back country meat hauling pack

Jeff H

Jeff H

Well-Known Member
I'm putting together a backpack that is going to be used for hauling out deer meat. My intention is to hunt more remote areas of the property and butcher and/or debone the deer at the kill site and haul it out in my pack.
I bought a external frame pack to do the hauling. I'm looking for ideas on what else I might need in the pack to do a competent job of field butchering. Here is my list so far:
1. cheesecloth
2. skinning knife
3. hoist
4. tarp
5. water bottles
6. purell (for cleaning up afterwards).
7. towell
8. hacksaw

Any other items from those who have done this before ?
 
Plastic or rubber gloves if you like wearing them while cleaning a deer. I like the kind that vets use that go past the elbow. You can buy a box of 100 from a vet or a supply house for a reasonable price compared to what they want for them in "cleaning kits". Ziploc bags for the heart and/or liver because it is so bloody. I also have a rubber apron that I wear to keep the blood off my hunting clothes.
I have never hauled out deer, that is just what I use at my meat pole.
 
JFK52 said:
Plastic or rubber gloves if you like wearing them while cleaning a deer. I like the kind that vets use that go past the elbow. You can buy a box of 100 from a vet or a supply house for a reasonable price compared to what they want for them in "cleaning kits". Ziploc bags for the heart and/or liver because it is so bloody. I also have a rubber apron that I wear to keep the blood off my hunting clothes.
I have never hauled out deer, that is just what I use at my meat pole.
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Thanks, those were a couple items not on my list.
 
Hacksaw is for taking the legs off in case I want to take the hind quarters out without deboning. The hoist was recommended by Chainsaw some time ago on another thread. Having never done this I'd rather have too much vs not enough at least to start with.
 
a good camera with a timer setting and a mini tripod - because once you hack it up in the field, you don;t get a chance for a picture to remember it by - and really that is one of the most important things. Sure we all love to hunt - but remembering it is maybe even more important years later.
 
Jeff H said:
Hacksaw is for taking the legs off in case I want to take the hind quarters out without deboning. The hoist was recommended by Chainsaw some time ago on another thread. Having never done this I'd rather have too much vs not enough at least to start with.
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Jeff, That hoist is still always used in the deer cut up back pack. I have tried deboning on the ground and just didn't find the meat kept clean as it does using the hoist and it also was difficult not to get my clothes blooded up when working on the ground.

Also an extra knife comes in handy so that one is not using the same blade that became very dirty while gutting and skinning the animal. Sharpening knives in the woods scares me in the woods; it is generally safer done at home or in camp. Since I carry two jack knives in the pack and one in my pocket with two blades each there is never a need for sharpening in the field cutting deer.
 
Thanks Chainsaw . I was hoping you would chime in. Looking at my list can you tell me what you have in your pack that I don't have listed.
 
farmhunter said:
a good camera with a timer setting and a mini tripod - because once you hack it up in the field, you don;t get a chance for a picture to remember it by - and really that is one of the most important things. Sure we all love to hunt - but remembering it is maybe even more important years later.
Click to expand...
That's a good point. I'm the world's worst at remembering to photograph moments like that.
 
Jeff H said:
Thanks Chainsaw . I was hoping you would chime in. Looking at my list can you tell me what you have in your pack that I don't have listed.
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Hi Jeff,
These are things I like in my deer cut up pack which does not hold my hunting gear/extra clothes etc. that I didn't notice on the list;
-Large clear garbage bag for lining the pack to keep the pack clean. Three kitchen garbage bags for putting the meat in--bottom rounds in one, back straps in one , shoulder meat boned if any and hindquarters boned in the third.. As someone mentioned--zip-lock for inner loins.
Be careful in choosing garbage bags--no scented type bags or chemical feeling types.

Paper towels for cleaning knife, hands and any meat I might drop--not usual but it can happen. Any paper towels that are bloodied are left there-buried under a rock or log to rot.

Fifteen to twenty ft. rope to toss over branch and lift up and tie off winch. Use a quality rope that ties nice and is easy to untie knots.

A neck rope with various loop knots to accommodate different size deer.

Fluorescent red tree paint sprayed on my jack knives makes it easy to find them when I put them down on a rock.

It's wonderful having the pack readied after each use; it is one of the very few on time, organized things I manage to do.
 
I have packed out several deer and have used the gutless quartering method on several elk also.I usually use a kelty pack frame or my cabelas backpack and put a trash bag inside to keep it clean.With a little practice you won't need a hatchet.I use a knif to completly break down a deer.If the deer can't be hauled out boned in 1 trip then I just leave the hide on the quarter.Most bucks you are looking at 2 trips.
 
Gutless quartering is the only way to fly imo. I am not a deer steak person other than the straps so I am not trying to debone by muscle group. Hunks work fine for making burger. Would encourage watching some vids on the gutless method to learn the process. You can always add other gear or hybridize your method but knowing where and how to come at joints with only your knife makes everything else run much smoother. Knowing you don't need a saw or hatchet is also nice when or if those tools are unavailable. Just another way to skin the proverbial cat.
 
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