Anyone Carry a Lightweight Pulley System?

[Cfriend]

I've read plenty of stories on here of elk dying in some nasty spots that make it very hard to quarter them. I hunt solo a good bit, and I'm wondering if it would be worth it to carry a lightweight pulley system for that situation (read some others that do the same). I've killed a few elk already and haven't needed it yet, but maybe I'm just lucky.

Harken makes some pretty strong pulleys that only weigh about .5 oz. About $15-$20 a piece, so I figure by the time I get several of them and some good rope, I'll spend about $80.

Do you think it would be worth it? Does anyone else do something similar?

 

[rharbaugh]

Pynch Pulley

Don't get caught in a pinch unprepared again! Whether you are solo hunting for big game or out with a buddy, hunting is never a scripted adventure and animals often go down in the "worst spot." FORCE MULTIPLIERWith a tensile strength of over 1,500lbs (#550 size), these pint size pulleys pack a...

www.wiserprecision.com

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[BigLou]

x2 on Wiser Precision

 

[Ross]

99% of the time this would not be needed. Even when balled up bad you can simply take them apart piece by piece. We can pack many what iffs, I would rank a pulley into this category.

 

[Mikido]

Harken is excellent.
UL Ronstad is excellent.
Wiser is terrible.

Also get quality rope. P cord doesn’t cut it

P

Thread '3:1 Haul Ratio for hanging meat in the Backcountry'

Oct 24, 2024

I should have taken better pics of this system, but I did not.

When it comes to properly securing meat in the backcountry, I find most hunter attitudes to be rather cavalier, usually along the lines of "I don't hang my meat in a predator proof manner and I've never had a problem." Well, I've had a problem before and lost a full game bag of elk meat to a bear while I was 3 hours down the mountain. In the past, I have attempted to hang my meat the same way I hang food with 2 cords, one of which is running through a carabiner. The problem you run into is there is simply too much friction to...

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[Maverick1]

I've read plenty of stories on here of elk dying in some nasty spots that make it very hard to quarter them. I hunt solo a good bit, and I'm wondering if it would be worth it to carry a lightweight pulley system for that situation (read some others that do the same). I've killed a few elk already and haven't needed it yet, but maybe I'm just lucky.

Harken makes some pretty strong pulleys that only weigh about .5 oz. About $15-$20 a piece, so I figure by the time I get several of them and some good rope, I'll spend about $80.

Do you think it would be worth it? Does anyone else do something similar?

Yes. I created a setup using the Harken pulleys. It was worth it on a solo moose hunt. Made the job a lot easier. I've also used the setup for elk. Although not needed for elk, it is helpful. Also, the cam jam is important, especially when solo. Make sure you get the metal cam jam, not the plastic one. Big difference.

Here are a couple of posts I've made about this before.
Post 1
Post 2 - Links to Harken pulleys
Post 3
Post 4
Post 5

Let me know if you have any questions.

Oh, and yes, I have tried the "two chain links" method and it didn't work for crap. Try it out using 150 pounds of sandbags and let us know how it works if you go down that path. LOL.

 

[mtnbound]

I've read plenty of stories on here of elk dying in some nasty spots that make it very hard to quarter them. I hunt solo a good bit, and I'm wondering if it would be worth it to carry a lightweight pulley system for that situation (read some others that do the same). I've killed a few elk already and haven't needed it yet, but maybe I'm just lucky.

Harken makes some pretty strong pulleys that only weigh about .5 oz. About $15-$20 a piece, so I figure by the time I get several of them and some good rope, I'll spend about $80.

Do you think it would be worth it? Does anyone else do something similar?

I have used some cord (6mm) and carabiners to help secure an elk in steep terrain while I boned it out, but I have never needed a pulley system. That being said, I have made and carried a personal pulley system as part of a backcountry rescue team for years, and in that environment, they are very beneficial, but for hunting, it's just more stuff to pack. Research how to design mechanical advantage systems and their specific requirements. There is a lot of usable gear available to build these systems, but most inexpensive equipment will fail the first time you load it. Therefore, invest in good-quality gear if you decide you need a kit.

