Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Deer sled drags?

I am going to be deer hunting in walk in areas and was thinking this looks like it will pack in easy and help with the drag back to camp, if I get one down. Have you guys used
this product and or is there any others I should consider?

https://www.amazon.com/DEER-SLEIGHR...mp;psc=1&refRID=8AASMYKYCG459GVH7Z7A

Thanks

Tracy

I one one similar last year on a good sized buck. The material was like a heavy tarp and not as thick as your link looks.
The one I used had a real hard time keeping the deer tied on and was essentially junk after a half mile on snow. I have an Otter sled that I will probably use this year.

Get a cart. I'd walk a mile or two back to the truck to get a cart before trying anything else. You want a big wide one with full size solid rubber tires. I've been using the same one for over twenty years. Have hauled out two deer at a time many times.

Got one, my second. I think it's easier than a cart, as there are no spoked wheels to get tangled up with stuff, plus the cart adds considerable weight to the load. I used mine last year to drag in my treestand as well. I leave it rolled up under one of my stands so I don't have to fetch it after plunking a deer.

Don't waste your money! Tried one like that Cabelas sold years ago. Looked like flagging ribbon after one use! They did refund my money, but a cart is a better way to go!

I bought a sled type one last winter and it paid for itself. Even if I never use it again. lol

Twice the walking, walking back to camp to get it, but still so worth it.

Jet Sled is simple but works for me. I've tried a couple of wheeled carts but prefer the sled on anything but maybe perfectly level and clear terrain.

I have seen the one at Cabelas and it is trash, the one I am looking at is heavy gage plastic and there are pics of a bear that got a hold of it and the guy could still use it!
Also I wanted to see what else it available.

https://www.amazon.com/DEER-SLEIGHR...RID=8AASMYKYCG459GVH7Z7A#customerReviews

I will be going in 5 or more miles from my truck so a cart is out of the question.

Also I found another one and it looks even more durable

http://www.deadsled.com/products?product_id=31

Another one

http://www.archerywarehouse.com/ARC-Dead-Sled_p_12135.html

I used a similar on for a 450 lb bear and it The weight is on your shoulders worked well. A drag harness will make it a lot easier. The weight is distributed on your shoulders and hips so you can use your legs well.

I bought one years ago. The one I bought was heavy and I never used it. i would rather drag a plastic sled behind me than carry that heavy thing on my pack along with all my other stuff. You might find it works for you but it didnt for me. I have a good chest harness and usually some help.
How far back in are you going? 5 miles , thats a heck of a long drag.
Is deboning and hauling the meat out an option?

I've packed a couple small elk (not at the same time) in an ordinary, garden variety wheelbarrow. With the weight over the wheel (unlike many carts), it's easier than it sounds. Up hills is a bugger with any cart but on the flat or downhill, it works very well. With only 1 wheel, it's much better on narrow trails or through rocks, etc. than a 2 wheeled cart. I made a couple rope loops around my wrists to hold it back on downhills. That helped a lot. Just keep the loops big enough so you can let go in a hurry if it gets away from you.
Note: do NOT use a cheap, flimsy wheelbarrow. Use a good sturdy one or you might end up packing both the deer and the wheelbarrow.

If the trail's steep, rolling the cart or wheelbarrow in, even though it's empty, gets pretty tedious.

Years ago I bought the larger, thicker elk model Deer Sleighr and ended up using it under the truck to change oil and sold it for $2.00 at a garage sale. A snow sled that stays in the truck until needed works better and keeps the animal clean. If there isn't snow, I like a cart better, but I needed to modify my Cabela's Super Mag Hauler and get rid of those junk spoke wheels. I got a used wheelchair off Craig's List and those big solid wheels with the Nylon spokes work way better and don't catch brush or get loose. A few years back Wisconsin started letting us cut our deer up into five pieces, so we don't need to bring them out just gutted any longer. I carry pulleys in my pack now to get a deer up in a tree and cut them up if I'm a long way from the truck. I did put a smaller single wheel bolted on to the bottom of my pack frame also off that wheelchair and that way I can carry a quarter or wheel it like Rock Chuck's wheelbarrow. Both my sled and cart can have a bolt on trailer hitch for my ATV when I can use that, but motorized vehicles are not allowed on state land.

Yup. Mine is about 1/8" thick and tough as nails. They're designed for you to tie the drag line to the load, not the grommet on the sled, which would tear loose.

A quality aluminum cart with spokeless wheels would likely work better than the heavy cheapo I had, but pulling one through heavy brush or grass, over logs and rocks would still be a chore, I think.

We can cut deer up in the field, so I'll do that if I wander far, but my rollup sled stays by a stand.

I never used it, but I've often thought about using a roll up plastic toboggan. Drill 3/8 - 1/2" holes a foot apart about 1 inch from the edge to allow lashing the deer to the toboggan, then drag the drag the deer.

You can also sit on it to give a moisture barrier to your butt/seat cushion. Light , durable, low-cost.

Example :. 54" x 18". ,. About $8.50 + shipping

https://www.amazon.com/Buckmans-Ski-Shops-Classic-Roll-Up/dp/B016DQL9TK#customerReviews

That's a good idea but I am thinking 18" might be to narrow?

I concur

Go to your local roofing contractor see if you can get a piece of reinforced TPO or PVC single ply roofing.
Cut to the size you want, add grommets at will.
charlee

You need it wide enough to roll up on both sides of the deer. Otherwise the deer will be rolling off of it no matter how you tie it.

