Drag or Pack Out?

[mtmuley]

I've dragged deer lots if times. It ain't rocket science to figure out if it is a good idea or not. mtmuley

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Pack it out hands down. Even if you don't have a good pack, you can always just toss a leg or two over your shoulder and make a few trips. Doesn't sound like a far distance. Plus you don't have to deal with the carcass at your house.

 

[beginnerhunter]

If it's hot and u are worried about spoilage you could gut it and then still quarter it. Will allow it to cool more easily. But it would have to be pretty hot for me to mess with gutting. Still wouldn't drag. Carts are okay if the terrain lends itself to it.

As someone mentioned, probably plan on 2 hours to do the gutless for the first time. That's probably about how long it took me to do it in the dark by myself the first time.

 

[Dsnow9]

If you do drag, something like this with a solid handle is much needed.

 

[Western Traveler1]

I used a Magnum Deer Sleigh'r Game Sled last year on snow to haul a field dressed muley out. It was crazy easy up hill and down. I doubt I would try it on anything but prairie grass or snow.

If you have watched the gutless videos it is not that difficult. It will probably take you the longest to skin. It is easy to quarter a deer. Just follow the natural lines. If you are concerned about time, don’t skin it until you haul it out. (I would skin to get to the back straps). Cut the legs off at the knees. At 1 1/2 miles you should be able to do 2 trips in less time than it takes to skin it if you are slow at field dressing or never skinned a deer.

 

[WyoDoug]

I used to drag deer and antelope myself but no longer do that unless I am really close to a two track or road that I can take my pickup on. A mile and a half that you quote will be a bit too far and likely contribute to contaminating meat in my opinion. I myself would quarter it out and use my pack to get it to the pickup. I don't do the gutless method because I love the heart and liver and if I hit a buck I take the oysters too. I also like ribs bone in so gutless method will not work for me.

 

[IK-NWhunter]

I grew up hunting whitetails in on a 240 acre private lot, filled with ATV trails and shooting lanes. We rarely had to drag a deer more then 100 yards and usually just drove the ATV right up to it. I live out west now and that’s almost never an option, especially hunting huge wilderness areas. I learned the gutless method and find it preferable to field dressing in almost all circumstances. Just a quick tip, buy good breathable & reusable synthetic game bags. I went with caribou gear and couldn’t be happier.

 

[44hunter45]

I usually gut and then half a deer to pack out.

If I am far from the truck I may leapfrog it out. This is especially true where you don't want to leave your meat near the carcass.

If I am dragging I leave the front legs on, pull them forward and secure them to the head as close to the nose as possible. Then they don't snag on every bush I pass or log I go over.

An effective drag harness can be made with a rope and any branch bigger than, say, 1 1/2". I just tie on to it, put it over my shoulder, hug it to my chest and start marching. This also lifts the head of the deer so you are snagging things.
The length of the branch make an effective lever if you get hung up on anything. To me, it is pretty comfortable to drag a deer on flat ground this way.

 

[SFC B]

I am another vote for packing out AND the gutless method. A muley buck should be reasonably done in 2 trips and carrying a fairly heavy pack is a lot better than schlepping a drag...especially uphill in any way. I have a Jet/Cabelas ice fishing (rigid) sled and I will say that if there is snow on the ground and it is level then a sled is a breeze BUT those are a couple of really big ifs. Here is a pick of me with an entire muley doe quartered gutless on my back (bone in). Pack out was about a mile with about 2/3 uphill.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Game cart for sure. if not, then quarter it and pack it out. Dragging that distance will just be miserable in most cases.

As for getting in the back of the truck whole: you can go the raw horsepower method of grabbing the antlers and lifting. If that's too much (no idea your build) they make winches for your rear hitch. I have one for my generator:

HME Truck Hitch Game Hoist Kit

The HME Truck Hitch Game Hoist Kit is a deer hoist for trucks and vehicle hitches. This hitch-mounted deer hoist makes it easy to lift game into your truck. SCHEELS

www.scheels.com

 

[1100RemingtonMan]

Been there done that from a Montana to Iowa I have dragged and packed deer. But the last time I drug a Deer over a Mile up and down two hill and through two creeks I'm done dragging a Deer like that again even on a sled.

