How well might even a wheelbarrow work to haul out a smaller deer like a doe? Can one man load a deer like this into an ordinary contractor wheelbarrow?
https://oodmag.com/ways-transport-deer-pinch/
View attachment 209718
Hell, get yourself a little red wagon. If it has wheels, it'll work. We used to drag em out on a slick tarp.
4x4's are nice to have, but in Oklahoma, there's no real value to offset the cost. 4x4 is less agile on slick roads that a 2wd/fwd vehicle in those rare and short instances we have slushy/icy weather. I wouldn't want to drive a nice vehicle through scrub either. Do what we rednecks do, buy an old 4x4. Older the better. Something you won't care about scratching up and staining with blood. We have an old Jeep with a big rack on the back. Stupid easy to work on, rarely have to. Put gas in and go.