Wanting you guys to know of a story. Last night my dad called he was dragging in a doe he shot. He told me my mom who works at the local hospital was telling him he needs to be careful dragging deer and working himself to hard when he drags. Apparently Monday night a hospital worker shot a deer and was dragging it and had a heart attack and died.

My thoughts is anything can happen. Yet we live in a way so minimal physical work. Gotta stay in shape.

If I have to go, that's the way I want it. The only change would be a big buck instead of a doe.

Seriously, things like this can happen, anytime, anywhere. I refuse to live in a bubble for fear of dying. Do what you can to stay healthy but no matter what we do, the inevitable is inevitable.

That's right! I know when I drag deer I push the heck out of myself. Then I got to wait to gain strength. I can see how it happened if a guy isn't in shape and who knows he may have had a heart attack soon and the activity just made it happen when it did. I'm not saying to live in fear, we shouldn't. That's where faith comes in and we need to be at peace knowing where we go when we pass.

Well, that is the second best way to die from a heart attack.

Agreed!!!:-)))

“I know when I drag deer I push the heck out of myself. Then I got to wait to gain strength.... we need to be at peace knowing where we go when we pass.”

Also important to remember those we’re here to care for; not go taking senseless risks as we pursue our enjoyment. Dying doesn’t scare me HALF as much as the thought of where that would leave my wife and boys...

I’m not in this for Me anymore.

In my youth there was always a bunch of those heart attacks while dragging deer events. That is why we need to hunt more, and drag more deer, to stay in shape for dragging deer.

Dragging an elk will help you stay in shape for dragging deer.... :)

Stykman..i agree with you completely. SANDY

It is certainly something one should think about. I no longer hunt the nasty areas where I know a drag will be extra tough. Now if I'm in doubt about dragging I will quarter it up and put it on the cart, no reason to give the coyotes an extra meal.

I'm 60 and hunt in the mountains in north central PA. I'm done draggin deer. I will quarter and pack it out if I'm too far from the truck or a deer cart isn't practical. Regs are kinda vague on this. Something about the deer can't be cut up till ready for consumption or something like that. Might have to get a fire going and eat some of it:)

This is great advice.

It's also why I no longer drag deer. I still hunt way back in, but these days I quarter and pack them out. It's 100 times less strenuous IMO than dragging.

But yea, lots of folks think they are "in decent shape" until they try to drag dead weight through the woods. LOL

my ole man would only shoot deer up to maybe 125# seriously 4 pointers or smaller he would say he doesn't eat as much any more and everyone he used to brag together about horn size with are all dead so why bother.

also me and a few hunters who do not hunt together and we do not go into each others spots have a click where we help each other drag out deer,, its really good to have a drag buddy you can trust and he can trust you.

Boning meat out is okay, but it can make for tough cuts if its not cured on the bone, so I still drag them out and hang 'em high when home. The last two elk I got however, I boned out, since they were miles in and bone doesn't cook up that well anyway. But before that... either cut in half, quartered, or ...!! Caribou, same thing. Bone them out n pack 'em, in AK, horns come out last. Pretty lame law if you aren't allowed to quarter out in the field.

Just bring a frying pan and some salt and pepper!

I'm close to 65 and I've been warned of the same thing several times but with bears.

I hunt by myself and I like big bears but they're getting harder to take out every year.

It's reached a point that I use every ounce of strength, endurance, and willpower that I have to get them to and then into the back of the truck (I definitely need to get one of those "bumper lifts").

I talked to my doctor about the incredible strain I put myself through and was wondering about a stress test. He knows me quite well and said that is a test in itself, LOL!

Cutting boneless meats easy if it's half frozen. Just leave it in the freezer till it stiffens up but isn't solid and it'll hold its shape while you cut.

Heart attacks don't just happen, there are reasons whether known or not by the person who has one. When you say 'out of shape', you define probably 75% of everyone in America. You do have to know your limitations, but as men we tend to always think we can to this or that prior to being the object of a search party. I say enjoy life and maintain an active system by walking and shooting your bow. I would rather be snuffed out dragging a deer than with nourishment tubes in my arms in a hospital bed.