 

[Stocker]

The best way to learn and get better and the gutless method and quartering then is to do it.

 

[Sytes]

Anyone believe in hang bleeding out a deer anymore or have you moved on to cooler drain plug replace ice and stack your quarters on top or is it all, pack it out and freezer stack?

I've found the best deer is bled hanging. My friend says it's setting on ice.

1.5 mile is a cake walk to simply sled out or maybe my wilderness sledding has made it a cake walk... though even quartered, toss on my pack sled and sling the harness cross chest and presto...

Ya, ya... dead fall is no place for a sled... 100% agree though by this guy's description, I could practically have a whole muley back at the truck 1.5 miles before you're ready to pack out... a casual jog 1.5 miles is 12 minutes... 3 miles an hour hike is fair for many...
30 minutes... 45... 1 hour to sled a deer is a cake walk.

 

[Dougfirtree]

There are still some places where quartering is illegal (like Maine). But if gutless is legal, that's probably what I would do.

 

[seeth07]

Anyone believe in hang bleeding out a deer anymore or have you moved on to cooler drain plug replace ice and stack your quarters on top or is it all, pack it out and freezer stack?

I've found the best deer is bled hanging. My friend says it's setting on ice.

1.5 mile is a cake walk to simply sled out or maybe my wilderness sledding has made it a cake walk... though even quartered, toss on my pack sled and sling the harness cross chest and presto...

Ya, ya... dead fall is no place for a sled... 100% agree though by this guy's description, I could practically have a whole muley back at the truck 1.5 miles before you're ready to pack out... a casual jog 1.5 miles is 12 minutes... 3 miles an hour hike is fair for many...
30 minutes... 45... 1 hour to sled a deer is a cake walk.

I actually pack with me two little ratcheting pulleys. As long as there are trees around, I do actually bleed my animals when I can if I'm quartering. What I'll do is put a ratcheting pulley on each hind legs and crank the animal up, one hind at a time till I get the whole deer up in the air. I cut the head off and let her/him bleed out while I take the hide off and sometimes the guts depending on how hot it is. Ideally, I sit around and let it hang for a few hours before quartering but not always possible. Works good for me.

 

[Sasquatchewan]

As it's been said a few times, I only drag a deer when my truck isn't too far. It doesn't take very long to quarter and animal and pack it out, doing so with reasonable effort, in comparison to dragging dead weight over long distances.

 

[44hunter45]

I like packs with a meat shelf and I use them. I really hate having to dump them and wash them every time I haul meat.

 

[OntarioHunter]

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

I have put whole muley bucks on top of my '99 Jimmy by myself and in my fifties when I did it. Nice thing about those old Jimmies is they had a tailgate instead of damn hatchback. Pulling a deer into the back of a pickup is a piece of cake. Done it many times. Use a rope and drop the tailgate. If you can't drop tailgate with your truck it must be a Ford. That and a million other reasons to get rid of it.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I have made deer into packs and put them on my shoulders. It's an old Indian trick. Also a genuine SOB. Eats a hole in my shoulders. I know how to do it but refuse to pass it along. That secret will die with me ... so someone else doesn't die trying it. The animals on my back were always liberally dressed in orange. I keep an extra el-cheapo hunting vest and roll of glo-orange flagging tape in my daypack. The tape for marking a return trail or spot where I shot. The extra vest is in case I have to leave leave game overnight to get horses or help. Hang the vest up over the carcass to keep the birds off it. Birds have ruined a LOT more meat than bears. For bear deterrent I pee liberally and build three small fires around the sight. Works for wild bears. Don't know about habituated ones. Never had to deal with them where I hunted.

 

[Western Traveler1]

[

I have made packs out of deer and put them on my shoulders. It's an old Indian trick. Also a genuine SOB. Eats a hole in my shoulders. I know how to do it but refuse to pass it along. That secret will die with me ... so someone else doesn't die trying it. The animals on my back were always liberally dressed in orange. I keep an extra el-cheapo hunting vest and roll of glo-orange flagging tape in my daypack.

I learned that trick 60 years ago. My first deer left the forest that way along with 2 others. We didn’t wear orange back then. Sure makes a person feel vulnerable. No way could I carry that much weight today and no reason to with the packs available now.