Boarmaster
WKR
I bought on of the roll up type years ago. Seems well built. It was heavy as heck to lug into the woods.
I never used it as I decided to just get a better harness.
I never used it as I decided to just get a better harness.
Thanks for the word of caution. That all makes sense. I could see a sled becoming dangerous without some thoughtfulness.I've done it. It's been a very long time ago. You need to be careful. You need to know the ground under you. I've ridden an elk laiden sled down hill while riding it, digging my heels in to keep control, over snow. In another area I went rode it downhill ovrr dead fall; if I put a foot down I could have broken a leg. Any steep downhill, the sled should be roped down, letting gravity do its job.
I would not buy a sled until I got to see the country and was pretty sure I'd use it, as there are plenty if areas that would be unusable or simply much to dangerous.
Glad to see a guy that has done it several times and likes it. Sounds like you might generally have multiple guys to help guide it down or share the load? I plan to have a buddy with me so that could be a plus.Well quite frankly the perspective of someone that has never seen a sled used is pretty worthless!
Between me and my hunting buddies we have taken out numerous elk & deer. Plus 1 moose and a whole 183" Bighorn, mostly on roll up sleds, with a few on ice fishing sleds. The key is to have grommets along each side, so you can lace rope back and forth to keep the load on the sled.
On side hills and steep down hill, put a guy on a rope on the back, to steer and slow it down.
They work well on snow and wet ground, but I have used them on dry ground as well.
Here is the sheep. It was 2.5 miles up/down/sidehill no flat ground. No snow, but rained all day.
I currently have both styles and have used both styles. The rollup one is probably my least favorite one, as it tends to roll and dig into the snow, depending on the load. I found it was best to use it with boned-out animals compared to whole animals. The rigid one I use is an ice fishing style, so it's taller and has runners that help it track behind me better than the roll-up one. It can haul boned-out or whole animals. Depending on the style, you may have to rig up some type of lashing system to secure the load, but you can find them with holes already in them.I have a middle of November elk tag in Colorado in a unit that very well could get some snow. Peak elevations are in the 13,000 feet in the unit. I am wanting to get feedback from people that have used some sort of sled to haul out meat. This unit is new to me so I can't exactly describe the vegetation or terrain but I am pretty confident that I will be hauling the meat down hill. Obviously there will be ups and downs for the literal folks but overall I expect to be loosing elevation. I would plan to just pack out the elk if there isn't snow but if there is a layer of snow what can you tell me about the use of either one of these two types of sleds?
1. Do you mainly just use it for a flat surface or down hill? How is it pulling up a hill compared to carrying it out in the snow?
2. How well do they actually work? I see pictures of guys with whole elk.
3. When going down hill can you basically guide it down the mountain from behind?
4. Any issues with either of these options braking or giving out on a single pack out over mostly snow?
5. Any good suggestions on how to use them? It appears some guys tie directly to the sled and others to the meat in the sled.
Thanks in advance, Jeff
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