By the way, 'in shape' guys die all the time from so-called heart attacks. Stuff happens so don't dwell on it to the point of giving yourself a heart attack over it. ))

I had a heart attack 24 years ago and have dragged a bunch of deer since then. I try to hunt close to where I can get my Jeep and don't go way back like I used to. It also helps to have a couple of hunting buddies who will lend a hand. I'm real lucky to have a brother in law who has property and he brings his tractor down if I get one. Hunt smart and use common sense. Like I taught my son, hunt up and drag down.lol

I've heard that many heart attacks occur while shoveling snow. With a heavy wet snow a person could be lifting and throwing a ton of weight. Any unusually heavy exertion could potentially trigger a cardiac event. Dragging/packing game would certainly qualify. On the other hand guys have heart attacks sitting in their easy chairs as well....

'hunt up and drag down' Excellent advice, that's what I do when I can.

I have a great game cart that helps immensely. In the snow, a sled. Don't drag harder, drag smarter!

I am not disputing dragging, but I read an article a few years back that said the heart rate generated by seeing/shooting deer is more often the culprit than dragging one out.

“So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing afriend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.” -Chief Tecumseh

I run a Northern Michigan deer camp, actually two. November 15th rifle and December 1st for traditional black powder. At one time I had guys in their 90's 80's 70's 60's and 50's. A bunch of kids too. The rule has always been, "If you're older than me I drag your deer". I'm now 50. Grandpa never listened. He drug the last deer he ever shot, he was 86 years young. He just passed, 93. I hoped to he!! I'm still hunting and dragging deer when I'm in my 80's.

T4

THAT one... is going on my wall!

Thanks, Michael!!

(Can you imagine if we could send people to Washington who think this way?)

My dragging days are pretty much over, unless they're close by. I used to like to let my deer hang for a while if the weather cooperated, but they generally get quartered, packed home and aged in a refrigerator I keep for that purpose these days. I don't see any difference in meat quality and I have control of the temperature. Yep, that dragging is tough on anybody, more so as we age. Sorry to hear about the gentleman in your story and thanks for the heads up Shade.

X2 Michael!

I'm 45, in shape, and had a heart attack last spring. Treated it for a week with tums. It's no joke. Learn the signs, especially if you have family history of heart disease.

I would say dragging a deer, especially in hilly terrain would be a similar level of exertion to an exercise stress test, which is where I had mine. Guess what I don't do alone anymore!

"Boning meat out is okay, but it can make for tough cuts if its not cured on the bone, so I still drag them out and hang 'em high when home..."

I just quarter deer. Heck, two trips with even a mature whitetail buck wouldn't be more than 40# each on your back.

There are definitely much smarter ways to deal with a downed critter than to just grab them by the antlers or a leg and start dragging. I mean, we aren't dogs. We are capable of learning and using tools. LOL.

Google "Gutless method" for quartering a deer, get a lightweight pack frame with a meat shelf (they aren't expensive) or just use and old backpack, and try packing out the quarters just once.

I promise you, you'll never drag another one after that.

nothing wrong with giving us a friendly reminder there shade!

I exercise frequently throughout the year. Not only gives me piece of mind while in the field but it also makes every hunt more enjoyable when it is not a major chore just moving around in the mountains, especially during elk season.

I can't believe that we still have to bring a deer out wholesale anyway here in PA. If legal I would quarter and debone every deer in the field and leave the rest for the critters. I have a friend that has called the GC and got permission to do so after shooting a deer deep in the woods.

One reason that I generally small game hunt now. Not only is it strenuous, but it is not a lot of fun either. I will do it if I get a special one, but sure not going to kill a "run of the mill" deer way back in.

I'd suggest that any state G&F commissioner that supports the idea of having to bring out whole deer, get out there and drag one or two to the road for a hunter, and then decide. LOL

Last I heard 10 out of 10 die !!!

Life is short, Eternity is forever, and it's a matter of where forever.

The right information the right destination.

Dying, is not something we can stop or prevent, when that happens it happens forever

The destination can be our choice.

