Cart or sled???

[Neighbor_guy]

So here is another opinion question.

For those of us who don't have an atv or who's atv is currently in the shed or garage and will not run... Which do you prefer, the deer cart or the otter sled??? 

I have used both over the years and have settled on a definite favorite, but I would like to hear what others think on the subject. 

Edited November 6, 2015 by Neighbor_guy

[MJ1657]

Does front end loader on a tractor count? Lol

[fivebucks]

Deer cart for me.

[Neighbor_guy]

Does front end loader on a tractor count? Lol

that's kind of an ATV on steroids.  but it works. I guess I will put you in the cart category. 

[monstermoose78]

We use a sled with the wheeler, because some of the old guys can not lift a deer on the back rack of the wheeler.. 

Edited November 6, 2015 by monstermoose78

[NoWiser]

Backpack!  Try it once and you'll never drag another deer again.

[DonBo]

Love my sled.  Easy dragging and keeps blood out of the back of my truck.

[Cheetah]

We use a roll up plastic taco sled type thing.  Works well and does not take up much space when in the car.  

[mwal]

I have used both. if there is snow Iwould go with sled. I have had rollover issues with side hills etc, At my Cabin in WI I am seriously thinking of quartering and packing. Atv's are only legal on private land so we don't use them.  In MN i hunt farmland so we use atv or tractor. My land owner said chainsaw right to the deer if necessary. LOL  We do not want ant heart attacks from dragging

[1eyeReD]

I bring both along where I hunt on state land. Most of the trees that I use for hunting are between 200 yds to 1/2 a mile off of a non-motorized semi-groomed DNR forestry road that I use to get to my area. Between there and the road can be switchgrass, brush, fallen logs, old fence lines, hilly terrain etc. So what I'll do when I am fortunate enough to make a kill is drag the deer with the sled through the rough stuff and leave the cart by the DNR forestry road. Once at the road, I pull the sled with deer right up onto the cart and tie it off. Sometimes, I'll use a ratchet strap to strap in the deer so it's not sliding all over the place.

Here's a friend of mine's buck we got this past week while bowhunting. The tough part was the 300 yds trek from woods to DNR road on the sled (which is isnt all that tough when compared to dragging a deer without the sled). Once the deer and sled are on the cart, the 1 mile of road back to the parking lot was easy peezy.

 

Edited November 6, 2015 by 1eyeReD

[O.T.C.]

If I am lucky in the AM I will need to quarter him out as he calmly made a scrape at 4:36PM in our yard last night.

[Neighbor_guy]

I have used both a lot. I know, lucky me, but I have settled on the small otter sled. The cart is great in the right spots and in level ground to a trail. Where I hunt in swamp ground and uneven woods with a lot of dead falls to go over and around the sled just fits the bill better for me. Let's just say the cart is still in the shed. 

[MJ1657]

This is better then a cart or a sled. Lol

 

A 15 year old.......

[BLACKJACK]

For you guys that use an otter sled, how well does that work in a fairly thick woods??

 

I hunt in farmland where 90% the time its a short drag to the pickup but I've had a few deer head into the thick woods to the north that are even hard to drag out by the horns, I think a sled would constantly get caught on trees and brush. I was actually thinking more about one of the roll-up sleds.

 

For you guys that use the roll-ups, what kind did you get??

[MJ1657]

I've never used either. I've always just drug them out. After reading this thread I figured I'd give the sled a try. I shot a 9 point a fair ways back in the woods on Thursday. The sled made the job of getting him out much easier.

Here's a little mod I did to make it so the rope doesn't pinch your hand when you're pulling. I skid a piece of hydraulic hose over it.

[Boar]

I use a cart for bear, have a large cart rated at 300 pluse lbs  when one gets alrge animal 200 lb buck or 400 lb bear carts are the way to go, so much less surface area to cause drag. if your in really nasty stuff, nuthing is really gona help I feel but just grit and determination. my cart has a center point almost on the axle, allowing it to lift or rotate on the axle over dead falls. cart for me.

[MattL]

I tried a cart one time...left it in the woods and picked it up a couple weeks later.  It was no good in the brush.  The last buck I shot I drug about 150 yards uphill the whole way, took about 2.5 hours by myself dragging about 10 yards at a time and taking a break.  The one before that was about 250 yards up the same hill but I had help, still took a couple hours.

[leechlake]

I've cut deer in half in situations like that.  Kind of a pain to butcher but makes it easier.

 

[uptracker]

Get a pack frame of some sort.  I won't even drag 250 yards up hill anymore let alone 2 miles.  Like No Wiser said, try it once and you'll never drag a deer again.  Often times, I can get them out in two halves on my back. 

My my buddy shot a deer deep on the opener.  Took him two days to pack it out.  It was worth it though.  

[leech~~]

I have used a cart and a sled for Deer and Bear. Love the cart in open areas. The last Deer I shot was way on the back side of a thick clear cut. Cart no way, tried the sled kept tipping side ways and buck falling off one side. Had to cut the bast-er in two and drag one side at a time. I think a deeper Otter sled like NG said may work better but nothing other then grunt would get this one out of there!

My son said if I keep hunting back there he is walking the other way when I shoot next time!

[Boar]

lol! yup I hunt feild edges now,  Drope them on the feild edge and pick them up with the truck, no more riverbottom drag sessions, cart or no cart.

[MattL]

The last buck I drug out by myself I actually considered cutting up in the woods. I really need to look into a pack frame if I'm gonna keep hunting river bottoms. For now I'm young and dumb so I just use brute strength.