Game retrieval

444shooter

444shooter

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Super GunNutz
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Location
Calgary, AB
So what is the consensus. Sled or game cart? Was looking at the Jet Sled Jr that Cabelas have on sale and wondering if it would work or better off with a game cart.
 
I've used the cabelas jet sled 1 for 3 years.
I'm very happy with it, slips along on grass & over logs just fine, sides are high enough that things stay in it OK when tipping around going over logs.
On snow or over frozen grass/ground it slides along effortless.

I will not go hunting without it (and my pack frame) in the truck.
When I bought it they didn't have the Jr. in stock or I would have bought that because it was a bit narrower for slipping through trees.
But I really have had no issues in that regard with the #1.

Personally I didn't want the XL, too big for me, I keep it in the back seat of my quad cab truck during hunting season and it serves really well to toss gear into until I actually need it to drag something out.
I used it just a few days ago to haul out cow elk bits in two trips, it's a god send for me & my back.

(that JR. one was on sale yesterday, my brother was looking at getting it, but looks like it's no longer on sale today)
 
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I actually ordered the Jet Sled Jr yesterday when it was on sale. Just hoping it was the right decision. Looked at the game carts and the inexpensive ones have issues with the cheap plastic wheels breaking. I guess I’ll find out how well the sled works! But for $40, it was a good deal.
 
While I don't have this specific model, sleds work reasonably well for deer transport, depending on the terrain and season. There's no doubt you'll get a workout dragging 150-250 lbs of something anywhere, but sleds slide pretty good on grass or a few inches of snow upwards to maybe 10 inches. Disced or cultivated fields, or maybe canola stubble is obnoxious to pull through. In a perfect world, a guy would have both.
 
We always have the little sled along. They wear out fast without snow but for the price..... one every couple years isn't so bad.
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I have a calf sled from Peavey Mart that I modified with some aluminum rails that I drilled multiple holes through and then riveted to the sides. I can weave a rope through them and keep the deer tucked neatly and securely inside the sled with no legs or head flopping around to snag on stuff. I also quarter and pack out a lot of my game on my back in a good frame pack designed for meat hauling. I've never tried a cart but have thought about buying one for years. There are definitely situations where it would be better than packing or sledding out something. On a rare occasion I can actually drive a quad up to whatever I've shot and that's the easiest haul there is.
 
Anything bigger than a deer is done gutless and hauled in either a pack or or packout painier bags. Smaller game ( deer) are either done the same or dragged depending on distance. I have a cart...it sucks for anything other than open ground. Sled works fine but is cumbersome to haul around, as is the cart. I detest hiking back empty to the truck just to get the sled or cart to retrieve game...my solution is a extra large crazy carpet. I modified the front a bit and put grommets down both sides. Game is strapped into it and tightened so the crazy carpet is somewhat of a torpedo shape up front. It pulls easily over all terrain and doesnt hang up on logs or trees due to the conical shape. Its light enough to roll up and fit in a daypack or strapped under one like a bed roll.
 
Carts might be good if your area doesn’t have a lot of fallen trees. Would be useless for me. Sleds are good but if it’s long I quarter and backpack out
 
In one of my deer spots it is a short but steep climb in. On one of the trips when we took the treestand in for the first time. We used a 2 wheel dolly for the assembled tree stand and i carried the ladder sections up and over the steep section.
Not long after we had the ladder set up the deer were moving and we got a buck down.
The dolly actually came in pretty handy but we had to tie a safety rope to lower it down the 100 and some yards of the steepest section. In the end it worked pretty good as the deer was still heavy with it's guts in it as we didn't want to leave any gut piles near the treestand as that could foul the next few days of our planned hunt.
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I like that idea 45acpking with the wheel dolly .believe it or not I used a friend's wheelbarrow to get my doe out of the woods it worked fine too.
 
My brother wouldn’t let me quarter a deer he shot. Thought it was beef I guess, said it had to hang beforehand. His bright idea was to cut down a small tree. Bind the deers feet to the pole, and carry it out like a old western movie. Damn pole was too short. Damn deer swung as we attempted to walk. Pole digging into my shoulder. Deer hitting my legs. Blood all over my legs. Made it a few hundred yards before I said enough.
 
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