In the DVD "alone in the wilderness" Dick said " he couldn't think of a better place to meet his maker but in the wilderness" he also said I hope they wouldn't waste much time looking for me"

DS

Carl, I agree with you 100%, food for thought. And if you haven't seen "Alone in the wilderness", check it out. It's a great video. Thanks, Carl.

Piece of Visqueen in the pocket comes in handy. Weights almost nothing and reduces the work tremendously of dragging any game.

"Staying in shape" won't prevent a heart attack. Not ignoring warning signs, and letting your doctor know, can.

If you've never suffered a heart attack you sure don't want to. The problem is not when you die from heart attacks but when you survive one. Most won't kill you but every one of them gives you heart damage. Living with a damaged heart is tough to do. So if your a mile back and have a heart attack your going to have to suffer the most pain you've ever felt till you get help. I'm not talking a little discomfort I'm talking pain that will make you throw up. You can believe this, you will wish you were dead.lol Sorry for the wet blanket but only the lucky ones grab their chest and drop over dead.

I noticed a funny bumper sticker last week on my way to the gym.

"Eat right, Work out, Die anyway"

T4

To be honest, one reason I like to hunt with snow on the ground so much is to help with the drag out. Waaaayyy easier. I just think snow hunting is best anyway, for multiple reasons. I packed out deer quarters once in Montana, way up in, but generally save that for elk. Dragging deer has never been that difficult for me, knock on wood. Hang them up using block and tackle. I think field quartering and boning, is a ticket for poorer quality meat. Done in a hurry without proper sanitation of equipment and hands, potential for getting meat dirty, done during rainstorms and wind blown dirt, etc. I just find it better to get them out in one piece covered in skin to keep the meet from being contaminated. Butchering in the field, even quartering, requires careful handling and that is more difficult on some side hill or in a weedy or litter strewn situation, esp in its dark out. That's just my personal preference, not saying that is good for anyone else. As for dying of heart attack, my belief is that God has my number and is going to take me no matter what I'm doing or when/where. His plan is already written. I DO take precautions against dying of heart failure since it runs in my family, but I am not afraid and I will not deviate from my preferred methods of doing stuff due to a fear of any particular thing (except when it comes to driving - then I will, ie. avoid heavy traffic, major highways when alternatives are available, common sense stuff like that, etc.). I think that PA law is outrageous, because I totally do see the need for some people to quarter or bone meat out and remove it that way. There should always be the option to do so. Everyone should be able to exercise their own free will, not bound by some antiquated law.

We have 4 of his DVDs, and the book he wrote well, someone else wrote it for him out of his journals, we have watch the one that is building the cabin probably over 100 times. It never gets old.

It just makes you think why didn't I do that 30 years ago !!!

We now have a cabin on wheels, maybe we'll get land to put it on !

DS

I would say he had a bad heart.

I believe you can bone out a deer in Pa., but you have to bring with you a proof of sex, antlers, or genitals. And yes, I know there are antlered does now and then. ))

I drag em to the road and get a 4 wheeler or truck. I learned a long time ago that the deer I saw and killed waaay back in were no bigger than the deer around the roads.

Back in 2014 I was bowhunting some game lands and I killed a buck about a mile from the parking area. I was exhausted by the time I got it back to my truck. Two weeks after that the UPS truck pulled in my driveway with my game cart.

My wife and I drug one out about 6 years back that about did us both in. No more of that, got a game cart shortly after.

I'm 47. I run and lift weights avidly. There is still NOTHING like dragging a dead animal through the woods to whip your azz!!! I once took an enormous old doe and dragged her as far as the closest bike trail. I then went home and "borrowed" my kids big wagon to pull her to the closest parking area, then into the car:-)))

Always best to stay in shape but I’m 50 lbs overweight to but I was 100 over in March. 50 more to go. Helps that I can use rope and a 4 wheeler to get all my deer out.

One of my books on Amazon, Remembering the Beginning, is about a grandfather who went bow hunting, never returned, had a heart attack while dragging "Big Ed".

Yup this is what I envision so I been getting help with a lot of things. I feel pretty beat down but at least I'm fighting it out and if it happens then its doing what I have done all me life.

