It is late in November, you sit in the middle of an oak woods as the early morning light starts to filter over the horizon. The air is cold and crisp, the recently fallen leaves crunch as a massive white tail buck slowly makes his way towards your tree stand. The cold silence is broken by a single gun shot and the buck makes two jumps away and falls behind a clump of small trees. This is a scene play out many times in the wood lots and arboreal forests of North America. After the buck is down then the hard work really begins. Here are some tips and products to help you get that trophy out of the woods and back to your truck.
I hunt in the State of Wisconsin and before you can transport your deer out of the woods you must first tag the animal. Dragging a deer out of the woods is not an easy task, most often I will field dress the buck, removing the internal organs to drop the weight of the carcass. Where I hunt however, sometimes I have to drag the animal about a quarter of a mile and then cross a medium sized river. The stream is deep enough that normally I need to use hip boots and have to be very careful or I will get wet. I have found out that a gutted deer carcass does not float well, making it a very difficult to cross, so I will not field dress the animal until I have made the river crossing.
When I drag a deer in very thick woods I will tie the front feet up by the head if at all possible. This does make it much easier to pull the animal along and weave through the tight under brush. Some people use a deer sled to help them drag an animal much easier and to protect the hide and meat. Basically a sled is little more than a large piece of plastic that the deer carcass can be secured on top of. They cost about $50 for the reusable type and the one use style are much cheaper. The deer sled might be a good investment if you have a very long drag ahead of you.
One of the best ways I have used to get a deer out of the woods after a successful hunt is with a handy deer cart. The deer just lays in between the two wheels on the cart as you push the animal out of the woods. There are many types and many sporting goods stores have them and an Internet search will reveal dozens of brands. Most are priced from $50.00 to $150.00 and they come in all shapes and sizes. For me the most compact one works the best, where I hunt it is very thick with under brush, if my cart was too big it would not make it through. A handy cart will save a great deal of effort if you can use it your woods.
In conclusion, no matter what method you use to retrieve big game from your favorite woods always take your time and be sure not to injure yourself. Enjoy every aspect of the hunt and the more convenient you make hunting, the more you are going to enjoy the sport.
Sources:Deer Sled Video
Deer Cart Video