game cart recommendations?

[Iron_llama]

That deer retrieval machine is excellent. Looks like it would also be good for skidding firewood out of the woods. What's the base vehicle, a John Deere Gator?

 

[MNFarmHunter]

In MN everything but the gut pile comes out of the woods. MNDHA accepts hide donations, usually in exchange for a pair of gloves or other nominal thing. Depending on where you live, the bones ("carcass", which to my thinking includes the meat and hide, but whatever) can get tossed in household garbage, or taken to the "waste transfer station". It's illegal to dump the carcass on public land. I'm fortunate enough to have acreage I can dump carcasses on; one of these years I'll set a trail cam over it to watch the scavengers in action. If you take your deer to a game processer, he'll dispose of the carcass for you and just return the meat. Really, it's only an issue if you butcher your own game, which seems to be less common, if I'm to judge by the looks of astonishment I get when I mention that I do my own butchering.

Up your way, that's surprising. Down here in the metro, I get those looks all the time but expect that in suburbia. You'd think people would learn to butcher given the way people are hauling their deer knowing those nasty, rotting carcasses are going into the community grind pile.

 

[CP3]

The 4 wheeled hawk crawler cart is awesome. It's heavy but it works really well. (Granted my deer was small but I know people that have hauled bigger/multiple deer in theirs, which is why I picked one up)

Just make sure you have some extra cotter pins to lock it open, mine didn't ship with them and it worthlessly folds in on itself without them. @CP3 it looks like the pins are missing from yours in your photo, hopefully they were just not on vs not in the box at all.

I’ll double check. I think they are there just not in place. I appreciate the heads up.

 

[Still Kicking]

That deer retrieval machine is excellent. Looks like it would also be good for skidding firewood out of the woods. What's the base vehicle, a John Deere Gator?

I welded the frame out of 1/4' and 3/16" rectangular steel tubing. The engine is a 12.5 HP Kohler. The transmission is a 3 speed with reverse to a chain drive sprocket reduction. I built it all from e-bay parts and welding rod. I am guessing over 700 pounds so traction isn't a problem. The two winches are each 1500 pound and the two actuators are 600 pounds. I've never had a problem lifting any deer

 

[Iron_llama]

Up your way, that's surprising. Down here in the metro, I get those looks all the time but expect that in suburbia. You'd think people would learn to butcher given the way people are hauling their deer knowing those nasty, rotting carcasses are going into the community grind pile.

There are a lot of good ol' boys up here, sure, but a lot of urban transplants as well. And some of the good ol' boys were never taught how, as home butchering (and gardening, and canning, etc.) carries memories of poverty and hunger. My dad and maternal grandfather both grew up hunting and were always baffled that I was fascinated by hunting - they hunted because they didn't have a store nearby, and when the store came later, they couldn't afford anything there, not because of any romance or enjoyment related to wild food.

Back to topic, when they shot something too big to carry intact, they packed it out on a mule or a horse.

This reminds me of another advantage of bringing meat out on the bone - you can't make bone broth if you leave the bones in the woods. Different strokes for different folks, sure, but the more I hunt the more I'm interested in eating organ meats and homemade broth. Maybe this will be the year I try venison kidneys.

 

[Myronpbody]

Midway still has the Hawk Crawler on sale.

Hawk Crawler Game Cart Steel Black

The Hawk Crawler Deer Cart brings an amazing level of strength, stability and versatility. Patent Pending Dual Rotating Axles allow cart to crawl over...

www.midwayusa.com