Cat is to stupid he don't know any other way. I had to give up wire man as a fisherman and leadering big fish and any more all fish. LOL

I lost a lot of mussel and strength in the heart value situation in the spring.

A few years ago I was wiring up a Mako and what the H is going down I said I need help boys. Why whats wrong my legs got weak and pain in the chest as I leaned against gunnel here take over I said to buddys. I had to sit down as we boated the fish along side and shot him. That was it for me knew I had blockage again. I could have died on that fish and they would have had to medi- vac me off boat.

Happens alot. We think to others not us.

Couple years ago I tried to get a monster out of woods and forget it could not even life the animals head. I called my buddy who came with quad and his buddy to get animal out. Buck was 250 gutted and when I got him weighted I thought no wonder I couldn't life him.

I have trouble now lifting 100 pound sake of corn or 100 pound sack of apples. Ok not going to try to be iron man anymore either them days are gone.LOL

We older boys need to really get a grib on things and not push it.LOL

This is good that we are talking about this stuff. We forget about things.

With dragging deer or shoveling snow ur not out of danger just because ur at home kicking back. Sometimes the attack comes an hour or two later. So if you get dizzy spells or just suddenly feel bad go get it checked out. My bro in laws hit him that way. For once my sister's paranoia payed off and got him to the er in time so all he needed was a stint.

https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/do-not-go-gentle-good- night

Do not go gentle into that good night Dylan Thomas, 1914 - 1953

Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

I ain't knocking anyone but, if this is what I thought about when hunting, I'd quit hunting. You are going to go when God himself says it is time to go. I agree, stay active, take care of yourself, keep your sugar under control and LIVE life as tomorrow may not come. For ALL of us, it won't one day.

I don't understand the thought of worrying about taking care of yourself, affecting the degree in which you experience something that you enjoy. You might find out that drag out gets you better prepared. Know your limits but, don't accept those imposed by others as to how to handle this. And, remember that if you are right with the Lord, no matter what he have and do here, it will pale with what we have waiting up there. Live gentlemen. While you can. God Bless

Sixty-nine the end of this month, cycle and exercise at least 3x a week, lost ten pounds this summer and down to 190, BECAUSE I like to hunt and feel fit. However, a few years back I was panting so hard I thought I would split my chest. I got a cart, but, it is barely big enough. I rigged a half-inch x six foot piece of pipe to the cart with U-clamps to give me more leverage. I attach myself to the cart with a strap around my chest and one shoulder, for pulling, and both hands on the pipe to steer. Maybe when I get older I'll limit myself to smaller deer.

Sad, but at least they were doing what they love to due. I myself would be ok going out that way :-( :-) JF

If I'm not too far from vehicular access (ATV or truck), I'll field dress and drag. If it's too far for my level of fitness to drag, I will field quarter and pack out the meat in quarters in a backpack.

Way more dangerous to sit on the couch!

When it’s your time to go, you’ll go may be true. But keeping yourself in decent shape may change the time it eventually happens. When I was 40, I was running a lot, and had to drag a buck 3 1/2 hrs to get it out. He wasn’t huge, only 150 dressed wt. If I wasn’t in good physical shape, I would have never been able to do it. Incidentally, I showed up late for a party once. My brother in law asked me why, and I said I had to finish my run. His reply was, Why do you do that? You’re just going to die healthy!

MP

That's how my Brother-in-law lost his father... His brother was the one that found him...

It's not just being out a shape that causes heart attacks. It usually a clogged party that unless you've had a heart cath you'd never know about.

Best thing is start dragging, but if you get chest pain or an ache in your left arm call someone to drag it for you. Then go to the er as a precaution.

I'm 48 and have done manual labor since I was 16 . Been working with wood and tree's for thirty years. The worst ass kicking I ever had was dragging a dead deer. From then on I deboned throw it a back pack and walk out. There is really no need to put your body in stress to drag one out. Even if you don't have a heart attack it will wear you out. Work smarter not harder

damn sellcheck spells worse than I do, clogged artery, not party, geesh.

