# Quartering and Packing or Take Out Whole?



## G-Patt (Sep 3, 2013)

Just curious how many of you quarter and pack deer out or take out whole. I've always taken deer out whole using a sled or a deer cart, but I plan to quarter and pack the deer out next season. I hunt Public Land exclusively and love the idea of going wherever I want without the nagging thought of "this is too far back to carry out deer." Is this naïve? I know both methods have pros and cons, but curious about the whole quartering/packing aspect of it and if any of you would care to share your experience. Thanks!


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## ironman172 (Apr 12, 2009)

Used a 2 wheel cart I made a few times till the atv path was cut in , plus at trc. And my Sil's
Past couple years I've bow hunted solo
More then that really
I would think it depends on terrain , open field areas 2 wheel cart, hills ..... well.... anytime you can put on wheels is a plus 










I like easy hunting anymore as I get older


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## DLarrick (May 31, 2011)

I have kicked around this idea as well and curious if people do it. 

Seems that's the only way people do it out west but not much around here. I have often thought it would be a lot easier..... especially with a smaller doe. 

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## 1MoreKast (Mar 15, 2008)

If you're able, there is a way to dress and prepare the animal to be carried out like a back pack. Essentially, you skin back the animal from the hoof up to the first joint on all 4s. Keeping the hide in tact, break the first joint and remove the bone. Once all first joints are removed, you want to tie the hides together in a crisscross fashion. Front left is tied to back right and vice versa. Then you can lay on your back and fish your arms through the "back pack straps" you have created. The challenge is standing up. This is probably easier to do after the animal is field dressed if you don't mind a bloody back.


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## TheKing (Apr 15, 2004)

G-Patt said:


> Just curious how many of you quarter and pack deer out or take out whole. I've always taken deer out whole using a sled or a deer cart, but I plan to quarter and pack the deer out next season. I hunt Public Land exclusively and love the idea of going wherever I want without the nagging thought of "this is too far back to carry out deer." Is this naïve? I know both methods have pros and cons, but curious about the whole quartering/packing aspect of it and if any of you would care to share your experience. Thanks!


Is 200 yds straight up a tangled hill too far for you? Does that include skinning it? Never quartered one skin on. The hair is a bitch.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

People pack out animals when they HAVE to, its not as simple as some make it seem. Certainly doable and often the best option, but never easy. The easiest option may be to bone/quarter out and them drag that out on a sled. A lot less weight, but not all on your shoulders.


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## jmyers8 (Aug 2, 2013)

On the hunting public channel on youtube they were hunting public land this year for gun season. I believe it might I'd but the recreation aep land. Anyways he shot a buck saturday of gun season which I was impressed by, he said they were 2 miles from where they parked and they quartered it out.

The only thing with that is if your expecting to do that you need to carry all that stuff with you or at least hide it close to where your hunting so you'll have extra weight 

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## Ron Y (Dec 2, 2020)

I would pay to watch you haul a 200# buck up and down hills with tangles etc. I have passed up deer in southern ohio strip mine country after I went over couple of hills and realized it would be hell to get it out. I busted my butt dragging a big doe out of newly clear cut area full of tree tops, prickers etc and that was only 300 yards.


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## luredaddy (May 25, 2004)

I hunted Muskingum Co for over 30 years. When the deer was gutted, I probably should have said eviscerated, grab and drag. Toward the end of 30 year run, it was gut it and go for help. To quarter a deer first, is loosing the opportunity to hang it for 5 days or so, which of course, will cause another thread.


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

im assuming this is for those of us that process our own deer.

i have a cart and at my gun club there are old logging roads and pretty well worn paths, i also get the privilege to hunt a good friends property that has a 4 wheeler to assist in getting the deer out. we were talking about this just this last gun season. once you call in your deer tag, you can do what you want with it. he killed probably one of the biggest deer this year that ive ever seen, by myself, id of never gotten that beast out, it took both of us and a tractor. hell it almost kill both of us.lol.

when i was about 12 years old my father took me and my brother out to steamboat springs Colorado for an elk hunt, i was with my dad when he shot that bull from one mountain side to another, he was following a bunch of cows on a path just below the ridge line, i remember the shot and that beast dropping and sliding down the mountain until it go stuck behind a tree.. it took us 2 days of humping out elk meat in back packs.

to me the upside of quartering out is you only take what you need, i dont need to take a doe head out of the woods or a rib cage and something is going to eat it, the down side to me is multiply trips in and out of the woods, lets face it, after you kill a deer, gut it, get out of the woods, you're tired..


