Solo Pack Outs for Large Games, Any Tips / Stories?

[KimberKid]

Planning a Solo Elk/Moose hunt this upcoming fall. One thing that has been bothering me is the potential pack out. I am just wondering if you guys have any tips and/or stories of packing out large game solo. What types of quality gear do I need to potentially upgrade on or bring, what is the best way to dress the animal, what should my time allocation be for the distance from the truck, etc and just any other tips you guys have!
Thanks

[tinhorse]

I would really look at the timing of the hunt and the potential weather conditions. It will play a major roll as to how fast you need to get your harvest out. Early solo hunts where you take a large animal down back 5 km plus is a struggle for sure. Not just dealing with heat, but mosquitoes and fly's as well. have a good pack frame, knowledge of deboning and meat care, and be prepared to do it over a couple days if needed. Have bags for the meat to go in and hang up before and after transporting and a way to keep it cool.... furthest I have gone with a moose is only 2.5 km. It was cold (+2 out) so I didn't have to rush. Also, good knees and a strong back are key!

[decker9]

Last fall on a fly in moose hunt with my dad, he shot a big old bull about 2km from the lake, the evening before fly out day. We knocked the guts out and returned in the morning.

Dad and the pilot and I took the 4 quarters off, then trimmed everything else off and into game bags. The plan was for dad and the pilot to ferry camp out that day, and I’d pack the moose to the lake and be the last one to fly out. After breaking the moose down, dad hauled a quarter and the pilot hauled a small backpack of meat back to the lake, and I hauled the rest. 6 trips it took me and my dog (would have been 7-8 without dad and the pilot’s loads) to get everything back to the lake including antlers attatched to the head still. It was a hell of a tough day a couple 120+Lb loads, but the thought of a full freezer overpowered the sore back and legs.

The best item I had to make it tolerable, was my Kifaru pack with the cargo panel and poles. Over the 6 trips, my dog hauled around 80 lbs of it also.

Id recommend the gutless method if your solo, and take a good size tarp to lay your quarters and meat on. My hike out was all moose meadow and a bit down hill, if it were bush and or uphill, I wouldn’t have got it out in one day.
With the right mindset and experience, it’s easily possible to do solo.

[Wild one]

Everyone has their personal limits so I can’t judge what you can do. If you’re worried about it train for it and you will increase what you are capable of and find your limits as well. Go for a hike with a wieghted pack and you will get an idea of what your willing to do

game bags, rope, pack, and good boots are a must. If you are unsure you will make it out that day break it down small into game bags. Pack out all you can that day and run the rest up a tree away from the gut pile/carcass. Come back the next morning and finish packing

Biggest thing watch where you hike into and it’s much easier to hike up hill empty

I really need to remember to take my own advice of the last line lol

[Jordan f.]

A good pack, solid boots, trekking poles.... and knowing your personal limits.

[dakoda62]

Get in tip top physical shape, Good pack, boots. Debone.

[monasheemountainman]

my recommendation would be not to do it solo lol....find a buddy to come with you even if he isnt a hunter...definitely do gutless method. good packs, it took 2 of us 3 trips, to pack a fully boned moose out 3 km from camp in relatively easy terrain. 12 hours from the time we pulled the trigger to when we hung the last game bag.

[chris]

I haven't seen it mentioned yet. Keep an eye out for bears. If it takes a couple hours round trip between loads it gives plenty of time for a hungry animal to claim your kill. Approach slowly and scan the area each trip. Otherwise just cut it into manageable pieces and giver. I almost only solo hunt. It's way easier to take 3 light trips than 2 heavy ones.

[TreeStandMan]

Maybe get an Argo. I've got one for sale if you're interested ;)

[john-brennan]

Get in tip top physical shape, Good pack, boots. Debone.

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[two-feet]

Bears, heat and injury are the potential problems. I figure 8 trips to haul out an entire large moose, it can be brutal with a team of guys let alone solo. If you can pull it off, you da man!

[wos]

Seriously think about how far back you are and where the animal may end up before you pull the trigger. Hiking poles are a must and i usually have a game cart at the tree line. Hang your meat high in a tree(a difficult task solo) and always approach the kill area and your meat cache with caution and a loaded gun. Be ready for your feet to hurt.

