Dragging vs Quartering

[Brian011]

Just wondering what the furthest everyone has dragged an animal out whole to the nearest road compared to the distance that you would quarter or de-bone the animal and pack out.
This hunting season I'm planning on trying to do a little more hiking further away from roads and also hunting in areas that has restricted vehicle access and I'm trying to figure out that how far from my vehicle I would drag a deer before I would cut it up and pack it out. It wouldn't be too long of a distance from where I would park but it would be just far enough that it would be a long drag out.

[dougster]

good question, i would love to know that too. I got a spot i found that i want to hunt but i cant have a quad there, and its atleast 250 meters from the closets spot i can get the truck, and could be as far as a km

[Alpine85]

Id drag a deer a couple hundred yards, if it was on the high side. That dragging shit is past times. Do yourself a favour and quarter the thing up. Last year I shot this meat buck 100 yards from a road. I figured it would take longer to drag it, walk the km back to the truck and drive up to it then it was to stuff the whole thing in my pack and walk the road out.http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y200/Alpine85/PA190128-1.jpg

[tikkat3]

one time I dragged a 5pt buck about 1k intact but gutted, it was the first deer I was in on. My hunting partner shot it, and he had lots of experience but for some reason he didn't think we should quarter it. We dragged it across an alpine meadow, this was a big deer, probably over 200lb gutted. It took like 2 hours, then we said screw it, and chopped it in half and hiked it the rest of the way out. Even that was hard lol. Now unless it's a little buck, it gets quartered!

[dougster]

so you quarter it then skin it later? does that make skinning harder or easier later? also some of the places i have scouted where i want to hunt there is no trees close by to hang the rest of the deer while im hiking out a quarter. any advice in that respect

[Fisher-Dude]

With deer, it depends whether there's snow or not. I've dragged deer a couple of miles in good snow conditions. On dry ground, I'm more apt to cut 'em in half and throw them on the freighter frame for anything over a few hundred yards, or in a shitty spot. Dragging up any hill on dry ground sucks, downhill ain't so bad.

I tend to shoot first, and ask "How the f'k am I gonna get this thing outta here?" later (fortunately, I have SSS's cell number :mrgreen: ).

[dougster]

what do you wrap your quarter in so that is doesnt cover your bag in blood?

[Alpine85]

No I skin it then cut the quarters off. On the whitetail in the pic I just didn't bother hacking the hoofs off so I left the skin/hoof on. If its a far hike then debone the deer. I don't know what kind of pack you use, but my day pack fits a whole debone deer. A big deer with cape/antlers would be 2 trips total.

[Jelvis]

If it's more than a mile from the truck or car I take a big cast iron frying pan and eat it on the way out .. lol
Jel Rock .. Yah know what I'm sayin ?

[leadpillproductions]

If it's more than a mile from the truck or car I take a big cast iron frying pan and eat it on the way out .. lol
Jel Rock .. Yah know what I'm sayin ?

lol never tried that way

[Ron.C]

I've dragged my share of animals. But never again. If its' to far to walk back and get my sasquatch pack cart, I quarter on the spot. The bear was pulled out about 1.5km on the cart, the deer was just over 2km.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/gcart1.jpg

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/gt2.jpg

Before I owned the cart, but would have been a pack out anyway. Thank god for friends!!!

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/hunting_044small.jpg

[papaken]

The Pak-Kart made by by Sasquatch Fabrications has worked for me. Deer whole, bear whole, moose quartered. If the bush is too thick or too much slash, skin quarter and pack board. Best way tho is large grandsons and or nephews do all the work LOL!

[papaken]

Hey Ron.C apparently great minds think alike! lol

[Jhors]

+1 Ron C! I have a home made version of the cart and it works like a charm. Mine even has brakes so if I hit a steep downhill grade it does not get away. It will hop over small logs and will go through most bush. I packed a five point buck out over 3 miles with mine a few years ago. Of course the problem is, if you are alone you have to hike back to camp for the cart then go get the animal. In my case my partner brought the cart and helped me load up, then he continued hunting while I pulled the cart and deer out. Try it, you will never drag again!

