Something practical loading a deer

[Buckstopshere]

I don't know about you, but I am not getting any younger. And loading a 150 lb., dressed deer is a challenge, after hauling it through the woods, fields and whatever...So this works for me. I cut a piece of plywood the length of my truck bed. I use a pulley..from Cabelas or whatever system. I use the plywood as a ramp, get the beast up pretty high on the plywood, then lift the plywood. Slide the buck in. Saves this old back!

[Lawdwaz]

I gave this some thought earlier tonight!  I remember reading about a similar system but a little different......

Take a 2x12 (?) and cut it to the length of the truck bed, put an eye bolt up near the top with the threaded end that takes the nut counter sunk into the backside of the 2x12.  After you get your buck to the truck, load it onto the board and tie the head/neck to the eye bolt.  Now lift the end of the board up onto the tailgate and then go to the other end of the board and slide 'er in.

After all that explanation, I think I like your idea with the winch and a simple hunk of plywood.  The winch AND the plywood are in my garage now.  After work tomorrow I'll zip the plywood to length.

OR...........call a friend.

[Moho81]

Man that's pretty slick!

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[nyslowhand]

Necessity is the mother of invention! Very neat! Us old duffers are always looking for ways around using the old "younger days" brute force scenario. LOL

Anyone that has tried to load a deer up & onto the bed of a truck from the ground by themselves will appreciate this suggestion! Some other gizmos available you can purcha$e that fit into a 2" receiver if you're not into inventing, constructing or rigging.

[sits in trees]

Seems we have to become more innovative with the passing years, I wanna hunt as long as possible and have made many adjustments along the way to compensate for brute strength.

[nyslowhand]

Amen, brother!

To you young bucks that might not understand, it isn't about being lazy or looking for the easy way out! It's about using your brain in place of your old back in order to hunt further into your fading deer hunting seasons. Sad fact of life!

[Buckstopshere]

2 hours ago, Lawdwaz said:

I gave this some thought earlier tonight!  I remember reading about a similar system but a little different......

Take a 2x12 (?) and cut it to the length of the truck bed, put an eye bolt up near the top with the threaded end that takes the nut counter sunk into the backside of the 2x12.  After you get your buck to the truck, load it onto the board and tie the head/neck to the eye bolt.  Now lift the end of the board up onto the tailgate and then go to the other end of the board and slide 'er in.

After all that explanation, I think I like your idea with the winch and a simple hunk of plywood.  The winch AND the plywood are in my garage now.  After work tomorrow I'll zip the plywood to length.

OR...........call a friend.

The nice thing about the plywood is that it sits on the bed of the truck and is virtually out of the way, other stuff can be loaded on it etc. Yep, and I zipped it off so it is the same length as my seven foot bed. Plus, don't get all bloody trying to heave them up. And those deer ticks (actually deer keds)...won't get rubbed off on your clothes and end up crawling on your neck like we did when we wrasseled the deer in.  I also use the heavier grade stuff, like 1/2 inch. An earlier prototype, I struggled with 1/4 inch.

[growalot]

Great for the truck..My Gator is very high  but a dump bed.  I bring a long length of poly rope. I park Gator in front of a tree. Take the rope and tie it high in the tree and throw it over hood/ roll bars to dump bed. Raise the bed tail gate down. Tie rope around neck and front legs of deer. Position deer head as far up bed as I can,then hop in Gator and slowly back up. Getting out every couple of feet to check deer position until it's completely up in the bed.I then lift bed up.

Edited November 17, 2016 by growalot

[fasteddie]

When I had my Chevy S10 I kept a 2 foot by 6 foot piece of plywood in the truck for that purpose. There was no way I could have lifted a deer alone.

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[dbHunterNY]

yup smart way to do it right there.  my last buck I had to prop the antlers onto the tail gate and use it's heavy wide beams to squat it up into the truck bed.  I'm young and truck was pointing down hill but I still could've used this setup.  got a little bloody from practically falling into the truck bed with him.  always known about the type of setup you use but I guess I've never got around to doing it.  I had that single pulley to hang him and still had to tie the end of the rope to the hitch to lift him off the garage floor.  maybe it's time to throw that pulley in the truck and get one with more pulleys for less work hanging.

[stoneam2006]

Should try loading into back with a quad in it lol. I had to use a rope around neck while standing on edge and pull up till I could grab neck and try and manhandl it next to quad was real rough took a few tries lol...may have to try something like this

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[Steve D]

I bought one of these to try from Harbor Freight for about $39.00 on sale with a coupon. Haven't shot a deer since I bought it so I don't know if it will work or not but thought it would be easier than hooking & un-hooking the trailer all the time.

NICE BUCK BY THE WAY!!

Edited November 17, 2016 by Steve D

[Nomad]

hitch haulers work very well ! Even though I still deadlift at 57 Y/O it's a pain loading deer , can't imagine getting them into some of those trucks you guys  drive .

