Who has and uses them? I'm debating on getting one for some of the public land I hunt. Best ones for the money? Things I should look for in a good cart? Any and all help would be appreciated.
Carts are great just don't buy the cheapest one out there. Look at the reviews on all of them.
The bigger the tires on the the easier it will be to drag and pull over logs an debris. I have the Cebelas alumi light cart and it works great. Not the biggest tires on the market but it is easy to pull. I have a pic of it loaded up I will dig it up for ya.
I definitely have & do use them. Below are links to two videos, that you may find helpful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7IAgwDkTc0&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsmiTkSdPT8&feature=plcp
I like big tires. They roll better.I would also think about breaks. If you get a big load and are going downhill they help alot. Gary
Money well spent I use it for hauling ladder stands,and deer. Makes getting a deer out alot easier.
"Things I should look for in a good cart"
How about 6.9 diesel ??
couldn't resist..........
If your'e in hilly country they are more trouble than they're worth from my experience. But to each their own I reckon.
I use mine mainly on public land, its a lifesaver. The big tires are a plus.
QuoteOriginally posted by Matthew Bolton:
If your'e in hilly country they are more trouble than they're worth from my experience. But to each their own I reckon.
x2 for the ones I have used
whats wrong with your back and legs. :biglaugh:
Here is my cart. I got this because of the hill in my area. I draged a deer out up and down hills for three hours. Got the deer cart after that it takes however long it took to walk in. http://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy291/biggamefish/doepinebush013.jpg
This pic I am holding the cart up with one hand and taking the pic with the other. If you get the rear legs and weight centered right it is no problem dragging it out.
http://s801.photobucket.com/albums/yy291/biggamefish/
Good luck this season.
I never used a cart, but I do use a body bag I have from when I worked for the Medical examiners office. Contains all the blood so no one can find your spot and keeps the truck clean as well.And in hot weather a chunk of dry ice and it doubles as a fridge. They roll up nice and small and weigh next to nothing. O and they slide over small rocks and bushes,and makes dragging out a breeze. Just go to your local coroner and ask for one, or any military surplus online store should have them(they may be material)
and in Jersey its common to see a man stuffing a body bag in his trunk on a dim lit road, so no worries here...LOL
I've got a Super Mag Hauler from Cabelas. It's a great option if you have the right terrain. I have the wheel covers and it's ok for short distances through thick brush, but I really prefer my Deer Sleigh'er for that.
Any little trail though and it makes hauling a deer a piece of cake. On the public land here I'm usually not too far from a snowmobile trail so I think it's one of my best purchases. Just grunt and groan or use the sleigher till I get to the trail and it's smooth sailing the rest of the way. Makes it easy for one person to get a deer in the back of a pick up too.
I have the same one as Easykeeper. I have used mine mainly on hiking trails to haul my camping gear in and back out for several miles. Money well apent in my opinion. However, I don't think I would drag one through the woods. Good luck!
I hunt public land with my 4 wheeler and can winch the deer on it without any help, works great for an old guy.
When the season opens, my cart goes in the truck. I don't hunt without it anymore.
I am just tagging along and benefiting from the information. I have often thought about getting a cart. Appreciate all the suggestions!
Terrian kinda determines their usefulness. I have found them to be at their best in a paved parking lot.
I bought a 500 pound capacity cart from Cabela's in early winter and used it for the first time this spring for getting my bear to the truck.
It worked well... better than I thought it would. I'll be using it from now on.
However, there are two improvements that I'll be making:
1) Fastening the belt strap to the cart in a stronger way (I tore it off in the first few minutes).
2) Closing the space between the bars a little more somehow (a bear is not as stiff as a deer and parts have a tendency to slip through).
QuoteOriginally posted by Ken Taylor:
I bought a 500 pound capacity cart from Cabela's in early winter and used it for the first time this spring for getting my bear to the truck.
It worked well... better than I thought it would. I'll be using it from now on.
