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Pack in / haul out

Djp32 said:
Do you like the 30 or 40?
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The 30 is my favorite popup. I gave mine to my guide as a tip 2 years ago & replaced it with a 28. I think the 38 & 40 are too big for me in the tree but it’s personal preference. I can pack in nice with everything & it’s definitely all I can handle coming out with a buck & platform/climbing method. Does & small bucks aren’t bad
 
Jammintree said:
Using that pack, how many trips would it take you to haul out a buck: head w/ rack, all the meat, and the hide?
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1, but it’s a lot , no way around it. I’m not consistent enough on taxidermy sized bucks way back on public land. Also I’ve had a couple times where I was way back in but then lost blood or something & still had to make an extra trip in & out. So all that to say it’s not a frequent occurrence that I’m packing out the cape & my platform/ sticks together ( twice actually)
 
I've packed out several deer along with my cold weather layers, platform and climbing method. There's a lot of variability in size of deer, cold weather gear, etc. but, if you take the time to debone the meat you can get the pack down to 60-80(ish) pounds with most platforms/climbing methods on the market today. That's all a Pop-up wants to handle and the lower end of that range will be more comfortable than the upper end but, they both are doable.

The heaviest pack out I've had with the Pop UP was 82 lbs (weighed when I got home) and was a little over 2 miles in the mountains. Would it have been easier with two trips? Probably, but honestly I enjoyed the challenge of that pack out, or maybe I just enjoy misery. Either way my wife thinks I'm weird.
 
I use two set ups, a lumbar pack for early season and/or hunts less than a mile and a half or a I use the Kifaru for deep hunts. The Kifaru is always in the truck so I can go back and get it if needed. I'm not draggin a deer more than 100-150 yards. If its further than that it's getting field quartered and packed.
 
GCTerpfan said:
I've packed out several deer along with my cold weather layers, platform and climbing method. There's a lot of variability in size of deer, cold weather gear, etc. but, if you take the time to debone the meat you can get the pack down to 60-80(ish) pounds with most platforms/climbing methods on the market today. That's all a Pop-up wants to handle and the lower end of that range will be more comfortable than the upper end but, they both are doable.

The heaviest pack out I've had with the Pop UP was 82 lbs (weighed when I got home) and was a little over 2 miles in the mountains. Would it have been easier with two trips? Probably, but honestly I enjoyed the challenge of that pack out, or maybe I just enjoy misery. Either way my wife thinks I'm weird.
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My heaviest was half a boned out cow elk plus day hunt gear, food and water. Trip was right at 3 miles but luckily almost entirely on trail. That was when I learned what having a good frame pack really meant. I have packed several deer out that were more painful and less distance. The worst was field quartered doe plus gear plus API climber for 2 miles. That was with just a regular backpack without a waist belt. Everything got bungeed to the stand and the stand had the factory straps. I started changing my ways after that one.
 
GCTerpfan said:
I've packed out several deer along with my cold weather layers, platform and climbing method. There's a lot of variability in size of deer, cold weather gear, etc. but, if you take the time to debone the meat you can get the pack down to 60-80(ish) pounds with most platforms/climbing methods on the market today. That's all a Pop-up wants to handle and the lower end of that range will be more comfortable than the upper end but, they both are doable.

The heaviest pack out I've had with the Pop UP was 82 lbs (weighed when I got home) and was a little over 2 miles in the mountains. Would it have been easier with two trips? Probably, but honestly I enjoyed the challenge of that pack out, or maybe I just enjoy misery. Either way my wife thinks I'm weird.
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Ha, mine too man. She doesn't understand the perverse enjoyment I take in the punishment.
 
huntin_addict said:
Ha, mine too man. She doesn't understand the perverse enjoyment I take in the punishment.
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A story my wife likes to tell to to describe to people how perverse I am happened the one year I went Sika hunting. She sent me a picture of her having a drink while sitting at a festival at our local park watching her bosses band. I sent her back a picture of me covered in sweat in the middle of packing out a Sika deer through a swamp on an 80 degree day. She responded by telling me I looked miserable. My response was "yep, and loving every minute of it" She doesn't get it.
 
