Not sure if this has been done before, but I think it would be interesting. What's the wrost drag(s) you have had after arrowing that buck of a life time or simply a doe? 2010 when I arrowed my first buck I was on 7,000+ acres of public land in as far at one arm as I could go. It was a cold November morning I got in well before light to make the 1 mile + hike down through a steep ridge then through two creeks deeper then a foot. 8 oclock rolls around here comes my buck chasing a doe, get him to stop smoke him runs 30 yds falls over now I wait 20 min and climb down its now like 840 I gotta be to work by 1230. So I gut him real fast and begin to drag through deep creeks up steep hills through sticker bushes this buck prolly weighed somewere around 170 dressed it was a chore I got back to the truck around 11. Last year opening day @ last light I arrow a doe she ran maybe 80 yds into the thickest nastiest stuff known to man by the time I climb down its dark and I am searching my arrow. It was a new property to me @ the time and I had never hunted or scouted it before I had my light just following blood paying zero attention to where I was going @ times I was down on all fours crawling under blown down trees this deer did while she only ran 80 or so yards did the ole zig zag what seemed five feet. So fast forward I find her about 20 min later and realize I forgot my head light so I got a flash light in my mouth trying to keep my head tilted right so I could see what I am doing. Get her gutted now I am surrounded by sticker bushes and have to clue were I am so I drag towards the sound of creek I drag for like 15 mins let the deer lay and try to find my way out. Bingo I find the way I came in now where did I lay that deer down its pitch black out and my light is dying, after walking in circles for.another 10 I find her and continue my drag finally getting her across the creek and then up a 300 YD hill to my truck... Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2
Shot a 6-point on the ridge above Watkins Glen State Park early one morning. He got even though... fell to the bottom of the gorge (probably 200-300' down to the creek). Took me ALL day to drag him up to the truck. That was probably 40 years ago... don't know if I could do it now (but I'd damn sure try if I had to). That was some of the best-tastin' venison I ever ate!
Shot a deer about 5 years ago in November (gun). Drug him on the snow for 1.85 miles via the GPS. I was young and dumb. Will never do that again. Every deer I shoot now gets promptly boned and brought out on my back
I've been on several bummer drags. 8 point about a mile in. 8 point about 1/2 mile down an almost vertical mountain. 14 point to heavy to drag by myself even down a hill. Small bear about 3 miles in
Shot an 8 point a few year ago in the mountains. Thing ran down 4-5 benches then died in the creek at the bottom. Ended up being a little over 2 miles back out. Drug him bout 15 yards at a time. After an hour an a half I finally put the thing on my shoulders and hiked back out. I never want to shoot a deer in there again.
Several years back My dad took my older brother and I out for IL Shot gun season. we had our stands across this bean field. well when we showed up in the AM the field had been worked over (disc) and it was raining cats and dogs. well it took us forever to get across the muddy field and into our stands. well soon after light my brother shot a large 12 pointer, so my dad told me to stay in my stand (I was 12 i think??) while he and my brother (he was probably 15) cut down a small tree and made a pole to tie teh deers legs and antlers to. They carried the buck across the muddy field and just as they reached the other side. BANG goes my gun and BANG goes my little 5 pointer. They had to make another trip across the field with my deer too. To this day my dad still refuses to hunt in the rain or over a muddy tilled field.
Took me and another guy over 5 hours to drag an 8 off a wma. It also started to storm about half way out. In KY most wma properties don't allow atv or any vehicle.
I can't come close to any of these stories. My worst seems rather tame now. How about easiest: I shot two does one afternoon both made it to the field. It was fairly dry so I was able to drive right up to both of them.
Nothing too bad as far as deer, but bear on the other hand ive had some dandys. I dont remember any mileage details but up and down a lot...with 200-500 pound bears sucks!
A few years ago I shot a 10pt in early Dec. It was somewhere around the lower teens with high winds and spitting snow and sleet. Shot him about 600 yards away from the nearsest field and dropped him. The drag was mostly down hill with a few small creeks to cross. While dragging out of a creek I slipped on a sleet covered log and ended up breaking 2 ribs. When we got to barn and weighed him, he went 263 dressed. Largest deer I've ever shot. Now I try to make sure we are a lil closer to the truck. LOL
The worst for me was definitely in Guam, We hunted on a nearly vertical cliff on Andersen AFB in Guam on the edge of the Marianas Trench. The cliff was a couple miles to the bottom and so steep in places we had to use ropes to pull ourselves up. Shot several bucks and hogs down there. Plus it was normally in the mid 90s with about 90% humidity. That would make for a really long day. The only redeeming factor was that Sambar deer usually topped out around 150-160 lb.
It wasn't with a bow but it was my very first deer. Opening day of shotgun and I'm hunting one farm while my partner is hunting another about a mile or so away. I shoot a buck, my first deer, right after daylight. This was in the days before cell phones so there was no calling for help. So the deer's laying there and I'm looking at it and looking at my shotgun. I knew I couldn't drag the deer and carry my gun so I think to myself; I can replace the gun but I can't replace the deer. So I bury the gun in a pile of leaves and begin the drag. I get into an open field and a guy on an adjoining property sees me and offers to help. Together we drug that deer nearly a mile and then he says "I'll see ya later." I'm thinking that's okay cause we were nearly to my brother-in-laws truck. I get the deer in the truck and head back in to retrieve my gun. I get the gun and head back to the truck and when I get to where it was parked, it's gone. I'm thinking; great, someone stole the truck with my deer in it. All it turned out to be was my b-n-l had came out and was looking for me so we finally got hooked back up and I had my deer. I was way younger then and I would never ever drag a deer that far now. Testosterone makes us do some crazy things. Blessings.......Pastorjim
Deer are nothing I've drug elk miles over moutains that take days. I bet some guys that have shot some bear and moose have worse drags Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2
My worst was about 3/4 of a mile. I had had surgery on my rt hand and couldn't use it to pull the deer. That 3/4 was almost entirely a briar thicket, but I was able to follow a small (think 1 ft across) creek a little ways. only took and hour or 2, a couple gallons of sweat, and a pint or 2 of blood from the briars but I made it.
