Goat hunting rickshaw

[joecool911]

If you google image "rickshaw", you'll get all kinda of ideas on making a cart to hook a goat to and haul a lot more than 50#. I'm thinking that a quarter of an elk could be set in a rickshaw. If snowing, why not just a sled of some kind and a rope? Goats are great for deer, but elk pose a problem due to their size and need to balance a load. I'm leaning towards training to pull a cart or sled for elk hunting to avoid boning out. Sanitation becomes an issue when boning in the field.

[Huckleberry]

I agree, we boned out some meat in the field for the first time this fall and were not happy the results. It was too wet and didn't dry out in the game bags like it does when you have the whole quarter in the game bag. Also made it harder to clean/process. We bought a big sled from Cabelas and I though about teaching the boys to pull it. I also read about teaching them to pull a travois in one of Carolyn Eddy's books. I think I've read they can pull three times their weight. If we get any snow soon I may have to see what they got

[Sanhestar]

sled, travois (make sure you built it right, especially in snow), pulka.

sled and pulka restrict you ability to move through difficult terrain. Travois needs a saddle and you need to adjust the breaststrap differently.

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check out this old video I made when getting fir branches with a travois.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_g8k27v1cc

You can see several mistakes there:

I had to loosen the breaststrap for the way back under load because it would ride to high up on the neck and restrict breathing. In my opinion the standard breaststrap is also too small to support pulling over a longer period of time. Nox had to pull with the girth, something that never, ever should happen. It was just ok on even ground but you can see how he had to struggle uphill in the second part of the video.

Necessary changes:

- padding the breast strap wide and thick enough.
- the breast strap has to run in a V-shape and has to be secured between the front legs to the girth. Look at how western horse saddles are secured against sliding back.

The loading plattform of the travois was too low to the ground. The plattforms have to ride higher to avoid strain on the back of the goat and also that the plattform catches on stumps or stones or, like in our case, on high snow.

[Nanno]

I like the sled idea. Goats are such great pullers. The one problem with sleds is that they tend to be tippy on a slope or if they sideswipe a bush, rock, whatever. They also like to run over your goat when he goes down a hill. You want a rope on the back so someone behind can stabilize it on rough terrain and hold it back going downhill.

[Sanhestar]

someone who will brake from behind or the sled is pulled with shafts plus a breeching harness for the goat.

[Huckleberry]

That's a really cool video, I remember seeing it in the past on the previous forum. Good information also!

The sled we bought has pretty high sides, but having someone in the back is a great idea. The area we hunt in doesn't see much snow during hunting season though so I think the rickshaw or travois would be a better bet, especially during archery season for my husband.

[Agastya02]

I completely agree—this fall we tried boning out some meat in the field for the first time and were disappointed with the results. The meat didn’t dry out properly in the game bags since it was too wet, unlike when you have the whole quarter in a bag. It also made cleaning and processing much tougher. We ended up buying a big sled from Cabela’s, and I’m considering teaching the boys to pull it. I also came across the idea of using a travois in one of Carolyn Eddy’s books. I’ve heard that they can pull up to three times their weight. If we get some snow soon, I might just put that to the test and see what they’re capable of! ?kolkata ff