Skinning Cats

[Mike P]

I have been ruminating on this subject for quite a while. I didn’t know how some might perceive much less receive this subject. But I thought the time was right when I read the recent post by bstout regarding the method he uses to retrieve his deer kills. He has a bad shoulder and uses a boat winch and ultimately a come-a-long to accomplish the task. I was impressed by his ingenuity and thought “I bet he is not alone” and that others also have to overcome some physical problems to pursue the illusive whitetail.

I’m better off then a lot of you. My injury cannot come close to the severity that many of you have to deal with on a daily basis. In 1997 I fell 28 feet when my climbing stand “malfunctioned”. I snapped my right femur in half near the top of my leg and now have a stainless steel rod inside the femur and the accompanying plates and screws near the knee and the hip. I get around pretty good and have only needed to modify my hunting techniques slightly as a result of the fall. In addition, this will be my last hunting season before I hit the magical 60”s. I’m certainly not getting any younger. Dragging 250 lb. bucks for any distance is no longer a good option for me.

That’s why I was so interested in the post from bstout. My hunting partner Doc and I somewhat use the same technique as bstout only we go a little higher tech. We will use the one of the winches on the ATV’s when we are able. When we can’t get one of the ATV’s close enough, we use a portable electric winch and power it with one of the jumper battery packages with the handles that are sold all over the place. We also use the portable winch to get the animal up and into the pickup bed. The downfall of the little electric winch is it only has about 30 ft. of cable. So what we did was take 300 feet of nylon rope and tie a loop in the rope every 25 feet. Thus we winch in 25 feet of rope, pull the cable back out to the next loop in the rope and winch in another 25 feet. We continue the process until we run out of rope.

Now I know that many here found this forum because a crossbow was the only option to continue hunting. An injury sent you on a quest to find the best crossbow and gather information. And this forum filled the bill. Yes, there are many members here that are “able bodied”. But there are many that have physical problems. And I’m willing to wager that many of you with physical problems have come up with some pretty good ideas and means to overcome these problems just like bstout with his boat winch.

I think it would be “a good thing” as Martha Stewart would say if we shared some of these ideas with each other. So without turning the thread into a “woe is me” platform where one laments his physical condition, why not share with us some of your “tricks of the trade”. What shape are you in? What problem does this cause? And most importantly, how have you overcome the problem (s)?

One last thing, just because you are “able bodied” does not mean your excluded. If you have a good “trick” by all means let us know. Your idea may very well help someone over come some difficulty they are experiencing and add enjoyment to their hunting experience.

[Pydpiper]

I don't like cats either.

[Daniele]

I am pushing 58,
not in bad shape but not in top shape, i hunt alone and can't afford ATV or 4WD, it has been like that for a long time; as i hunt on permission only i am limited to how i access the properties, usually it's a long haul in and out.
I bought myself a 2 wheel venison cart last year, made some modifications as i usually find i have to do with most things i buy ( Except with Excalibur of course ), i try to load my gutted animal on the back of my P.U. with some home made ramps ( 2X8 with hinges reversed at a cut off point of about 10" so they sit there while i curse and push) sometimes i have tried to back near a road/ditch to bring the bed/liftgate at road level to wheel it on.
I have had other horror stories in the past with home made contraptions, that will be for another time ,DANIELE

[joeumholtz]

Self Loading deer

When my dad was still hunting and I couldn't get home to hunt with him, he and his hunting buddy (both in their 70's at the time) came up with an ingenious way to get the deer out of the woods and into the bed of the pickup. In the front of the bed they placed an eyebolt with a pulley attached. Through that they ran a rope (long rope) (It was avtually one of my old climbing ropes) One end would get attached to the deer, the other end to a tree. One of them would get in the truck and start driving slowly forward, while the other stayed with the deer to help "guide" him. When the deer was close to the back of the truck, they slid a sheet of plywood out the tailgate and clipped it to the tailgate cables. It served as a ramp. The driver then drove the truck forward a little more and the deer loaded itself right in the back of the truck.

