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What is the non motorized way to haul a deer out of the woods or swamp

The carts are better than dragging IF you have trails. If not, forget the cart. Backpack is what I do if I do not have easy access. This year I hope to dead a short distance then load onto a kayak!
 
I had a cart but there not all there made out to be from my experience. They can't access all the terrain and can be a pain in swamps. I will always keep my deer sliegh'r sled. Rolled high density plastic goes over and through everything. Lightweight and portable. I wrap a noose around the deers head in slip it through the sleighs front hole, then attach it to my shoulder sling and off I go. Takes little effort.
 
I haven't used a cart or a sled. I have drug the hair off of plenty of deer. The longest drag was a little over a mile and a half. That was a little coastal deer on a barrier island. You mentioned non motorized if you are hunting a designated wilderness area you can't have anything with wheels on it motorized or not.
 
I have to haul through a lot of forest where there is a lot of deadfall. Not wheel friendly. I'll be packing in some cord and a small saw. If I'm successful, I'll take 20-30 min and make a travois.


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Ontariofarmer said:
A sled
A hawk deer crawler... anyone tried this
Or anything else

I have a couple sleds that work well in cat tails.

Has anyone tried that Four wheels hawk cart
Click to expand...
I've used a tough piece of plastic that rolls up into a 3' tube. It's called "deer sleigh'r." The magnum version is what you want. It has grommets and you lace the deer or hog onto it. It is as slippery as owl excrement and makes dragging a breeze. I've gone through several over the years, about $30.00.
 
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I use a two wheeled dolly that I got a looong time ago from Cabelas....paid for itself the first time I used it.
 
This year I am seriously considering trying to use a folded over (doubled) sheet of Tyvek.
I hunt an area with easy access to hiking trails - lots of hiking trails. I think the Tyvek theoretically [should] be easier to drag'm out than just a rope around their neck.

I'll report on it later. The benefit of Tyvek is how small you can pack it and how slick it is. Will it last the drag? Stand by...
 
I'm in the works on modifying an older 20" bmx bike. I've removed the crank and pedals, seat and post, replaced the pneumatic tires with 20" airless tires and heavy duty spoked wheels from an old garden cart. And working on a basket-like rack to weld across the top tube on the frame extending over the rear tire. When it's done I should be able to lay it down next to the animal, tie it to the rack, stand it up and roll it out.
 
When I hunt my brothers property I bring a cheap hand crank two speed boat winch. The property is full of 200'+ ravines that you have to slide down and crawl up. It takes awhile to retrieve one but it's the only way. I've used it in the deep 3'+ snow also. It is not fast, but cranking it is a lot easier than killing myself trying to drag them out.
 
Make sure to check the regs on carcass disposal. I quartered and packed out my mule deer this year and it was much easier than dragging. However, where I normally hunt in WI and MN, you can't use the gutless method because it's technically "disposing of the carcass on public land". So I have to drag. Dan Infalt did a video on getting a buck out of a swamp. Wheels don't work well in marsh, so he used a sled and a bag to cover the antlers from getting caught in the grass. Carts work the best on packed trails IMO.

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bowhunter15 said:
Make sure to check the regs on carcass disposal. I quartered and packed out my mule deer this year and it was much easier than dragging. However, where I normally hunt in WI and MN, you can't use the gutless method because it's technically "disposing of the carcass on public land". So I have to drag. Dan Infalt did a video on getting a buck out of a swamp. Wheels don't work well in marsh, so he used a sled and a bag to cover the antlers from getting caught in the grass. Carts work the best on packed trails IMO.

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Click to expand...
Best method in WI is the five piece if it's too deep. If it's a trophy, it's 3 trips: cape and rack, hind quarters, Everything else. Bigger game bags help. Just cut in half for everything else. A 100 lbs on your back with a frame is very manageable unless it's really wet. Then it has to be a drag with a sled.

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