Pack'n Pork !

[bigworm]

I have noticed in some of the recent post, people are having to work too hard to get the hogs back to the truck. Sometimes several hours to go a few hundred yards. I wanted to share the way we do it. It works well, and is the easiest way we have found to use. I am not a big guy, and using this method, I can pack a 200 lb plus hog quite a ways. If we have a long ways to go, we rotate every time some one gets tired. If the terain is steep, the others can help pull the guy packing up hill. This takes way less energy than dragging. No dead weight friction. We don't pack down a steep hill of course.

First off I always carry a roll black electrical tape. After harvesting the animal, it is gutted, and blood drained out. We tape the front and back legs together. This forms straps like a back pack. You then sit the hog upright on its butt. You then sit in front of it. Slip your arms through the legs. Then roll over on your hands and knees. You then can stand up. For large hogs, this will require help from you buddies. Sometimes you can find a bank or tree, or log, to elevate to hog, before you put it on your back.

Having done a Good job of gutting and removing the ass is key in preventing it from being too messy. You can remove the head to dump extra weight aas well. Here is some photos to help you get the concept. The hogs in these photos range in size from 250 lbs to 100 lbs, and were packed out fairly long distances.

 

[Farmerdoug]

This is a really good post Bigworm. Thanks for the info. I have heard of this but never seen it. This really is the kind of info I like to see on this site. You got me thinking now, this could probably work with a deer with a little modification.

 

[Krisdude]

nice, looks to easy

 

[BackCountryHNTR]

Nice man! I've heard about this before but never seen it...I'll probably stay with de-boning the meat since I'll be already carrying a pack, but this is a great idea! Thanks for sharing!

 

[weekender21]

Very cool, I never tried that way. I use a backpack frame that works well on field dressed hogs. It works well with field dressed deer too. I've never put more than 150 pounds (200lb dressed boar) in it though.

I have to agree with you, there are a lot of things I would rather do than drag a dead pig! I'm not sure why so many people do.

I like having a little orange on the hog for those public land hunts.

 

[Live2hunt]

It is a good packout method although I think it may not be a safe method especially on public land where there are trigger happy knuckle heads out in the field as well. Someone may shoot at that thing on your back. I preferred to skinned and quarter into backpack if I have to do a long packout. That way I don't have to pack all the weight I don't want, like the hide and hoves.



L2H

 

[Valley Hunter]

Great information!!!! Thanks for sharing that... Basically your making a HOG Backpack.......

 

[spectr17]

Great info Bigworm

As some already pointed out, put some blaze orange around the hog or deer. With you wearing camo all some other hunter will see is a pig bouncing up the hill and you may get shot. Even on private land you have trespassers who may wing a shot at the pig on your back.

 

[sfhoghunter]

Gives new meaning to the word 'piggyback'. I love tips that are so useful and so simple that it makes you think 'now why didn't I think of that'.

 

[bayedsolid]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

First off I always carry a roll black electrical tape.[/b]

Years ago we supported a few electrical tape companies ourselves but there is a better trick. Get a couple 36" or so pieces of Mule Tape. If you don't know, its the thin, flat pull rope that PG&E makes you use as pull rope in their conduit. You can find it at most hardware stores sold by the foot. The stuff is light, super strong, ties really tight without coming loose, and easily fits into your pocket or a small pouch on your pack. Just tie the hog like you are tying your shoes. Tie once, wrap both around, tie again, wrap both ends around, tie a third time and make a bow like your shoe laces. Never had one come loose, its faster than tape, and you can reuse them for hundreds of hogs year after year. The older and bloodier they get the better they work and you don't have to always buy more electrical tape. Of course, they tie the top of a sack of meat well too when you bone them out which is much easier than packing whole hogs.

 

[jindydiver]

For pigs we just carry some paracord and for deer you cut the joint on the front hock without cutting the tendon down the back and then thread the hock through a cut you make in the back leg like you are going to hang it.
Here is my buddy with a deer

 

[257scramjet]

What in the heck! Where are your pants? Dude i've seen some wierd stuff before but hunting in your underwear takes the cake! Why would you even want to post that pick of your buddy packing out a sow with his shorts off? Owe wait i get it you silly old guy you!

