NDR: Merry Christmas; Second Deer; Testing a Portable Gambrell System

Larry Eckart

Well-known member
Merry Christmas; Second Deer; Testing a Portable Gambrell System

Guys and Dani,
I have noticed more talk lately about "ducks not here." I fear this will be an ongoing issue as global warming continues to take hold on our world. Will there come a time when many of us have to travel north to find good numbers of birds? I hope not, but it may be. I find myself spending more time deer hunting than duck hunting in NC, because there are simply where I live, more deer than ducks and more places to deer hunt than duck hunt.

Thus this NDR post.


First things first: Merry Christmas to all on this web forum. For those who follow the Christian world view, this night began the quiet revolution as God entered the world through the person of Jesus of Nazareth. In the historical Christian celebration, Advent turns into Christmas with these four powerful words:
Peace
Love
Joy
Hope ? all as manifested in His person.

And even if you do not share this world view, may we all commit in the next year to a better world where we, a) take responsibility for our own actions, and , b) listen first and speak second, if at all. A quieter world with less shouting would be a blessing for us all.

Second: after bagging my first deer in mid-November, I did not see another deer in my next three or four hunts. Where are they? With our long season in NC for chasing whitetails, I thought if I was a deer I?d seek out the quietest places where those fools in orange haven?t trampled the public game lands over and over and over.

I looked on OnX and found a section that might fulfill that promise. I went out December 23 intent on walking until I moved a deer or a group of deer.

I walked. And walked. And then there were deer! I saw one buck that did not provide a shot, but I also saw about a dozen does in multiple small groups.

I was fortunate to bag a good-sized doe.

View attachment IMG_3962.jpeg

Now I had a problem, it was at least a ? mile drag back to my truck. My field dressing equipment was not with me, but back in the truck. You asked for it, Larry, you got it. Now deal with it.

Third: after my first experience with field dressing a deer I had made a portable gambrell system that I wanted to try out. I hiked back to the car and got my pack of equipment. And then back out to the deer using my Garmin Oregon so that I wouldn?t look like a fool wandering around for a deer that I could not find.

The pic below shows what I used. It was very helpful, steadying the deer so that I could use two hands field dressing and didn?t have to use one hand to keep the deer in place. I know that some will think, ?that?s extra weight to carry back in.? True. But it worked for me and I actually felt safer reaching into the cavity with my knife while the deer was secure. The whole carcass was not off the ground, so it did not twirl, yet it was high enough to allow gravity to do its job. I started anus up, and when most of the inards were out, lowered the deer and rehung it head up to allow me to clean out the diaphragm area while also draining any blood. I don?t think it took more than 20-25 minutes working slowly. The carcass ended up clean.

View attachment IMG_3963.jpeg

This second experience of field dressing was much more satisfying. I simply did a better job.

This first time using the portable gambrell, I screwed the oak frame into a pine tree. I know that isn?t allowed on NC game lands thus in the future I will use two large ratchet straps per the second photo. I weigh 170 pounds. The gambrell is strong enough to hold me.

View attachment IMG_3968.jpeg

It was a 55 minute drag to the truck with a jet sled pausing many times, pausing more frequently as I got closer to the truck, I thought how blessed I am to even think of doing this at 67. One of my friends the same age said, ?Larry, you are crazier than me!?

Good crazy!

Having harvested two deer, that is deer enough. I will now turn back to the swamps, creeks, marsh and open water to investigate our cupped winged friends.

Peace,
Larry

CVA Optima
80 grains Blackhorn 209 by volume
Horndady 240 XTP
75 yard shot; 100 yard recovery
 
Merry Christmas to you too Larry!

Nice that you are able to harvest does! Congrats on your second deer!

I like the cleaning gambrel you set up. That makes a lot of sense. You should have great eats gor a while with those two deer. Do anything special with the doe loins?
 
Merry Christmas Larry!
Cool system! And it works. I bet you could use lighter ratchet straps.
We actually have a large number of scaup on Tampa Bay, I might break down and get my license and hunt in January.
 
Dani,
I like simple when it comes to cooking good meat.

Olive oil, kosher salt and fresh pepper, grilled to 125 degrees or so. I might add a rub on some pieces.

Be well,
Larry
 
Carl,
Think about what you just said: "I might go out and buy a license." You would never have said that when you were in Mobile hunting Mobile Bay. Your license would have been purchased long before season. Change of location and change in migration affects our hunting habits.

Yes about using lighter ratchet straps. I had those handy.

Peace,

Larry
 
Quote: "I thought how blessed I am to even think of doing this at 67."
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]
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[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] Larry,
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]My thoughts exactly (although my number is a bit higher [;)] ).
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Congrats on another deer AND on the successful implementation of your plan and the eqipment you devised. [/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Thought you might appreciates a pic of something you authored, that gets carried in the "possibles box" in my boat to be referenced at the start of every season. Looks like I added this particular copy to my files in 2014, but I know the originals dated back quite a few years earlier to the old MLB Forum days.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]It's become part of my first hunt of the season ritual and always been a good way to start each season on the first trip out, and to reflect on some of the good people I've met and interacted with through Duckboats ( Lee, Steve, Howard, Duane, etc.) as well as to be grateful for the privelege of being able to return to the marshes for another season.[/font]


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Larry, if the terrain isn't too bad or cluttered with woody debris, you might look at a rolling deer cart. They are a back saver for sure and great on fire breaks or old skid roads
 
Bob,
Thank you for your words and I am glad to hear you are still chugging along... and even taking a beautiful pintail drake or two down on the Ohio.

Blessed Christmas to all the Furia family. Your ringneck still graces a favored spot in my study.

Bless you brother,
Larry
 
Yep, the move to Tampa and new job has definitely put the brakes on waterfowl hunting.
New phase in life
 
Larry Eckart said:
Merry Christmas; Second Deer; Testing a Portable Gambrell System

I thought how blessed I am to even think of doing this at 67. One of my friends the same age said, ?Larry, you are crazier than me!?

Good crazy!

I hope you had a great holiday as well. Congrats on the deer Larry. Just one deer for me this year so like you I'm blessed at 66 and looking at next year already, God willing, and the creek don't rise as they say. Nice contraption you have there. I'm still field dressing the old fashion way. I may have to try that. I did get a battery powered hoist this year to move the deer. Thankfully I can still drag one but I don't want to quit just because I can't so I'm experimenting with options.
 
Congratulations on your hunt, Larry. I used to hunt off hwy 98, on the gamelands in that area. It's nice country, I think, even if heavily used. That was back in the early 90s. I saw on your profile that you're a retired Lutheran pastor. I'm a Lenoir-Rhyne graduate (1986) and grew up in the ELCA, myself. along the banks of the south fork of the Catawba river.

Hope you had a merry Christmas, and will have a good, happy new year.
 
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