While turkey hunting I found a lot of deer sign in a swamp. There are trees where I can hang a stand. I may hang a cam during the summer to verify my observations and assumptions. Public land. Problem, it's a 3 mile hike on trails, rail track and overland; another route shaves ~.5mi for more overland hike with about 500' elevation change eventually to the swamp. I think it's enough of a deterrent for other hunters and adjacent to a dense bedding area. 2 viable routes from opposing sides a nice option for wind conditions is a huge plus as was NO human sign in the immediate area. I've been thinking about options (if successful) and would value thoughts/insights. 1) Field process the deer and pack it out...to go this route I'd swap my day pack for a frame pack adding more pounds in and out daily (this may be great training for western hunting, lol); 2) field dress and drag (this would really suck); 3) cart, may be tricky in spots, and also more crap to haul to the woods (I'd also have to buy a cart). Thoughts or similar experiences? Location NC, temps may be 80+ early season. Offroad vehicles (4wd/quads) not a viable option.
I guess that I don't plan as much as you are. I worry more about finding and taking a deer and once that happens I say to myself, "now how in the heck are we going to get out of this mess?" 3 miles is a long drag especially if it's a big one. Deboning and piecing up the meat is great if that is legal in your state. Good luck.
Sleds work great. Last year I had a similar problem. Called my wife to bring a cooler whilst I deboned the buck. Used my pull up rope to hang the 1/4's from a branch laid the strap and loins and other cut meat on the hide. Had all that done by the time she got there. Put it in the cooler and drug it up and out of a holler. Much easier than packing the whole deer.
I would say before you bank on it too much get a camera in there and see if it's even worth your time. Some of the best spots I have ever found back in the big woods of the north have had no deer I was even close to interested in hunting. So the camera saved me a ton of time and energy.
Yup. From tracks, there appear to be some good sized and some young, but like you said best to verify first.
Game lands down here have A LOT of hunters/sq mile and with my prior hunting area having been near clear cut I've had to become more creative...and it's the off-season, all I can do is prepare and plan.
Packing it out or using a shed are the best options, it's going to suck no matter what but it's why no one else is hunting there and why the deer are there.
Possible. Would probably need to be a decent offroad bike, the trail had 1-1.5' ruts and riding up hill would need a decent gear range (for me).
I think this may be the plan. Whack off the lower legs and split the ribs with my folding saw, quarters, backstraps, loins, heart, liver. Probably 2 trips. Skip the ribs, bone out the quarters and maybe 1 sucky trip out.
On place i hunted near the coast we never drug deer out...(it was a swamp) always quartered and packed out. Do one side, flip and repeat. Or throw it over your shoulders
Shoot deer.....call friends....It will be lots of work but that's what friends are for and i'l bet you'll have a great time when it's all said and done. I've never turned down a friend to help track and recover a deer i don't ask how far in it is. I just verify with the boss(wife) and get to it.
If you've never boned one out in the field I would practice at home first. If you prefer not to, call a friend once you get one on the ground and ask them to help or loan their cart. 3 miles is not much if not up a mountain, and you could always do 2 trips. With two people you get a solid branch and tie one end of he deer to the middle, and u walk side by side holding one end each. Gets tricky if there is thick stuff, but manageable.
