Thread: carrying deer

well I watched the program at 6.30 on channel 6 Fishing and Adventure - good show - but one thing on it I just cant get my head around - one of them gets a deer and then proceeds to carry the hind out with its bloody head still on - why the hell would one carry a deer out especially a hind with its head on- extra 10-15 lb to carry . just bloody defeats me - even if you wanted the whole skin why carry the head - any one got a reason ( maybe dog tucker but they did not have a dog )

I’ve seen same with Nanny Tahr

Maybe it was less "gruesome" for the viewers

I shot a small 6 pointer stag yesterday. Left the head in a tree to be picked up at a later stage. And carried the rest of the carcass for a good 1.3km walk.

Ditto with carrying pigs- isn't the head of a pig a quarter of the total weight? Why leave the head on?

I have always taken the head off. I can’t see the point in carrying it.

Depends on the nature of the carry, IE how difficult and far. Especially on pigs, leaving the head on keeps the meat cleaner.

Originally Posted by whanahuia

Depends on the nature of the carry, IE how difficult and far. Especially on pigs, leaving the head on keeps the meat cleaner.

I can see the point with pigs and have eaten pigs head on any number of occasions but a hind really just extra weight and a floopy head to deal with

Improve your knife skills and a whole lot more can be left behind. It really is pointless busting one's arse carrying an animal only to dump many kilos of head, skin and bone when you get home. And then many leave the tasty bits of offal behind and yet carry a heap of inedible stuff for miles.

Deer on the hoof weight percentage make up (approx):
Blood - 5%
Hide - 9%
Bone - 13%
Organs - 23%
Meat - 50%

I personally don't eat anything from the deer except the meat, so why carry anything out of the bush that isn't eatable?

After a foot fusion, three knee surgeries, three back surgeries (and another pending) I bone everything out in the bush. 35-50kg meat (depending on animal size) is plenty to be carrying these days.

Originally Posted by Ranger 888

Ditto with carrying pigs- isn't the head of a pig a quarter of the total weight? Why leave the head on?

If you want to weigh the pig (at your hunting club etc) they are weighed with the head on. Some clubs/competitions allow pigs to be weighed in up to three pieces, so you don’t need to carry it out whole but you still need to carry it all out.

Some of us older ones only knew one way of carrying deer, whole minus head, meat buyer wouldn't take it any other way. Old habits die hard. Yes, do remember time when there was a hindquarter only market.

Originally Posted by tetawa

Some of us older ones only knew one way of carrying deer, whole minus head, meat buyer wouldn't take it any other way. Old habits die hard. Yes, do remember time when there was a hindquarter only market.

With ears left on.

Originally Posted by tetawa

Some of us older ones only knew one way of carrying deer, whole minus head, meat buyer wouldn't take it any other way. Old habits die hard. Yes, do remember time when there was a hindquarter only market.

You mean like this?

Good luck carrying this old fella that I shot this morning.
Tractor job would have weighed over 120 kgs.