[pg83]

Planning a Solo Elk/Moose hunt this upcoming fall. One thing that has been bothering me is the potential pack out. I am just wondering if you guys have any tips and/or stories of packing out large game solo. What types of quality gear do I need to potentially upgrade on or bring, what is the best way to dress the animal, what should my time allocation be for the distance from the truck, etc and just any other tips you guys have!
Thanks

Things to consider before anything else:

Your mental state
Your physical abilities

Leave the ego at the door and be truthful to yourself. Once you are set on those it is simply about safety and meat care:

Time of year: Hot temperatures and flies are your enemy, tarps and quality game bags will only do so much.
Distance/terrain: How far back and what type of country will dictate how many trips it's going to take.
Location: Doesn't really matter where you're hunting, be bear aware.
Gear: It's been said again and again, buy the best you can afford. For packing heavy loads over distance your boots and pack need to be solid. Accessories like poles are great, but not essential.


Field Dressing: I personally go with the gutless method because it is cleaner and quicker for me. I like to make stock so I keep a lot of the bones which adds weight but also keeps the loads less floppy. It's going to take longer to dress the animal solo, so factor it in.


Hope that helps.

[Keta1969]

More things to consider

Have you broken down animals for packing before?
Think about the time of day. Personally if it was late afternoon and a bit of a trek back and I was solo I would pass on a moose size animal.
Get a good pack and while I haven't used them poles would help.
Be mentally prepared it is always more work than you think. One thing I've learned is on a difficult pack out(and none of them are easy) having just 1 more person can be a huge boost mentally as you can keep encouraging each other to git her done.
Good flashlight and headlamp with spare batteries.
Physical shape is important but in my experience the will to do it is #1. You will always do more than you think you can.

[Huevos]

Is this hunt a backpack hunt? You can do a solo hunt off an atv or truck. If you are new to the game, stick closer to a road or trail that you can use to retrieve game. I figure a mature bull moose should be 8 to 10 trips. I have never personally done it in more than 6. If you are solo, the most important thing you can have is some kind of communication device. If you hurt yourself, you may not be able to get out on your own. My dad and uncle were packing out an elk one time and my uncle tripped and wedged himself in between two trees. He was stuck with a quarter on top of him. My dad helped him get out after he stopped laughing at him. Not funny if you are alone. I know that is a one off, but be prepared for things to go wrong. Get a good pack, and load it up before you go out.
Another thing to consider is the weather. If it is mid september and 20 degrees out, you don't have a lot of time, but mid october with a little snow, you could take 2 days to get out an animal. Good luck

[horshur]

Read the regulations on evidence of sex and species...keep you loads to your ability or a bit heavy..watch videos of gutless and boneless dressing..go for it! God hates a coward!

[Huevos]

Just thinking of packing out a moose. Does anyone else feel like they are floating after you take a moose quarter off your back???

[pg83]

Just thinking of packing out a moose. Does anyone else feel like they are floating after you take a moose quarter off your back???

Not moose specific, but it's always a good feeling when you get the weight off.

[mpotzold]

Been there done that!
-used Trapper Nelson pack. (100 lbs+ per trip)

-have a roll of orange/pink/red flagging. Flag the area of the kill site in a circle about 2 feet high. If disturbed when coming back get ready for a bear charge.

-listen & look for birds & other animals carefully

-carry non edible parts to another area

-mark a trail with flagging

-have your rifle ready-chambered and within easy reach while field dressing frequently looking behind your back.

-make plenty of vocal noise.

-carry a flashlight with spare batteries

-be prepared to spend the night away from camp.

-carry a SPOT & a Garmin GPS(or equivalent)

-small saw, a small hatchet, knives & a sharpener.

-extra rope + plastic bags

[HarryToolips]

Not moose specific, but it's always a good feeling when you get the weight off.
Not moose specifically for me either, but yes, once the pack is off, you feel like you can leap to the clouds....all very good advice by many hunters more experienced than I, as Mpotzold made a lot of good points, to elaborate on some of those: rifle chambered safety on is very important along with being hyper aware as your dressing the downed animal - I also now set up my pack alarm around the site....poles I find very helpful, even for mini breaks as your packing out meat, for me I found that while using the poles I could hunch over for a mini break while holding the poles to give some of my tired muscles 'mini breaks'...

[Ron.C]

I think the biggest factor is being honest with yourself and knowing your own limitations before you pull the trigger. Waiting to get a big animal down is not the time to learn this. If you found it a bag drive getting into the area to hunt, consider carefully the thought of doing that in and out 4 more times with 100+ pounds. Do you have that in you? And will the weather accommodate taking this much time. Terrain is also huge.

My most brutal packout by myself was an elk that was only a km from the truck. Was a miserable slog down into a ravine to get into the area that the elk were using to get to water. For me , it was through peckerpole bush over/under deadfalls that nearly killed me getting that elk out. I can tell you I wasn't proud of myself or patting myself on the back when that chore was done.

[albravo2]

Hiking poles are the most important piece of kit for the mission you have described. They help prevent injury and will increase your endurance. You can use them as shooting sticks too.

