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Deer cart recommendations

jonkytron

jonkytron

Active Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2022
Messages
135
Location
Rhode Island
Hey yall, This past week I killed the biggest buck I've ever taken... I was 2.5 miles deep in the woods, and the terrain to get out was hilly, thick, rocky, and littered with logs and other obstacles. I use a Chapelle jet sled, and normally that works just fine, but this drag took me 4 hours to get it out, and If it werent for the help of a friend, I’m not sure I'd been able to get it out alone. I literally spent the entire day in bed the next day after that drag.

Does any have experience using a deer cart and a jetsled? Was it way easier using the cart? If so, what cart would you recommend? I’m currently looking at the hawk crawler cart or one of the traditional 2 wheel carts.

Please save the "Just cut it up and pack it out" I prefer dragging the deer out whole :)
 
I have a sled and traditional 2 wheel cart. The cart is cheap from academy if u have those around u. The sled fits inside the rails and with some extra straps u can make it pretty secure. I've never had it in mountains or any super rugged terrain like that but for the swamps and palmettos around here it works pretty good... the sled gets em out of the thick stuff and goes up onto the cart for the road sections. Not sure if that helps or not hahaha

I keep them in the truck and if I shoot something I go find it and assess the situation and go get 1 or both and go retrieve.....
 
I hunt in the rugged rocky Current River hills here in southeast Missouri. I have a 2-wheel deer cart and use it to get the deer out of the woods. The spoked wheels/tires that came on it were not very good, and they bent. So, I replaced the 5/8" axle shaft with a longer one and then installed some wheelbarrow wheel/tires on it. It worked a lot better. I have since went to airless tires and they work great.

The cart is great and makes getting the deer out of the woods a lot easier. I can wheelie it into the back of my truck without unloading the deer. If you have some steep hills, you still will need some help, but it is still easier than dragging or using a sled.

The Hawk Crawler looks like a good cart, and I like the way it can crawl over logs. Besides that, a 2-wheel cart works pretty well but might need a wheels/tires upgrade.
 
I’m in the market for a cart myself after I recovered this guy. my friend in photos brought the cart over “just in case” and I am glad he did cuz I was planning to drag the buck with 8mm cord lol. For reference, my friend is about 5’10” and 215# easily. and even though the buck was pushing the size limit, pulling the cart was a one-man job. He piled up only 300 yds from the house and I was still incredibly winded after rolling him out, but it was way better than trying to drag about 250 lbs of deer carcass any distance at all.1697518843519.jpeg3F4C8CAD-7E80-4CD1-BC78-BFC4ECE2441C.jpegI dunno what brand this one is and it’s kinda old. My buddy said it was left by the previous owners of his home. It’s a stout one though.
 
Hawk cart is great, I'm having some issues with the handle on mine wanting to fold, but mostly because I lost one of the wing nuts that keeps it open.
.they are on sale at Scheels right now, definitely worth it IMHO, even though I'm having a slight issue with mine (will be fixed with s trip to the hardware store for a new wingnut)
 
Pack it out. I have a cart and rarely use it. Only bring home what I need "meat". Bring your bags and backpack to carry it out. Less headache later and less to carry around
 
I used a sled for several years and then bought a cart. The sled is better if there is 4 inches of snow or more. I think i bought the cabelas standard cart about 15 years ago. After a couple of years, I made a longer axle for it to help with stability. It was very tippy with the narrow wheel base. Logs still suck even with a cart. Going up steep hills really suck with the cart because it's constantly pulling you back down.
Several years ago I was lucky enough to get a big buck with the bow and the gun, so I drug 2 out with the cart 1.25 miles each through a lot of hills. After that, I determined I was done and now I quarter them and pack them out. I never brought the cart in with me because it's loud so I always had to make 2 trips out. Now I cut the deer up, put what fits in my backpack, carry out my gear, unload everything and go back for the rest. I cut up my deer at home, so it really isn't more work for me.

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I have the hawk and that is the only one I have used. But in steep terrain no cart will work well in my opinion. I killed a buck one year ago almost to the day, and it took me 1 hour to get him out about 3 hundred yards and that is with help from my young son to strap it to a tree to give me a rest so it wouldn't roll back down the hill. The issue I had was it was so steep I couldn't catch my breath without the cart trying to roll back down the hill. Thankfully I had a strap with me, and my son would hook it up to a tree and let me rest. It won't happen again. I will cut it up and pack it out because it has to be cut up anyway when I get it out.
 
Hawk is superb. Can't believe what's it's gone up to. 200 on Amazon now. When I got it it was prime day and it was down to 90$. Easily one of the best things I ever bought
 
Again no mountain/hill experience but I'd think ur rappel rope can be used on a steep section...girth to tree uphill and us ur hitch or device to advance up and hold when u need to let go and adjust ur footing

Me and my buddy had to drag a large hog up a steep ditch bank....attached rappel rope to the truck and floor it... yanked it right out...easiest drag ever hehehe
 
Jammintree said:
A block and tackle is a great tool.

Having a handful of friends that are in good shape and love deer is extremely valuable. 3-5 strong people make light work of a big deer in rough terrain.
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Block and tackle is great but it takes time and it still isn't perfect if you are by yourself and have a 2 wheel cart. The handle drags on the ground and catches on everything while you are pulling on the rope to get it up. I had thoughts of tying the cart to me and then pulling is both up, but never tried it.

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk
 
sureshot said:
Block and tackle is great but it takes time and it still isn't perfect if you are by yourself and have a 2 wheel cart. The handle drags on the ground and catches on everything while you are pulling on the rope to get it up. I had thoughts of tying the cart to me and then pulling is both up, but never tried it.

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk
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You can always use your saddle as a yoke.
 
DelaWhere_Arrow said:
I’m in the market for a cart myself after I recovered this guy. my friend in photos brought the cart over “just in case” and I am glad he did cuz I was planning to drag the buck with 8mm cord lol. For reference, my friend is about 5’10” and 215# easily. and even though the buck was pushing the size limit, pulling the cart was a one-man job. He piled up only 300 yds from the house and I was still incredibly winded after rolling him out, but it was way better than trying to drag about 250 lbs of deer carcass any distance at all.View attachment 92905View attachment 92904I dunno what brand this one is and it’s kinda old. My buddy said it was left by the previous owners of his home. It’s a stout one though.
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that's an absolute toad....did you get that in Delaware? I hope so because it gives me hope over here in WV.
 
I have an aluminum sherpa magnum cart that I really like. Sometimes you get into rough stuff and the cart will flip over however if you have the deer attached with a few ratchet straps you can flip it over and keep on trucking. I find the cart better than the sled in most instances unless you have snow.
 
raisins said:
that's an absolute toad....did you get that in Delaware? I hope so because it gives me hope over here in WV.
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Thanks lol, and no, unfortunately I didn’t get him in DE. He’s a western OH deer. But I have seen deer in DE that would give him a run for his money rack-wise. But 200# in DE is HUGE.
 
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