 

[Pony Soldier]

I have a number of block and tackle systems; all with p cord. One my father bought in the 50s. I have used four pulley systems but most are 7 pulley systems.

Most of the time I lift 1/2 an elk at a time but I have used them to extract a couple elk out of creeks and one out of a log pile.

Just another critical tool in a serious job.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

99% of the time this would not be needed. Even when balled up bad you can simply take them apart piece by piece. We can pack many what iffs, I would rank a pulley into this category.

This! Considering all the elk kills I’ve been on and knowing many others killed in hell holes, pulleys just haven’t been needed.

I considered a pulley system years ago, but mainly for getting quarters up into a tree away from grizz during multi day pack outs.

 

[Indian Summer]

Overthinking. The chances of you actually needing that or slim to none. 50 feet of parachute cord serves many many purposes, including keeping elk where you want them.

 

[LongWayAround]

I have a small pulley from REI that I have never found a reason to use

 

[Beendare]

I hunt a lot solo and carry a lightweight Carabiner. or two. I have been putting a nylon screen door wheel on it but I'm going to ditch the wheel is not really needed.


[The pic doesn't show it well but there is some camp 550 cord tied to the tendon on this bulls leg.]

Loop the good 550 cord through the carabiner and it's enough to spread a leg or keep the bull from sliding on a steep slope.

The carabiners aren't enough to hoist a bull elk off the ground....but there is no way I'm packing all of that crap around in my pack.

 

[CMF]

99% of the time this would not be needed. Even when balled up bad you can simply take them apart piece by piece. We can pack many what iffs, I would rank a pulley into this category.

Agree 100%

 

[mtnbound]

I hunt a lot solo and carry a lightweight Carabiner. or two. I have been putting a nylon screen door wheel on it but I'm going to ditch the wheel is not really needed.
View attachment 896016
View attachment 896017
[The pic doesn't show it well but there is some camp 550 cord tied to the tendon on this bulls leg.]

Loop the good 550 cord through the carabiner and it's enough to spread a leg or keep the bull from sliding on a steep slope.

The carabiners aren't enough to hoist a bull elk off the ground....but there is no way I'm packing all of that crap around in my pack.

Just using your first picture as an example. This is what you see most often used and there is no mechanical advantage with that configuration. All that provides is reduced friction.

 

[Cfriend]

Thanks all. Some great ideas here, but based on my own and some of you all's experience I don't think I'm going to bother with it.

 

[Marble]

I used to carry a pulley i made myself. Paranoid on the wheels, and some type of really string rope on each end. Three wheels on each side. Maybe a pound and half?

Anyways, I used it to put elk in trees like a hammock. I could get them off the ground, skin them and use the body like a table.

Worked really well.

But now I do the gutless method and I think it's much easier.

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[Marble]

Thanks all. Some great ideas here, but based on my own and some of you all's experience I don't think I'm going to bother with it.

Probably not. I think the gutless method is better anyways. If you haven't learned that, figure it out and use it.

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[Packin_packout]

For elk i've never needed it. I absolutely needed it and used it when I did a buffalo, north rim of the grand canyon a few years back. Luckily, it was only a cow, but i was by myself and i am a toothpick. It allowed me to pull the rear leg back and over by tying it to a tree and using it for tension.

Harkem? They're expensive, you find them at west marine & places like that but they are great with a little parachute cord.

 

[flyfisher117]

I bought the paracord pynch pulleys. I threw them in my pack because I figured they’re more useful there than in the trash but I don’t think I’ll ever use them.

Paracord stretches too much. You would probably need 6+ of them to get any sort of advantage. Also requiring tons of extra cordage. By the time I got them rigged up to offer me any aid in lifting my dumbell i was playing with I realized it likely would not be worth the time and extra cordage I’d need to carry.

 

[Beendare]

Just using your first picture as an example. This is what you see most often used and there is no mechanical advantage with that configuration. All that provides is reduced friction.

Yeah, I tried using 2 of those in combination which does give a mechanical advantage but not enough to be worth the hassle with an elk size critter.

Now I style my gear and kill kit using the KISS principle.