• Personally, I use a Cabela’s Electronic Cable Hoist for hanging my game. This hoist comes in three different sizes - 440 lbs, 880 lbs and 1320 lbs. The variation in sizes accommodates a wide variety of big game animals with ease - hogs, deer, pronghorns and elk. Even better, they are very affordable making this option readily available and realistic for a lot of hunters. The mounting system is simple and can be installed in under an hour. The only other necessary piece of equipment is a gambrel. Once you have the legs secured on the gambrel, you simply press the up button on the hoist remote and watch as your game is lifted effortlessly off the ground. The hoist holds it securely without slipping, so you can skin, field dress and butcher without a problem, moving it up and down as you see fit while working.


• If you don’t have a hoist, then a manual hoist and gambrel system is a smart investment and one that can be used season after season. Cabela’s Heavy Duty Hoist and Gambrel system is only $40 and can handle up to 1,000 pounds. The 4x4 hoist reduces the strain of deadlifting an animal and it served me well in the years before I picked up the electronic cable hoist.


• Now if you don’t have a hoist and gambrel system, then having a decent amount of lead in your pants is an advantage! This is where you can often find redneck ingenuity on full display. First of all, start with a decent rope. There is nothing worse than getting your animal 3 feet off the ground and having the rope bust or unravel as your animal plummets to the ground. With a rope attached to the gambrel and animal on one end and then thrown over a tree limb, rafter or some other elevated support, you then have to find a way to lift your animal and tie it off. To accomplish this, you’ll need several friends or family members that are willing to lend a hand, their strength and overall body weight, to deadlift your animal. You could also just attach the rope to the bumper or ball on your vehicle and slowly back up until the animal reaches the desired height. I say “vehicle” but use the term very broadly - remember how I previously mentioned “redneck ingenuity”. Of course, we’ve all seen people use trucks and SUVs to hoist their animals, but I’ve also witnessed cars, minivans and even a beefed-up riding lawn mower trying to accomplish this task. I applaud the creative approach. It doesn’t matter how you do it, only that you are able to get it done!

Having versatile equipment that you can use on a variety of game animals will save you time, money and a whole lot of frustration. What equipment do you use to hang your wild game?

Hugs, Handshakes and Happy Hoisting

Trav