[Ron.C]

Hey Ron.C apparently great minds think alike! lol

I'll pass that on to my wife. The cart was her Idea. She Bought the it for Xmas two years ago :oops:
If not for her, I'd still be out there dragging that bear to the truck like a dumbass:lol:

[proguide66]

I look back and cant believe how many things I drug out before getting some better knowledge!
One thing for sure is how easy it is to pull your back out by dragging or jerking with it , packing all the way for me.
As well , when you bring the whole carcass out and home , you have a pile of usless leftovers to attract dogs till you get rid of it again.
One more point is one a taxidermist pointed out to me , when you drag em you wipe many fine hairs off the capes , no way not to....caping em on the spot makes for a wayyy beter cape...even in snow , it really has friction!!
Here's how I pack em everytime..( as well same with horses)...
http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq155/proguide66/DSC02259.jpg

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/qq155/proguide66/DSC02261.jpg

[bad arrow]

I just always have a pack board in my truck and if its more than I can handle on my own (and it might noy be very much) I use it, I cut them (deer) in half across the animals body then severe the head, cut the antlers out, that leaves me with 2 trips, the hind quarters-then the entire front half with the front quarters attached. Even a big buck can be packed this way, if its too far ie: the animal runs into an impossible area then you might have to bone it out for a recovery, a small folding saw, a headlamp are things I dont go without.

[Gateholio]

It's gotta be pretty close to the road, uphill from the road and not too much brush for me to drag anything.

Last thing I dragged any distance was a 6ft + black bear, over 10 years ago. I smartened up after that hellish ordeal.....Man, time flies....:-D

[goatdancer]

Depends on the terrain and the weather conditions. A few years back I dragged a 5 pt whitetail about 4 km. There was a good trail, there was snow, and it was mostly downhill. Still tired the crap out of me but it was worth it.

[uraarchr]

have packed sheep out in backpacks between 2 guys(and our tent,bags etc..) works great.have dragged(mostly sucks unless short dist).have used quad(awesome).and used a cheap black plastic crappy tire toboggan a couple times.the toboggan worked good snow and no snow but wet ground.even dragged a large mulie uphill in the toboggan.those one and two wheeled foldup things look great.personally i think a helicopter would be the best ,but they're prob illegal.the easier the better so you dont cripple yourself for the next pack out.i personally cant wait till my kid gets a few years older!

[dougster]

what do you guys who pack do to stop your bag from getting covered in blood?

[kennyj]

I de-bone all animals even if it was beside the road (never been that lucky) Throw it into a cooler and there's no mess at home.
kenny

[dougster]

i dont plan on butchering myself, im planning on taking the whole thing, just gutted and skinned strait to the butcher. can i take it bone in or do i have to de bone it?

[Caveman]

If it's more than a mile from the truck or car I take a big cast iron frying pan and eat it on the way out .. lol
Jel Rock .. Yah know what I'm sayin ?


Do you have to cut your tag???

[Caveman]

i dont plan on butchering myself, im planning on taking the whole thing, just gutted and skinned strait to the butcher. can i take it bone in or do i have to de bone it?


If you cake the care to debone it correctly you can just as easily cut your own steaks etc, and save yourself some money. That you can take the extra meat to put towards sausage or pepperoni. If we go out and are lucky enough to take one I can show you a few things Doug

[BlacktailStalker]

I dragged & heaved a 6x6 elk about 1-3' at a time 300 yards over 2 hrs in the dark... saying it sucked is an understatement.
It was a little over 400 yds to the road and when help eventually came we got it the rest of the way and we rolled it off the bank into the truck, whole.

Never again.

[trapperdan2061]

I carry the 3 mil plastic garbage bags and debone it on the spot, then pack or use my home made cart.

