Tough recovery pic.
 

Buddy sent me a great picture he snapped while helping me recover a 200+ lb buck a couple weeks back. Four and a half hours in, me taking a break halfway out of the second last ravine... yes I really should have quartered him, big thanks for the help. :snapoutofit:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ab6f6bf5_b.jpgIMG_5692 (2) by , on Flickr

Oh wow, that picture really puts it in perspective. Well done!

I probably would had had a mild coronary half way in. :D

you are a sucker for punishment's.....was there too...did the same...then the light went on...gutless method...even to the point of deboning if required...I remember hauling a beauty well fed whitey out of a very steep ravine once...if I let go of the antlers he slid down...200 yard grind...oh well slept very well that night.:)

It looks like you're debating on thinking up a plan to build a fire and deer sized rotisserie.

Lol, I was actually thinking... "If this deer was any smaller, I'd be kicking my own ass pretty hard right now!"

Yikes, good work.

Ive given a few animals in that situation the "hunger games salute" and let them on thier way.

I've never regretted a tough recovery, and this one was no exception. I have always maintained however, that getting a deer out of a stupid spot is solely the responsibility of the idiot who pulls the trigger. Felt pretty foolish needing to get someone else involved in my mess.

Geez I lived that very same story back in Sept with my elk.
Dropped him in a low valley with huge banks. Was quite the ordeal getting him up, but would not have changed a single second and would do it again in a heartbeat. It those times with your buddies that make the best memories.
What we do sometimes to fill our tags.....LOL

Awesome times in the woods boys and girls.

BH

What is pulling the two ends of the yoke?

https://www.trailspace.com/gear/l.l....carryall-pack/

https://www.havalon.com/

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/glad-bl.../6000039455643

makes for a flat little thing you just throw in the truck, four or 5 bags tucked into the internal pocket of the backboard, get a sharp knife on one of the straps...that's it, field gutless method, hide on if you're in a hurry to keep on hunting to fill more tags or buddies, you'd have had him out of there in no time, 4 quarters, backstraps, t-loins, couple neck slabs, the head for euro...and away you go, couple quick trips up and down and you're all done, no heart attack, and faster than you think it would be

Exactly why I have 4 small pulleys and a few carabiners in my hunting pack.

Damn!

You certainly earned that one.

If I were the Minister of Environment I would award you with a life time free hunting license for that effort.

Great photo! You can feel the burn just looking at it.
A 6' wooden toboggan makes the recovery drag a lot easier, and it doesn't sound like a plastic sled getting dragged through the scrub behind you on the way in. A short tree saver strap and a light duty snatch block can make the hill climbs easier too.

I agree gutless and pack out is easiest. I have a diy manual rigger winch that has allowed me to pull/ skid weights exceeding 700lbs that is reasonable weight to pack in. Any length of rope works. Effort to pack the thing in would be more than pulling the critter out.

Yup the tough ones are the ones you remember best, nice to have bud's to help, congrats that's a fine looking buck.

Had something similar last week, the boys shot a doe down in a ravine, I walked down to help them clean it then watched as they dragged it 600 yards or so up the ravine to the field where we picked them up with the truck, they were sweating and panting by the time they got to the top :) but guaranteed they will remember it. :)

Hey it’s no fun if it’s too easy :sHa_sarcasticlol:

Nice buck, I like it dirty too, but i will use an atv for recovery even if I have to repel it a few times. If there is a will there is a way.

Meh, at least now you truly know who your friends are. :D

Well after seeing this thread, I thought I should order this, from packapull.com for my hunting kit

damn....

One end is tied off to a tree, the other end is being pulled by the guy who took the picture.

As for a couple other comments, I generally haul my deer out whole because I carry an extremely minimal amount of gear... no pack, no rope. Helps keep a guy mobile and quiet in the thick stuff.

I do keep a 5' Pelican sled in the truck though, and if a recovery is bad enough to make a trip back to the truck worth it, than I go get the toboggan. If you look carefully you can see that sled way down in the bottom of the creek, its no good for coming up a steep incline it slides backwards too easy.

In the future I will keep a packframe and some gamebags in the truck as well. I generally start out each morning with no real idea where the sign may take me throughout the day... so I guess it pays to be prepared for anything. That said, I firmly believe that a certain level of un-preparedness is good luck... fools the hunting gods into thinking they are smiting you rather than doing you a favor if they send a good buck you're way.

Two sets of three links of chain work just as well and are really cheap. I can lift 100+lbs with one arm easily. 550 cord handles the weight well but has too much stretch IMO for dragging stuff. I like 5/16 braided rope with a working load rated to 1200lbs. Once set up the "puller" will be walking down hill which helps it seem easier as well.

I often pack a crazy carpet with rivets so I can wrap/tie it around a deer. Makes pulling easy as it's way less friction.

I don’t go 100 yards from the truck without a pack that can carry weight. Dragging a deer further than 500 yards is for the birds.

With all due respect Chuck, I dissagree.

If you keep a "prussik minding pulley" in the truck and learn a prussik knot you can make an easy ratchet style system so they sled does not slide backwards. Its a huge time and back saver in the long run.

My last mule deer (4 years ago) was like that. I dragged that beast about 100 ft up the slope to get it within reach of my tow strap. I remember just being soaked with sweat even though it was about -10. Those are the hunts you remember.

Everyone has their ways and limits. Personally I am a bit of a goon and will often drag out a deer or even carry it out whole if I think it’s going to be faster. My buddy has pics of me hauling a blacktail buck 6km down an old logging road because I left my pack at the boat. I have broken down and deboned my fair share too and it’s the only way to go in the back country.

Really I need to buy a sled but would probably rarely use it because it means an extra trip to the truck

It’s a matter of time vs effort in my opinion and everyone has their own physical limits. In the end if you get it home and have quality meat it’s all that matters

Two guys can walk out a whitetail on their backs without breaking a sweat.

I wont debate that.

Yup, just did it this morning, easy on the heart. Two trips though as I was solo. One trip doable but no point struggling.

It is amazing how much sweat a knife can save a guy.