I use a stick and a piece of rope. Wrap the front legs up around the neck, slip the knot over the (head/neck/antlers/front legs) and begin dragging. The best thing I can tell you is to take your time. I have been considering building one of those carts for a couple of my stands that are a long walk from the truck. Somewhere I saw some plans for one....anyone have a link to that site?

Looks like all you guys do it the hard way. The best way I've found is to go to the truck, get the atv, drive to the deer and load it up. I haul deer out over a mile and never get out of breath or even break a sweat.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

But since your hunting public land the carts work really good (not as good as the atv) if the terrain isn't too rough or muddy. A buddy of mine rigged up one of those carts to pull behind a mountain bike.

Go hunting with a teenager and have him drag it out for you. I hauled my share of deer out for my grandfather, father, and uncles when I was a teenager. They need to pay their dues right? LOL. Unless you are a teenager then grab the antlers and go for it. Get a drag harness, they work pretty well too.

Edited by - bigbulls on 12/02/2002 21:23:25

I use a deer sleigh, (found in basspro and cabelas).
Its heavy duty plastic with a very slick surface.
It makes dragging a deer 10 times easier. I have dragged
bucks out of the woods for a mile with it without stopping.

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If you have to drag him any distance at all, don't split him from stem to stern. Only make a cut big enough to roll out the guts below the rib cage. This keeps out lots of grass and leaves. As soon as you get him to the truck take him to the nearest water faucet and finish splitting the deer removing heart/lungs/liver and wash grass and leaves and blood out thoroughly(best if you can hang him up). This cools him out and makes butchering alot nicer. If you are in a warm climate you can add two bags of ice in the chest cavity. Then go check him in.

Where we hunt any kind cart would never work . Just to steep and rough for one . If we have a road below us we will drag downhill if its not to far otherwise we endup carring it out on a packboard or whole depending on the size of the deer. Usually the fun stops right after the deer goes down If your dragging definitly drag from the front of the deer . Not opening the rib cage will help to keep it clean ,just cut the diaphragm and remove the heart ,lungs and drain the deer .

ive used a large garbage bag that you would use to put leaves and stuff in, fold in up in your bag and when you get a kill break it out and tear it longs ways and put your deer on it and it will slide very easy and its easy to pull to your truck if you cant drive in the area you shot it.

i drive my truck right to the deer...if you can't do that i don't think there is any easier way.

If it is doable, I will drag the deer to the closest area i can drive to. I will use a tarp or garbage bag to set the deer on (if no snow), then tie a piece of rope around the horns or neck and drag with it around my waist(a c postion this way the arms don't get tired). If not doable, like this years deer, i caped and quarter the deer on the spot and carried it out in 2 trips.

Oh yeah a game cart or atv will work nicely as well.


To load the deer from ground to truck, I made a 6 foot ladder out of scrap 2x2 lumber from my wood shop. Then place the deers on it, rope it to the ladder and lift one end up(set on the end gate) and then slide the rest on....very easy for one guy to do. A small extension ladder will work as well. (I think this is what duffy does....at least he wrote an article for Big Buck on it) But it really works nicely, even with 2 guys, since the deer are so floppy...try it!