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## Uglystix (Mar 3, 2006)

I’ve seen this backpack idea a few times. Thought about it but.....nah.


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## MuskyFan (Sep 21, 2016)

Throwing a deer over your shoulders or on your back is taking a chance in the era of “if it’s brown, it’s down”. If you do that, make sure it draped in blaze orange to limit the chances of being mistaken for a deer. I’ve either dragged or rolled mine out. Once it took me from 11 am to 5 pm. Almost all uphill in the Monongahela. But is was only 34 at the time. Not happening now. Lol.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

Ron Y said:


> I would pay to watch you haul a 200# buck up and down hills with tangles etc. I have passed up deer in southern ohio strip mine country after I went over couple of hills and realized it would be hell to get it out. I busted my butt dragging a big doe out of newly clear cut area full of tree tops, prickers etc and that was only 300 yards.


Parts of my fish & game club are till piles from the old limestone quarries that were from over 100 years ago. The official club name for one of those areas is "No man's land"! And it is exactly that. It is unhuntable, and the deer know it. Especially the bucks. We have caught huge bruisers just outside the area. Saw one that boggled my mind! If it wasn't 300 lbs I'd eat my hat!


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## privateer (Apr 26, 2012)

In the East, if planning to go "far back" I will carry one of the kids sleds that is just a sheet of plastic about 1mm thick and rolled up into about 3" diameter roll. think it is only about 16" wide but about 4-5' long when unrolled. i have holes in the long edges and can lace a deer into this. thus slides much easier than the deer with just hide. wrap up the deer attach drag rope to my belt and start dragging...

Out west, a deer, will do same as east to get to camp or truck unless climbing invoved then do same as elk below. at camp i may have my actual sled if used coming in. Elk, well just too big to drag under any circumstances. bone the meat and carry or sled out meat. can't eat bones, so i won't carry them out either... other than the head bones that is.


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## PromiseKeeper (Apr 14, 2004)

privateer said:


> In the East, if planning to go "far back" I will carry one of the kids sleds that is just a sheet of plastic about 1mm thick and rolled up into about 3" diameter roll. think it is only about 16" wide but about 4-5' long when unrolled. i have holes in the long edges and can lace a deer into this. thus slides much easier than the deer with just hide. wrap up the deer attach drag rope to my belt and start dragging..


When I worked in a warehouse, we got a lot of freight in on heavy plastic like that . We called them "slip sheets" Incredibly slick on one side and were about 40X48. I put 2 end to end and attached them together with grommets. Grommets along both sides to lace up like Privateer said. If there was a frost on the leaves, you would actually have to hold back on the rope! I used to keep a few on the back porch and the neighbor kids would take them to sled ride on. I've even put them under the truck and could easily pull myself around underneath when I was changing oil etc.


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## Flathead76 (May 2, 2010)

I shot one this year that ran off and died in an absolute hell hole. After going through this a few years ago the decision was pretty easy for me. Especially since this one was in a worse spot to get out. Lawn bags are always in my back pack. Too beat up for that nonsense any more.


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## ironman172 (Apr 12, 2009)

Deer sleigh'r sled is what a couple friends have , I've never used but they swear by them , 








Deer Sleigh’r Game Sled


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anything is better then nothing, 2 of us used my 2 wheel cart to carry one out before the atv path was cut in....... here and there it hit the ground on the wheels but for the most part just carried...... I could see a pole with deer suspended from it off the ground and 2 people carry one out on their shoulder


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## bridgeman (Aug 26, 2010)

Had a cabin up in Potter County decades ago and 2 hour walks to the stand and 4 hour drags were the norm. Fast forward 40 years and I find myself hunting an area thats 300 yards up a 20 percent grade from the truck. Theres a quad that my girlfriend bought me last summer on a trailer behind it. Was fortunate enough to tag out this year and never broke a sweat, I doubt my heart rate ever went above 90 BPM except for when the 9 point stepped out. I guess with age comes common sense or laziness. Same end result the freezer is stocked.


