Make a visit to your local hardware store- - - - -they have these useful, handy devices called "hinges". Put one in the center of each board, and they fold up for easy storage!
Problem solved!
Jerry
Edit: Harbor Freight or Northern Tool has metal ends that fit 2X6 boards for building riding lawn mower ramps. They would also work for deer drags.
Here's one of several designs on Ebay:
The local farm store, Atwoods (in my area) sells a Chinese made chain fall with 1 ton capacity for around $30. They have 12-15' of lifting chain and weigh maybe 20lbs. The entire thing fits in a small backpack.
Not quite as light as a cable come along and a little more bulky, but easier to use.
Plus you gentlemen are thinking to literally about a ramp, a piece of 1/2" plywood cut 4'x5' would lay flat in the bed of the pickup and be way easier to slide a deer up. If it were a doubled piece of plywood the board of ends Jerry linked would fit with just a small shim on that end.
I realize that the farm isn't the only place you hunt but maybe talk to the landowner about pre staging some stuff at this barn. Stuff like lifting equipment a ramp maybe a game cart if you can keep it out of his way.
I am afraid we forget sometime that the basic and simple things brings us the most pleasure.
Dad 5-31-13
It looks pretty sweet if you own a decent-sized property, and you want to take the skinning job to where the deer fell rather than vice versa. That can spare a lot of cleanup time and minimize the labor involved in moving the deer more times to get it to the shed/garage and hung long term. I'm just curious if it's as functional as it looks at face value. Thoughts?
Nope don't have one, but have thought about building something like it. I like the trailer hitch thangi. I like to skin before I gut. But in the field skinning can be difficult, unless you're my ex, and she skins animals lying on the ground (The animal, not her). But for us more normal humans this would suffice. We could drive our trucks to the game and hoist it up. You don't even have to drag the animal to a tree(by hand). And, you have a convenient hoist that should make raising the animal easy. And, if you skin like me, you can tie the hide to a tree and pull it off with the truck. But that's another story.
Daddy, what's an enabler?
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
I do not have one, but I think it has a couple design flaws. First, I would want it far enough out that I could still open my tailgate. My bed area is where I keep a lot of gear and it is sealed up, so I would not want to be in a position where I needed to get something out, but the game was hanging and made it impossible to do unless it was removed.
Second, it would be better if it could swing or swivel at the base with a pin to hold it in place. That way you could skin and gut, turn it 180 degrees and drop it into the bed. Not really a problem with smaller game, but if something were bigger, like Midwest deer or mulies it might be handy.
It looks heavy and cumbersome to drag around. Meanwhile for under $30 's has this, and there are a lot of trees where most of us hunt.
Depends on what you want or rather how you want to do it. For me, it is fine as is. I would tie the rope around the animal's neck and pick the animal up with the winch, back up to some trees and skin down around the front legs. Then I would put a golf ball under the skin on the back and tie a rope tight around it and hook the other end of the rope to a tree or some other stationary object, and drive off SLOWLY. It will skin the deer fast and smooth, slicker n owl snot. Then you gut it and clean it as best you can in the field and start quartering it into a 60 quart or larger cooler. At this point I put about 40-60 pounds ice on the meat and put it in the shade for 5-7 days, adding ice as needed and draining off bloody water before cutting up and putting in vacuum sealed bags, and you're done.
Daddy, what's an enabler?
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
Sorta-kinda looks the same, but a singletree is used to hook up a horse to a piece of farm equipment. Now, I have seen some of my oldtimer neighbors hang a deer from a singletree and skin it, since they use tractors instead of horses these days!
Jerry
To hang a deer in the field, I use the hook end of a ratchet tie down without the ratchet. ( The long flat strap with the hook on the end). The metal hook has a closed loop at one end and a hook at the other. I feed enough strap through the closed loop to slip it over the animals head, then throw the end of the cargo strap over a suitable branch.
Before I try to lift the animal, I tie a couple of loops in the strap on the loose end that trails down that I intend pulling on. I pull on the strap until I get the head and shoulders off the ground, then put my foot in a loop, apply all my weight to the loop and at the same time lift the strap on the deers side, up. The addition of my weight on the opposite side of the branch to the deer means I can almost lift my own weight.
The reason I use a flat strap instead of a rope is that the flat strap wont bite into the branch like a rope does as the weight of the carcase is shared over a wider area.
The buck I shot last year, which was the biggest deer I have shot in the last 20yrs took 2 of us to lift into the back of the jeep........yet I managed to lift the whole animal off the ground to hang it by myself using the above method.