For whitetail and sika, I like to bone out the deer into cotton game bags and carry it out. I’m usually an hour or more from the car each way, so multiple trips isn’t practical, but I do have a bad back, so having a pack that suits your condition is necessary.
 
I agree with most the responses above. A lot of these packs are very versatile and can be configured many different ways on a pack out with meat, sticks and platform. I fully debone my deer and on a typical pack out carrying anywhere between 60-80 pounds. It’s not easy but very doable.
 
I guess maybe the biggest improvement that I can make for free is to learn how to debone. I’m the guy that’s been dragging around a kill bag and frame pack in my truck for the last 5-6 years and somehow always find a reason or excuse to get my deer onto my meat pole back at camp whole. Like said above I think I enjoy the challenge and used adrenaline to get them out. This year was my first time actually utilizing the gut less and pack out method and I got to do it 3 times. I just know that there must be a better way than what I’ve been doing even though it’s still way way better than dragging. Deboning would obviously be even lighter than whole quarters.
 
Blacksmith said:
I use a cheap, small pack for the little gear I carry and bone out all my critters in the field where they fell. All the meat will fit in a small pack after boning. No need to carry home what you can't eat, and then haul it back to the woods to dump it.
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Deer? Do you hang them? Gutless method and just remove the meat instead of the quarter and leave the bone on the animal?

I’m trying to think of a clean way to do this.
 
GCTerpfan said:
A story my wife likes to tell to to describe to people how perverse I am happened the one year I went Sika hunting. She sent me a picture of her having a drink while sitting at a festival at our local park watching her bosses band. I sent her back a picture of me covered in sweat in the middle of packing out a Sika deer through a swamp on an 80 degree day. She responded by telling me I looked miserable. My response was "yep, and loving every minute of it" She doesn't get it.
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All I can remember was it was hot as all get out & we were trying to keep the skunk water off the meat…….. fresh tenderloins & whiskey were as memorable!!!IMG_1979.jpeg
 
raisins said:
Deer? Do you hang them? Gutless method and just remove the meat instead of the quarter and leave the bone on the animal?

I’m trying to think of a clean way to do this.
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I shoot most of mine in the summer heat on depridation tags. This is the fastest way toward cool down I've found. I open the hide down the back bone and remove all the meat from one side. Roll over and remove meat from other half. I've tried hanging but I can have one boned and in my pack by the time I get it hung in a tree. Most of mine are shot out in open fields where they are destroying the crops that I'm Trying to save! JMO. Hanging may be cleaner for some but I can't stand that swinging around while I'm trying to cut it up. On the ground is certainly harder on my back but it doesn't take long at all.
 
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One trip is absolutely doable as for weight, obviously dependent on someone's physical capabilities. Deboning is a must, no bone-in quarters. A quality frame pack is highly beneficial, big fan of the EXO K4 here. Good boots with ankle support are recommended, and collapsible hiking poles do help!

On the other side, is the bulk of your items vs. solely the weight. Bulk is annoying and I've started to streamline my setups towards less bulk...
 
Blacksmith said:
I shoot most of mine in the summer heat on depridation tags. This is the fastest way toward cool down I've found. I open the hide down the back bone and remove all the meat from one side. Roll over and remove meat from other half. I've tried hanging but I can have one boned and in my pack by the time I get it hung in a tree. Most of mine are shot out in open fields where they are destroying the crops that I'm Trying to save! JMO.
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That’s the approach I prefer as well. Here’s a good video for anyone interested:

 
Alec said:
That’s the approach I prefer as well. Here’s a good video for anyone interested:

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Is it just me or are the leg joints easier to pop if you cut them first on the inside of the leg? Seems to always work better for me than trying to hit it right from the outside.
 
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