Hauling out a coyote

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peterk1234

Member
Those of you that may hike in a couple of miles and have to go through some more challenging terrain, how do you haul your animal out? Are you taking the whole animal or do you skin it in the field?

One particular area I have in mind has a steep nasty climb up right from the road and then numerous other climbs depending on how far I go. And it blows doing it in the dark, which I've done plenty of times with animals on my back. So I know the route, but it still blows.
 
With no value these days, I generally don’t worry about getting them out. If I was in it for fur I would skin in the field most often. I have taken a short length of paracord and tied front and rear feet together and carried like a purse more or less over my shoulder. You’ll stink, and probably catch fleas and ticks, but if you’re going to mount it you probably don’t want to drag it for miles.
 
Carry a plastic bag and skin in the field. I pack a a pair of knives, use my drag rope to hang them, I find hanging that easier than skinning them on the ground. Fence posts, road signs, gate crossbars, windmills have all been used to skin out coyotes. Country with trees make things a lot easier. Even when I'm driving I try to skin in the field, it is easier than skinning at home and then driving the carcasses back out to dispose of them.
 
New member and first post here, despite lurking for a long while. I made this when I was keeping fur. Takes up very little space and really protected guard hair and such when dragging them out. Please forgive my bush league sketch.

It’s pretty self explanatory in use. I used a really light tarp. Installed grommets where I have paracord zipping through. I stagger the length of the drag ropes so the heads are in a staggered position. It wraps up nice and tight around the coyotes and slides super easy on snow. I’ve had three in there at once and fits that many big coyotes really nice. I have drag ropes that just clip on the waist belt of my pack. Drag ropes on a handle would still work well too. Much nicer going hands free though. Especially on a longer drag or pulling up a hill.
 

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You are describing my hunting. I hunt huge blocks of public land. It is all timbered, rugged, steep ridges and deep hollers, ect. Though it probably isn't as productive as running and gunning Forest Service roads, I like to hike my way through a 4-5 mile loop, calling as I go. Find a good pack; Eberlestock and Mystery Ranch packs have worked well for me. Take a trash bag and a can of flea and tick spray. I hang them up, skin, roll the hide, spray some flea killer in the bag, put the hide in, roll it tight, and tie it off.
 
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I use a short length of paracord tied to the end of a strap the kind that comes with a new trail cam. Easier on the hands when dragging. Loop the paracord around the nose and the front canines, that keeps the loop from sliding off. Makes for a streamlined drag, fur isn’t worth anything anyway.
 
Yeah Ive always seen guys do that and unless its snow or something its not good for the hide. Theres a lot of great hand drags out there nowdays but I dont really understand why were even dragging coyotes anywhere at all? Hides, contests, getting them out of a property, farmers field, bountys, lining up to take pics, it looks cool?
 
Pirogue said:
Let em lay.
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I want the hide for myself. Started doing my own tanning. Next step is to make things out of the hide. I'm one of those weirdos that hates to just kill things. I kill it, I try to use at least some of it. If it's edible, I use all of it. Don't get me wrong, if the hide is in bad shape I will leave it there, knowing I saved a fawn or two, or ten.

Heck, I've even eaten a rattlesnake😁
 
Haha, when I started back trapping about 10yrs ago I saved everything that first year and skin it all out with plans to sell green. I was thinking of 1979-1982 money where as 10-12yr old kids we were getting close to $800-1,000 every two weeks selling green!

Talk about a reality check when I went to sell!!!

$.50 - .75 for coons used to be $15-20

$2-3 for coyotes…no comparison cause we didn’t have them back then

$6-8 for bobcats although I did get $10 for one but used to get $80-110

$1-2 for Gray fox used to be $45-60 for Reds

Since that time everything gets tossed. I do save my really nice cats for folks that want to get one mounted. Thankfully I get paid to take critters cause there’s no money in their fur for me.
 
I carry a rope and a skinning kit in my pack. Hang them from a tree and skin them in the field. Carry only the fur out. Easier to skin when they are still warm rather than after I drag them to the truck and bring them home. I also keep a cooler with ice packs in the truck to put the fur in. I have almost no issue with hair slippage when I tan them anymore after doing it like this.
 
hunt0168 said:
With no value these days, I generally don’t worry about getting them out. If I was in it for fur I would skin in the field most often. I have taken a short length of paracord and tied front and rear feet together and carried like a purse more or less over my shoulder. You’ll stink, and probably catch fleas and ticks, but if you’re going to mount it you probably don’t want to drag it for miles.
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I've carried them out the same way a few times. Usually wind up with blood on my pant leg in addition to the fleas.
 
My wife made me a Drag Bag. She made it with two layers of blue plastic cheap tarps, and the top was made out of a stretchy nylon netting and a draw string of P cord. It is about the size of a large pillowcase. After I use it, I turn it inside out and, the next time I use it, it rubs off all the coyote yuck from the time before.Two dogs fit in side comletly covered. It folds up very small and fits nicely in my ground pounder coyete seat pack. I do carry a dog chocker caller to hold the rear feet of a coyote, then hang it over a fence post if I want to skin them in the bush.
 
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