Deer carts?

[Pydpiper]

I am in the market for a deer cart, I need to haul gear and perhaps a kid with me to a stand/blind.
Is there a good/better/best with these things or are they all pretty much the same?
I have one locally that weighs about 40 pounds, folds up and looks like it will do the job. Is there a better, skinnier lighter model out there I should be looking at?
Not just looking to haul deer, but more about getting a good amount of equipment in and out with me, kid(s), decoy, blind, gear...

[Horizontal Hunter]

Pyd,

I have never owned or used a commercially available deer cart so I don't have any experience to offer in that department. But I built my own cart out of 1" and 1/2" EMT tubing and a set of mountain bike tires and I have been using it for a few years now and what a difference it makes getting a deer out of the woods. The nice thing about making one is you can build exactly what you want. I can email or post some pics if you want. BTW what ever you get don't paint it black it makes it hard to find in the dark

Bob

[lscha]

this is the one I want. Harbor Freight

[Woody Williams]

this is the one I want. Harbor Freight

How much?

[Cutter]

$69.99

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... umber=2915

Cutter

[Big58cal]

Here's what I use.





Honestly, if you're looking for a cart to pull/push, try making one yourself. A buddy of mine got some square aluminum tubing and an old set of bicycle tires and made his own. Doing it like that, you can be sure to get exactly what you want.

[mikej]

that must be heavy to pull through the bush

[Pydpiper]

I have looked at the Harbor Freight one, it is very nice but it's main feature is that it attaches to a class three hitch, and I don't drive anywhere to hunt..
I was thinking about weight, width and maneuverability.

I would like to see some pics of homemade, I really don't have the room for another project right now, but you never know.

[DuckHunt]

I have one locally that weighs about 40 pounds, folds up and looks like it will do the job. Is there a better, skinnier lighter model out there I should be looking at?

I can tell you what doesn't work. I own an Alum-i-lite game cart.
http://www.cabelas.com/spodw-1/0005601.shtml
Mine is quite a few years old with slightly smaller solid wheels instead of the new spoke ones. It is very light. I think mine weighs about 20 pounds. It is skinny as well, about 20 inches. It quad-folds down to an easier to carry size.

Its function leaves a lot to be desired. I hunt on very uneven mountainous terrain. Very little of my drag is on flat level ground. When loaded on the cart you have to carry a significant portion of the deers' weight. That sort of defeats the purpose of the cart. If you load the deer low in the cart, it gets top heavy on slightly uneven terrain. On one 1/4 mile drag I had the cart on the deer three different times. At one point on a downhill section I had the deer by the horns with the cart on top dragging behind it. Fortunately no video cameras were around to tape me. The aluminum tubing also bent slightly under the weight of the 8pt I took last season. He was well under the 250lb rated limit.

If you plan on carrying a deer and any additional gear, look for something that is built a lot more solid. If (when) I buy another one, it will be steel. Maybe something like this one with a lower center of gravity so tipping is less of an issue.

http://www.cabelas.com/hprod-1/0005568.shtml

DuckHunt

[saxman]

I like the harbor freight idea.
I have one on my jeep all the time so I may as well do that with it.

a friend had a Warren and sweat on years ago that was nice

[Big58cal]

that must be heavy to pull through the bush

Nah, it's self-propelled.


As far as making one, just look at a bunch of different designs, picking out the things that you like about each one, and then make a rough sketch of what you want.

I've used my buddies when I hunted Ft. Knox Military Installation (no motorized vehicles allowed off of the roads). With the large bicycle tires and a low center of gravity, it was really stable, but could roll over logs and rocks with ease.

[Tom]

If you plan on carrying a deer and any additional gear, look for something that is built a lot more solid. If (when) I buy another one, it will be steel. Maybe something like this one with a lower center of gravity so tipping is less of an issue.

http://www.cabelas.com/hprod-1/0005568.shtml

DuckHunt

The above cart is the one my brother has and my whole family uses. Here are some of the pros and cons for that unit.

Pros ..... very sturdy ...... can handle alot of weight, espically if you add the dual wheels, Wheels are SOLID RUBBER so you can't get a flat tire from rocks or roots.......easily to balance your weight in the load ..... does not tip easily ........ can easily be used by two people (front and back) ...... easily wahses to get rid of the blood

Cons ..... can become a pain to asemble/disasemble ..... The open wheels can get sticks, roots ect caught in the spokes (get the spoke covers) ..... some carts are shorter so they are easier to move amoung the trees.

In my using that cart I would recomend it. I actually have plans to use it for moose if I ever get a bull tag for archery.

Hope this helps.

[Horizontal Hunter]

Pyd,

Here are a few pics of the one I made. It just sits in the back of the pick up until it is needed. The overall easurements are 23" wide by 50" long. Here are a few pics, hopefully they will give you some ideas:











Bob

[Cutter]

Super job on that cart you built Bob

I found this one at sportsmansguide for $60. Pretty compact.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/d ... x?a=351879

Cutter

[bbbwb]

Pyd:
Go for the Argo --- it has all the others beat -- self propelled, amphibious all terrain, equipped with lights for night driving thus no stumbling in the dark LOL.
As all now know I am prejudiced!!!!!!!!!!!!!! or really a lazy old fart. hahahah

bbbwb