I am with mgerard and others advising to use a cart. I hunt public areas where motorized vehicles are not allowed. Most "hunters" never go beyond a quarter mile. I have used this cart to bring out many deer, this is the most recent one. My third grade teacher said "use your head to save your feet"....Let's add "your heart".

I must be the odd one out. To me, it seems like more work (at least at the distances from 'anywhere' that I hunt), to make extra trips to walk back out, and haul a cart back in over all kinds of rough terrain and blowdowns. Then haul a carted deer over that stuff again, with the extra weight of the cart to boot. I'm sure moving a deer on the cart on flat, smooth ground is way easier than dragging it, but that extra time and effort to get the equipment in there is, to me, preventative in my mind. I'd rather just drag it out. And to be honest, sometimes I actually like to think I owe it to myself to do the extra work, to 'earn' it, by having to drag the animal back to the house or truck. It feels like part of the hunt itself and the exercise and a$$ busting workout is part of the reward. I guess I am a weirdo. I like the feeling of being exhausted afterward. I know one thing, the fresh fried heart, or curried liver n onions taste WAY better with the appetite I worked up from it that night. The thought of a heart attack has never even crossed my mind. If and when it happens, I'll deal with it then. Meantime, I'll do preventative maintenance, like a$$ busting workouts akin to dragging out deer... :)

Just like shoveling snow, dragging a deer out shouldn't be a race.. slow and easy, take your bow, clothes, etc. back to the truck if possible.. I like the visqueen idea as well.. Stay relaxed, breathe steady and slowly.. Pay attention to your body..

It is easier for me to field dress my deer, walk to my vehicle, drop off as much gear as possible, and take my cart back to get the deer. I can pace myself, take breaks, (that are easier and faster to recover from than dragging), and not feel like I'm at my limit. The cart I have has 4 wheels, and the axle rotates over logs. It is pretty amazing, and pulls really easily. Years ago my brother and I dragged a deer out, and I was afraid he was not going to make it, and then I might not be able to get help too. Drag smarter, not harder. Carry aspirin too.

I suffered a heart attack in Jul . 2016 . Dropped 50 lbs w/ a veggie and venison diet . Had acute heart failure ,but worked like hell to be able to hunt and fish . Got the OK from my cardiologist and took 2 deer ( muzzleloader and shotgun ) . Pulled one out myself after iut had the decency to die at the top of a hill right above my Jeep . #2 a friend helped me w/ the drag . He also kept me company , just in case , during the archery season in a ground blind . I now carry my Nitro (not needed yet ) , a Desd Sled and a cart to cover the bases . Don't go crazy w/ distance / terrain anymore but still having fun at 68 yrs. old . BE CAREFUL GUYS

With all due respect to the poet, i don't agree with that 'rage against the dying of the light' position, ..jk. I would much rather be like Socrates just lie down and fade away peacefully as was said to do after drinking the hemlock Potion. How futile it is to rage against the inevitable ! But then i may well be missing the poets message.! SANDY

I am 51 and hit the gym 5 times a week and have for about 30 years. Need to take care of the temple!! Bill

Unless it happens to be close to a truck, or ATV, I don't drag. Bone out animal where it fell. I can carry 40# on my back a whole lot better than I can drag 100#. You can carry garbage bags in your pack to lay meat on, or just use the inside of the hide itself. Think like an Indian, why carry home a bunch of bones, and junk you will just have to dispose of later ? Possums , coons, coyotes , buzzards gotta eat to.

I don't intend to drag out my deer. I have a good wheelbarrow. If i cAN'T GET TO HIM WITH THAT I WILL HANG HIM IN A NEARBY TREE WITH THE AID OF A SMALL BLOCK AND TACKLE WHICH I HAVE IN MY TRUCK UNTIL I GET HELP FROM MY YOUNGER FRIENDS. IF ALL ELSE FAILS I WILL QUARTER HIM AND CARRY IT OUT ON A BACK PACK. I NOW CARRY A SMART PHONE WHICH MARKS WHERE I AM IN THE WOODS TO MY WIFES DEVICE. AS SOMEONE SAID EARLIER IT IS ALSO A GOOD IDEA TO CARRY A FEW BABY ASPRINS TO CHEW ON. SANDY

