Deer Hoist options
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: Bowfreak
11-Nov-21
My wife and I built a new house and I don't have a great tree for hoisting deer. I have a couple of good stout trees but they have no limbs where I could fix my hoist. I know of options like this guide gear hoist but does anyone else have any ideas? I'm considering welding up a bracket and attaching it with a chain or ratchet straps.
I also have the option of using some type of horizontal beam between two trees. What are you all using?
From: DanaC
11-Nov-21
Knew one guy who ran a 4x4 across two step ladders. Portable and cheap enough. (Or used to be, but with lumber prices these days...)
From: Grey Ghost
11-Nov-21
I use my all-in-one hoist and hauler. ;-)
How tall are your garage ceilings?
Matt
From: WV Mountaineer
11-Nov-21
I’d build one out of 6x6’s pressure treated. The setup you linked would definitely limit you on height.
From: hawkeye in PA
11-Nov-21
Simple enough to build one. Any thing you set in trees permanently will grow in. What we did at camp was to build a porch swing rack, remove the swing in deer season. We had 3/2 blocks for hoisting.
From: bentstick54
11-Nov-21
Here is what I use on my 9’ garage ceiling. Chain hoist is for primary use, rope hoist is for backup when have a 2nd deer to hang. I can back truck into garage, and hoist deer straight out of truck bed. I spread a piece of plastic on the floor to catch any blood dripping.
From: JohnMC
11-Nov-21
JohnMC's Link
I do what bent does with the rope hoist. However another option you could look at is one that go into the hitch on your truck . Like the one in link.
From: LBshooter
11-Nov-21
Go get yourself a boat trailer hoist.
From: LINK
11-Nov-21
Just build I lean too. ;) I’ll second the boat winch. The rope hoist work but can be a pita.
From: Scrappy
11-Nov-21
This would be a perfect excuse to build a barn with a built-in rail system for skinning, processing, and putting in/out of the new walk-in cooler. Just saying.
From: JL
11-Nov-21
I ran into a minor issue when I was trying to load a heavy muley into the back of the truck a couple of weeks back. I was by myself, in the middle of nowhere and it was getting dark. I ended up doing a reach-a-round on the deer from behind and putting both hands in the rib cage and was able to toss the upper half of the deer on the tailgate. From there I was able to slide it in. It would have been nice have something simple to get the deer (or anything else heavy) into the back of the truck. I know there are hitch devices but something a little more simple would be nice.
From: mattandersen
11-Nov-21
I just got a receiver mounted hoist similar to the one JohnMC posted and it works great but I have yet to hang a large buck on it and think it will be a bit too low/short...and my truck is lifted on 35" tires I previously had one like the Bowfreak initially posted that strapped to a tree with a chain. It worked great until last years buck bent the arm...haha I would stand on the rack of my quad to get it as high as I can. Hoping I don't regret the receiver mounted one.
From: bentstick54
11-Nov-21
I have 1 like in JohnMcs link that I use in the field and love it. Most of the deer in my area weigh more than I do.,lol. I use it to load a small generator into the truck when we go camping to. But it’s a bit of a pain to set up in the field, disassemble, reassemble at home if you use it for your deer. Plus if you like to hang your deer for awhile, temperatures permitting, you would have to leave it attached to your truck. Having both setups works great for me.
From: Shuteye
11-Nov-21
I have a 29 HP diesel front end loader tractor. It is 4 wheel drive and works great to get deer out of the woods in the bucket and then hang them with a strap around the bucket.
From: boothill
11-Nov-21
Viking Solutions is a company that has several different types of lifting devices similar to what the OP posted. I've looked into them but for 1 deer tag a year I can't justify it. I've been in the position as JL said but I've started carrying my ATV ramps and an old plastic snow sled when I go hunting. Can drag them out on the sled and then pull them up the ramps into back of the truck. Beats having to pick them up the older we get.
From: LINK
11-Nov-21
JL I have an older friend that used to guide elk in SW NM. A lot of times the elk would fall close to a two track. He had a sturdy headache rack with a receiver for a receiver hitch welded on. 12v winch on the hitch and a 2x10 in the back. Winch the elk up the board into the bed. Should be pretty simple to do. As far as that goes you could probably chain a winch to the front bed hooks. Use your imagination and I bet you can come up with something.
