So you hunt a spot with no way to use an ATV to go get it and no buddies to help you drag it up the hill? No problem, here is what I do.

I devised a "Deer Retrieval Kit" or what I call my "DRK'' to get my deer up the hill where I hunt as I have no atv trail and don't want one because the arduous process of getting a deer out of there keeps other hunters out of my favorite spot.

Here's what you need:

-2 quick release ratchet straps, I use 6' ones.
-2 pullies
-2 D clips
-100' nylon rope

You need to premap your course so you don't run out of usable trees to mount your pulley on, I do it in 30-40 foot segments and believe it or not, the steeper the section (within reason), the easier it is to use this method as your weight and gravity make it easier to drag the deer up while you go down the hill.

-Tie your rope around the ratchet strap, make sure it's the same side the hook you attach the tree pulley to or else you won't be able to quickly detach from the tree (it will be looped around the tree).

-Take the rope that you just tied to the tree and go down to the deer. Wrap a ratchet strap across both antlers several times, attach your D-clip to it and attach the antler pulley to the D-clip. Put the rope through the pulley and walk back up to the tree.

-Attach the pulley to the D-clip and the D-clip to the base of the hook on the ratchet strap, I usually keep the rope and the pulley on the right side of the tree.

-Put the rope through the pulley and you are ready to go.


As you pull the rope down the hill, the deer will go up. I usually wrap it around my hand a few times, throw the rope over my shoulder and walk down the hill.

Once you get the deer to the tree you are using, you simply detach your ratchet strap on the tree, walk up to the next one you're using and repeat the process.

You'll get the hang of it pretty quickly, and it's relatively easy. The biggest pain in the butt is if the deer gets wedged under something or the rope gets a bunch of sticks caught on it.

Tips:

-keep the part of the rope you are pulling on straight down the hill, it makes relocating the setup on the next tree a lot easier.

-Keep the tree pulley as high as you can because it keeps the deer's head up higher and creates less drag and helps get over obstacles easier.

-clear your path of any dead limbs while you are setting it up from tree to tree, it makes it easier.

-Strap your backpack to the deer and drag that up with it.










I have drug a lot of deer using this method and I hope it helps some of you, maybe help you go a little deeper in that public land than you were willing to go in the past.