You know what, Jeff mattingly, you ARE wrong. So you’re going to sit and putz with setting up ropes and 2 way pulley system and anchoring this system to 2 different trees, and once you finally have it all set up, then you can start pulling… when you could just pull the tether, start the engine and hit the throttle. By the way, the machine tops out at 70 pounds, pulls like it’s 40-50. It’s so easy. It’s not just “a dolly with and engine on it”. There is so much more to it. There are teeth that dig down, so that you don’t need to dick around with anchoring it to anything. You don’t need a significant amount of upper body strength to be able to operate it. There are gears in place that ensure the rope winds up nicely and pulls out the same way. There is a clasp on the end that can be hooked around the deer’s neck or to a sled, such as the otter sled mentioned in the original question posted.
Just because this isn’t a beneficial machine for you, doesn’t mean it won’t be helpful to other people.
Example #1 of why you are wrong: I like it because, frankly, I’m going to pull the “I’m a girl” excuse. I don’t have much upper body strength. I can barely pull 70 pounds back on my bow, so you know damn well, I (the average female) can’t pull even a small 110 pound deer out by myself without a massive amount of backbreaking hassle, if I can do it at all because I hunt in a ravine (Wild apple trees galore, I’d be an idiot not to hunt there.) The Lil Skidder gives me autonomy as hunter that I didn’t have without it. I can go out in the woods and shoot a deer and I don’t have to be that little girl and call daddy to come and help me. That is why I like it. That is why it is a good investment for ME.
Example #2 of why you’re wrong: I know someone who was an avid hunter before an accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He’s still an avid hunter, but with this machine, he doesn’t have to call someone to help him. He has that freedom back that he lost 15/20 years ago when he lost the use of his legs. He saw this machine in its prototype-not-yet-patented days and wanted to steel the idea because he liked it so much.
Now these are just two examples of myself and one other that have physical limitations that keep them from fully enjoying a sport that they love. You don’t need a physical impairment to use it. Love hunting, but hate the work it takes to get the deer out. Use this machine. No mess, no ropes to untangle. Just start it up and go. I’ve seen young men, without any physical impairments, whom I hunt with, that love this machine because despite your presumptive accusations, cuts down on the time it takes to pull a deer out of the woods by hand.
So, seriously, dude, it may not be the right machine for the landscape that you hunt on. Here’s a crazy idea, if it is not going to benefit you, don’t buy it. But, don’t cut it down and make it seem like a useless piece of crap simply because it doesn’t benefit you personally. That doesn’t mean that it’s not right for someone else or won’t be a successful invention.