[Core]

Hitch things are great. I would get one if I didn't have a minivan right now. Loading a deer into a sedan by myself last year was just simply impossible, but this year I was able to get up into the minivan and dead lift it in. Really was not terribly difficult doing it like that. Was jut the right height I could position its head resting against the bumper as I climbed in. Hopefully it didn't put ticks everywhere. The cargo hauler would be ideal on the hitch.

[Buckmaster7600]

I don't know about you, but I am not getting any younger. And loading a 150 lb., dressed deer is a challenge, after hauling it through the woods, fields and whatever...So this works for me. I cut a piece of plywood the length of my truck bed. I use a pulley..from Cabelas or whatever system. I use the plywood as a ramp, get the beast up pretty high on the plywood, then lift the plywood. Slide the buck in. Saves this old back!

Your system seems to work, I have something very similar but instead of a pulley system I have 3" caster wheels mounted to the front of the plywood, and 2 grab loops at both corners on the other end. It works great. Only have to lift half the weight of the deer and the big caster wheels go right over the tailgate crack.


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[Pygmy]

Cool stuff..I have been using the plywood thing for a number of years now, except  I just set up the ramp, get the deer started and then then pull it up the ramp by hand, standing in the bed of the truck...I think I need to use the ideas here for a little more mechanical advantage..

I like the idea of holding it fast with a ratchet strap or whatever, and then just picking up the rear of the plywood and sliding it in...

[Two Track]

Use to use a portable (but very heavy) ladder stand all the time.  The ladder portion doubled as a ramp to load deer into my dad's truck bed.

Have new SUV (well the wife does and is letting me use it for deer hunting), her rule is no bloody carcasses in it, so we got a cargo tray, we put rails on it as it is also being used for hauling camping gear, so still have to lift, just not as high.

You can put cargo tray's on mini-vans too.  May need to get an adapter to raise the height if it is too low to the ground.

[Nomad]

My mini van was the best hunting vehicle, for those not going far off road probably the most practical hunting vehicle . You'll need to be secure in your manhood though . Took the middle seats out , arrive at spot walk to back and get dressed , grab bow off rear seat , press a button and door opens fairly quite .

Could nap,in it in comfort.

Loading deer ? Open both side doors, lay out tarp, step outside lift head onto jam/ rocker area , step,inside and pull deer in then back out other side .

[Pygmy]

REAL men drive pickup trucks....<<grin>>.....

[Buckstopshere]

51 minutes ago, Larry302 said:

My mini van was the best hunting vehicle, for those not going far off road probably the most practical hunting vehicle . You'll need to be secure in your manhood though . Took the middle seats out , arrive at spot walk to back and get dressed , grab bow off rear seat , press a button and door opens fairly quite .

Could nap,in it in comfort.

Loading deer ? Open both side doors, lay out tarp, step outside lift head onto jam/ rocker area , step,inside and pull deer in then back out other side .

I used to have SUV's way back in the day...but I could not stand the ticks (keds) crawling up on me days after I had off loaded the deer! Always bite me at the base of my skull under my hair. Hate it. I love my trucks for that reason alone.

[fasteddie]

Try getting them up here by yourself ......

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[Pygmy]

Reminds me of a story.....I have nearly always had a pickup and  my sister  was often borrowing it for one reason or another..

One time during bow season she needed my truck, so she borrowed it and left me her little Jap rice rocket sportscar, I think it was a Toyota..Kinda looked like a corvette, only smaller..

Sure enough, the day I was driving her car I killed a buck...No way could I bring it home in or ON her car..I could barely fit my compound bow in the stupid thing..

Fortunately, I had good neighbors...I stopped at a friend's house ( non-hunter) and he and I drove his pickup down, picked up the deer and hung it up...

I made sure he got a few packages of meat for his  assistance.....He wasn't  a hunter, but he had NO  prejudice against eating venison...

[Buckstopshere]

10 minutes ago, fasteddie said:

Try getting them up here by yourself ......

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Now that takes a big man to heave a deer up on top of his car. But now days, it is inflamatory to tote them around like that. When I was a kid, evening of opening day. Downtown Wellsville was lined with cars with deer on them, hunters going to the restaurants and bars. I can remember counting 117 deer on both sides of the street, about 1972.

[turkeyfeathers]

It sucked trying to get a deer on top of old Subaru by myself. I'd stand in rear door frame and look like something out of a horror film all bloody and such after finally getting it up there. This was a great decision   2" receiver hitch and deer carrier 

[Pygmy]

Yeah..I remember before I was old enough to hunt, going overtown  from school on my lunch hour in Addison on opening day of deer season just to see the deer on cars along Main Street....The street was lined with them...Seems like very few people drove pickups back then except the farmers...Of course they would take the deer home and hang them in their barns/sheds.. Mostly the "townies"  and the flatlanders draped them on their cars and parked them on the street...  Good times, nonetheless...