Just thinking out loud here, but what about getting something similar to a roll bar fabricated for the rear of your truck bed. Mount it at the very rear of the bed. Hinge it at the base so that when down, it extends beyond the rear of and rests on the tailgate. Drop it down, Tie the deer to it, run rope from the top of the roll bar to a pulley in the bed and then run a rope through the pulley back past the deer to a tree ( or if there are no trees, to a ground anchor.) Drive the truck forward and the roll bar should raise up to vertical, lifting the deer forward and over the tailgate. Even if it doesn't fully lift the deer off the ground, it should take enough weight to allow you to lift the rest of the animal up onto the truck.
Better minds here could tell you if it will work.........
Still enjoying the trip of a lifetime and making the best of what I have.....
Given the simplicity of the rail system in my truck bed, I'm thinking that the guys suggesting buying another $20 block and tackle setup and simply hooking onto one of my moveable tie-downs may be on to something as far as keeping it the most simple. With a set of those ramp lips Teach linked, this could be easier and cheaper than I expected. I'll try to take pics of it with my current block and tackle setup and post them.
If it sucks, oh well - I'll have a second gambrel setup to hang another deer from and the only "loss" is the cost of the ramp lips, and I can even find a use for those somewhere along the way. I can always go a different route later.
Accuracy: because white space between bullet holes drives me insane.
I've got a way to test it. Put your kids In a burlap bag. Hook the bag to the rope. See if you can drag them up the ramp.
I'm full of excellent ideas. :up:
My only kid is 50 years old.....she'd probably resist being put in the bag cpj.
Given the simplicity of the rail system in my truck bed, I'm thinking that the guys suggesting buying another $20 block and tackle setup and simply hooking onto one of my moveable tie-downs may be on to something as far as keeping it the most simple. With a set of those ramp lips Teach linked, this could be easier and cheaper than I expected. I'll try to take pics of it with my current block and tackle setup and post them.
Just a thought, but:
loose the gambrel in the field and bring a short rope or chain for the neck.
Use you old b and t to test it, if you like it, get another and replace the rope with one long enough to reach 1/2 way down the ramp.
If I hang them, I like to hang then head up. Normally I open the rib cage up when gutting though, good reason for a bigger knife. Its a lot easier gutting for me that way. then cooling is quick also.
It's boring, and your lack of creativity knows no bounds.
loose the gambrel in the field and bring a short rope or chain for the neck.
Use you old b and t to test it, if you like it, get another and replace the rope with one long enough to reach 1/2 way down the ramp.
If I hang them, I like to hang then head up. Normally I open the rib cage up when gutting though, good reason for a bigger knife. Its a lot easier gutting for me that way. then cooling is quick also.
I always keep a length of rope in the truck for these sorts of chores, but I'm liking the idea of the gambrel for loading bucks rump first if for no other reason than keeping the rack from grabbing the edge of the tailgate or, worse, gouging the paint. It's a worthwhile purchase for a second block and tackle no matter what since I need another one anyway. I had to borrow a buddy's last season to hang a second deer. Still, I'm going to do a dry run today with my existing one as you suggested just to visualize the possibilities.
As for the long term hanging, I usually do the upside down rigging and remove the head to drain as much blood as possible over the hanging period. Yes, this does involve commandeering one the little ones' kiddie pools to catch the blood...does that make me a bad parent?
Accuracy: because white space between bullet holes drives me insane.
Replies
You just inadvertently solved my safe problem. I need to move it from the garage to the deck (about 2') before moving it into my man cave.
Although my trailer's ramp (something like this: https://www.walmart.com/ip/71-Aluminum-Bi-Fold-ATV-Powersports-Loading-Ramp/29389980) would have worked, my Dolly's wheels don't like the ridges in it.
Not quite as light as a cable come along and a little more bulky, but easier to use.
Plus you gentlemen are thinking to literally about a ramp, a piece of 1/2" plywood cut 4'x5' would lay flat in the bed of the pickup and be way easier to slide a deer up. If it were a doubled piece of plywood the board of ends Jerry linked would fit with just a small shim on that end.
I realize that the farm isn't the only place you hunt but maybe talk to the landowner about pre staging some stuff at this barn. Stuff like lifting equipment a ramp maybe a game cart if you can keep it out of his way.