However, there are two improvements that I'll be making:
1) Fastening the belt strap to the cart in a stronger way (I tore it off in the first few minutes).
2) Closing the space between the bars a little more somehow (a bear is not as stiff as a deer and parts have a tendency to slip through).
I have addressed both issues, in the video below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsmiTkSdPT8&feature=plcp
1- I added eye bolts so I could criss cross ratchet straps. That holds everything down nice & tight.
2- I made a custom platform, to keep stuff from sliding down trough the spaces between the supports. Hope this helps ya.
Used mine for the first time last year after my surgery. Worked like a charm and will always be taking it with me.
Big wheels are a must as said above.I built my own and put wheelchair wheels on it
IF you can find one- there is not a better cart than the Versa-Cart. 500# cap, Angular wheels with wheel guards to block vines and such, deep body- not flat, animal head near your handle so the cart is balanced. The wheel tilt lets you walk right over logs. Multiple configurations to haul equipment even boats.
They were being made by Ol' Man but production was stopped. However I read they were going to bring them back. Google it. I've NEVER seen a used one for sale- if you do grab it! Hopefully they will be bavck in production soon.
I bought a Cabelas Alumi-Lite cart 15 yrs. ago and have hauled big game all over the place with it. Literally best non-bow investment I ever made.
1) Ameristep non-typ is VERY portable- going in on your back as a backpack. Lightwt, canted wheels, . . . I have hauled out a few 200#+ field dressed deer with it. Works great.
2) Another option that I have been doing often the past few years; just quartering them out like the Fred Eichler vid on elk. I do that on deer- no gutting, deer is on the way out in 20 minutes. Your "deer cart" is 6 oz. - called a pocket knife! (By the way, I have been deer hunting 40 years- and this was never the tradition from the east/midwest. I think of the deer I dragged out of thick cedar swamps- just can not believe how stupid that was!)
My 2c
I have been using carts for 19 years..the first one I made myself using bicycle forks and tires.i bought a folding cart 10 years ago that looks like the Yukon Tracks cart from Gander Mounntain..it has plastic wheels that looked weak but never broke. I bought another cart from Gander last year for $70 now $80 with steel wheels
(http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/x438/lead955/first%20trad%20deer/October2010140.jpg)
Okay guys dont laugh :D
This is how I have been doing it.
Be kinda tough to strap that dolly to a backpack!!!!!!!
I have one from Cabelas. I like the double wheels. I guess it is more for when I am a geezer. I use it occasionally, if I am in a spot where it will be of help.
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/osminski/IowaBuck4Condensed.jpg)
I have the Ameristep backpack series, wheels pin on and go inside the folding frame for transport to the animal, unfold attach support struts and pin on wheels and load. I think it weighs around 17lbs? OHH!! one other thing is a huge plus... SOLID TIRES no flats for me.One more thing it has been in the truck since opener.
In the right situation they are priceless. My dad and I packed out two quartered bull elk in one trip! Big load but on a closed logging road it was very easy.
Mine is in the truck as soon as season starts. Even in thick stuff I find it easier in the long run than ragging. I don't have plastic sleigh though. On trails it is almost as fast as just walking back to the truck without a deer.
My partner got one and uses it for elk and moose..... he absolutely loves it! but get a good one!
Versa Cart if you can find one.
(http://i544.photobucket.com/albums/hh338/spikeknife/PA200007.jpg)
(http://i544.photobucket.com/albums/hh338/spikeknife/P1010045.jpg)
(http://i544.photobucket.com/albums/hh338/spikeknife/P1010046.jpg)
I'm with Dale and Cliff on this... NXT Shot Versa Cart... it truly shines when you get it off trails...
(http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r233/twigflicker/09%20Buck/DSCN0235.jpg)
I found another on Craigslist recently and sold it to a friend here in town... by chance I called and it sounds as though the original guy is getting ready to build again or is already...
