Customer Testimonials and Stories

Marlin Overton, Anaconda - Here is a photo of my 43rd elk coming out, the first one to get a ride in my new cart. I tied his legs in and then reefed his head and neck around and tied it down to the opposite side of the cart so that it balanced the cart perfectly. The cart was awesome, turning a 4-hour drag for four men into a one-hour trip powered by two old guys. I know hindsight is 20/20, but I wish I had purchased one of your carts 25 years ago. I did a few additions to make it ready for anything. I put a tool kit near the rear end that contains enough stuff to either break the cart down completely or break the elk down completely. I also put a nice waist belt on to help the guy in front pull with his hips, which works really well. I feel I need to comment one more time on how amazingly well the cart worked. Thank you.

Sean Christian of Fort Collins, Colorado - I wanted to first say what an awesome product you have! We've only been using this for two years but the nine elk we have pulled out have been made 10 times easier with this product. With that said, our hunting buddy that owns the cart might not be joining us in the future as he is moving out of state. Is there a possibility for pick-up? I only ask because I live here in Fort Collins as well and it seems a little funny to waste money shipping an item a few miles to the south.

Dan Plante - Hello Dick, We borrowed your cart last elk season from a hunter next to our camp and will not hunt elk again without one. We will be ordering soon but first I have a question. I'm 6'4" and my partner is 5'10" so was wondering what size of offset handles to get. Thanks for your help and a great product.

Mike Keller, Yakima - Hello, I have one of your totes that I have had for about 15 years. It is awesome! I just ordered some accessories: 2 1/2 handle risers and the cargo liner. I wanted to confirm that the ship to address is [...]. Thanks.

Jesse Struckhoff of Fort Collins, Colorado - Hello Dick, The Game tote worked great!. The picture is on our way out of spike camp. We have a quartered cow elk wrapped in a tarp on the bottom. We were able to haul our quartered elk and entire spike camp in one trip. Thanks again.

Chris Kamoske of Loveland, Colorado - Hello Dick, I hope this email finds you well. I'm the detective from Loveland Police that purchased your son's Game Tote in September. Your Game Tote took out two bulls for us this year. The first bull was my friends. This was a huge 6X9 bull weighing close to a 1000 pounds. This bull officially scored a 365. He was taken with a bow and was shot in some nasty blow down. We had to cut our way in to the bull with a chainsaw. We quartered up this elk and put all of him on the Game Tote and walked him right to the four wheelers to take him back to camp. It would have been a big chore if it was not for your carrier. I then shot a second bull which was also a 6X6 this time at timberline. This bull was 2.5 miles from where we parked our truck. We walked the Game Tote right to this bull. We loaded all the quarters on the Game Tote and walked him through downed timber, through wet boggy areas and up and down steep terrain. Needless to say, we had no problems of any kind. When we got back to the truck we were contacted by 3 bow hunters who had shot a bull moose but could not find him. Because we were not worn out by taking out my bull we helped search for 3 hours to help our fellow bow hunter's locate their bull moose. I'm confident in telling you that if it was not for the use of your product we would not have had all of my bull back to the truck so quickly and we would have been too tired to help with the recovery of the bull moose. I will be taking my Game Tote with me whitetail hunting this week. This is the best hunting product I have purchased in years. Thanks.

Jeff Maynard of Pocatello, Idaho - In regards to my Game Tote– I live and hunt in the rugged mountains of Idaho. I purchased the Game Tote 6 or 7 years ago, and couldn’t be more pleased. A few of my friends have witnessed the Game Tote in action, and have purchased Game Totes for themselves. There is simply no comparison with any other game cart out there. If you live in the flat-lands, the cheap carts sold by the big box stores may work for you – but if you hunt anywhere in the West, on rocky, steep, timbered mountainous country – the Game Tote is the only game cart built for this environment. To date, I have hauled out several deer and 7 or 8 elk with my cart. I have also ‘loaned’ the cart out to a few friends who have needed to get animals out of far reaching places. As they continue to limit the use of ATV’s for hunting (which I applaud), the game cart becomes more of a necessity. I own horses that are capable of packing – but honestly – I don’t want to deal with all the headaches associated with taking care of horses while I am on a week long hunt. With the Game Tote, I am confident that I can retrieve just about any animal from any location that I can reasonably hike to. Fortunately most my hunting is done going uphill – so most of my retrieves with the Game Tote are downhill. These carts can take some serious abuse – the largest load to date was a very large 6 point bull elk. We brought it out whole (minus the head) – 3 ½ miles – using game trails. This animal taxed our skill levels with the cart, and we tipped the cart over a few times, primarily because one of us trips because we are moving too fast for the load we have – but the cart holds up – and keeps on chugging. My only complaint with the cart over the years, has been the handles are a bit too low for me. I am 6’2” tall, and I need to squat just a bit at times to keep the loaded cart on plane. I was pleased to see that they now offer height adjusters for the cart! Sincerely, Jeff Maynard

The Esquibel Boys and Friends, Colorado - It's taken me awhile to find the time to send you an email about how awesome the game tote has been. We purchased a fully assembled and powder coated game tote in 2005. We've been using it ever since. Before the game tote we had a magnum hauler from that big outdoors store in Nebraska. Our first attempt at using the hauler was an epic failure. While crossing through sage brush , the spokes bent and broke inside the wheel. We thought it would be better if we added dual wheels to both sides, another failure. Then we finally retired it after 2004 when we had to leave it broken down in the woods, while using pack boards to get the 6x5 bull out of the woods.

