threw my back out loading up my opening day buck this year...old age is creeping up on me! Anyway, thinking about mounting a winch in the bed of the truck and a scrap piece of board to use as a ramp, but wondering if anyone else has a better solution?

I have a trailer hitch hoist that works for me after I use it to gut it

Been there. I like the loaders that mount into the trailer hitch with a winch on them. They rotate and one person can load a big deer with a minimum of effort. Loader can be hauled in the truck bed and mounted as needed.

I have often considered one of the trailer hitch loaders, but they looked flimsy...what exactly are ya'll using?

I got one at Buckees that is rated for 400 lbs. Cabellas has one that is similar. A THF member also makes/sells them.

Sure beats wrestling/dancing with a big deer to get it loaded.

Im young enough, and sting enough to drag a mature deer into a truck bed. But I started using a hoist 2 years ago after attempting to load a deer and slipping, falling on my butt on the tailgate and then onto the ground flat on my back. I laid there, having hot my head on the deers head, gasping for air. That was the last time I’d try that alone.

Similar thing happened the year prior while loading corn into a tall feeder. I had to stand on the bed rails of the truck to be able to throw 50lbs of corn into the feeder that was still over my head. A few bags in, I slipped and fell into the truck bed, dropping 50lbs of corn on my gut. So I built a stand an fill feeder.

I learned a lot hunting in Africa, them boys can make loading a Kudu in the back of a Toyota look easy. They have a piece of channel iron that connects to the brushguard and one on the headache rack with a roller . They run the winch line through the rollers, get the head on the tail gate and winch um in the truck.

No more than I shoot anymore I don’t have to worry about loading much anything.

My Dad got a hoist, and he loves it. I found getting the hoist hooked up a bigger pain than loading the deer. However, I had my and I am in my 40s and my cousin is in his 50s. We can lift most anything out at our place at least once. May want to look at getting a hitch hauler. Still got to lift the deer, just not as high.

Hitch mounted game hoist. Bought this off a forum member but I can load deer, feed corn from the road feeder and load/unload my generator which weighs over 120 lbs by myself. Looks kinda stupid but it works. Loaded two 150+ lb deer this last weekend with it. This one is made by monarch hunting products.


And/or get a small trailer similar to what harbor freight sells. IIRC they are like 200-250$ and are perfect to load a deer but not much else.

A friend of mine gave me some flat strap hoops. I put them around the deer’s head and get over the tailgate then I put the ring around my waist and just walk towards the cab. I can get a deer up to 175lbs by myself. Bigger than that I put them on a receiver hitch basket.

For a long time I managed to load deer and hogs into the bed of my truck by myself, but not anymore. I decided some time back to start considering my age and make some adjustments to my loading. I put together a simple little affair out of a boat winch I picked up at a swap meet for about 10 bucks and have loaded a lot of animals with it. I have loaded a number of hogs in the 300 lb. range by myself with no problems. I have found it I get the head of the animal high enough, I can easily pick up the hind feet and swing the carcass onto the tailgate.

My daughter told me to start working out so I installed small Warn winch in the bed of my truck near the cab.

I pick 'em up and hang 'em with my front end loader...1 handed operation and haven't sprained my wrist or thrown out my back yet. LOL

Small cheap block & tackle.

I use a piece of plywood to tie the deer to. It functions as a sled so I can drag it with the truck to a place like a small hill or ditch where the back wheels can drop down and make the tailgate closer to the ground. Also having the deer on the board makes it easier to handle, just get the front edge on the tailgate and then slide it in the rest of the way. I do have a ATV winch that I want to mount in the bed to make it all super easy, but haven't gotten around to designing the mount yet..

Shoot smaller deer

the easiest way (for me) has been cut the deer up, put the pieces in
freezer bags, and put them in the cooler in the back of the truck.
this year especially, the blankety-blankin' deer was too heavy to pick
up by myself, so after ******* around with it for 45 minutes, i went back
up and got the tractor and the deer rode back up on the top of the
shredder. a whole lot easier than trying to lift the heavy thing up into
the back of the truck.
one year, the tractor battery was dead, so the riding mower got to
drag it back to where i could cut it up.

Viking Solutions L-E-Vator Portable Deer Lift

Found this a few weeks back for my pop.

I found a really easy way to load deer in the back of pick up. I just kept an aluminum 6ft. ladder in the back of the truck....or left it at the lease. All you have to do is lay the deer on the ladder and pick one end up to tailgate and push the other end up and it slides right in. Also works for a sled if you need to drag a deer any distance.

Since I hit 70 and the grandsons weren't always with me I had to find a way to get them loaded!!

Gonna pay attention to this thread. I used to be able to get the head of the deer just on top of the tailgate while the rest was on the ground, hold it there while I hop up in the bed of the truck, then grab a hold of the antlers and pull it up in the bed with me. Same thing I do on the ATV to get it onto the back.

But, I got my old man card... went and bought a cap for my truck. Sunday I found out that ain't very convenient when trying to load one up. I managed by laying back into the bed, but I'd rather not do that again since it ends up on my legs. Got deer juice all in my snake boots.

Front end loader has got to be the easiest I have found.

Something I miss about my old 1994 half ton chevy, you could sit on the tailgate without jumping and it was a piece of cake to throw a deer in the back. Last deer I loaded into a truck was my dad's 2018 RAM 3500 4x4... it might be a foot and a half higher than my old namesake chevy.

Good idea

Sportsmans Guide hitch mounted winch. Been using it for years, think it's rated at 400lbs. Easy one man loading. I also gut mine while hanging. Easy peasy!

Its nice to have a teenage son that thinks he's tough and I got one 3yrs younger.

Essential equipment.


This one is home made, very well built. Breaks down into two pieces, the bottom has round stock welded in place so the top part of the mast swivels, winch him up, swivel it to the bed, let him down. The bottom piece is tubing and where it slides into the receiver there are two pieces of angle iron inside making that part almost like solid bar.