[swampthing]

Yes it can be done. When I was younger and stronger I located 2 large bull moose up above treeline about 5km from the trailhead. I wanted to shoot one but continued on looking for a smaller caribou or elk. That afternoon on my way back to the trail head I past these moose again. The gun went off! That massive droptine bull was a handful. This was the first day of a 7 day hunt. It took 5 full days [8hr round trip] to carry that bull off the mountain and I had help for 2 of those days. I got drunk every night, ate big meals and slept in each morning to lessen the pain.On the 6th day I shot a caribou 200 yards from my moose kill and carried it out in one trip. I was in VERY good shape in those days but my gear/pack system wasn't the best. Have good gear and above all a pack that carries weight well. I left a stinky shirt at my kill site and had de-boned all the meat and had it in game bags a little ways from the kill site. This was late august and it was cold enough each night that the meat was fine. Use quality game bags and have fun!

[sizedoes matter]

Did an elk solo once. Worst day of my hunting life. It’s was less than a km. But down in a shithole from hell. Lol.
Problem is that when solo is you only have two hands. This one piled up in some blow down Took 1.5 hrs just too get the brush and logs cut just to get at it. Then gutting,quartering skinning bagging. Fn hands and back were sore and tired before I even started packing. 4 trips and 11 hours later had it up to the quad. Then 2 45 min trips down the mountain to the truck I was on my way home.

Best tip I have is don’t go solo. Lol

[ryanb]

Remove all meat from moose/elk then ferry it all 3-400 yards from the kill (in the direction of the packout) before you start packing it out. The carcass is more likely to attract bears than the meat and this way you minimize the time you spend revisiting the attractant. Plus you are getting started on the packout.

[358mag]

To bad that dear Fisher-Dude isn't posting anymore sure he would have some great advise .
IIRC one of his best tips were to always shoot moose in the rut, as in wheel ruts .

[Brno22F]

I have heard it said many times that there are only 2 places to shoot a moose.
1. in the neck
and
2. on the road
I am lucky enough to be able to hunt within and hour or 2 drive from home if I draw an LEH for moose.
Most often, I just hunt with a day pack and enough gear to get the animal gutted and quartered (if necessary)
I have left numerous moose in the bush overnight. They have been gutted(minimum) or gutted/skinned/quartered and hung(maximum)
Returning the next day with some helping hands to retrieve the animal.
Alone is do-able but my experience and age tell me "Don't do it that way". One more word of advice- many hands make light work.
I have many pieces of what my brother calls 'extraction gear'. A quad. A lewis Winch. A snowmobile skimmer(sled). Chain saw. Game cart.Skimmer (sled) and cable, blocks (pulleys). Depending on the circumstance and where the animal hits the ground, we are prepared to go get it and have options other than my packboard which is the very last resort.
I did one moose with a packboard when I was in my late 20's. I would never do it again.

[Husky7mm]

Yes it can be done. When I was younger and stronger I located 2 large bull moose up above treeline about 5km from the trailhead. I wanted to shoot one but continued on looking for a smaller caribou or elk. That afternoon on my way back to the trail head I past these moose again. The gun went off! That massive droptine bull was a handful. This was the first day of a 7 day hunt. It took 5 full days [8hr round trip] to carry that bull off the mountain and I had help for 2 of those days. I got drunk every night, ate big meals and slept in each morning to lessen the pain.On the 6th day I shot a caribou 200 yards from my moose kill and carried it out in one trip. I was in VERY good shape in those days but my gear/pack system wasn't the best. Have good gear and above all a pack that carries weight well. I left a stinky shirt at my kill site and had de-boned all the meat and had it in game bags a little ways from the kill site. This was late august and it was cold enough each night that the meat was fine. Use quality game bags and have fun!
Bet now when you look back you remember it as one of the best hunts.
Pretty cool place, moose, caribou and elk all in one place.

[pappy]

I always do the gutless method, de-bone if needed and if I am by myself then I leap frog the game bags away from the gut pile at least 100 yards. After moving the game bags into an easy to view area then I start leap frogging farther distances. If I need to come back overnight then I leave a shirt as mentioned earlier and I continue the same way in the morning. I always have had my inreach and keep your gun handy. With that said so far I haven't had any animal problems.

[ForealBoreal]

..........