In 2005, we came to our senses and bought the best game cart we could find. We looked and researched all options including most that can be found on your game cart review page of the website.

Since the first time we used the game tote in 2005, and every season since, we've been happier than can be with the game tote. The only modifications we've made have been putting on better grips, and having the tire filled solid. We took the motorcycle tire to a local shop and had the guys fill it with foam. With that we've never had to even think about a flat in the woods.

Attached you will see the results of the 5 years of our hunting lives with game tote. You may notice that some of the photos don't have the entire carcass on them. There is some rough terrain where we hunt. It is easier/faster to quarter the animals and use pack boards to get to where the game tote can easily take the load the rest of the way out. We load all of the quarters on the game tote and away we go!

The photos will tell the rest of the story. As you can see it is often me and my brother who do the hard work of getting the animals out. Several in our hunting party prefer to have the young bucks do the heavy lifting (lucky them!) My brother and all of our friends who've used the game tote are amazed at how well it works. It has made our packing lives much easier. Our fastest time getting a whole bull elk off the mountain was in 2009. We were able to get the game tote right up to the bull and then had only a short pack out. We even made back in time to watch the Rockies playoff game that night.

We are looking at possibly getting another game tote. Either way I hope you enjoy the story of our lives with game tote. I thank you for making such a great product!

The Esquibel Boys and Friends - Colorado

Thanks so much!

“The secret to their success”, Jon says, is "getting up earlier than most, going further, being more focused and putting in the time.”

Jeff Walbye of Fort Collins, Colorado - “A friend let us borrow his GameTote to haul a 6 X 6 back to the truck. What a time saver. It makes travel over rough terrain easier. We went over deadfall & through a marsh, a mile in about 30 minutes. You don’t have to quarter the elk. Throw them on whole and take them out. Later that day we used the cart for two more elk. The experience sold me.”

Vince Stark of Denver, Colorado - “We bought a cart from you 10 yrs ago. As our group grew larger we came back for a second one. We have found the cart to be very durable and easy to maneuver in the rugged terrain of the Rockies. The single wheel design is perfect for crossing hillsides. The large motorcycle wheel helps the heavy load roll easier over obstacles. The hand brake is a nice added feature for traversing down hills. We looked at other carts that were lesser in price, lesser in features and lesser in quality. After 10 years we can’t imagine taking any other game cart with us on our hunting trips”

Ray Mayer of Carpinteria, California - “We have been using your GameTote for several years now. We have taken out five bull elk whole on public land across dead falls, up the hill, down the hill, across the ditch, you name it. A horse works better but the GameTote can definitely be a timesaver.

I’d have to say our last bull taken in Idaho 2008 was the toughest - about 2 miles up a canyon and down in a hole. We had to go side hill uphill a ways across deadfalls and ditches, then side hill downhill across a mud bog/ditch to the quad trail then thru the thorn bushes. We had six guys working, one on each handle and one on either side. We got her done but there were a few spills, etc.

We had the short guys in back and the tall guys in front for the down hill. My back was killing me so I tied off a rope to the handle and put a strap across my neck and chest. This really took the load of my low back. We realized that if the handles in back stood taller and the handles in front were lower the guys could stand up and not have to hunch over. Then we thought what if there were two or three different hand positions, that would really help.”

Danny Hammond of Elgin, Oregon - “We have used the GameTote several times.” On one occasion “a very dear hunting partner and friend, who was undergoing cancer treatment…and wanted to be a part of he pack out of a very large branched antler buck deer. He felt he had strength for part of the pack. So we loaded Bob onto the cart and packed him to the deer and he helped with the pack out. If this seems a little far out, we took videos of that day, for it ended up being Bob’s last hunt. We gave the tape to his 12 year old son.”

“A night pack of an elk, had us thinking of putting flashlight attachments on the Game Tote. But instead, we used a 3rd person to light the way as Jerry and I rolled the elk out over small obstacles with ease.”

“The last trip out, my wife and I were the only two at the scene to pack out our 6 X 5 Bull Elk. This was the biggest game we have packed out with the cart. After taking out the cape and branched antler rack, it took 3 more trips to get the rest of the elk out of the forest. My wife is quite small and I had to use extra upward strength pushing from the rear to keep her on the ground as we tried to keep the weight even. As darkness fell, again flashlights came into play.”

Bob Christian of Pittsford, Vermont - “After having to carry out of the woods two whitetails on a wood pole, enough of this nonsense. Then in March of 2003 (found you in Bugle Magazine), I purchase my cart, and it has been the most popular tool in camp after a hunt. We have used it for two black bears and fifteen or more whitetails.”

Mike Keller of Vancouver, Washington - “My partner and I purchased a GameTote kit several years ago. We have since hauled eight elk and numerous deer. It is the best $250 we have ever spent.

