# Help Needed....Deer Hanging in a Finished Garage



## buckeyeguy

Guys,
I am looking for a way to hang deer in my finished attached garage and need some help. The ceiling is finished and the second floor above the garage is a finished bedroom so there is no attic type of access to the celing. When we built the house I took a boat load of pics of the framing so I know I can find a joist rather easily. 

How or what would you rig up to withstand the weight of a large deer including the extra weight of me pulling and tugging to skin it? I had thought about cutting a 2x8 or a 2x10 the width of the joists and then lag screwing it with two or three screws on each side. Then I was thinking about lagging a large lag screw with an eye in the middle and throwing on a pulley set. Do you think this would work?

Anyone else have any ideas or pics of what they rigged up in the same situation? There is absolutely no place for me to hang it outside (no trees) nor do I want to buy or make a free standing deer hanger for I don't have the room store it.

I lucked out last year when I shot a smaller doe. I ended up unfolding my large gorilla ladder and hung it on that.


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## BunkerChunker

If the joists in your garage are clear span( no carrying beam down the middle) your idea sounds like a good way to do it. I would use a 2x10 withy to lags with a fender washer on each end towards the edges so when you put the eyelag in the middle its less likely to split. and leave some extra lentgh past the joist your lagging into also to prevent spliting. if you want to be really safe lag into 3 joists. predrilling always helps to 

good luck BC


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## buckeyeguy

I was just thinking about the set up and I do have a wood support beam that runs down the middle of the garage. I'm darn sure that this is one of those engineered/compressed wood deals. Would you think a 6" lag screw with an eye screwed straight into that work? My concern about doing it this way is that when the glue the beams together, they glue them together wide not stacked (if that makes sense) so I may be screwing it in between boards and not through one.

Thanks for the splitting concern BC, I have learned my lesson time and time again. I always drill a pilot hole now to help with splitting.


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## One Legged Josh

Two 8 foot ladders with a 4x4 between them works for my uncle. He has a pulley on the 4x4.


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## BunkerChunker

those LVL beams are glued together under pressure they wont delaminate a good soild 1/2 x 6" lageye should do the trick I've seen guys pull engine blocks like that(not reccomended )


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## fishintechnician

why not run your 2x10 then instead of using pulleys get a hoist much easier and less work that way you just hoist the deer up plus makes it easier to work on (if your processing your self)


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## Toxic

My garage is not finished. I have a 110v electric hoist in my garage and I am in the process of putting up a track system for hanging multiple deer.


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## ErieAngler

just screw one of those heavy duty hooks into a joist and you will be fine. Specially if you have a room above, your joists must be 2x8 or 2x10. Mine are 2x4s and they hold up just fine.


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## buckeyeguy

fishintechnician said:


> why not run your 2x10 then instead of using pulleys get a hoist much easier and less work that way you just hoist the deer up plus makes it easier to work on (if your processing your self)


Thanks for the suggestion. I looked those up on line and a hundred bucks will buy one. That might work out pretty good. After thinking about it, I might have a couple more uses for one as well as hanging deer.


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## fishintechnician

They are nice especially when cleaning one you can just push the button and move it up or down depending on what section you are working on


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## crappiewacka

However you decide for a lift, always remember the larger the span the better the weight distribution. If you don't mind the look incorporate as many joists in the equation as possible. Like a 2x10 spanning across 4 - 6 joists, lagged 2x @ intersections. A 4X4 or 3x5(landscape timber) w/ a 1" eye bolt countersunk in the middle w/ large washer, lockwasher and nut spanning 4 joists would be plenty to withstand a great deal of pressures, and the failing point would be only @ the eye bolt. Or bolt the small (440 # or less) electric hoist, on say, 6 joists. If you can find a cheap piece of used steel I beam and bolt it up (or span it across from supports from the ground) that would be the best, plus you could get a trolley hoist for that. I wouldn't want any reason for my bedroom to be sitting in my garage! Better off overkill..


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## fishintechnician

no way you are gonna damage anything with a deer if it does something wasnt built right in the first palce. remember that you are walking around up there with all of the furniture and what not it was built to hold the weight and you will be fine keep us posted on what you decide to do


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## chadwimc

Just install a lag bolt eye hook. I placed mine near the center support post so I could tie off the come-a-long.


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## joerugz

I have no problem going straight into the joists thru the drywall. I do spread the weight between two hooks and ropes running to my gambrel.


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## Tomas Robertson

Just buy a decent game hoist, check out https://catchthemeasy.com/best-deer-hoist-reviews/ for some reviews of different models.


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## Shad Rap

fishintechnician said:


> no way you are gonna damage anything with a deer if it does something wasnt built right in the first palce. remember that you are walking around up there with all of the furniture and what not it was built to hold the weight and you will be fine keep us posted on what you decide to do


I was gonna say...we're just talking about hanging a deer right?


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## s.a.m

this post is 8 1/2 years old???!!!


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## hunt-n-fish

lol!!!


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