen other uses for the jet sleds that make them intriguing such as using them as a shower basin with a water bag shower, using them to store / haul gear in/out, etc. When in less than a mile, I can see some real benefits to them.

 

[406dn]

As to getting a whole mule deer buck into a pick up bed by yourself,,,,,, get a come along.

 

[seeth07]

If you are not comfortable with the gutless method and breaking it down (for a novice, you're looking at probably 2 hours to do it) there are ways you can get it out without dragging the entire animal.

First off, removing the guts is something I'm going to assume you would do if dragging. This drastically cuts down on its weight.

Second, you can pretty quickly cut off all 4 legs at the knees. Knowing where to make the cut and how to bend the leg correctly to do this with just a knife is helpful. I'm sure you can find a few videos on this. This will make it easier to drag and cuts a bit more weight.

Finally, make a harness that will get the drag rope up by your shoulders. I personally use a tree stand safety harness and it works amazing. You put that on and then hook the drag rope to it. Attach the drag rope to the deers head, wrapping its nose such that when dragging, the deers head to its nose stays straight with the drag rope.

Following these few steps will result in a much less painless drag. It can be done up to the distance of 1.5 miles you mentioned. Will it be fun? No probably not. The first 400 yards of a drag always doesn't seem that bad. Then it just turns into pain and agony. But if that is what you're comfortable with, go for it.

 

[Wildabeest]

The first 400 yards of a drag always doesn't seem that bad. Then it just turns into pain and agony.

And the pain is not over when you get to the truck. As I found out, waking up in the middle of the night with hamstring cramps is not much fun... Stay hydrated and get some electrolytes in you! Or simply get yourself in better shape before season than I do

 

[vanish]

I think @Sytes must have a terrible backpack. Its the only reason I can come up with that he finds the sled better.

Maybe I've just never had the right sled, but I tried it 3 or 4 times before I put it in the "torture" bucket. Same with a game cart, unless I was on a good road. Any rocks in the trail and it was awful.

I can do a whole bone-in deer 3+ miles in my pack (furthest its been, never needed to try farther) in one trip. Sure, that means more to do in the field, but you've got to deal with the hide and such anyway. I'd rather that stuff be left in the woods than put in my garbage can.

I agree with the two-hour first time assessment for the gutless method. With practice, you can get it down to 30-45 minutes on a deer sized animal. People can do it faster than that but often leave the liver/heart, and you are risking cutting yourself if you move too fast.

 

[np307]

Dragging deer is for 4wheelers. Even us boys down here in the southeast are starting to pack them out now.