[dougal]

the better part of a km on my first mulie it was 200m from spot to shot but there was a deep valley between us it sucked and needed three of us and a truck "steep sides"
my wife's first was about a 20m drag down to where the truck was

[Bow Walker]

Just wondering what the furthest everyone has dragged an animal out whole to the nearest road compared to the distance that you would quarter or de-bone the animal and pack out.
This hunting season I'm planning on trying to do a little more hiking further away from roads and also hunting in areas that has restricted vehicle access and I'm trying to figure out that how far from my vehicle I would drag a deer before I would cut it up and pack it out. It wouldn't be too long of a distance from where I would park but it would be just far enough that it would be a long drag out.
It depends on the type of terrain that your hunting in. Hilly, rough terrain is a quarter-n-pack job. Not too bad, or too far to the road is a drag-out. It also depends on the size/weight of the animal involved. I ain't no Samson, ya know.

[dougster]

was up lac de bois and saw a nice little white tail doe... im so stoked cant wait for season to start!!!!!! the next 2 months cant go by fast enough

[SR80]

it probably won't be hanging out in batch during hunting season

[dougster]

lol no i imagien it will strap on the bullett proof vest and make a run for the safe areas. lol ... dont worry im putting in the time looking for the quiet spots

[Brian011]

haha it will be heading to the area that made me start this thread

[Padron]

I believe we have Field and Stream to thank for a lot lower back injuries and bruised egos. All those covers showing a (clean) hunter dragging a massive buck through the bush by the rack. I remember my first buck taken about 200 yards off the road. It was a big Illinois corn-fed buck, field dressed about 180 lbs. After gutting it, I tied a rope around its rack, threw a loop over my shoulders, and leaned. Nothing. Not an inch. Turns out physics doesn't allow this 150lb guy to drag a 180lb anything through the bush.

Brought my wife out with me the next day to help quarter and pack it out. I'll never forget the looks we got from an elderly couple out for a nature walk as my wife walked out with the rack and cape under her arm.

[Big Lew]

When we were younger, and in a lot better shape, my Dad, brothers, and I used to hunt some canyons about 1 1/2 kms from our truck. We took many large mulie bucks from the top half of those canyons. We would drag downhill until it wasn't feasible, and then pack them out on our back by making the front legs into toggles and threading them through the knee area on the back legs. There was a lot of pain from the front legs cutting into your shoulders and it was very messy. The large four-pointers were over 200 lbs. and the packer needed help to get going and to stop, which was frequent. Never could figure out why my Dad insisted on doing that. Once I started to hunt on my own, I would, and still do, cut them into quarters after skinning, put the quarters into heavy-duty meat bags, and pack them to the truck, even if I was close enough to see the truck. Unless you have someone with you, even if you shoot an animal quite close to your vehicle, it is a tremendous struggle to lift it into your truck bed.

[CanuckShooter]

When we were younger, and in a lot better shape, my Dad, brothers, and I used to hunt some canyons about 1 1/2 kms from our truck. We took many large mulie bucks from the top half of those canyons. We would drag downhill until it wasn't feasible, and then pack them out on our back by making the front legs into toggles and threading them through the knee area on the back legs. There was a lot of pain from the front legs cutting into your shoulders and it was very messy. The large four-pointers were over 200 lbs. and the packer needed help to get going and to stop, which was frequent. Never could figure out why my Dad insisted on doing that. Once I started to hunt on my own, I would, and still do, cut them into quarters after skinning, put the quarters into heavy-duty meat bags, and pack them to the truck, even if I was close enough to see the truck. Unless you have someone with you, even if you shoot an animal quite close to your vehicle, it is a tremendous struggle to lift it into your truck bed.

