[1shot2kills]

So I have a new hunting spot this year that will require a long steep uphill drag when I connect with an animal. Has anyone used a deer cart in the past and what experiences have you had?

 

[TPlank]

Makes moving a deer a whole lot easier imo.

 

[TrashPanda]

If you have a logging road, pipeline or trail to use the cart on you will be in great shape.
If you are considering taking the cart through the woods, you will wish you hadn't and I would leave it at home.

 

[Dan W York 5B]

might want to look at the Hooker Deer Drag. I got them last year but havent had the opportunity to use them yet so...
http://hookerdeerdrag.com/#pre-product-descriptions

 

[MaddiesDad]

My buddy and I were hunting the AEP land in Ohio and he connected with a buck .76 miles from the parking area. We were on a used hiking/biking trail and after he killed it, we hiked back to the truck, dropped off our stuff, and took the cart back in.

We strapped the buck on the cart and made haste out the trail. Where it was flat ground, the cart was amazing... anytime we were on a side hill, it made things pretty difficult, however, I still think that overall it was absolutely worth it!

 

[springfreak]

I don't think using a wheeled cart on a steep uphill climb would be wise.

 

[6-DASHER]

It goes in the bed of the truck or I don't go.....I bought tens of thousands of dollars worth of hunting equipment over the years, my Cabelas magnum deer hauler was the best $200.00 I ever spent...

 

[dce]

I have one but rarely use it.They work great on level ground if there's a trail.I think they're usesless in the woods and not much help going up hill.I'd rather drag one up a hill.

 

[quackmaster4]

Like the others have said; on a road or trail they are great, but are tough thru the woods. A kids plastic sled works good, especially if there is snow. Speaking of snow, deer carts don't do well in it. Snow builds up in the wheels and spokes.

 

[1shot2kills]

I guess I should have mentioned that I would mostly be using it along a hiking trail. I'm about 60 yards off the trail. There are constantly people hiking through the various hiking trails where I hunt so my motivation is to get the deer our of the woods and out of sight to non hunters as soon as possible. I shot a doe last year and had to take a break while dragging. A guy walking 3 dogs off a leash got close enough that the dogs smelled me, but couldn't see me. Had they found me and the deer it may not have been a good story.

I'd like to shorten my "drag time" drastically and that's why I was considering a deer cart. I'd leave it in the bed of the truck until it was needed.

For those that have used them, do you recall what model you had? (other than the one from cabelas already mentioned...I'm already researching that one).

 

[cspot]

If you are leaving it at the truck and will be using on a trail, you may want to try a cart like this. My kids got me one for Father's Day to use at camp for firewood hauling and deer hauling. It handles a load really well and rolls easily. The nice thing is you can use this for other things. I also plan to take a plastic kid's sled to get the deer to one of the logging roads and then use this.

 

[R. S. B.]

The Cabela's Magnum deer Hauler works great on trails and gated roads. Even when it is hooked up to a mountain bike.

Dick Bodenhorn

 

[JMackanick]

I bought a set of wheels that can connect to my summit treestand and convert it into a cart when needed from http://sherpahunting.com/.

 

[Pa.Bone]

I use mine a lot. Like others have mentioned if on a trail or logging road they work great and I have used mine with success in the woods. I have had times were I had to take the deer off the cart and drag across a gulley or steep area and back on the cart. They are also great for carrying stands and gear back in.

 

[Blue Bird]

I have a home made cart that I constructed myself out of wood, and electrical conduit that I bent using a tube bender. I used to hunt a place in Schuylkill county that had a long logging road up a valley that was fairly flat. We also used bikes like in R.S.B's photo. At that place if you didn't have some kind of cart, you were in for a long tough drag. I haven't deer hunted that place in a few years since we now hunt locally on some private land where we can just drive the truck up to where ever the deer drops.

 

[steelhead125]

Sounds like you're hunting a nature reserve where I live. I know it's a long shot but if it's the Kellman and Skena nature reserve I would be more than happy to help you drag it out if I am home. I don't have a permit to hunt it but if this is the place send me a pm and I will give you my number.

As far as carts go....like everyone else has said, it can be pretty tough using them unless you're on a trail or flat ground.

 

[TPlank]

Cabelas deer cart. Have had for it close to 20 yrs. Folds in half and stays in the truck during deer season.

 

[WOL]

We have one and it's been sitting in the basement for years. I guess it would be good on a road, but in the woods, over rough terrain, it's like having a buddy with two broken legs helping you. You have to drag the deer and the cart out.

 

[GobbleBuck]

We have one at our camp and we do use it, but it is a pain. Ill try to remember to get a picture, but we fashioned two extension handles for the front and a push bar for the back. If you have two people and said handles, its a dream over any terrain. Like others have said, uphill by yourself? You wont be a happy camper.

I forget who makes them, but there is a plastic sheet that basically wraps the deer in a cocoon... I've heard good things about those.

 

[RacksnQuacks]

The Cabela's Magnum deer Hauler works great on trails and gated roads. Even when it is hooked up to a mountain bike.

Dick Bodenhorn

Nice set up and buck R.S.B.