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Deer Pulley System

socker1485

Member
I hunt in an area that has very large ravines with no way of getting an ATV or anything down there to get a deer out with. Does any one have any good systems for getting deer out ex. pulleys, cranks? I have been thinking about doing some sort of pulley system but didn't know if anyone had any experience with them or could show me how to make one that will work great. It is almost 3/4 mile to where I go so size and weight are a consideration. Thanks
 
Thats gonna take a lot of rope. I think it would be easier to quarter your deer and carry it out on your back. Or build a 2 wheeled cart with large wheels and configure it to attach to a shoulder harness.
 
I hunt in an area that has very large ravines with no way of getting an ATV or anything down there to get a deer out with. Does any one have any good systems for getting deer out ex. pulleys, cranks? I have been thinking about doing some sort of pulley system but didn't know if anyone had any experience with them or could show me how to make one that will work great. It is almost 3/4 mile to where I go so size and weight are a consideration. Thanks

Use a chain saw wench.
 
I'm no help but will add that a cart is a huge help. Also quartering is not allowed because thats what I planned to do when I hunted way back in. The DNR told me I had to remove the entire deer intact or would be written up for it.
 
Get a buddy...rig up some rope around the antlers and start dragging. 3/4 of a mile is a ways but it's not like it's 4 miles. Carts are ok but sometimes can be more of a hassle than anything. Suck it up and drag is my suggestion
 
I once shot a doe next to a deep ditch, and after I shot her, she fell down and slipped over the edge. It was about a 10-12' drop. Had I not had access with an ATV, I would have had a heck of time getting her out. I'm thinking a pulley system may have come in handy without the ATV, at least to get her out of the ditch.
 
find the strongest person and tell them to drag.... offer them a beer.... wait, thats just wait my family does to me...
 
I would back pack and quarter it. If it is tagged and you process your own deer how can DNR tell you you cannot quarter it? Even if there was some wierd rule, I'd use the old addage of "ask for forgivness rather than permission." Out west elk hunting, packing is the only option. I've packed elk in colorado and caribou in Quebec. No cart or pulleys would even be a possibility.
 
I know a guy that deboned and packed it out. He got a $200 ticket from the DNR. The DNR said that if he would have called it in and got the harvest number he would have been ok prior to deboning it out.
 
I am not the biggest fan of quartering out a deer and throwing it over my shoulder, it just sounds kind of messy. We do use a 2 wheel cart when we get it to the top of the ravine. If it is snowing we use a sled which is even better. The ravine we have to get the deer up is one of the nastiest ravines you have seen. But I guess if it was easy everybody would be doing it. I just didn't know if anyone had a sure fire pulley system and could give advice
 
I'm giving the ice fishing sled a shot this year. Carts work but suck when going over downed limbs and uneven surfaces.

I'm no help on rigs to get them out of the ravine other than praying they run uphill after the shot.
 
It has been a long time but I saw a deal once where a guy backed his jeep up to a gully. He jacked up one side of his jeep and took the tire off. He had a bare rim with a mile of super strong thin rock climbing rope. he threaded the one end of rope through a pulley hanging in a tree. He then free spooled the rope off the rim about a half mile down into this river bottom and attached it to a deer.

He then had a buddy wait there. He went back up and mounted the rim on the jeep. Called his buddy on his phone and put the jeep in gear and just slowly spooled up the rope on the rim and drug the deer up this giant ravine. Must of been single tire fire.

Worked awesome. I cant find it for the life of me. It was neat. Redneck engineering at its finest.
 
I would back pack and quarter it. If it is tagged and you process your own deer how can DNR tell you you cannot quarter it? Even if there was some wierd rule, I'd use the old addage of "ask for forgivness rather than permission." Out west elk hunting, packing is the only option. I've packed elk in colorado and caribou in Quebec. No cart or pulleys would even be a possibility.
Not sure why it is illegal, but I was informed by the officer in my area that it isn't. The reason I called him is because me and a buddy who moved to Iowa from Colorado planned on hunting a huge piece of public up here in NE Iowa. Had it scouted and to get away from other people and into the deer we were approximately 1.5 miles from where we entered the park. My buddy was used to hunting elk and mulies so he had the bags, frame and pack. Once we figured that out we lined up a cart to use if we were successful. It was modified with larger tires and a longer handle. We did kill a pretty good buck there and it was a pain getting it out, but it beat dragging.
 
Not sure why it is illegal, but I was informed by the officer in my area that it isn't. The reason I called him is because me and a buddy who moved to Iowa from Colorado planned on hunting a huge piece of public up here in NE Iowa. Had it scouted and to get away from other people and into the deer we were approximately 1.5 miles from where we entered the park. My buddy was used to hunting elk and mulies so he had the bags, frame and pack. Once we figured that out we lined up a cart to use if we were successful. It was modified with larger tires and a longer handle. We did kill a pretty good buck there and it was a pain getting it out, but it beat dragging.

I think an earlier poster hit the nail on the head. If you call in the tag and get your harvest number first it is okay to process it. They can not dictate when or where you start your processing. I do understand that if you do not have your harvest number there could be a fine.
 
Are there any rules about not leaving remains in public land? I don't hunt public much any more, but was thinking there may have been a rule about not leaving anything behind. Could just be my mind making this up tho.
 
Buy a dead sled. We used one this past weekend in western SD and they are worth their weight in gold. Doesn't look like much but it will make that drag way easier. It should fit in a pack if you take one in....probably weighs 3-5 lbs. I Attached the amazon site with them but I bought one at my local Scheels store for about $40. Cabela's didn't have them in stock.

http://www.amazon.com/Unknown-27375-Dead-Sled/dp/B000V6NAIC
 
Are there any rules about not leaving remains in public land? I don't hunt public much any more, but was thinking there may have been a rule about not leaving anything behind. Could just be my mind making this up tho.

When you gut them, you leave remains behind so I can't imagine that being too illegal. On the other hand, you can call in the harvest, then quartered & packed it out. Can't imagine most COs would write you up for that. If they did, I would take my chances telling my end of the story to a judge rather than just pay a fine. I would also have a serious conversation with the CO's supervisor. That's not the image the DNR needs for their enforcement personnel.

At home I'm pleased with the winch on my Gator for this type of recovery. Sometimes I can even get the wench from the house to come help. :rolleyes: I do need to get the UTV within a few hundred feet though which may not be possible, or legal, on public ground. Chainsaw winch might be a good option. ;)
 
It has been a long time but I saw a deal once where a guy backed his jeep up to a gully. He jacked up one side of his jeep and took the tire off. He had a bare rim with a mile of super strong thin rock climbing rope. he threaded the one end of rope through a pulley hanging in a tree. He then free spooled the rope off the rim about a half mile down into this river bottom and attached it to a deer.

He then had a buddy wait there. He went back up and mounted the rim on the jeep. Called his buddy on his phone and put the jeep in gear and just slowly spooled up the rope on the rim and drug the deer up this giant ravine. Must of been single tire fire.

Worked awesome. I cant find it for the life of me. It was neat. Redneck engineering at its finest.


One of the best ideas I've ever heard of. When there is snow on the ground I always use a jet sled if I can't get to it with the ranger or 4wheeler
 
One reason he also said was gender verification. He gave an example of people shooting bucks, tagging as does and hiding the racks. Said it had happened in the area. It could be officer specific or I caught him on a bad day.
 
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