How do you drag game out?

[FamilyH]

Get one of these. A capstanwinch. They work great and can even get you outta the ditch!
You can pull an elk up a cliff with one. Use 100 yards of low stretch rope and you can get a deer/elk/moose out of anything.
http://www.capstanropewinch.com/

Yes they do and on moose too.

 

[Dry Heat?]

We hunt Coues Bucks. Gut them. Tie right front leg to rear right leg. Then do the same to the left legs. Throw on like Backpack hold antlers in hand to keep from beating you to death, walk out. On elk, we quarter and pack on freighter packs

 

[Mike 338]

Virtually never drag because it's never close enough and the terrain is never accommodating. I break it down into smaller pieces and pack it out. If it's big, I bone it out.

 

[LR65Pb]

This forum is "Long Range Hunting", implying we're a bunch that are willing to take longer shots on game. I'm my experience, it's rare I shoot game closer to the truck than I am and longer shots means longer distances to drag game out. How do you all drag game out? Any clever devices or tricks to make dragging a deer or similar game out of the field? I just use a rope and lots of leg power but I'm getting older and lazier and might buy/build an easier way to get a deer out. What do you all do?

 

[bigngreen]

We pull out most of our game whole, mostly elk, meat quality and quantity is paramount so everything we do revolves around quality meat. Our area is cow country so there are roads on most ridges so we use capstan winches straight up the hills to either a road or easy dragging. The winches really let use go into some hell hells and hunt that don't get hit at all but only takes us a couple hours to pull an elk out of with the capstan.
Also very aware of recovery before pulling the trigger, many times we are rolling elk near a trail but from the opposite side of the valley so we roll them and then drive around to the other side and simply winch them up.
Deer and antelope just go in sleds and we pull them, we are prepared with game bags to quarter an elk and pack it but that's the last option because of the high amount of meat lost.

 

[kpacker]

My go to for getting out is gutless method and then debone. For deer, 1 guy can carry all the meat in a good pack with Cape too if you want in 1 trip. Use of hiking poles in everything but flat terrain

 

[hrnhntr]

A long time ago a good butcher told me game meat sours from the bone out and the only meats that should be aged is Beef and Pork. He went on to say bone souring starts within an hour or so after an animal is killed, even when the outside temperature is near freezing. So, I remove the hide from harvested game as soon as possible. To this end I bone-out the meat from animals that are distant from my hunting vehicle and haul the meat back via my two, all-terrain-transporters, I was born with. I have found the gamey taste of Deer and Elk does not occur, even during the rut, when I separate the meat from the bone and hide within an hour of harvest.

I've had a couple of people tell me something similar in that you shouldn't age game animals as there isn't enough fat. However the last bull I got a couple years ago ended up hanging in my basement for 6 or 7 days. It was a big old bull with no bottom teeth left. I wasn't holding out much hope for tender meat, but it might have ended up the best elk I've ever had.

 

[454LONGBOW]

Here in the east the the animal moose,deer or bear has to be delivered whole to the reporting station.You can gut it but nothing else.
I use a ROKON2X2 for deer and bear size just strap on and go.If I ever get lucky with a moose permit I will use it to carry one of those caspin winches to the moose.
New England is ether steep and rocky or wet and muddy and lots of trees.

 

[merasmus]

This forum is "Long Range Hunting", implying we're a bunch that are willing to take longer shots on game. I'm my experience, it's rare I shoot game closer to the truck than I am and longer shots means longer distances to drag game out. How do you all drag game out? Any clever devices or tricks to make dragging a deer or similar game out of the field? I just use a rope and lots of leg power but I'm getting older and lazier and might buy/build an easier way to get a deer out. What do you all do?

I built an adjustable game cart last year that converts from 2 man with one man on each end with the wheel in the middle or one man on one end with the wheel out front like a wheelbarrow. Brought out a 5 pt bull elk last fall with 2 of boys on the handles. Worked great and even easier on me with my boys there

 

[Sam Pace]

This forum is "Long Range Hunting", implying we're a bunch that are willing to take longer shots on game. I'm my experience, it's rare I shoot game closer to the truck than I am and longer shots means longer distances to drag game out. How do you all drag game out? Any clever devices or tricks to make dragging a deer or similar game out of the field? I just use a rope and lots of leg power but I'm getting older and lazier and might buy/build an easier way to get a deer out. What do you all do?

 

[Sam Pace]

Skin. Quarter. Debone. Pack it out.

I live in Colorado. Not many other options where I hunt than the hard way.

 

[mpayne]

like this

 

[jimbires]

A lot of you quarter animals and pack them out. In SD I can't say I've ever seen that done but as a solo public land hunter who hikes deep into big public lands to escape the hordes of opening weekend hunters I think it's a skill I need to learn. Any good resources out there to teach?

Colorado has a video on how to do this , it's called " down to the bone " . I have quartered up and packed out my elk , but I've always been with a couple guys . I'll be doing a few solo hunts and thought I might get a few tips to make it easier by myself .

 

[bigngreen]

Since we quite hanging game and getting them cut ASAP we have not had anything that was tough or gamey.
Spoiling starts on elk between the shop blades and inside the ball joint in the rear quarter at the pelvis. If I hang one over night I just cut along the spine so air can get in there and I pop the tendon in the rear ball joints and that'll keep things good.