After a hunter goes into the woods and shoots a deer – how does he get it out of the woods? In the old days, I assume a horse would drag it out on a sledge (? just guessing, and I right or wrong?)? But now what do they do? The deer is too heavy for one or two guys to move any distance.
Whenever I have hunted, the deer has always been dragged out by two or three guys to the truck. However, in the area in which I hunt, it is possible to get pretty close to wherever the deer might end up. The farthest that I have had to drag a deer was about 150 yards or so.
These carts are used a lot around here.
Generally, if you are hunting in an area that is inaccessible by your vehicle, you carry a length of rope, which you to drag it out of the woods. If you forget the rope, you can drag the deer by the antlers, but that’s quite a bit more difficult.
Because of the way a deer’s hair lies on its skin, it will slide much more easily when dragged from the head end than when dragged from the feet. This fact factors into the following joke:
A couple of <insert your favorite group identifier> shot a deer and were dragging it out by the feet, and were having quite a time of it. Another hunters saw them having difficulties, and advised them that, if they “dragged it the other way”, it would be a lot easier. An hour or so later, one guy said to the other, “You know, he was right. This IS a lot easier. But we’re getting an awful long way away from our truck!”
By the way, a fair number of hunting fatalities are due to heart attacks suffered while dragging the deer out…
One man can drag a white-tailed deer out of the woods. One man can skin and butcher a white-tailed deer but it is a lot of work, you’ll be up half the night. That’s why I quit hunting them.
When I was in high school, my father had crushed his pelvis in an auto accident. He got to where he could limp into the woods and climb a tree but if he shot something he had to come get me to drag it out for him then skin and butcher it.
What kinda deer you talking about? Whitetail?
It ain’t no big thing…
First if you’re out in the woods a good ways you just field dress it and that’ll cut the weight by about a third. If you’re just hunting meat go ahead and quarter it up and leave everything you can’t eat. Throw the quarters, shoulders, and backstraps in a hefty bag and Santa Claus your ass outta there.
If you can’t dress out a deer in less than an hour you need to get some practice.
You probably need to know that I was raised in the country and if it weren’t for purple hull peas, deer meat, and corn bread we’d have probably gone hungry.
I guarantee you I can dress a deer out in less than 30 minutes without even trying hard.
Not so. One guy can easily drag a whitetail deer, especially if there is a little snow on the ground to lubricate the proceedings. As has already been mentioned, you can lighten the load by gutting it where it lays and leaving the innards behind. That also has the added benefit of providing a much appreciated snack for other woodland critters.
hlanelee try it this way next time.
Lay the deer on one side and slit the skin from his ass to the base of his skull. Then slit the skin from his back at the shoulder down to his knee joint. Slit around the knee and cut it off at the joint. Peel the skin down from the back to the knee exposing th eshoulder. Slip the blade in between the shoulder blade and the joint cutting it loose. Out the front shoulder in you hefty bag. Then go to the back leg quarter and do the same thing. That will expose the back strap on that side. Take your knife, sharp edge UP and push down beside the strap next to the back bone at the neck and slide the blade all the way to the ass. Peel the strap away and simply seperate it from the rib cage. Throw it in the bag. Flip the deer over and repaet. I’ve done this as quick as five minutes before. You don’t have to skin it or gut it, since you’re not dealing with innards you don’t have to worry about the vital organs, gall bladder or urine sack spoiling the meat.
I have people give me deer all the time cause all they want is the rack. I never did eat a set of antlers and don’t have any mounted of my own.
t-keela this is what deer I’m talking about: White Tailed Deer
I’ve done what you described but it has to be done in the dark where you can’t get caught. I would much rather yake one home and string it up.
The big deal around here now is “deer processers”. Mighty “hunters”, especially “Florida hunters”, will load their kill into their SUV and take it to the deer processer who will unload it, skin and dress it, butcher it, and wrap it in packages just like groceries. You can get a specified amount made into cube steak, ground meat, and suasage. If it is a buck, they will even “cape” the head for mounting for an extra fee, of course. It’s shameful, I can’t imagine hunting with friends on a Saturday without getting drunk and throwing entrails at each other.
You can do that! The processer merely acts as the butcher.
It’s much more difficult with a moose. You would have to have a ten-man hunting party to attemp to drag one anywhere. Generally, the animal is butchered on the spot, then hauled out in manageable pieces if one is on foot. Most hunters nowadays use ATVs for hunting, or large, balloon-tired buggies. That way, the haul isn’t so far.
That’s gotta be a for sure. can’t say I actually got a moose but I helped pack out a 1500 pound elk. Horseback…and a couple of mules. You couldn’t have gotten a atv in there I don’t think. we had to get afoot and lead the mules in. Yeah thats a whole nuther critter. Hell we was talking about varmint huntin and you bring up the big game. Might as well let’s go kill some griz…how about an elephant? WTF we gonna haul his ass out with? :smack:
seen any Sasquatch lately? 
One method is to carry an empty packframe. Wrap up what you’re carrying in a tarp or bag(s) and lash it to the frame. A whole animal would be a pretty stout load, but if you field dress it or have a short walk this is probably easier than dragging it.
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Let me put in a plug for an excellent organization for Virginia hunters, one that I use every year: Hunters for the Hungry.
Participating butchers take donated deer, inspect, cut, wrap, and freeze the meat, which is then distributed through agencies in the business of feeding the needy. It’s a great way to dispose of a deer if you don’t need all of the venison yourself.
- Rick
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I took a mammalogy class for my biology degree. One of the requirements was a weekend spent at the deer station. I really wasn’t looking forward to it. I mean, it was cold, and I had a test the next Monday, but once I got there, it really was pretty cool.
My point, though, is that two of us could carry those deer quite well.
We carried them from the truck to the weighing area. We’d also gut them if the hunter hadn’t already done that in the field. And of course, the most exciting, was watching my professor ask each hunter whether he could have their deer’s head. We were collecting brain tissue to test for chronic wasting disease. Pretty cool weekend.
-Lil
If it’s a deer, we’ll drag it out. We’ve also quartered one and used a mule…who promptly went ass over teakettle down a steep grade, poor guy.
We haven’t got an elk yet but late archery season starts in a couple of weeks so I can report back then. I’m sure we’ll be quartering and packing it out ourselves although we have a lot of people offering us the use of their packhorses.
[sub]PS- Quigley the mule was fine after his spill and is still helping out the hunters.[/sub]
Legally, most people would have to tag and register the deer. What advice do you have for the hunters that have to drag a (mostly) intact deer out of the woods and to the nearest DNR station? (Skinning and removing the meat via hefty bag not being an option.)
My link in the 3rd post of this thread addresses this quite nicely.
I can’t speak but for where I live. The tag just attaches to the rack. There is no registering of the game after it is killed. If you’re gonna keep the rack then take the head. It’ll come off pretty easy, just stay close to the base of the skull, cutting all the way to the spine and twist it off. The tag MUST actually be attached though if you should find yourself in the presence of a game warden.
They can be real sticklers for the game laws in Texas. You don’t wanna get busted here for hunting deer illegally.
U/B I missed your link earlier but I’ll check it out. I may have simply repeated some info. you already provided.