Packing out a whitetail

[Dave Thomas]

What size backpack do you need to pack out an average whitetail deboned?

 

[DawnPatrol]

I put a whole (cut up, in game bags, not bones out) small blacktail buck in game bags in my Sawtooth 45. I used the load shelf, not the bag. It was pretty much at capacity. Have to imagine an average white tail would be similar.

 

[RS3579]

I use a Kifaru duplex lite frame with a Stryker XL bag. I use a blaze grab-it for the head. This is the bone in 4 quarters, and backstraps. Pictures are 2 different animals

 

[CJ_BG]

To a certain extent it's not really pack size, you should hopefully have some sort of meat shelf to put the animal in.

Also is going to depend on what other gear you're bringing if you insist on putting in the bag.

 

[Truck24hr]

Done a few deer and hogs on my K4. Yeah, pack size shouldn't come into play.

 

[CJ_BG]

Done a few deer and hogs on my K4. Yeah, pack size shouldn't come into play.

finally upgraded to a k4 after a few years running around with a MR pop up 38. Absolutely blown away at how much more efficient (almost) everything about my hunting is

 

[aachey]

Something with a frame to strap meat to would be more ideal than sticking in a bag. So pack size is otherwise irrelevant, but assuming you’re just carrying deboned meat probably 2000-3500

 

[Macintosh]

Impossible question to answer not knowing what else is going in the pack. Some people genuinely prefer to not use a load shelf, although Ive never done that. I am just ballparking that a totally de-boned average WT buck would fit in a 30l bag. 2 backstraps, the loins, some neck meat, and 4 deboned quarters fits in one game bag, I can tell you that. Bone-in an entire deer goes in the load shelf easy, even on a very small pack.

 

[ahawk116]

I’m with Mac ^ 30ish liters…I’ve packed them out in bags mind you it was a big bag 6800 and had PLENTY of room to spare. I’ve also just strapped them to my stand and carried them out.
A whole boned out whitetail will fit in an elk quarter bag.

 

[Brian Fahs]

I have hauled out many whitetails in a badlands superday.

I always have a kifaru duplex hunter frame with a Stryker xl in the truck for an hauling quarters or a really big buck.

I usually carry out my stand and gear then go back in to haul out my deer. As I grow older I'm much wiser.

 

[plebe]

…But a proper frame pack makes it easy. Just get game bags.

 

[Dave Thomas]

Thanks guys. I've never packed out an animal before. I've been hunting private land for a while now and just load them on my 4 wheeler. When I hunted public land in the past I've either drug them out or used a game cart. I may start to hunt some public in late season when our hunting lease slows down and starts to pick up in a different part of the state. I'm getting to old to drag deer very far on my own. I've never used a true hunting pack before, just a regular backpack like we all used back in school to carry books. Didn't know about load shelves on packs.

 

[Eship]

Thanks guys. I've never packed out an animal before. I've been hunting private land for a while now and just load them on my 4 wheeler. When I hunted public land in the past I've either drug them out or used a game cart. I may start to hunt some public in late season when our hunting lease slows down and starts to pick up in a different part of the state. I'm getting to old to drag deer very far on my own. I've never used a true hunting pack before, just a regular backpack like we all used back in school to carry books. Didn't know about load shelves on packs.

I packed out a whitetail buck about 1.5 miles last year using a cheap backpack just like you mentioned. Between meat, head, saddle gear, and all of my other cold weather gear it was probably 90-100lbs and the pack looked like an obese octopus. Wasn’t that difficult but wasn’t comfortable either. This year I bought a Kifaru frame and put a Maniml on it which carries the saddle gear well and has a load shelf. I was gonna use the Stryker xl, but didn’t like how floppy it was and couldn’t quite figure out a perfect way to carry my climbing sticks with it.

 

[cnelk]

My 145” WT buck on a Kelty Cache Hauler.
All loose meat, bone in quarters and skull packed 3/4mi out of a swamp

I quit dragging deer years ago.

 

[Macintosh]

This was a family friends first buck, 130lb or so. All 4 quarters are still bone-in. This is an older version of the relatively inexpensive alps commander x frame…from back when they were about $149. I wouldnt recommend it except its pretty inexpensive, the one we have is very flexible so its more or less not there when empty (no stiffness or sticking above your head to catch on brush as you duck under, etc.). It does not carry weight well compared to one of the real backpacking/meat hauling packs, but if you’re just using it occasionally and only for boned out deer and day-hunting stuff something like this, or better yet a MR pop-up, is actually a fantastic pack. For the type of hunting you are talking about something like a mr popup is perfect imo. But if you have a 35-45l day pack and a trash bag to keep your other stuff from getting soaked in blood, you can certainly do it, 50lb of boned out meat for a couple miles isnt going to kill you.

 

[Oakman]

This is a 3 year old doe, boned, packed in an Exo Mountain Gear 1800. the bag is small but surprisingly capable when loaded right.
The bag is easy to take apart and wash, which is a big plus,
Just a tip from personal experience: I’ll sometimes use a plastic bag as a temporary liner during the haul out from the woods to keep the bag cleaner, but never store/transport home fresh meat in plastic.

 

[Mitchynick7]

Most you all aren’t packing out average deer. That’s some good stuff. Thanks guys.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Pretty nice bone in whitetail with neck/ cape/ head intact. Stone glacier sky archer 6200. This load was heavier than any packing out elk quarters, had to remove the head and cape to get the load onto my back. In retrospect, should have made 2 trips. The buck yielded 95# of processed meat.

I've also done a bone in yearling that was so small you couldn't even tell it was there, and another time put the gutted carcass of a yearling across the load shelf.

One time without a pack I tried making a yearling into a backpack to carry down a railroad track, that did not work well.

 

[S-3 ranch]

I packed out a couple of quartered up deer and the head , aoudad aplenty
And two different caribou with a Alps Z commander with meat bags and a rifle carrier attachment
I don’t see spending a lot of money on a nylon one that will only ruin with blood and hair,
Has good weight distribution and shoulder strength

 

[Lowg08]

I’ve used a kuiu 2300. Would have been better with a better game bag. I just upgraded to a Kifaru maniml. I refuse to drag a deer. My son wanted to try some YouTube thing this past year. He made it 50 yards.