From: JohnMC
11-Nov-21
Another option if you killing enough deer you want to have some more than it can get by with it. Which is what I do to skin and quarter 2-3 animals a year. It sounds like you want to be outside and not in a garage. Is build something similar style to a swing set, either out of wood or metal. It could be permanent or able to be disassembled. Have a hook in middle to attach a gambrel. Either a manual or power winch. It would work great, you could move around 360 degrees and be similar to hanging from a tree limb.
From: JL
11-Nov-21
Link.....I used a come-a-long before but didn't have it with me....my error. Maybe a stretcher type device where you can get one end on the tailgate, then step around to the end on the ground, pick it up and slide it into the bed?? If one of these deer cart companies could design a cart combo like that....they could sell a few.
From: Bowfreak
11-Nov-21
I always hung my deer at my old house in a maple tree in front of my house. It had a good limb about 12' off the ground that I would attach my block and tackle to. I could hoist a deer high enough to keep varmints from getting them.
Fast forward to last week. I shot a doe and and 8 pointer and I hung them in a barn that is on one of the properties I hunt. We have probably hung 20-30 deer there from one of the tier poles. When we hang them there the back legs sometimes are touching the ground. I hung both of these deer and immediately thought, "these deer need to be hung much higher" but just shrugged it off because we have never had any issues here. Next day I find both of my deer with the hind quarters eaten off of them. A bunch of dogs that the closest neighbor has moved in there and devoured them. So....no more deer hanging there and I'll just hang them at my house. Just trying to get the best option to use.
Also....I would only need the triangular bracket (from the op picture) or something similar to attach to the tree. I'd use my block and tackle attached to that.
From: Ridge Runner
11-Nov-21
For Christmas my kids got me electric hoist from harbor freight Greatest gift I’ve got love it
From: INbowdude
11-Nov-21
1 type for the truck, 1 type for the house.
From: INbowdude
11-Nov-21
From: PAOH
11-Nov-21
X2 on electric hoist. Works great for deer,cleaning mower deck & sharpening mower blades.
From: JL
11-Nov-21
^...ya, I was thinking the same thing about that electric hoist.
From: MOBEN
12-Nov-21
400 lb electric hoist from Harbor Freight about 90 bucks.
From: cnelk
12-Nov-21
I just use a hand boat winch that connects to a pulley from a rafter.
From: esean
12-Nov-21
I use a cheap rope hoist (Like in Link's pic) that's mounted to a rafter of the back porch roof. Protected from rain and canines, and only a few steps from the kitchen where I cut, grind and wrap.
From: Rock
15-Nov-21
I built this hitch lift a few years ago and it will rotate 360 degrees and is plenty tall to get thing high off the ground. Also has a pin hole that allows you to lock the rotation in 2 positions at 180 degrees. Well all my photo's are gone but when I try to edit and add photo's they show up for me
From: rooster
15-Nov-21
Here's my home made hoist
From: rooster
15-Nov-21
Here's my home made hoist
From: rooster
15-Nov-21
My home made hoist.
From: rooster
15-Nov-21
My home made hoist.
From: rooster
15-Nov-21
Ok, I guess you can get the gist of it. LOL!
From: tobywon
15-Nov-21
Rooster, would you sell one? Don’t know why you would need four of them…lol
From: t-roy
15-Nov-21
LOL @ Tobywon! ;-)
From: rooster
15-Nov-21
tobywon, it seems that I can make "em" as fast as I can click the mouse! That's mass production
From: Rock
18-Nov-21
My home made hitch hoist when taken apart
My home made hitch hoist when taken apart
Could not get the photo's in my first post to come back so will post them again one at a time.
From: Rock
18-Nov-21
Assembled and installed into hitch
Assembled and installed into hitch
From: Rock
18-Nov-21
with top rotated
with top rotated
From: dnovo
18-Nov-21
I have a chain hoist in my shed. Ceiling is 11’+. In the field for loading deer in my truck, I carry a 2’ wide piece of 3/4” plywood. Drag the deer on it with one Enron tailgate and other end on ground. A lot easier than trying to pick up a deer.
From: W
18-Nov-21
Boat winch under the carport at deer camp.
From: GLP
19-Nov-21
I use what cnelk uses. To get them in the truck, use a section of ladder stand. Strap deer to it. Lift one end onto tailgate. Lift other end and shove. Just got to keep the ladder section with you. Greg