Used to do the same thing, just toss 'em over the shoulders and trip out!! [leave that trick to the young guys now] Dragging was never feasible except for short distances [50-100ft] or in steep downhill situations, we've also used the plastic toboggans with some success, and the game carts work good if the ground is suitable...then we found those 1000 foot rolls of rope and snatch blocks..pulled many a moose right to the side of the road with that trick.

[hardnocks]

We had a big buck area that was over a two mile hike. Drug a big 300 lb mulie over 8 hours to get it to the truck .

Wish i could do it again but there`s roads all over their now. Theirs still big deer their . But heavly hunted .

[cainer]

When we were younger, and in a lot better shape, my Dad, brothers, and I used to hunt some canyons about 1 1/2 kms from our truck. We took many large mulie bucks from the top half of those canyons. We would drag downhill until it wasn't feasible, and then pack them out on our back by making the front legs into toggles and threading them through the knee area on the back legs. There was a lot of pain from the front legs cutting into your shoulders and it was very messy. The large four-pointers were over 200 lbs. and the packer needed help to get going and to stop, which was frequent. Never could figure out why my Dad insisted on doing that. Once I started to hunt on my own, I would, and still do, cut them into quarters after skinning, put the quarters into heavy-duty meat bags, and pack them to the truck, even if I was close enough to see the truck. Unless you have someone with you, even if you shoot an animal quite close to your vehicle, it is a tremendous struggle to lift it into your truck bed.
i do believe that is called the buck backpack-always wanted to try that! Most of the time I just drag the damn deer the half mile and make a workout out of it. In a couple of years i may stop that, but for now, i don't mind it so much.
watch out for ticks though-they still jump on even though the deer is dead! then they just wait for you to bring them home with you.

[mark]

I would not be surprised if Ive dragged out close to 100 deer, (between myself and others game)
Its all I knew, thats what everyone I knew did!
Every single moose and elk has been dragged out whole, by quad, truck, or winch!
Some very close to a vehicle, the worst was an alpine muley....6 hours of pure hell for 2 of us!
In recent years Ive learned to debone and pack....no looking back!
Im sure we were all young and dum at some point! :)

[rollingrock]

I believe we have Field and Stream to thank for a lot lower back injuries and bruised egos. All those covers showing a (clean) hunter dragging a massive buck through the bush by the rack. I remember my first buck taken about 200 yards off the road. It was a big Illinois corn-fed buck, field dressed about 180 lbs. After gutting it, I tied a rope around its rack, threw a loop over my shoulders, and leaned. Nothing. Not an inch. Turns out physics doesn't allow this 150lb guy to drag a 180lb anything through the bush.

Brought my wife out with me the next day to help quarter and pack it out. I'll never forget the looks we got from an elderly couple out for a nature walk as my wife walked out with the rack and cape under her arm.

:mrgreen: No kidding!

[OutWest]

what do you wrap your quarter in so that is doesnt cover your bag in blood?

We gut, skin and quarter then throw it in cheese cloth. Awesome stuff and stretches easy.

[OutWest]

I would not be surprised if Ive dragged out close to 100 deer, (between myself and others game)
Its all I knew, thats what everyone I knew did!
Every single moose and elk has been dragged out whole, by quad, truck, or winch!
Some very close to a vehicle, the worst was an alpine muley....6 hours of pure hell for 2 of us!
In recent years Ive learned to debone and pack....no looking back!
Im sure we were all young and dum at some point! :)

I would have been if it wasn't for growing up hunting with my dad and his friends :p

[phoenix]

Get a Rokon and let it do the work:mrgreen:
Kim
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q47/elimsprint/P3300044.jpg

[Roots]

Last season I dragged my first buck, 232 lbs field dressed, 4.2km in pissing rain with a gang of ravens following me like vultures. It was getting dark quickly and I just happened to forget my flashlight + camera on the kitchen table. Took me almost 4 hours to get back to the car... didn't realize the distance until I got home and retrieved the data from my GPS. Never again! Next time, will quarter or do gutless... or will definitely pick up a foldable game cart.