[zippermouth]

probably the best piece of advise, just because you can pack it doesnt mean you should. i would do more trips with lighter weight than fewer heavy loads. (i should learn to take my advise more seriously. ) moose are really big. they are a lot of work just to skin butcher and deal with solo. i killed a moose this year, it was slightly down hill all the way to the bull. about 1km maybe slightly further. needed to cut a trail the last 400 yards to the bull as it was a blowdown jungle. once the trail was in it took 8 trips out to get the bull out. it was right around 1-5 degrees so we had all the time in the world to get the bull out. i killed the bull at about 9am, my dad and i had the trail cut, moose packaged in sacking, and moved about 300 yards from the gutpile that day. this was in hopes if a grizzly came across the kill he would smell the gutpile and head there over the meat. the next day we started packing and finished up around noon. here is a breakdown of what we took. my dad is having hip issues so his packs were around 65 pounds, he did one trip at around 80lbs with a total of 4 to the quad. i did 4 trips as well, my loads were around 120-150lbs per trip. i didnt debone the hind quarters, but we de boned the fronts. i prefer to hang meat bone in and this was around 1km so a relatively easy pack in terms of backpack hunting that is why i left the bone in the hinds.

[mpotzold]

probably the best piece of advise, just because you can pack it doesnt mean you should. i would do more trips with lighter weight than fewer heavy loads. (i should learn to take my advise more seriously. ) moose are really big. they are a lot of work just to skin butcher and deal with solo. i killed a moose this year, it was slightly down hill all the way to the bull. about 1km maybe slightly further. needed to cut a trail the last 400 yards to the bull as it was a blowdown jungle. once the trail was in it took 8 trips out to get the bull out. it was right around 1-5 degrees so we had all the time in the world to get the bull out. i killed the bull at about 9am, my dad and i had the trail cut, moose packaged in sacking, and moved about 300 yards from the gutpile that day. this was in hopes if a grizzly came across the kill he would smell the gutpile and head there over the meat. the next day we started packing and finished up around noon. here is a breakdown of what we took. my dad is having hip issues so his packs were around 65 pounds, he did one trip at around 80lbs with a total of 4 to the quad. i did 4 trips as well, my loads were around 120-150lbs per trip. i didnt debone the hind quarters, but we de boned the fronts. i prefer to hang meat bone in and this was around 1km so a relatively easy pack in terms of backpack hunting that is why i left the bone in the hinds.

When I hunt solo I almost always walk uphill from a road/trail/clearing & then zigzag my way back even when hunting deer. If you're in good shape carrying 100+ lbs is not that difficult-done it many times up to about 2 km. +

Good quality boots for full support are a must. Be extra careful when snowy, icy, slippery, large rocks, loose rocks, muddy, tree roots & steep areas. Take your time!

Carry a hatchet within easy reach to clear trail.

The only visitors I/we ever had while retrieving moose were whisky jacks usually feeding on the intestines.That is because we were armed & ready.:mrgreen:

One time the moose was shot in the afternoon about 2 km. from camp. Had to come back the next day a few times.
The wolves were howling in the night close by & there were fresh grizzly tracks by the road but the flagging circling the moose was untouched.

[mpotzold]

Hiking poles are the most important piece of kit for the mission you have described. They help prevent injury and will increase your endurance. You can use them as shooting sticks too.

Good post! Got me thinking!:-)(no I ain't a warmist):roll:

Never used walking poles but after reading & watching videos would definitely consider getting a pair when hiking in the mountains or packing out game in difficult terrain.

The Trekking Pole Advantage
http://hunt.kuiu.com/?p=576

No doubt a handy tool- JH uses an ice axe trekking pole.
https://wwd.com/menswear-news/mens-sportswear/gallery/kuiu-sets-its-sights-on-high-end-hunting-enthusiasts-10866284/#!5/looks-from-the-kuiu-collection-5


Poles used during sheep hunt-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wNVqJzlDaw

Ice Axe/Trekking pole- In steep country having an ice axe to catch you if you slip could save your life.
http://blogkuiu.azurewebsites.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/7984-1.jpg

[KimberKid]

When I hunt solo I almost always walk uphill from a road/trail/clearing & then zigzag my way back even when hunting deer. If you're in good shape carrying 100+ lbs is not that difficult-done it many times up to about 2 km. +

Good quality boots for full support are a must. Be extra careful when snowy, icy, slippery, large rocks, loose rocks, muddy, tree roots & steep areas. Take your time!

Carry a hatchet within easy reach to clear trail.

The only visitors I/we ever had while retrieving moose were whisky jacks usually feeding on the intestines.That is because we were armed & ready.:mrgreen:

One time the moose was shot in the afternoon about 2 km. from camp. Had to come back the next day a few times.
The wolves were howling in the night close by & there were fresh grizzly tracks by the road but the flagging circling the moose was untouched.

Wait so you flag the remains if your forced to come back later/overnight to see if Grizzlies have moved into the area? That is a very very very good idea and something I have been somewhat worried about, I have read some very sad stories of people getting mauled when they find their animal the following day.