I’ve built a couple for my self and friends. I’ve used otter sleds (hard utility sleds) each time slightly tweaking the haul system aspect.
I primarily hunt on foot in public access (trailheads, long approaches). I’ve drug them over snow, ice, dirt, rocks but obliviously some substrates are more suitable for the pulk sled. I can fit a whole gutted deer in there or a couple elk quarters. I will even use it for overnight ski/ice climbing trips in the BC.
A couple of the main considerations are:
-In deep powder snow conditions the trick is to keep the load light. If you can carry the heavy stuff on your back and put the bulky gear in the sled like sleeping bags, tents, etc it work better.
-load securement is very important. You don’t want to keep having to stop cause your deer head keeps falling out. I built a system on mine that is super simple and easy to attach cord or ski straps to tie stuff down.
-you’ll want to have some way to control lateral slip. Fixed 1/2” PVC pipes with cordage running through them works well. The cordage is what handles the load, the PVCis there for rigidity and stability.
I’ll post more pics later. Hope this helps. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.