Deer Drag

[Stephen Graf]

#7302

I know you western fellows don’t care to pull your critters out whole, but back here in the east some of us do…

I’ve been making/using this style for many years now. I make it from old ash post hole digger handles (or new ones from Lowes if I can’t find old ones). It’s about 10 inches long and has a 10′ piece of blaze orange parachute cord (again from Lowes) as the dragging rope.

The rope wraps around the handle when not in use and fits easily in a possibles bag or backpack.

I added the canary yellow aniline stain to the latest batch so that they would be easier to find in the leaves. It’s surprising how often I lose my drag between starting to dress the deer and getting ready to drag it.

I have given maybe 20 of these things away in the last 10 years to folks I have helped into the sport, upon their first successful kill.

This one is for a fine young man finishing his PhD at Duke University. He killed a deer last year, but I was out of drags. Just finished a batch of 7 drags, and 5 of them are gone already.

Anyway, if you have access to a wood lathe, they are easy to make.

[Ralph]

#60286

I use some 5/8″ doweling and cord to make mine and I carry two. If it’s a buck I put one around each antler or if a doe put both around the neck. That way I have one in each hand and can vary how I’m pulling on them when I’m dragging. Kinda hard to explain but it makes life easier I promise.

I have one of the straps that you sling across your chest but that thing was attached to me too well when my buck went sliding sideways down a slope. Kinda like a Nantucket sleigh ride it was for a bit. Glad it “weren’t no 100′ cliff”:)

Figure I’ll give that to someone I don’t like one of these days. 😈

Steve, glad you brought this up. I’ve been intending to to do so, just haven’t got around to it.

[Jason Wesbrock]

#60310

Very nice. I usually use a game cart or a cheap deer drag harness from Hunter Specialties. It goes around your waist and over your shoulder and had a D ring in the middle of the back for attaching a dragging rope. It keeps your hands free for carrying your bow and such.

[Stix]

#60519

When I lived in Pa., hunting whitetails, I tied 1/4″ rope from the animal to the ends of the riser of my longbow and pulled with that. During gun season I tied it to my shotgun(shotgun slug only area). Action open of course.I either pulled with two hands behind me or on top my shoulders with my arms over top pressing it to my neck. Flame on!!!

These were only short distances, never more than 1/4 mile and usually only a couple hundred yards, if that. Now in Colorado I quarter or bone out for a much longer trip, usually a few miles to base camp.

[Stephen Graf]

#60602

R2 wrote: I use some 5/8″ doweling and cord to make mine and I carry two. If it’s a buck I put one around each antler or if a doe put both around the neck. That way I have one in each hand and can vary how I’m pulling on them when I’m dragging…

Interesting. I’d like to see your setup. I made my first one out of a 1 1/4 poplar dowel but it broke dragging a bear out of the woods in Quebec. That’s when I upgraded to ash.

One of the nice things about the drags I have made is that if you happen to have a friend or onlooker around as you are getting ready to drag the deer out, you can offer them one side of the drag and ask kindly if they would like to help 8)

I find that is my favorite feature 😀

[Doc Nock]

#60675

TOUGH GUYS< one and all!

😯

I bought and use a CART. Blew out both elbow tendons dragging a very modest size PA buck couple years ago, on mostly level ground…with a skiff…too lazy to go get the cart…DOH!:shock:

[Ralph]

#60743

Here’s mine:

Another thing I do that helps this old fart out is that I carry an old 4wheeler ramp, bungied 😕 down cause it’s noisy when not, and use it when I get to my truck to drag the deer into the bed.

There be other methods of doing this I’ve read, like some use a piece of plywood but that gets slippery and really no place to put it when the deer is in the truck bed. The ramp folds up out of the way.

Just saying

[Stephen Graf]

#61379

Nice! And I like the ramp idea… ‘cept I have a jeep. It’s a bugger getting a decent size deer in it alone. Bought that jeep new in ’96, has over 300K on it.

My boy is 16 and getting his license in a few months. Thought I’d give him the jeep and get a toyota pickup. then I can get the deer in it better.

[Joseph Miller]

#61435

Thankfully I have some big strapping grandsons close by that will get the deer out of the woods and into the truck for me. Of course they then expect Gramma to fix them backstraps fried with mushrooms and onions along with mashed potatoes and gravy. She never complains, she is just happy to have them at our table.

[grumpy]

#13895

I’ve worried about this, since the deer weigh more than I do. I liked the idea from last season when I brought it up. Someone from NH said to use a sled. I bought a big orange sled, that I keep under the porch. Since it is snowing… I’ll be testing it on a hill tomorrow. lol

[Ralph]

#13979

I’ll be testing it on a hill tomorrow. lol

Look out for the old kid on the orange sled!!!!!!!!:D:D Yipee!!!:lol:

[Anonymous]

#14003

Substitute an equal length piece of aluminum tubing (3/4″ or 1″ works great) for the wooden dowels and you can stuff the cord down inside the tube. A couple slots cut into the ends of the tube give the cord somewhere to settle and a couple plastic end caps seal the whole deal.

I’ll try to get pics of the one I made and post them up. They aren’t as slick as the ones my uncle bought at a gunshow more than 20 years ago, but I can’t begin to tell you how many literal tons of venison have been drug out using those drags.

[Etter1]

#14090

Looks great guys. I’m an Eastern guy too but anymore, I usually cut em up in the woods as well. If they’re going to be more than 300-400 yards, it’s really worth it.

If you check out chris spike’s video on youtube, he shows the technique we have adopted for deer and pigs. I can quarter a deer that way in less than 20 minutes most of the time.

[Anonymous]

#14102

Oh, no doubt at all. If they are coming out of some of the holes I hunt, they come out in pieces. For others, a drag to the truck is faster than cutting it up and taking trips.

[grumpy]

#15455

Here in Mass you are supposed to take a deer, bear, or turkey to a checking station WHOLE. That is field dressed, NOT cut up. Since I have a cell phone, I was thinking if I did kill a deer more than 100 yards from the car (since our topography was carved by glaciers, 100 yards would include 2 ridges, all the flat land is farmed) , I would call the game warden and ask him to get his !@#$%^& over and help me drag the animal out of the woods. At that time he would probably tell me to quarter it and take it out in pieces. On the other hand, Farmer Jim has offered to take it out with his tractor (if it is in his neighborhood, and he is unoccupied), and Mushroom Bill has offered to help (if he isn’t working, or otherwise occupied), and there is always Audrey, and Arwen (she measured herself and informed me that she is 4’7″ which is only 6″ shorter than I am). If it happens, I’ll get a pic of the three of us dragging some unfortunate critter for your enlightenment (or entertainment). Until then you will have to come up with your own visual.

On the other hand…

How big a stream does it take to float a dead deer?

While here I want to thank youse guys (y’all in dixie) out west for the snow. 🙂

[Ralph]

#16557

Looks like we’all 😀 sending y’all enough. Enjoy, maybe.

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