[Fisher-Dude]

This little buck from 2 years ago took me about 1 1/2 hours to drag 700 yards, mostly downhill but through a cut full of slash and logs. It was a grunt!

I normally would have used the packboard, but the truck (and pack) was 3 km away and I wanted him out by dark, so I didn't figure I had time to do it the "easy way." :)



http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e70/Fisher-Dude/Hpim0687.jpg



When I was young and strong like ox, but smart like tractor, I did things like pack elk quarters 4 1/2 miles on my back...


http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e70/Fisher-Dude/ElkPack.jpg

[22savage]

For moose or elk or bear we always bring a couple of skates of ground line and a snatch block ,that has saved many a shitty pack but that being said we have also had to pack quarter's on the trapper nelson or dragged half the animal between two guys . Just a reminder to always be alert when returning back to pick up the second half of your kill , you will be amazed how fast a bear will scent a fresh kill , never let your guard down and always keep your rifle with in reach!!!!!

[hunter1947]

Longest drag whole was 300 yard elk ,elk longest pack out on a meat board 4K..

[Camp Cook]

I have done it all I even take my green plastic tub wheel barrow to get the game out one wheel makes it very easy to traverse narrow steep game trails now I use my quad as much as I can to get into where I hunt...

Here is the last deer I dragged out distance to the truck was about 550 yards shot was appr 210 yards.

I had spotted the buck the night before on the far hill in the background so came back in the morning for him... :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om4NX1Iktt8

[Kudu]

Never really dragged much, have taken a goat for a ride though..


http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y260/Gogga2/bringandbraai.jpg

[BimmerBob]

Never really dragged much, have taken a goat for a ride though..




http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y260/Gogga2/bringandbraai.jpg


Hey buddy, I thought you would have that sucker in a hammock!:tongue:

[Kudu]

Hey buddy, I thought you would have that sucker in a hammock!:tongue:


Naah - not my type really, prefer a bit of sheep to tell the truth, must be Aussie in me eh? anyone got some Velcro gloves? what about you Brimmer? got any fancies yourself?



http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y260/Gogga2/post-1-92479-sexy_sheep1.jpg

[BimmerBob]

Naah - not my type really, prefer a bit of sheep to tell the truth, must be Aussie in me eh? anyone got some Velcro gloves? what about you Brimmer? got any fancies yourself?




http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y260/Gogga2/post-1-92479-sexy_sheep1.jpg


ROTFL! and to answer your question: Nothing that I would care to share here, I KNOW NUTTING HIER COMMANDANT, NUTTING!

[Kudu]

ROTFL! and to answer your question: Nothing that I would care to share here, I KNOW NUTTING HIER COMMANDANT, NUTTING!



http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y260/Gogga2/000202BD.gif

[Caribou_lou]

If there is snow I'll drag my animal a long way. I like bringing them home whole. Much easier to keep clean I find.

[Big Lew]

i do believe that is called the buck backpack-always wanted to try that! Most of the time I just drag the damn deer the half mile and make a workout out of it. In a couple of years i may stop that, but for now, i don't mind it so much.
watch out for ticks though-they still jump on even though the deer is dead! then they just wait for you to bring them home with you.
Even if I were strong enough now-a-days, I would be scared that someone would take a shot at the deer on my back, and, as you said, there's the ticks. If you're going to try it, make sure that you have padding to put between the front deer legs and your shoulder.

[BCRiverBoater]

I debone everything. Why pack the bones a single foot. They come out when you are at home anyways or you pay too much to the butcher. To debone a quarter does not take very long and it is work you have to do at some point anyways.

[GRIZZEZE]

sasquatch's pack cart for me. The wheel was invented a long time ago. Real bad spotI use my winch on the truck and animal on the cart, works well and meat stays clean.
Can't beat it.