I don't intend to drag out my deer. I have a good wheelbarrow. If i cAN'T GET TO HIM WITH THAT I WILL HANG HIM IN A NEARBY TREE WITH THE AID OF A SMALL BLOCK AND TACKLE WHICH I HAVE IN MY TRUCK UNTIL I GET HELP FROM MY YOUNGER FRIENDS. IF ALL ELSE FAILS I WILL QUARTER HIM AND CARRY IT OUT ON A BACK PACK. I NOW CARRY A SMART PHONE WHICH MARKS WHERE I AM IN THE WOODS TO MY WIFES DEVICE. AS SOMEONE SAID EARLIER IT IS ALSO A GOOD IDEA TO CARRY A FEW BABY ASPRINS TO CHEW ON. SANDY

I had MTQuiver do most of the dragging on my deer, so I didn't have to worry about a heart attack, lol!

Joe

:) Nice of ya Joe. All you had to be concerned about was dragging him out when he keeled over from dragging your deer... lol.

I can't for the life of me understand why people still insist on dragging deer, or anything over about 50 lbs...

I have the aluminum Cabela's cart and a tree safety harness. I don't go up trees. I set it so the cart is right at the butt muscle height. It is so easy to use that I never have a problem getting others to haul our deer out for us. Of course, that works both ways, my volunteers and future volunteers are welcome to it.

I take most of them out in parts cause dragging is nuts sometimes. Spoke with several Game Officers in PA here because how the law is written. All said they have no problem with me doing it. The INTENT of the law is to prevent waste not just several trips with parts by law abiding hunters. Just remember if checked all them parts got to match!! LOL!

2x what Surbow said too!

I hunt a remote gated area called the Dartmouth College Grant. Three miles in, there is an old abandoned culvert. In that culvert is a plastic sled I use to haul out a deer if I get lucky. Even on leaves a sled slides easily. If it is painless, death doesn't phase me as I am a Christian. I went on an ambulance run and found the father of a bandmate sitting on the bank of a stream with a fishing pole in his hands and a peaceful look on his face, dead. He was 85, what a way to go.

That’s why I shoot small deer, they are easier to drag.

There is a big difference between dragging a deer 1/4 mile on level ground, and dragging a deer up over mts, in fact let me re-phrase that...there is a HUGE! difference.

There is also a big difference between dragging a 100 lb buck and a 200 lb northern Maine buck.

There are some drags that physically are not possible for many.

I'm getting to the age where I'm thinking about skinning and quartering in the field.

I drug a doe and a nice big 10pt out of the Hammersley wild area up north. Might be one of the most physically demanding things I've ever done. Hammersley is the biggest roadless area in PA, I was a good solid 3 miles as the crow fly's from the truck, with a whole LOT! of up and down mts in between...I'd pack them out next time...no way I'd drag them again.

We have drug a pile of deer from down along the private ground on the bottom of shade mt. Not able to drag them down across posted ground, so we drag them up over and out the top for a ways...It's a killer for sure.

Shade, stop thinking and start quartering.

People who drag out whole deer, ask yourself why you are moving all those pieces you are just going to move again to throw away?

And frankly, most of the places I hunt on public ground, you couldn't use a game cart anyway.

Because one of the best parts of the hunt for me is admiring a nice deer hanging in the shed and reliving the experience over again and again. Seeing a nice buck I shot hanging is one of the greatest satifactions I, as a born hunter, can experience for several days until I butcher it. I like to admire a deer, esp a buck hanging so I prefer to get them out whole. If it is a downright insane effort, say 4 or more miles in, I'll quarter it. I hesitate to mention this, but, ah never mind.... But dragging deer isn't that big of a deal to me, esp in snow. And I make use of most everything on a deer. The dogs get some of the bones even, cooked, to chew on.

Quite frankly, until recently, many states in he east wouldn't allow you to carry the deboned meat out on your back. Most changed that but, VA has went back to that practice of not allowing it. So, there are reasons some do it. God Bless men

WV Mountaineer,

I just asked this question of the PGC this week and did get a response but couldn't figure out how to get it pasted on here so I forwarded it to someone smarter than me so we'll see if he knows how to get it posted here.

