So much for using a game sled

[Schnitt]

So I did an experiment a couple weeks ago. I went on a solo pig hunt. In my pack I carried a recently purchased "Game glide" which is a fold up plastic sheet that you put your animal on to make it easier to drag. I got a nice meat pig and was excited to try my new sled. After only about 50 yards, I noticed some small rips where the fold seams were. Then, I continually found that the sled was sliding back on the animal. That was fixed by pulling it up and wrapping it around the snout. OK...No prob.... keep going. After a couple hundred yards, I was pooped. All my energy was spent. I looked at the dirt behind me and it looked like it had been plowed. I got in the shade of a tree, and pulled the animal off to find that the sled had totally shredded and now was basically a dirt anchor. I still had a long way to go, and was running out of water (I brought over 2L with me), and it was getting hot, and after hours of slow progress, I was concerned about meat spoilage. so I had to hang the pig and skin/quarter it in the field and throw it in a bag over my shoulder. I had to forfeit the ribs.... which I hate to do since I love pressure cooking them. Yum. Well, it took me 6 hours to get out of the field with my meat. I am pretty disappointed with the Game glide for falling a part, and also with myself for putting all my faith in a product that I had not tested. Next time... I will have something with wheels available to me. Its possible that the Game Glide I had may have been sitting on a shelf for a long time and deteriorated a bit, but for this hunt, it was a total failure and cost me time and meat. Anyone else try these? Perhaps had more success than I did?

 

[smitty661]

wow. what a horrible product. thanks for sharing.

 

[jindydiver]

How far did you have to travel between kill and car?

 

[P304X4]

Never pulled game but I've tried heavy duty plastic and even tarps and have always ended up with anchors instead of easy slides. All that has worked for me was a sled like contraption with wide skids when wheels would bog down in soft dirt or 'bumpy' terrain. I don't know if such an item would be practical for hunting unless it was smaller in size and light weight to carry.

 

[Schnitt]

Mick,
3-4km (a bit over 2 miles). By the time I got to the car, it was almost 40'C (over 100'F). Too many hours in exposed sunlight. BTW, the meat seems fine. Looks like I avoided spoilage.

 

[jindydiver]

Mick,
3-4km (a bit over 2 miles). By the time I got to the car, it was almost 40'C (over 100'F). Too many hours in exposed sunlight. BTW, the meat seems fine. Looks like I avoided spoilage.

I am glad you saved what you could.
There are lots of ways to get your meat home and cultural norms play a big role in the methods we choose but I have always been confused with the dragging thing. I can understand a few hundred metres to get to the car or shade but for km's at a time seems like needless hard work.
Have you tried making a backpack out of your kill and carrying it out?

 

[Schnitt]

Mick, Yes, I know folks that make a backpack out of their game... and in hind sight, that would have been a good option. By the time I had realized that the sled would not work, I had already spent much of my energy, and as I became tired, dehydrated, and heat exhausted, my options dwindled. This is clearly poor planning on my part and was an excellent reminder to have a tested and practiced method of pulling pigs out. I had pulled 3 other pigs out from similar distances, but in cooler temperatures and had others around to help me. In any case, the silver lining on this cloud is that I was able to do a product review and share with others.

 

[Schnitt]

P304X4,
Thanks for sharing. From your experiences it sounds like I should just not have expected much from a thin sled. I have seen heavy hard plastic sleds which double as a small boat to pull game through water which could be great in some areas. I have not seen anything like what you described with external "skis". Next I am going to try a hand truck that I have fitted with wide 13" tires. It should "float" over sandy terrain better than the thin wheels on most game carts. I replaced my pneumatic wheels to be "airless" so I dont need to worry about a flat out there. I wonder if such a set up would work in the soft dirt environment that you described. I only shoot meat pigs <200lbs... I have no experience with heavier animals. A friend of mine that does Elk in rough terrain, carries them out in pieces in a meat pack. I guess that is another option.
-Mark

 

[Wild1]

If you want to use a light-weight, drag type of transporter, this product works well in certain applications. Deep in the woods, with a lot of dead fall, this product will work for it's intended use.

https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&k...targid=kwd-55175200675&ref=pd_sl_2i4bdiimse_e

 

[Wild1]

^^^^^^^^ This product will never tear and works well where a game cart won't (soft ground, uneven terrain, dead fall......etc.) ^^^^^^^^

 

[dthome]

I've used the deer sleigher, referenced above, and it is so-so. It is totally unwieldy, as it wants to keep its rolled-up shape. As for tearing, yup, it will tear. I put a gaping hole in one when used on rocky terrain. Still, it's better than nothing.

 

[VHRAM]

Ive used the deer sleigher as well. Mine got a bunch of holes also, but it was really rough ground we were on. I picked up another one.

 

[thewolfman]

Maybe a little off the subject but why didnt u just cut the pig in half and pack one part say half way and come back and pack the other?.... Or why not just bone it out and pack it out... I've done it both ways and it will actually take u just as much time as if u dragged it out.... I've done many solo packing out by myself and I found that dragging an animal out wears u out more than having an animal on your back... But thanks for sharing about the product