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## bowhunter1487 (Aug 13, 2014)

I pack most of mine out for about the last ten years or so since going on my first elk hunt. A big buck will be a load of about 80ish pounds, not a picnic to pack, but a heck of a lot better than dragging one solo. Look up the gutless method, there are lots of good videos detailing how to do it. It takes some care and practice to get good at quartering one up on the ground without getting hair and leaves on the meat, but it's not terribly difficult. Really the only reason I ever drag one out anymore is because it's nicer to bring a whole deer home for my kids to get psyched up about.


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## bridgeman (Aug 26, 2010)

De-boning the animal and packing it out is a great option, over here however the Pennsylvania game commission prohibits the practice. Even elk and large black bears have to be removed firm the woods intact. I've been involved in retrieving 350+ pound black bears, its a nightmare moving the mass they're like a blob of jelly.


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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

bridgeman said:


> De-boning the animal and packing it out is a great option, over here however the Pennsylvania game commission prohibits the practice. Even elk and large black bears have to be removed firm the woods intact. I've been involved in retrieving 350+ pound black bears, its a nightmare moving the mass they're like a blob of jelly.


You are absolutely allowed to quarter and pack out an elk in Pennsylvania. 









Pennsylvania Elk Hunting FAQ


Applying for an Elk License How do I apply for and check the status of an elk license application? Applicants can make application and check on the status of an elk license application through the …




huntwildpa.com





I agree that your not allowed to skin a bear out and quarter it. And I have drug some bear out in the PA mountains and its miserable!

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## bowhunter1487 (Aug 13, 2014)

bridgeman said:


> De-boning the animal and packing it out is a great option, over here however the Pennsylvania game commission prohibits the practice. Even elk and large black bears have to be removed firm the woods intact. I've been involved in retrieving 350+ pound black bears, its a nightmare moving the mass they're like a blob of jelly.


False. You just have to take certain bear and elk parts to the check station.


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## youngblood (Feb 9, 2012)

I hunt very vertical areas (public land). I use a deer cart, 100' of cable or so ,1200lb. winch with a couple ft. of chain with hooks on it mounted on the winch, and 2 cycle battery out of my boat. I use the cart to bring the winch and battery in. I use the cables to go tree to tree winching the deer up tie it off with a rope. Go to the next tree and repeat. Sometimes I keep the battery and winch on the cart with the deer. Sometimes I just winch the deer on the ground and use the cart with the winch and battery to go tree to tree( Cart gets top heavy on very steep inclines). Once I did 2 deer at the same time both deer on the ground. Cart battery and winch tree to tree. I winched them over a mile up hill on 1 battery. It's slow but is much easier than dragging or carrying a deer. I do it all by myself and don't have to show others where I hunt. I am selective with what I shot and wouldn't do this for just any deer.


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## ironman172 (Apr 12, 2009)

The use of a snatch block allows any angle pull , I will use in certain places if needed , even pulling wood(logs) I can keep the atv on the path and pull 90 degrees , plus the blocks increases the pulling power ....


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## G-Patt (Sep 3, 2013)

M.Magis said:


> People pack out animals when they HAVE to, its not as simple as some make it seem. Certainly doable and often the best option, but never easy. The easiest option may be to bone/quarter out and them drag that out on a sled. A lot less weight, but not all on your shoulders.


Seems like the sled idea is a good one after quartering and packing the meat in game bags.


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## G-Patt (Sep 3, 2013)

TheKing said:


> Is 200 yds straight up a tangled hill too far for you? Does that include skinning it? Never quartered one skin on. The hair is a bitch.


Yes, hauling a whole deer up a 200-yard hill is too much for me. It was almost too hard for me and my hunting buddy to haul my 140 lb buck up a 50 yard steep hill boarding a large creek using ropes and pulleys this past November...and we're both in good shape. My plan would be to skin it first and haul it up in sections after quartering it.