Basically I asked what is the minimum I need to pack out of the woods when I shoot a deer.

The States with CWD probably won't allow you to leave any parts behind. Drag smarter, not harder.

WV, I understand that and I just don't think that's very fair to people who hunt roadless areas - to expect them to bring out the entire animal.

TK, I think what you're describing is a tradition in the East. Much like big hunting camps in Michgan or running dogs in the Carolinas. And that's fine I suppose but not all of us subscribe to those traditions.

In Ohio, we used to be required to present the whole deer at a checking station. I always presumed that meant intact. Now, we have an automated check in system.

Over the years, I have passed many does in tough areas because I didn’t want to drag it out of the nasty area.

Years ago, I broke my back and spent quite a few years being crippled and could not even go bow hunting. That changed my outlook!

WVMountaineer says it plainly about our tomorrows. Getting things right with the Lord while alive is the key.

I used to drag deer to bring in whole. I have used a cart and a heavy duty plastic sled. Both are a huge improvement over dragging on the ground. These are great methods if you hunt on public ground where motorized means are prohibited.

However, I have not hunted on public ground in a very long time. So, almost every time I use a 4 wheeler pulling a plastic sled, or the side by side. Sometimes I use a 4wd tractor with a front end loader. Sometimes I use a 4wd tractor with a 3 point hitch log skidding winch if I need to pull the deer out of a nasty spot. The winch has 165 feet of cable to which I can add a 100 foot extension. If all else fails, I quarter and carry out the pieces in a frame pack. I carry the pack loaded with quartering gear in the truck in case it is needed.

One year last day in the gun season we had a lot of snow - about 16”. I shot a big buck and it slid a long way down a hill - towards the trail. Wife and I wrestled that brute into our old Ford high-boy 4wd pickup. That was a good workout.

To me these days, dragging a deer seems like a foolish exercise in futility. Although I am again in good shape and can do it - I don’t risk making my back hurt worse. I don’t shovel snow either, except for a few little edges. That is what snowplows and snowblowers are made for.

Hunt smart, and most of all, enjoy the adventure!

I might be strange but one of the things I've always enjoyed once archery season comes in till late Jan and especially the whole month of NOV, is the fatigue from hunting hard. My work always slows down in NOV so I do way more hunting...Both PA and MD usually.

hiking in way before daybreak, usually with a load on your back, sitting in the cold, lots and lots of up and down mts, and then the drag out if its a deer, or carrying a bear out on a pole.

Eat like a horse....sleep like a bear...enjoying camp, the tiredness has a way of bringing peace and contentment.

Until you get a muscle cramp all balled up in a knot...

I noticed the guy hopping around with the cramp is the only guy that doesn't think its funny, but all the other guys in camp sure do. LOL

Shadehaven gives a good reminder...stay in shape, know your limits...be safe and enjoy your season.

Nah Shade, that ain't strange. I feel the same way. I usually lose 10-15# every hunting season from the pure physical work of hiking, hanging stands, clearing shooting lanes, not eating (because I'm busy hunting) and taking care of the game I'm blessed with.

And I wouldn't trade it for anything. In fact, I look forward to it like you.

Gents, there are reasons for keeping yourself in shape. I have things I want to do that require me to be in good shape. I am not willing to compromise on that list.

If I shoot a deer where I can get back to it in the dark, I leave it and go get my grandkids to help drag it. Dragging out a deer has always been a family affair since I was a little kid and all excited over helping my grandparents and parents drag. If not, I take my time and enjoy the whole experience.

Limbwalker, yeah, it is a kind of tradition for my clan of hunters. Was with Dad, and uncles and cousins. Now I still do it even if its alone. The old guys are too old to hunt or one uncle gets his with the wheeler, and Dad is no longer here sadly. Cousins still drag 'em out, but we don't hunt together as much anymore so I'm usually on my own. I am the strange one too who likes to 'earn it', get the workout and then feel totally spent but satisfied. Dragging is not for everyone, that's for sure, understandably. I can't wait to get another opportunity to do it. Hope it's next weekend.

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