In a November muzzleloader hunt, my partner and I shot two elk out of the same herd. In typical elk fashion one of them had to go for a long run before it decided to drop, about a mile away. We were already about two miles into a walk in area (in about a foot of snow). Bottom line, within 6 hours the two of us got both elk to the truck.

One thing we have done that helps a lot, is that we have rigged a set of pull straps that fit over the front guy's shoulders, backpack style. It has a length adjustment so you can quickly make it fit anyone. We have found that if the guys in front can pull with this harness, thereby taking that pulling force off his hands and arms, both guys can just concentrate on balance and you can really cover ground.”

Joel Scrafford - Your GameTote also works for sheep. I would have had a better photo but there were only two of us coming down a steep hill. Many thanks.

A California hunter, after opening his new GameTote, called and ordered another for use on his farm and to have in reserve. “When you find something this good”, he said, “you’d better get another one before they go out of business”.

“My experiences with GameTote” by Walt Forster of Loveland, Colorado

2000 – I purchased the GameTote in May. After 6 years of trying I drew a cow moose tag. During the 5 days before the season I had no luck spotting moose or finding any good sign.

On day 5 of the season I was hunting alone. I flipped a coin and decided to walk a trail into the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness area. About noon I harvested a cow. I was four and a half miles into the wilderness area and alone. This moose was so heavy that I had to use a pulley tied to a tree just to turn it over so I could field dress it. I called my son on my cell phone and he arrived about 7 am on Saturday morning to help me get the moose back to my truck.

We were able to get it out in only two trips. The raw hide was so heavy that it took both of us to lift it. We took out the rear half on the first trip, the front half and the hide on the second. We had walked about 18 miles and hauled a whole moose out in just five and a half hours. I think it would have taken us over 3 days to pack it out on our backs. I am sure we would have had to cut the hide in half.

2001 – We were elk hunting on “our plateau” in the White River National Forest. There were 7 of us in camp. Hunting had been bleak in all our usual places. On the third day my friend Gary and I wandered off to an area none of us had hunted before. The route we took was about a mile down hill to a valley about a half mile wide and two and a half miles long. I left Gary at the edge of the valley, walked to the end, climbed a rather steep, heavily wooded hill and found a nice large meadow.

I was looking for a place to sit down and eat lunch when I spotted and harvested a 5 X 5 bull. I called Gary on the radio. He picked up the GameTote and with my sons we loaded the whole bull and headed out. I was on the back and had control of the brake and one of my sons had the down hill end. The first half mile was a steep down hill through a heavily wooded area with dead fall and strewn logs from a previous logging operation.

The GameTote was very maneuverable through this timber and the brake was a great help on this steep section. I was relieved by my other son for the 2 ½ mile trek through the valley. Gary and I carried all the back packs and guns. By the time we got to the mile long uphill the rest of our camp had arrived and helped us get the elk up to the truck.

We had transported this whole bull elk over 4 miles through some rough terrain and up a long uphill in about 2 hours. This area has been closed off to all vehicular access for over 10 years. I can’t imagine how we would have gotten this elk out without the GameTote.

2002 – There were 5 of us in camp. We were hunting in our usual spots and in the first two days harvested 3 elk. Day three, just before dark, Jim and I were in the cook shack preparing dinner when my sons arrived in camp asking for help. They had shot two cow elk from the top of the cliff. We field dressed them by lantern light. After breakfast the next morning we decided to take the GameTote down the shallowest part of the cliff, an angle of about 60 degrees.

According to my range finder, the elk were about 368 yards down hill, which according to my calculator was about 956 vertical feet. It is quite a struggle for 5 of us to lift an elk 3 ½ feet to get it into my truck. Just thinking about 956 feet of lifting seemed impossible.

Our technique was to take the GameTote across the steep hill much like a skier would traverse a steep slope. We used one person on the back and one person on the front of the GameTote. Another person was behind the lower person acting as a safety in case he should fall. We then attached a long hemp rope loop to the front of the carrier and our other two people stepped into the loop, put the rope on their waist and helped pull the carrier up hill. We were 6 to 8 feet in front of the carrier.

The GameTote is hell for stout and has a great brake. We would not have been able to bring the elk uphill without the brake. Brakes are more important going uphill because it allows you to take a rest break.

The first elk came up OK but by the time we started up the hill with the second elk the sun had melted the Eastern facing slope. The mud was quite slick – just a half inch of slime. Even so, we got both whole elk out in about 2 hours. The GameTote saved the day and a heck of a lot of work.

2003 – I shot a 5 X 5 bull elk in the bottom of the same pit that I described above. This bull was heavier than either of the cow elk. We used the same technique but had to stop for rest more often. But again the GameTote saved the day.

We did have a bit of a problem though. After we got the bull loaded on the carrier we found that the tire was flat. We easily removed the wheel, without removing the elk from the carrier, and carried it up to the truck to inflate it. This slowed down the whole operation, so it took us about 3 hours to bring this bull up the hill. Still, this is much, much easier than quartering it and back packing it out.”