 

[Nic Barca]

Nothing like blood down your backside and sore shoulders to end a hunt! A lot of people do that out here, but everybody ties the feet. Never heard of anyone taping them before. Does that make a difference? We used to pack pigs miles over pretty crazy terrain only to do the same thing at home that we could have done in the field. ...donno what you guys are up to when you pack them out but that's how it was in the tropics.

One guy showed me the same thing jindydiver is talking about with the hock and tendons- worked real well on a feral goat. Very cool. Much more forgiving on the shoulders too. In fact, we just slung both legs over one shoulder. I think I read in a new zealand hunting book, how to create a backpack out of an animal's belly and hind quarters and using a strip of skin from down the back for straps. Interesting concept though I haven,'t gotten around to trying it yet.

I prefer to simply clean the animal on the spot and pack out a bag of meat. For meat bags, we use cotton pillow cases.

 

[spectr17]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (257scramjet @ Jan 14 2009, 12:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

What in the heck! Where are your pants? Dude i've seen some wierd stuff before but hunting in your underwear takes the cake! Why would you even want to post that pick of your buddy packing out a sow with his shorts off? Owe wait i get it you silly old guy you!

[/b]

You need to get overseas more 257. "Walkin the dinosaur" is pretty common over there.

 

[barel74]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (spectr17 @ Jan 14 2009, 01:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

"Walkin the dinosaur"[/b]

I don't even want to know

 

[Speckmisser]

I've packed pigs like that, Bigworm, and while it does work, it's a killer on the shoulders... not to mention the lovely feeling of blood running down your backbone. I've got shirts that still stink of hog after a couple of years.

If there's nothing better, then sure, that works just fine.

But personally, I pretty much prefer to go ahead and get rid of all that extra stuff while I'm in the woods. Skin, leg bones, backbones, head, etc... I don't need it when I get home, why should I take it home with me?

A meat bag, a sharp knife, and a pack frame... makes life easier from start to finish.

 

[Huntr Pat]

What speck said. But if it can be drugged close enough to a road. I'm gonna do it. If not d-bone and leave the rest in the field for the yotes.s.

Good post mike.
BTW I'm going to breed my dogs next month Pearl and the year old. I think they will turn out some great pups.

 

[weekender21]

JINDYDIVER WTF!

 

[bigworm]

This was not to say my method was best. It's just what is best for me. When I am handling dogs, and running through brush, and crawling, I can not have a game pack on. I do want to go back to the truck and get one if it is a long ways away. I also do not carry a back pack with rope and other items to hang a pig in a tree. If you are in the brush, you may have to go a long ways to find a tree. Most the time I can get the truck or quad close. Thanks for posting other options. Now the other members will have some choices for ideas.

 

[Flatbroke]

Great Post Bigworm. Here are my preferred methods for taking game out of the hills

1. Helicopter = Don't have one so that's out
2. Bigworm= I have one So I much prefer to let him carry the game while I walk the dogs out

Bayed solid mentioned Mule tape, and it leads me to method #3 pictured below towing a hog tied onto a spool of mule tape. I think BigWorm would like to reverse #2 and #3 but its my preference so I listed the order.

I have seen numerous people on here say that carrying a side arm is too heavy and cumbersome to carry while hunting with a bow, Although I carry a pistol, I have not carried a backpack, sacks, rope, or a backpack rack with me while hunting. I can only assume that the weight and obstructions caused while traversing the brush we travel through would be more of a hindrance and make my life way more harder in my type of hunting style. Heck I find my jacket becomes a pain in the behind after a few hundred yards or walking up hill.

We don't need to pack in to our hunting site several hours and stay in a make shift camp where we left supplies either, or pack out several hours up steep forest land in near monsoon conditions.

Sometimes people like to carry the hog out so it can be cooked in the ground whole, some people like to use most of the parts of the hog including the skin, and some people like showing the rewards of their hard efforts to family and friends. kind of like viewing the mendenhall glacier in a picture versus visiting the site. I have done both and prefer the later experience best.

Some people may have killed their first pig and are not quite sure how to process it or don't feel that comfortable doing it. Some people may prefer to mount the Hog and want a professional to cape it so as not to ruin the mount. Some people dont care about the above issues and may only be interested in choice cuts of meat.

I guess what my point is, this. It comes down to prefference. what works for some may not work for others. Bigworm thank you for providing people another option to their hunting arsenal. I leave you with this, "If you are scared go to church"

FB