The drag out

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JoeRE
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Re: The drag out

Unread postby JoeRE » Sun Nov 16, 2014 1:51 am

Thats a good point fishlips. Nobody wants 20 deer carcasses right around the parking lot. Maybe the WI DNR could say "leave no remains within 300 yards of a parking area" or something like that and drop that boneheaded 5 piece rule.

When I do it all that is left is the hide, ribs, spine, pelvis, and entrails but its always way back in where nobody is going to see it. If its a short drag there's no reason not to drag it out unless you are a slob hunter, butchering is definitely easiest on a table indoors! I generally drag all that down into a ditch or sinkhole to make it less visible and the coyotes make quick work of it. I walked by where I shot my buck this fall, two weeks later, and had a hard time to find where I left it - only a few scattered bones. Mother nature does not waste.


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checkerfred
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Re: The drag out

Unread postby checkerfred » Mon Nov 17, 2014 6:40 pm

JoeRE wrote:
JakeJD wrote:
JoeRE wrote:This year the buck i shot was just under 1 mile in. I shot it at about 7:15 AM. I had everything back to the parking lot by about 10:30 AM was way less tired than I would have been if I was dragging a deer for a freaking mile.


Hey Joe. Do you just take the backstraps, tenderloins, and hind quarters and leave the front shoulders? Do you take the deer out in one or two trips? Just curious what your method is?

I assume you don't worry about gutting the deer clean? Just enough to pull the tenderloins?


Yea I do the gutless quartering method. Lay the deer on its side head uphill preferably, slit it down the back along the spine and peel the hide down. Take the two quarters, tenderloin, neck meat, side meat, and get the tenderloin very last through a slit between pelvis and the last rib - then flip the animal and repeat on the other side. I estimate I get about 90% of the meat that I would if I drug it out, so there is a little loss but really only some side meat thats hard to get w/o gutting the animal. Gutting it takes more time than its worth. On a big buck yea its two trips for one person or one if you recruit a buddy - two 50-60 lbs loads.


Here is a pic of an elk with the first half almost done. The red line is where the cut is made for the tenderloin, then just flip the animal to the other side and repeat. The first time you try it, yea it will be slow and messy but the second time will go much better, its a quick learning curve.

Image



What backpack do you use for this? Also, if you get a big deer and have to make 2 trips, do you just leave the half carcass there? or Do you qtr it all and put the meat in bags and hang from a tree? Wondering how you keep coyotes/animals from getting it until you get back. Around here they can be bad in certain areas. I had a buddy kill a doe. His buddy shot a buck. He left her to get a 4 wheeler and go get his buddy's buck first. They had a short track and then went to get the doe. It was about a 45 minute window from when he shot it until he picked it up. Coyotes had already found it and ate on it.


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