ATV Deer Sled

[ChuckC]

We have been using a deer sled to haul out animals at our deer camp.  We have ATVs and a wheeled cart but the sled works the best. No lifting the animal, just roll on and tie down and the bikes stay clean with no blood to wash off. It will go over logs, down ravines, through creeks without a problem.  I’ve pulled enough bucks up onto a ATV and it’s a PITA and then you have to truss them up like a turkey and make sure the rack doesn’t hang into the wheels.

I recently upgraded the drag and took some pictures in the below slideshow of the old and the new.  It is just a car hood, a drawbar made from some perforated sign post and a hitch connector. We use an old 1 7/9" ball connector to hitch to the bike.  The old sled worked great but I occasionally caught a tree or shrub as it was pretty wide. One of my friends liked mine and made one that was a bit narrower. He had the side bent up to make it thinner. This is how I wanted to upgrade ours. I got an old hood from a friend who runs an auto collision shop and took it to my highway department where some other friends work and they bent the sides up on their big metal brake.  I took the old hood off the drawbar and drilled holes. 3/8" bolts work well.  I used some Eyebolts for some of the attachments and also for some tie down points around the hood. I added a plywood shelf in front of the hood attached under the drawbar with a few tie downs. This keeps the head from flopping in front of the sled.

There are two downside to the device.  It makes noise going down a dirt/gravel road and in mud, the animal can get dirty from the bike wheels. It’s best to drive slow but I had the going pretty fast. Wrap a tarp around the deer if you are going the mud route.

http://s264.photobucket.com/albums/ii179/Chuckermaroo/?action=view&current=70e269b5.pbw&t=1253501434

[charles p]

A plastic snow sled like kids use will work in many applications.  Another suggestion is get a wooden dowel about the size of a broom handle.  Cut it into 5" pieces (handles) and drill a hole through each at the mid point.  Get a loop of strong cord and put through the handles.  The loop should be about 18-24" long.  Place the loop around the base of the antlers and hold the handle.   Two people can drag a deer without bending over.  Switch sides frequently.  For doe deer, make an incision behind the tendon in the front feet.  Run drag loops through the tendons and over the front feet.  Start walking.  Your handles are similar to starter cords except that the cord is a loop rather than a single cord.  I carry two of these in my pocket whenever I hunt.  Even using one loop is easier than dragging by an antler.  Much easier on the hands and back.

[Lon371]

 I commend you. I really never thought about doing something like that. Normally we only have to drag one a short distance(with the 4 wheeler) to the truck on private property. If dry we can usually drive to the animal. But in a case where you have to haul one a distance, that is a good idea. You might mount you a couple lawnmower tires under it. Even if you mounted them midway, one on each side. That would reduce your noise on the gravel.

Still a really good idea. Now the next pict we want is it loaded with deer

Lonny

[ChuckC]

But in a case where you have to haul one a distance, that is a good idea. You might mount you a couple lawnmower tires under it. Even if you mounted them midway, one on each side. That would reduce your noise on the gravel.

This is for a camp. It really isn't something you transport around with you. I didn't want any wheels to keep it simple and to facilitate loading. We have a lawn cart with wheels we also use and it works well but loading is still a pain by one person. We use both depending on the situation. The sled will go places you don't want to take a cart. It will slide over logs and rock piles with ease.  Here is a photo of the old one a few years ago with a deer after a 3/4 mile drag. We have a lot of steep hills and may have a 2 mile trek back to camp. I got sick of dragging deer even with 3 guys pulling.

This thing is almost free. Most of the parts can be found for free. If money were no object, I'd buy this:
http://www.atvbackpackercart.com/

[ChuckC]

A plastic snow sled like kids use will work in many applications.  Another suggestion is get a wooden dowel about the size of a broom handle.  Cut it into 5" pieces (handles) and drill a hole through each at the mid point.  Get a loop of strong cord and put through the handles.  The loop should be about 18-24" long.  Place the loop around the base of the antlers and hold the handle.   Two people can drag a deer without bending over.  Switch sides frequently.  For doe deer, make an incision behind the tendon in the front feet.  Run drag loops through the tendons and over the front feet.  Start walking.  Your handles are similar to starter cords except that the cord is a loop rather than a single cord.  I carry two of these in my pocket whenever I hunt.  Even using one loop is easier than dragging by an antler.  Much easier on the hands and back.

We used to use a harness with a carabiner to clip onto the deer drag.  This would let us pull with our shoulders and worked pretty well all things considered.  I dragged out 5 deer one weekend and went out and bought an ATV. Enough of that draggin' stuff.

[Two Bears]

Thats good.

It reminds me of a guy that welded 2 old chevy hoods together to use as a boat and I watched him go out and retrieve a goose that he shot with it. It was a sight.