These are what I use.
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/galleries/14094973#Post14094973

Keep in mind also, that we have ridden over ice and snow, and mud in just a kids plastic toboggan pulled by a mini bike or dirt bike. They hold up pretty dang well. If you don't like the color, paint 'em. We had 2 and even 3 kids at a time in one, and they hold up.

I hunt quite a bit in the winter and frequently use a sled where the terrain/conditions permit. I fasten the sled to an internal frame pack belt which place the weight /balance where I like it. The sled should be no wider than an average snow machine track as those tracks make for easy travel. I would always carry some sort of crampons and rig a knotted rope as a brake for downhills. You Tube has lots of good rigging and setups for expeditions that you may find useful.


mike r

I have a two wheeled deer cart and a Jet sled. The Jet sled is where it’s at.

Pulling a sled or plastic game drag, on a side hill for any distance is an exercise in futility! At least in the steep country where we hunt. It takes two people, one to pull forward and one to keep it from going down the hill. Five miles back every thing gets boned and hauled in packs!

Going down hill with a deer on my sled is why I now have solid attachments to my ATV. The deer tried to pass me on every down hill.

I have come to find that even on dry ground a sled is better than no sled! I use a medium sized ice fishing sled here. It has pretty high sides I drilled holes in so I can "clip" bungee cords in to strap a deer down.

The narrower the better AFAIC as well. Fits through the tight brush a lot better.

That's exactly what I use.

My deer drags as well. The sled gets most of the work as there's some tamarack swamps we have to cross most times. The cart only works well on hard packed trails and roads.

I made a drag 10-12 years ago that I can’t kill despite many animals being in it. A buddy works for the local county dump and it is scrap liner material. Probably 1/8” thick hard plastic. Installed some eyelets on the sides for lashing loads down.

So far a good thread but most here keep saying carts, I am packing in and the bulk and weigh of a cart is a deal breaker.

This is the original post:

I am going to be deer hunting in walk in areas and was thinking this looks like it will pack in easy and help with the drag back to camp, if I get one down. Have you guys used
this product and or is there any others I should consider?

https://www.amazon.com/DEER-SLEIGHR...mp;psc=1&refRID=8AASMYKYCG459GVH7Z7A

Thanks

Tracy

It would help to know the type of terrain, your hunting! Getting back five miles, riding shanks mare is a long distance! Lots of good ideas have been suggested! I assume you are backpacking in and camping! In that case boned and packed would be my choice! A cart would let you wheel in you camp! Just put your backpack on the cart! Hunt from camp! Then you have options! Mountains with timber, requires different gear than river bottoms and farm type land! Canyon country takes different equipment! But a backpack is the one that works everywhere!

Like mentioned previously by Buttstock the roll up sled what we north the 49th call a crazy carpet get a grommet kit from whatever the American equivalent of Canadian Tire is.

Put grommets in place and use cord or small bungee cords to hold the deer on.

Works great. We have used these for years and they last well.

Let me know if you want details.

Yes - used one in Virginia, it helps on the drag, but read the directions, and lace the deer in tight.

These will roll over if you don't get the animal flat on the bottom.

Use the harness and the designated attachment points, worst thing you can do is rip a reinforced grommet out, starting down the trail.

Once the grommet is out, you need to replace it, or risk your straps cutting/tearing through the plastic material of the body of the sled.

Anything with material thinner than one this is a single use in our area, YMMV.

Sleds only work in the goose fields for me. Most of the terrain is too rocky for a plastic sled. I have improvised one out of corrugated tin roofing and it helped. On the roll up type I would be temped to get some MDP and mount the front grommets in that, I would reinforce the side ones with 30 mil PVC pond liner. If the grommets start to rip out the sled would be worse than useless.

But I would be more likely to use a frame pack and make two trips.

I have a Deer Sleighr. The thing has held up fine and works good if you can keep the deer from flipping over. The problem I have is that it's a pain in the ass to get the deer on it correctly and tied in. Most of my drags are only 50 to 500 yards. In the amount of time it takes to get it tied in, I can just throw my drag rope around it's neck and drag the damned deer out of there. The only time I use it, is if I'm going to get the deer mounted. Don't want to get a rope burn on the neck and screw up the hair.

Carts suck where I hunt. Had a single wheeled one like a wheel borrow. It was totally unusable. The woods are too thick with downed trees and creeks to cross.

I've never tried an Otter Sled, but they look like they would work well where I hunt.

I don't think I'd drag a deer 5 miles. If I were back in there that far, I'd quarter it up and pack it out.

Here's a picture that shows my high tech drag rope. Been using the same one for about 20 years, but have needed to change the handle a couple of times. Note the ergonomic handle. It's designed for comfort.

The trick is to drag a deer by the head or antlers, not by the sled, so the pressure isn't on the grommets. Tie the sled securely to the deer so it's being towed by the deer.

quote]The trick is to drag a deer by the head or antlers, not by the sled, so the pressure isn't on the grommets. Tie the sled securely to the deer so it's being towed by the deer.
[/quote]

Thanks for the advice. No wonder I don't use them, funny how you develop opinions based on operator error.

I bought the same deer sleigher about 20 years ago. I have used it several times. Small Deer-Cougar it works fine. Snow really helps. Pulling it up hill is not any fun. So if I need to climb out of a kill site, I use a pack frame. Pulling a big deer or medium bear works on wet grass. All the wear on mine happened dragging a medium bear out a gravel logging road behind a gate. One trick you need. Cut a piece of 1/2" PVC pipe about 6" long. Run the pull rope through it for a handle. Two if you have a partner pulling. Two guys can drag out 200lb easy.