Dad 5-31-13
Nope don't have one, but have thought about building something like it. I like the trailer hitch thangi. I like to skin before I gut. But in the field skinning can be difficult, unless you're my ex, and she skins animals lying on the ground (The animal, not her). But for us more normal humans this would suffice. We could drive our trucks to the game and hoist it up. You don't even have to drag the animal to a tree(by hand). And, you have a convenient hoist that should make raising the animal easy. And, if you skin like me, you can tie the hide to a tree and pull it off with the truck. But that's another story.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
http://www.redsgear.com/moh-mossy-oak-hunt-deer-hoist-and-gambrel-mo-dhgs.html?scid=scbplp14069634&sc_intid=306696&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Bing%20PLA's&utm_term=1101500001275&utm_content=Ad%20group%20%231
Most trucks have tie down hooks
should be able to drag a deer up a piece of plywood into the bed with a loop around the neck not using the Gambrel.
I have used this arrangement to hand a deer on a tree limb.
Depends on what you want or rather how you want to do it. For me, it is fine as is. I would tie the rope around the animal's neck and pick the animal up with the winch, back up to some trees and skin down around the front legs. Then I would put a golf ball under the skin on the back and tie a rope tight around it and hook the other end of the rope to a tree or some other stationary object, and drive off SLOWLY. It will skin the deer fast and smooth, slicker n owl snot. Then you gut it and clean it as best you can in the field and start quartering it into a 60 quart or larger cooler. At this point I put about 40-60 pounds ice on the meat and put it in the shade for 5-7 days, adding ice as needed and draining off bloody water before cutting up and putting in vacuum sealed bags, and you're done.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
Must be a Texas thang- - - - - -
Single tree:
Gambrel:
Sorta-kinda looks the same, but a singletree is used to hook up a horse to a piece of farm equipment. Now, I have seen some of my oldtimer neighbors hang a deer from a singletree and skin it, since they use tractors instead of horses these days!
Jerry
Before I try to lift the animal, I tie a couple of loops in the strap on the loose end that trails down that I intend pulling on. I pull on the strap until I get the head and shoulders off the ground, then put my foot in a loop, apply all my weight to the loop and at the same time lift the strap on the deers side, up. The addition of my weight on the opposite side of the branch to the deer means I can almost lift my own weight.
The reason I use a flat strap instead of a rope is that the flat strap wont bite into the branch like a rope does as the weight of the carcase is shared over a wider area.
The buck I shot last year, which was the biggest deer I have shot in the last 20yrs took 2 of us to lift into the back of the jeep........yet I managed to lift the whole animal off the ground to hang it by myself using the above method.
Just thinking out loud here, but what about getting something similar to a roll bar fabricated for the rear of your truck bed. Mount it at the very rear of the bed. Hinge it at the base so that when down, it extends beyond the rear of and rests on the tailgate. Drop it down, Tie the deer to it, run rope from the top of the roll bar to a pulley in the bed and then run a rope through the pulley back past the deer to a tree ( or if there are no trees, to a ground anchor.) Drive the truck forward and the roll bar should raise up to vertical, lifting the deer forward and over the tailgate. Even if it doesn't fully lift the deer off the ground, it should take enough weight to allow you to lift the rest of the animal up onto the truck.
Better minds here could tell you if it will work.........
Given the simplicity of the rail system in my truck bed, I'm thinking that the guys suggesting buying another $20 block and tackle setup and simply hooking onto one of my moveable tie-downs may be on to something as far as keeping it the most simple. With a set of those ramp lips Teach linked, this could be easier and cheaper than I expected. I'll try to take pics of it with my current block and tackle setup and post them.
If it sucks, oh well - I'll have a second gambrel setup to hang another deer from and the only "loss" is the cost of the ramp lips, and I can even find a use for those somewhere along the way. I can always go a different route later.
My only kid is 50 years old.....she'd probably resist being put in the bag cpj.
loose the gambrel in the field and bring a short rope or chain for the neck.
Use you old b and t to test it, if you like it, get another and replace the rope with one long enough to reach 1/2 way down the ramp.
If I hang them, I like to hang then head up. Normally I open the rib cage up when gutting though, good reason for a bigger knife. Its a lot easier gutting for me that way. then cooling is quick also.
I always keep a length of rope in the truck for these sorts of chores, but I'm liking the idea of the gambrel for loading bucks rump first if for no other reason than keeping the rack from grabbing the edge of the tailgate or, worse, gouging the paint. It's a worthwhile purchase for a second block and tackle no matter what since I need another one anyway. I had to borrow a buddy's last season to hang a second deer. Still, I'm going to do a dry run today with my existing one as you suggested just to visualize the possibilities.
As for the long term hanging, I usually do the upside down rigging and remove the head to drain as much blood as possible over the hanging period. Yes, this does involve commandeering one the little ones' kiddie pools to catch the blood...does that make me a bad parent?