[Jelvis]

Dragging is good if there is snow or you have at least two hunters to drag a deer.
Drag the deer by the head on it's back or on the sides .. have a bag for the liver
The good things about dragging, is the skin is on, and saves the meat, and you can flesh it at home.
Quartering deer is ok, if, you have back packs for that and share carrying the halves with a buddy.
Moose, try to get it close to an access road, or trail, so to use a quad etc to get it out .. otherwise you have to quarter the moose, there just too big to drag in one piece by hand.
Jelly ..

[zike]

I'm surprised that no one uses a chain saw winch. I pulled several elk out of steep canyons with one. One guy even salvaged a light plane out of a deep canyon. Not good in heavy timber. But for us old guys its better then dragging or putting it on you back.

[Kootenai]

[QUOTE=proguide66;705098]I look back and cant believe how many things I drug out before getting some better knowledge.

Hey, I don't see the tenderloin!

[pescado]

Just like Proguide66 above. Game bags, Knife, stone and pack board. Easy on your back and you only have to deal with the animal once. It's quite simple as well.

[Jelvis]

Draggin's my game Jelly's my name.

[Mooseter]

Now that I am old and always have a partner near by I take a 4 x3 ft square of plastic construction fence(very strong but light and easy to roll up) .
Cut a couple of saplings at kill site and weave them in each side to make a stretcher.
Even 2 old guys can carry 1/4 moose or 1/2 deer this way quite comfortably. Make sure saplings are long enough so the guy in back can see where to put his feet. This way keeps meat clean and whole so it is easier to cut.

[Tenacious Billy]

Now that I am old and always have a partner near by I take a 4 x3 ft square of plastic construction fence(very strong but light and easy to roll up) .
Cut a couple of saplings at kill site and weave them in each side to make a stretcher.
Even 2 old guys can carry 1/4 moose or 1/2 deer this way quite comfortably. Make sure saplings are long enough so the guy in back can see where to put his feet. This way keeps meat clean and whole so it is easier to cut.

That's pretty clever.

[SHAKER]

Packings OK if you have no other option but theirs often a better way......

In the interests of not getting the Mods upset at me....... GrizzEZ has it right!:mrgreen:

And yes dragging sucks!

[chinook]

I think everyone is assuming you meant dragging it out by hand. Ive pulled moose out 600 yards to a road.....with a truck....thats the only way to go. Ive also 1/6'ed a moose and taken it out on my back. It was no more than 150 yards from the truck but in a shitty spot we couldnt get cable to and pull 'cause it was up and over a hump and down the other side. It wasnt bad given the short distance but any further with a moose and it would be terrible.

I packed a deer up a steep tower slash on the coast for about 200 yards then through the standing timber for another 5 or 600 once. That was worse than the moose. That was back before I knew how to quarter anything.....and before I got smart and stopped shooting things in ******ed places like that.

[shawnwells]

those pull carts they sell can make life easy where vehicles are prohibited...i welded up my own for a deer hunt near williams lake all by myself and it was easy to get er back to camp..could even have a beer on the way to celebrate ha ha

[shadow1982]

those pull carts they sell can make life easy where vehicles are prohibited...i welded up my own for a deer hunt near williams lake all by myself and it was easy to get er back to camp..could even have a beer on the way to celebrate ha ha

Can we see a pic please...

[hunterofthedeer]

Ive only hunted big game twice. My deer was only 70 yards from the trail, and it was small so I dragged it back. The moose my brother shot in december was 80 yards on a deactivated road. We just dragged it from where it dropped to the ditch in the snow then put it whole into the truck. No hard packing for me yet.

[shawnwells]

i would if i could but i never thought to take one...

[KevinB]

Dragging works great when you have a 1,500' spool of rope, several snatch blocks, a truck, and a helper with a radio.

Otherwise, dragging is for masochists or people who are lucky enough to either: shoot a deer on the uphill cut bank of a snowy road, fill an antlerless tag with a fawn, or have a friend that they can convince to do most of the work. :mrgreen: