easiest way to drag a deer alone

Hello everyone.  New to the forum.  I have gone through many forums and the internet to get the lightest most packable gear I could for the sole purpose of being able to go deeper and in thicker cover.  So here is my dilemma you hike in 1.5 miles and kill.  Now how do you get em out?  This is my 3rd year hunting and luckily I have been successful in my 2 previous seasons.  The first year I shot my buck on a sunday and had my brothers drive 90 minutes to help.  Last year when I shot a buck no one was around on a Wednesday evening so I drug him on my own about 7 tenths of a mile.  I would not say it was horrible but theirs got to be something better.

If you can get a game cart they work well. They're 2-wheeled carts and you can tie the animal down to them. They sell them and most of the usual retail stores.

In the snow a sled works well.

minnesota_muley wrote:If you can get a game cart they work well. They're 2-wheeled carts and you can tie the animal down to them. They sell them and most of the usual retail stores.

In the snow a sled works well.

thanks how easy is the cart to pull through the thick stuff?

justwill wrote:

minnesota_muley wrote:If you can get a game cart they work well. They're 2-wheeled carts and you can tie the animal down to them. They sell them and most of the usual retail stores.

In the snow a sled works well.

thanks    how easy is the cart to pull through the thick stuff?

usually not very easy. I would drag him to the nearest road/trail and then load him on the game cart. Or if your real far in there like 2+ miles you could quarter him up and put him in bags. A third option would use a mountain bike to ride in and haul him out on the bike.(tie him to one side of the bike and walk the bike out.

My first public land deer I used a wheel barrow. It wasnt very efficient in the woods  

Jason

Where I'm at very steep ridges and bluffs are common place. First of all if I kill a buck he has to be a big one just because of the work after the shot of getting him out. But after the kill, I would have to call someone in my area. Carts may be less stressful (pulling on wheels vs carrying/dragging), you would have to use a blade to cut your way out. Quartering them up may be an option for packing out depending on coyote population in your area. But I would call someone to help, because believe me they will call you to return the favor.

Not much I can add to this thread, great answers from the guys. I do want to welcome you to the forum, justwill. We're glad to have you among us!  

im pretty bad about walkin alooooooooong way to hunt, so here's what i do, i have a cart, and i have two legs:) im 19 years old so its not to bad for me to muscle them out, but i like to pull the cart as far as it is easy to pull then go drag the deer to the cart, or just dragem out,ive toted small does on my shoulders and unless it is a deer i really want an accurate acount of its weight i will never drag one with the guts in, i also have some XL Alice packs and ill take garbage bags and ill quarter the deer up and tote tha meat out, but if its a big deer then he has to come out whole and that pretty much means draggen to tha cart or just draggin him out, also i like to go back to my vehicle and drop all my equipment then go back,also my safety harness doubles as a deer drag and it is excellent, just some ideas ,good luck.

Two thumbs up on the Alice packs

Make sure to check the regulations in your area. There are some areas where you can't quarter the deer out until its been checked.

Another vote for thd game cart. As I've gotten older, it's gotten much harder to recover from a day of muscling a deer out on my own. Where regulations allow....Louisiana public lands(some of them) I use my atv.

thank you for the help gentlemen Im going to get myself a cart.

I hunt is WV and South East OH. The terrain can be very steep and rough.
I use a "deer Sleigh" or "dead Sled", same thing different name. They sell them in all of the catalogs like Cabela's, Bass PRo.

The sled is a very tough piece of plastic that you lay the deer on, then strap him in and drag as normal. I also use a Glens Deer handle with this set up and it works GREAT!

It slides over all terrain and over logs and through brush.

I have used a cart in the past. When you encounter a log or limb; you have to pick the cart up over the obsticle and the wheels like to get tangle the briers.

I much prefer the sled to the cart.

I agree with Saxton. the sled is best and lighter for deep woods, tough terrain. Some can even be rolled up. They can also be attached to your safety harness for "no hands pulling"

DEAD SLED youtube demonstration

I have an old safety belt from a tree stand I bought years ago...I keep it in my pack...I tie the part that usually goes on the tree and tie it around the deers neck & rack...then tie its front hooves there too...I can put the belt on my waist or around my shoulder...this is for small to medium-whitetails & mulies...up to 135 lbs dressed...over that...get a friend or skin it, bone it and pack it out in a few trips....

I think I am liking the Dead Sled.
Fair chaser, thanks for posting the video

Wandering Monk - Ted?
I just took a peek at your website, WOW!
Impressive! So really nice artwork you have there
You possess some skills my friend.

thanks Wolf...I try to put some of all my experiences into what I make...t

I've used these in the past, easy to carry and cheap. Works good, just use a ratchet strap to tie the deer to it and tie the tow rope around deers head.

http://www.amazon.com/Pelican-Snow-Flite-Roll-Plastic/dp/B002QZ2Q86

I have spent years dragging deer out of the woods. A couple years ago a good friend gave me a cart. I could kick myself for not getting one sooner.

I use the standard cart that Cabela's sells. I've had it for years and it works great. Last year, I stacked three decent size does on it and rolled them for about a mile. Worked great. This year I have modified it to be pulled with my mountain bike. I killed my first deer of the year tonight and I have to say that wheeling a deer out on a mountain bike and deer cart combo is a breeze.

I hunt in the swamps of south louisiana and have tried each and every way there is. First the deer cart doesnt work in my neck of the woods because of the water obviously. I have found that the best thing to use is a product called the jet sled. Its light but heavy duty plastic with a bevelled bottom. It floats in water and slides on dry land. Duck hunters use it to haul there decoys but i find it works good to haul a deer. I bought the samller jet sled but i found it to be too small because it could not hold the weight of a deer when i had to float it out. I bought the bigger one and it works good so far. Academy and Cabelas sells them here in Louisiana.

I'll never drag another deer out unless the law says I have to. I debone them on the spot now. I keep a couple small garbage bags in my back pack. So much easier and I don't have to clean them when I get home. Just drop the bags in the freezer

I use a kids sled.... Tie them in and your good