I know this is kind of a lame question but its my first time hunting whitetail. I don't have a pickup truck just a Tahoe and I got a basket for my trailer hitch. How the hell am I supposed to get the beast in the basket by myself??? Hope you all can offer some tips.... I'm dying for the season to get here! Thanks!
Before I had a truck (and that was a long time ago), what I would do is use a long rope. Throw it over a tall limb. Tie one end to the deer and one to the truck. Back up/pull forward and hoist the deer up just off the ground. Tie the rope off. Now, back the hitch haul that is in the receiver hitch under the deer. Slowly let the rope down.. I know it is a long process, but will save your back in the future .. Think with your mind, not your muscles.. You could end up fighting that dead buck for a long time.. and get beat.. LOL... Hope that helps.. If there is a ditch close by, put the buck at the top of the ditch. Back the truck and hitch haul into the ditch. At least the buck will be going down hill. Gravity would be your friend..
Unless it's a huge buck, you should be able to lift it in one end at a time. You can always make a little ramp to drag it up from the side. Another option is to back the vehicle to a slope where you wouldn't have to lift as high. At our camp in Wi, we use rope ratchets to hang our deer. I used one of those and a tree to load my Thanks Giving buck onto a 4wheeler by myself last fall. Ratcheted the head up as high as I could, backed the wheeler up, hoisted the back end on the the rack, lowered the front end on
When I had a pick-up I used a couple of methods by myself. One of them was listed above. Use a ditch to your advantage so the basket is lower. Also, I backed up to a steep hillside once which was really the same approach!
I put my Mulie buck in the back of my ZR2 Blazer last year by backing up to a hill and hoisting him in that way. It was a pain in the butt and I basically fell into the back with him but it worked. He was a big bodied mule deer so I am assuming that with a whitetail you should be fine. Although dead weight no matter what size isn't easy to handle by yourself!
Stand in the basket, grab him by the antlers, pull him up into the basket from the side, not the back of the basket, and once the shoulders are up and in it gets easier from there. It may not be pretty, but it can be done. Good luck, and hopefully you can fill that basket up.
Not saying this is a bad method at all just be careful when doing it. My dad was doing it like his pulling a deer on to the back of a 4wheeler and he tore some junk in his elbow. Granted the 4wheeler rack was much higher off the ground than a hitch basket would be so I'm sure that played a big role in his injury
It's not that bad I got my 188# on mine last year without a problem. I got mine on by standing on the basket and got the shoulders and head on first then just picked up the hind legs and lifted the hind quarters on. Then just ratchet strap him in.
I finally picked one of those up this year. It's a pain in the *** loading deer on the roof of my jeep.
Turn away, count to three and he should be in the basket. If this doesn't work, repeat. just kidding I couldnt help myself. Ive used a ditch and also jack, 2x4, and rope combination. Real redneck but it worked!
go to the gym. do deadlifts!! then pick the big son of a gun up and put him in the basket. 200lbs dressed is not that bad ))