Cliff's looks like he has the boat option on his that closes it in... they made an ATV and Bike attachment to tow it which I was calling about, but he isn't going to build them anymore
Best cart I've ever used...
Jonathan
Many years ago I was lucky enough to kill two deer together right before dark. I had about a 1/4 mile uphill drag for each deer.
The next day I started building a cart like the one in this picture I found on the Web.
In my opinion, this is the best kind. It pops right over down logs and you can pull it up a creek bank if you need to. Once you get to the truck, set the handles on the bed, pick up the wheel and slide in deer and cart.
I used one of the two wheeled ones and to me it was as bad as dragging. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v75/frankt/Archery/deercart.jpg)
Frank,
That's a dandy. Any chance of a non-loaded pic? some dimensions? What angle is that down by the wheel?
I have only use a 2 wheel cart in the woods, but I have plenty of wheel barrow experience growing up on the farm. I can tell you for curtain that your arms will take a beating on a long haul. With the wheel barrow type all the weight is carried on your arms. A 2 wheel cart can be balanced so the cart carry's the weight.
I have one, which I've used in Montana as well as in Illinois. I purchased mine through Cabaela, the Cabelas Super Mag Deer Hauler. I made sure the style I purchased had solid tires.
Once when I borrowed a friend's cart with pneumatic tires to get my buck out of the river bottoms, I got a flat tire. That immediately sold me on purchasing one with solid tires.
Correction: I actually used it in South Dakota and Illinois. Not that it really matters where, just correcting my mistake. They work great most anywhere.
(http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r224/REALVTer/Nov11bow9pt019.jpg)
This is a cart I made from black gas pipe and a couple of garden cart wheels. As said previously, if you load the deer correctly, its very easy to balance and the weight is minimal. The wheels are cotter pinned on the axle so they come off for storage in my truck and it folds in half at the axle as well.
They are more pricy but look for one with inline wheels like a bicycle. It will be much less likely to tip if your on a hill side. I know it sounds crazy but Dave Windauer put me onto it and it works.
I have a 2 wheeled game cart and also an ice fishing sled. I've used both. I prefer the sled most times. Exspecially if I dont have far to go. Obviously they work best on snow but they slide pretty well over leaves and grass too. You dont have to tie your deer down with the sled, just leave the deer in the sled when transporting in your vehicle. It contains the mess, hose it out when done. Works like a charm.
QuoteOriginally posted by Hopewell Tom:
Frank,
That's a dandy. Any chance of a non-loaded pic? some dimensions? What angle is that down by the wheel?
Tom, Mine never looked that good. That is a picture I stole of the WWW. Mine is looking a little rough after 25 years but it would still work.
I made it 80" long and jointed the tubing in the middle(smaller tube slipped inside larger, one end bolted, other end pinned) to make transporting easier.I bent the tubing at the wheel to make a better angle.
The handles you stand between are 27" wide and it is 7" wide at the wheel.
I fabricated brackets for the wheels from some old steel casters. I used a 20" bicycle tire with a tube. I put three cross braces for strength. I made mine straight across as this was easiest but a friend made his using rod and actually made it like a basket.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v75/frankt/Hunting/deercartresized.jpg)
... I welded one up out of emt conduit and acquired some big numatic wheels from a wheel chair for very big people on a job at the local VA that were being thrown out . I am still amazed on the ease and how well it was to get a deer out of the woods effortlessly . I designed mine to lay flat in my cars trunk so it is there when and if needed , easily could transport out a couple of deer as it is 24" wide and has 24" tires . I'll never drag another deer again !!
Thanks for the info, Frank.
I Googled the Versa Cart and after getting past the shopping carts, found the deer cart. Looks like they're in production again, but the price must be a little scary as you're asked to "contact for price."
They have some features not seen here, like "bent wheels". Worth a look and the above reference sounds good. Also have a hitch for a mountain bike and an ATV.