Granted, squirrels are not big animals, and there’s not a lot of physical labor involved in hauling them through the woods after they’re shot. But it can be a pain.
Hunters can either wear a game vest, which can be hot in the early season. Or they can make their own squirrel hauler.
This means no more carrying squirrels by the tails through the woods, dropping them when a shot opportunity arises, gathering them up, and taking off again.
Field & Stream‘s Will Brantley has instructions to make your very own squirrel hauler.
I’m not the handy project type. Show me plans for a DIY piece of gear that requires precise measuring, cutting, and sanding, and I’ll show you something that I’ll gladly pay an extra $5 for at Bass Pro. For me, DIY gear must be both truly useful and truly easy to make. I know of no piece of hunting gear more worthy of that description than the coat-hanger squirrel tote. With a Leatherman (or even just a pair of needle-nosed pliers with cutters) and a wire coat hanger, you can make two of these totes in about a minute. I like to hone the straight side of my totes to a point with a file, but that step isn’t absolutely necessary.
Using these totes in the woods is easy. When you shoot a squirrel, simply open the tote, pierce the wire through the back leg (that’s where having it sharpened to a point helps), and then close it back. It may be easiest to poke a hole through the squirrel’s leg with a pocketknife. You can then clip the tote to a belt loop or a pack so that you can carry your squirrels hands-free. These totes work pretty well with rabbits, too… [continued]
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