How far can you drag a deer?

[wolfe28]

Good afternoon;

I'm a "late onset hunter" and I'm wondering how far you can drag a deer before the meet gets damaged?

Hunting on public land, I'm going to be walking about a mile in to where I plan to hunt. I don't own a quad-bike or anything like that, so if I'm successful (this is my fourth year trying; no luck so far), the deer will come out of the woods the same way I will, walking (or being dragged, as the case may be). While I'd rather not get a sled, I will if necessary.

Thanks,
D

[jonas302]

1/4 mile bought does me in I never considered bruising the meat never seen any real damage there Just that I am to out of shape to get much farther (;

[Maineboy]

You'll probably wear out before damaging any meat. For the past 20 years, I've used a 6 foot plastic toboggan-like sled to drag deer out of the woods. It slides over everything much easier than deerhide does.

[Janoosh]

+1 Maineboy...I have used a plastic toboggan and like it alot, very easy to transport deer to the car. I have also used the rolled up plastic sheet deer sled, and it works also, but is more work to set up. Snow helps....Lol

[whelenshooter]

This isn't helpful but when I first read the thread title my response was "Not very far". It's work especially if you have hilly terrain.

David

[square butte]

Better Question for better entertainment - "How far have you drug a dear?"

[Lonegun1894]

Furthest I have drug one was about a mile and a half, and then I finally picked it up and carried it the last half mile or so. Neither transport method was a lot of fun. For what it's worth, I have since started quartering it, and carrying half at a time, while hiding the other half and coming back for it as soon as I get the first half back to the truck and in the cooler. I have never had any stolen, but I also hide it well to make sure it is still there when I get back--and know that sooner or later I will slip up and lose half a deer to a thief.

[white eagle]

I dragged a deer one time 1/2 the distance you refer to
the last time I will do anything so foolish
I made a cart to make my long hauls with
vowed to myself while dragging that would be the last time

[Lonegun1894]

I got myself an old large-size ALICE pack w/ frame for this year, hoping to be able to carry all the meat at once and just leave a gut-pile to hunt for coyotes foe next few days. We will see how that works hopefully.

[horsesoldier]

Bone that sucker out on the spot and carry meat bags.Takes about 30 minutes once you get good at it.Its what I have started doing

[Tazman1602]

Better Question for better entertainment - "How far have you drug a dear?"

MILES..................but that was a LONG LONG time ago Square. Heck I was 165lbs of lean mean fighting machine and I thought I was going to have a heart attack back then.

Since then I ALWAYS carry paracord with me to tie a bowline knot to go around my shoulders but if I had to drag a deer these days I have a 29 year old son in law who just LOVES helping father in law.............<grin>

In answer to the question about ruining meat I'm not sure you can. The hair will all come off the hide from dragging it but the skin won't tear and have never had an issue with bruising or ruining any meat.

Art

[GabbyM]

Here’s my advise so It’s worth what you paid for it.

If you want fresh tasting meat. Promptly skinning the animal to start cool down is important. So if you’re a mile back in I’d do it right there. Equipment would be something like this. Backpack frame. Triple tree or other deer hanger. Rope and pulley to toss over a limb. Hope in a can so you can find a limb. Meat saw and knife. Plastic bags. Cell phone to call in help to lump it out. You quarter it bag it and hang what you can’t carry from your hoist. Another thing you can do is bone it out on the spot. The big leg bones. Wash it when you get home in clean drinking water not some filthy river water downstream from a chicken farm.

That’s all dependant upon Indiana state laws on how you have to bring in the deer.

Then if you’re a broken down not young anymore man like me you’ll be making four trips at two miles each so the cell phone for help gets very important.

Faster you get your meat cooled out the better tasting it will be.

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

A wheel barrow works amazingly well if the terrain will allow it.

[waksupi]

Once the blood stops pumping, you will not bruise meat. Impossible. I find I shoot deer much closer to a vehicle than I used to.

[fouronesix]

How far? Not very far with a 300+ lb mule deer. That's what knives and packframes are for. Same applies to any large game.

[osteodoc08]

It all depends on terrain. The longest was about 1 mile. Field dressing it gets the weight down considerably on the average deer size in GA. Luckily I am able to access virtually all places on my deer club by ATV and only have to drag no more that's 1/4 mile at most. I'll walk and get the ATV then get the deer.

[40-82]

Peculiar that I should run across this thread today. I'm in the house today instead of hunting because I'm coughing too much to handle a deer. I learned a long time ago that when the distance from the vehicle is bad that the best way to deal with a deer is to bone it out. The useable meat off a game animal runs less than fifty percent of live weight. A buck large enough to exhaust me dragging a hundred feet uphill easily fits in a waterproof canoeing pack and with our small whitetails in the Virginia mountains may weigh less than fifty pounds.

[BIGRED]

when i am up north and i am in some remote terrain i will back pack them... Cut a slit in all 4 legs around the knee area. tie the front right leg to the rear right leg, same on the left side. use some thick 3/8" inch rope or 1' wide straps. lean it against a tree and sit on the ground and put it on like a back pack right arm through the space between the right legs and left arm through the left side. prop yourself up and get on your feet. (this is the hardest part when u are alone. take your blaze orange and drape it over the deer and get walking. have done this several times and works much better than dragging.

[dk17hmr]

I'm 27, in pretty good shape, and not worried about shooting something more than 2 miles from any road...I have proved that to my hunting partners more then once. The only time I bring something out whole is if I can drive my truck or four wheeler up to it. I'm pretty good with a knife and a pack frame.

The only dragging I do is to get the critter down hill. If it needs to go up hill I start cutting.

[Blammer]

after a mile on a rocky road the fur is gone from the hide, then I turn it over and drag it the next mile.

so... about 2 miles in my book.