It was my Dad's idea. He's now 92 and doesn't hunt anymore. I wish I had a tenth of his brains.

[raydaughety]

http://www.deerfeeder.com/gamehoist.htm

I have a good friend that made one of these for me after my accident. All it takes is a 10' stick of 2" steel square stock. a hand winch,an eye bolt and a pulley. I think the materials were about $50.00 and it works great. It fits into my reese hitch receiver and is easily removed when not needed.

[Daniele]

Wow!
Talk about necessity being the mother of invention,
Joeumholtz, that is just too smart for words, you must have lived in awe of your dad!
It sure gave me a jolt , of course there are tools and toys for everything out there ( if one can afford them ) , but nothing is more satisfying that coming up with something smart that really works.
Daniele

[mikew]

If you are forced to drag......

My Brother bought one of those plastic sleds that kids use (shaped like a long mussel/clam shell). He rolls the deer into that & then pulls the sled.

-Mike

[Galgo]

For hanging my deer in the garage, i bolted a pulley to a ceiling joist and bolted a hook hanging from a 6" chain beside the pulley. I drive the car into the garage, put a gambrel thru the hind legs, tie a rope to the gambrel, feed it thru the pulley, tie the other end to the bumper and drive out the door, the deer gets hoisted into position, stop the car (put on the parking brake) walk over and hook the gambrel, then reverse the car to get some slack and remove the rope - done.

F

[LV2HNT]

This is not an invention of ours but we have some thick plastic sheets that the deer are tied to and then pulled out. It takes close to half the effort it would take to drag just the deer, but it takes some time to tie them up. They work great especialy in snow. Once we are out to a trail or road we have a two wheeled cart that we strap it to and we are on the way. The cart has turned what used to be a 6 hour drag into a 1 to 1 1/2 hour drag in one of our favorite spots. The plastic sheets were called slicker than snot and I have no idea about the cart. I did a search for the sheets but could not find them. This link is for a similar version:
http://www.llbean.com/cd-1/48200.shtml

I also figured out that my safety harness has a loop at the bottom of it in the back. It is great for attaching the deer to. You just lean forward and let your weight do most of the work. Theres no need to use your arms which gets very tireing so you can use them to carry things like your gun and other gear.

[Horizontal Hunter]

Ray,

What a great idea!! Does it swivel as well?

Bob

[joeumholtz]

Check out your local toy store this fall. I've used a plastic tobaggan for years to drag my deer out, using my safety harness instead of my hands. The tobaggan works well snow or no snow. For portability they also make a roll up plastic tobaggan (just a sheet. Drill some holes in it, tie your deer to it and it should work well, and best of all, it's cheap!

[raydaughety]

No, mine doesn't swivel Bob. I just lift the deer high enough to clear the open tailgate and then slowly reverse the winch and lower the deer onto the tailgate. Sometimes, I'll field dress while I have him hanging from the truck. When it's real cold outside I'll pull the truck into the backyard and skin and quarter the deer while it's hanging from the truck.

[DuckHunt]

A fellow hunter turned me on to this one. He always hunts with a blaze orage vest with a game pouch. In his pouch he carries one of the cheap plastic roll up snow sleds. It is basically a thick plastic sheet about 2 feet wide and 5 feet long. Unroll it and place it under the deer; Cut a couple holes near the edges and add a few small pieces of rope and you can make the drag half as hard. The sleds cost under $10 and come in a variety of colors.

[Horizontal Hunter]

Ray,

Thanks for the additional info. Usually I call my brother and he comes and drags out my deer and loads it for me. What a great arraingment except on those few times he can't get free. For what it costs it would be a great idea.

Thanks,

Bob

[VixChix]

Saw this at Canadian Tire today and thought about how much easier my life could be.

http://tinyurl.com/2ujqnq

The CrazyCarpet rolled up sled is more my budget though!