CAPSTANS WINCH
 

Is the capstans winch really worth the pricetag? Thinkng about getting one for my next trip to idaho.. never shot an elk, but i heard its a pain in the a$$ carrying 1/4s up a mountain side

RE: CAPSTANS WINCH
 

if your a wussy get a 4x4

RE: CAPSTANS WINCH
 

I was out in Colorado a couple of week ago and camped with a group of guys that had what I thought to be the “Best Invention” out there.

They contacted the local phone company and asked when they were going to do a long phone line pull. After the phone company was done with the pull, a guy in camp asked if he could have the 2,500 pound test nylon strap they use to pull the phone cable through the ground with. Since the phone company only uses the nylon strap once (for fear of breaking it on subsequent pulls) they said sure.

The guys in camp now have a ¾ mile length of 2,500 pound test nylon strap to use to pull their elk out with.

Regards,
Steve

RE: CAPSTANS WINCH
 

ssmith,

I don't get it. How are they going to use that exactly? Are they going to hook it up to their truck 3/4 mile away. That strap must weigh a ton.

EKW

RE: CAPSTANS WINCH
 

One of my friends shot a large mule deer in the bottom of a valley.I had a winch on the truck but the closest that I could get the truckwas about 200 yards from the deer.With the valley walls being so steep it would have been a major pain to carry out the deer.Instead we went into town and bought a 1000ft roll of poly rope.I let the winch cable out and we ran rope from the hook to the deer.I then operated the winch while my friend guided the deer up the valley.When the winch cable was fully withdrawn,we simply extended it and hooked up the rope and winched again.It took several winching pulls but it certainly made the job much easier.The roll of rope was not really that heavy but then again it was only 1000ft long and1/2" in diameter.

RE: CAPSTANS WINCH
 

Elk Killer,

The actual strap is less than 1 inch wide and probably only 3/16” thick. What they have done is every few hundred yards on the strap they tied a loop in it that fits over the ball on their ball hitch. When they need to use it they only unspool what they need to the closest loop, put it over their ball hitch and start dragging.

Regards,
Steve

RE: CAPSTANS WINCH
 

Hey Nightskyline, We have a chainsaw winch in camp that works great. The problem is most of the elk we have killed are in areas that really prevent it's use, such as a ton of blow down. If you are not able/willing to pack out an animal, and cannot pay to get it done for you, then only shoot something by the road. Perhaps it would work best if you just hunted whitetail deer near your home.:D

Capstan rope winches work really great for pulling elk and moose. I have one made by Speedwinch. Its 12V and connects to my trailer receiver hitch. It has a foot switch and is really easy to control. The gas versions I have seen are more difficult to control. I use 600 yards of amsteel blue rope. I have pulled game up really steep hillsides with ease. Make a retrieval fun. They are pricey but are totally worth it.

Here is a link to their website. They have a pretty good video on their blog page here and I think they have a YouTube channel also. www.speedwinch.com

Easiest way involves 2 vehicles. Attach a pulley on the rear bumper of one and run the strap/rope through the pulley and attach to the hitch of the second vehicle. Tie the other end of the strap onto the elk's antlers. Now get two walkie talkies (one for the guy at the elk and one for the guy driving the second truck. Drive up slow and stop when the guy on the walkie talkie tells him to stop so he can reposition the elk around obsticals. Seen it done on an elk I killed in Montana

I suppose you could do it with only one vehicle if you could attach the pulley to a tree, etc

Bone the elk out where it hits the ground. That way you reduce it down by at least 50% in weight. Anyone in fairly decent shape can pack a boned elk in 3 or 4 trips. Gadgets like this are designed to separate the lazy from their hard earned money.