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## TheKing (Apr 15, 2004)

G-Patt said:


> Yes, hauling a whole deer up a 200-yard hill is too much for me. It was almost too hard for me and my hunting buddy to haul my 140 lb buck up a 50 yard steep hill boarding a large creek using ropes and pulleys this past November...and we're both in good shape. My plan would be to skin it first and haul it up in sections after quartering it.


I hope that we are shooting with some kind of lethal tasers before too long. No more dragging. Ugh !!!


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## threeten (Feb 5, 2014)

TheKing said:


> I hope that we are shooting with some kind of lethal tasers before too long. No more dragging. Ugh !!!


Squad of drones to “fly ‘em out”


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## HappySnag (Dec 20, 2007)

lightest pecking out deer,
military 2 straps dufel bag and hevy construction garbige bags,towell,
gut deer only if you take hart and liver and put in zip lock bag,
take knife with gut hook,start from neck down to tail,peel the skin,cut out back strip,front leg,back leg put each sepert in garbige bag.
flip deer over and do the same,have good towell tu clean hands and knife while you cuting,when you done wrap the nife in towell and put in zip lock bag,
the meat is 1/3 of weight live deer.
if you like to aege the meet put that in stainles pan in frige.
you do not have to aege the meet,it has to only cool off and redy to proces.after cool off is best quality.


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## OptOutside440 (Feb 3, 2019)

I always thought about how it would be awesome to canoe into some remote public hunting area. I imagine quartering it would be a lot easier for paddling the deer back in the canoe.


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## G-Patt (Sep 3, 2013)

OptOutside440 said:


> I always thought about how it would be awesome to canoe into some remote public hunting area. I imagine quartering it would be a lot easier for paddling the deer back in the canoe.


Funny, I was just talking to a friend about doing something like that. That would cool!


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## buck16on (Feb 10, 2014)

G-Patt said:


> I'm experienced in quartering out big game from bow hunting in the wilderness out west and in Canada. I've also done whitetail's that way in the Midwest using the gutless method. When I've done that and taken it to a Midwest butcher I found that some butchers don't like it that way. There's plenty of videos on the net on how to to quarter out using the gutless method. Like most things in life the more you do it the faster and better you'll get at it.


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## G-Patt (Sep 3, 2013)

Thanks! You're right about processors not accepting a quartered deer. At least the ones I go to. I plan to butcher and process the deer myself. Just bought a 1hp grinder and sausage stuffer this last month. I'm all in next season. From listening to podcasts, forums and videos, I hear that once you start packing it out, you'll never go back. Haha! We'll see. I plan to put that to the test, and yes, I expect it will be hard at first but should get easier as I do it more and more.


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

I did 3 deer this year pack out style, these were my 1st attempt, by #3 I was done in about 25 min. And I doubt I'll ever hang a deer to skin and process again. I skinned and boned 1 half at a time very easy. The 1 thing I learned, that I think is most important is, for best results you need a small tarp to put deer on while working on it, to keep everything clean. It only needs to be about 4'x6' but really helps a lot! When I get it home I put meat in a cooler that I built a stainless steel rack that goes in the bottom to keep the meat off the bottom 1 1/2", then I pack ice over top, leave the drain open, and cooler on a slight slope to drain, I add ice as needed and age the meat this way for 7-10 days before i cut and package the meat. 

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## ironman172 (Apr 12, 2009)

Frozen gallon jugs , swapped out when needed works the best for me usually 2 plus 1/2 gallon.stuffed in the chest cavity and 1/2 at the pelvis area ..... only after a over night cool down I'll close up the cooler(picky when I hunt and temps, day of kill , evening)..... been cooler stuffing the carcuss before rigamortis sets in
They are whole
Prefer hanging them but when temps won't be good after a few days I go ahead and cooler them for the week or so .....min. 7 days
And while processing need to stop and warm my hands the meat is so cold, i


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## G-Patt (Sep 3, 2013)

miked913 said:


> When I get it home I put meat in a cooler that I built a stainless steel rack that goes in the bottom to keep the meat off the bottom 1 1/2", then I pack ice over top, leave the drain open, and cooler on a slight slope to drain, I add ice as needed and age the meat this way for 7-10 days before i cut and package the meat.


 I like the idea of a rack in the cooler to keep it off the bottom and allow for drainage. I'll definitely keep that in mind.


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