3 Easy Ways to Get Your Deer Out of the Woods on Solo Hunts

What that has taught me is that a lot of folks just don’t understand what the options are, or how to figure out which one is best for individual hunts. That’s a shame, because there’s nothing better than hunting wherever the deer are, without the worry of what will happen if you stick one.

My favorite way to do this involves borrowing a page from my western brothers and sisters.

Piece Them Out

This isn’t legal in every state, so check your regulations. But, if you have the chance to bone one out and pack it, do it. There are a couple of reasons this is my go-to method when it’s available. The first is, it’s easy.

All it takes is one or two good knives, about 10 one-gallon plastic freezer bags, and a bone saw. I keep those in my truck all season long, along with a blood-trailing kit full of lights and batteries. While some folks like to truly go western with this strategy and pack out full quarters, I don’t. I like to bone deer out and carry just the meat.

This is a daunting task to the uninitiated, but when you know what to do, it might take an hour or so. If you know enough to cut out the whole muscle groups and bag them, you’re pretty much there. I tend to lay the bags of meat out to cool off, and then layer them in my pack before I head out. Even a really good-sized deer can be reduced to maybe 50-ish pounds, which isn’t a fun pack out but isn’t terrible in most whitetail territory.

Cart ‘Em Out

I bought a collapsible deer cart years ago when I first started taking solo trips out of state. I don’t know how many whitetails, mule deer, and antelope it has helped me and my buddies get back to the truck, but several dozen isn’t a stretch.

The key to good deer carts is that they must have a fairly wide footprint so they are more stable. Wheels are better than tires, too, if that makes sense. Rolling a cart loaded with 200 pounds of animal through the woods requires the right kind of tires, and if they can be easily punctured, they are no good.

The hardest part about using game carts on solo hunts is getting the deer on them and positioned correctly in the first place. The bulk of the weight should be over the axle, and every leg as well as the head, should be strapped tight to the cart. Extra bungee cords are often a necessity because you don’t want parts of your deer getting tangled in the brush or the wheels.

A deer cart can be a blessing in certain types of terrain, but a nightmare where the woods are thick and steep. Having one is a good idea, but it’s not always the best solution. Sometimes you have to get creative.

Float On

It was 1:30 in the morning when my cameraman and I walked up on my Iowa buck this year. I had been going for the entire month of October and knew that he was going to have to film, so I’d be on my own getting the buck out.

Luckily, I had thrown in the tether to one of my saddles, and we were close to a river. This is often the case when I whitetail hunt, and so after a short drag, I got into the water with my headlamp on high and started wading.

Deer hair is hollow and buoyant. They mostly float if you give them the chance, and with a little current, this can be the easiest drag job of your life. There are some obvious considerations here, like safety. The river I floated that buck down is mostly shallow, with a hard sandy bottom. I wouldn’t recommend trying this trick on water you’re unfamiliar with because you might go for a swim which isn’t much fun at night during deer season (trust me).

If you have the right setup, however, this is a great way to get a deer out solo. It’s also just kind of badass. Not that that matters, but still….

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For more info on whitetail hunting, check out these articles: Why You Should Rifle Hunt This Year, How To Track A Buck On Bare Ground, and How To Still-Hunt During The Rut.