Best way to pack out an Elk

[Mikey Rafiki]

Looking for some suggestions on the best way to pack out a bull elk in one trip with 3 guys. Assuming pack out is fairly steep downhill, only skull required and not a freakishly massive bull. Is this even possible?

Would you debone, drag quarters, or cut it in half and roll it down the mountain? I got a 3 man crew for the bow season, and I wanted to see if anyone else has done this before.

Thanks!

[835]

Me,
I would pull off the shoulders, bone out shins and cut off at the knees. Same with hinds.
Then bone out the wrest, Backstraps ribs neck tenderloin everything else.
three guys and 4 loads, you might get that into three packs. You need pack boards though.

There is the gutless method. Put "Gutless" into the serch function, you should get some hits.

[Blacktail]

yup
you are gonna need frame packs
bone out the meat and put it in game bags to keep it clean
like they say the work only begins once the animal is down

[eastkoot]

To do it right and take all the meat, not leaving anything to waste, your not going to get 3 packs that your hunting buddies can handle. Look at it when it's laying there!!!!. No way without wasting something. 4 packs 70-80 per pack. Anyone who tells you different is wasting meat!!! Done 35 or so with 3-4 guys and that's the way it is...Maybe I'm old and tired??

[hunter1947]

I have step packed out many elk go with a hind quarter for about 200 yards go back and get another quarter ,if back a long ways take the back straps off each side and leave the ribs attached to the back bone in the bush ,carve off as much meat as you can from the shoulder and neck area and put the meat into a meat bag....

Exsample.....
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/1258.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:;)

[835]

I have also heard ( never needed to do this)
But Gut skin and quarter your animal and pack it like H1947 says 200 yds away and go back for the others. Bring all the quarters to this spot away from the gut pile. Aparently bears will go to the guts first rather then a skinned and cleaned quarter in a bag. This way when you come back for your next quarter there is a less of a chance of a bear being there.

Dont know for sure, I've managed all my moose whole but it makes sense to me.

[Mikey Rafiki]

Thanks for the info so far.

I figured with 3 guys and the steep terrain it would be dangerous to overload and end up going for a tumble. If the elk is down early in the morning I would definitely take 2 trips and make the pack weight more manageable.

If it's later in the day I really don't want to leave anything over night with the heat and the grizz in the area. So it's either work your way down like Wayne suggested, or pack out what you can and try to hang the rest over night.

[CanuckShooter]

Depending on the terrain you could use a game cart?? Guys I hunted with once had them built with one motorcycle wheel with brakes, handles front and back like a stretcher.....was told they work pretty good on game trails coming down off the hills.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/cart-resize.jpg

[Big Lew]

Pretty much as Wayne says, before you go, make sure you have plenty of heavy duty game bags big enough for elk or moose quarters, lots of good cord, and stout frame packs. I have packed deer. bear, and moose from way back this way. Cut everyone that's packing a good walking stick to help with your balance,, and to assist making your way downhill. I'm wary of leaving parts of an animal while carrying a quarter all the way out, I'd rather leap frog everything along (it gives you a bit of a rest between loads as well)

[bozzdrywall]

In all my pack trips it takes 4 packs to bring out an elk. 2 for the hide quarters one for the front shoulders and one for the rack and scrap bits of meat. This is just how I have done it. I guess if you debone the meat you could cut it down to 3 packs but they will be heavy. The front shoulders of an elk bone in are about 125 lbs on the pack so cut out 15 pounds for bone and hide your still pretty heavy

[evhunter]

If you want to "do it right", after you kill an elk, which may be the hardest part of bow hunting,... GUT THE THING! Yah, I know, a novel idea! Cut the head off and each leg at the hock . With hide on, cut the carcass in half (across the spine) 3 ribs from the back. Expose the spine (lengthwise, now) leaving the hide on, using a good bone saw, cut the length of spine from stem to stern. And now you have a quartered elk! Skin each quarter, and place in game bags or cheese cloth. Strap each to a pack frame and you're on your way!!

For me that is the best way to ready an elk for packing, simply because I want the finest cut and quality of meat that I can get from an elk. At this point, it's ready to hang AND age in a cooler. I process as I would beef,... steaks, roasts, stewing, ground, sausage and jerky. I just can't get this from field de-boning.

With 3 guys, wanting to make 1 trip, I'll leave the hind quarters intact, and de-bone the fronts. Every elk is different in size, a spike bull is very manageable, a 2 year old "rag horn" is a step up and a mature bull is a handful! There's no better feeling in the hunting world than leaning back on the tailgate of the truck with a full load of meat!!! Have fun and good luck...

[Mikey Rafiki]

The few spots I have picked out are in some pretty steep and rocky terrain where you would need your hands to pull yourself up or occasionally crawl down backwards. However, one of them is a ways up a road closure so one of those game carts would be a dream once your on the road.

I really like to keep the bone in there for the processing too, so I would rather do 2 trips, or leap frog, than have to de-bone.


Depending on the terrain you could use a game cart?? Guys I hunted with once had them built with one motorcycle wheel with brakes, handles front and back like a stretcher.....was told they work pretty good on game trails coming down off the hills.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/cart-resize.jpg

[moosinaround]

Remotely, I would bone it out in the field. Close to the road or ATV access I would bring it out whole halved or quartered. 100lb pack on slopes is a tough SOB of a trip, but when you get to the truck it sure feels good!!! The meat "Tastes" better if you gotta pack em out too!! I did it for the first time this year on the pack board. Moosin

[kennyj]

De-bone,divy up,pack.
kenny

[todbartell]

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/18672_215624457991_512917991_3204557_8076873_n.jpg

[CanuckShooter]

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/18672_215624457991_512917991_3204557_8076873_n.jpg

YIKES.....a good way to get an antler rip up the arse end!!! This works for a pack too.....and not much chance of getting antler jabbed!!~!!

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Puggins07_004.jpg (javascript:;)

[mark]

Start off by saying, I didnt read all the replies!

To answer your question, yes, 3 "strong" guys in good shape can pack out an entire 6 pt. elk in 1 trip!!!
Bring a small bone saw, so you can cut out the antlers from the skull, removes a ton of weight!!!!!
Completely, 100% bone out the animal, and split evenly into 3 large pillow cases, then into really good pack frames, should be aproxx 120 lbs each!
We did 2 huge elk last year with 4 guys, my elk in the last set of pics was done with 3 guys....all in very rough terrain, tons of blowdown!
Browse this thread for some pics!
http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?57498-My-crews-2010-elk-season!

[finngun]

if it is fairly steep downhill,and there is frost on graund.. take guts out of animal and use is as sleigh...slide down mountanside and make sure your buddys are making video out of it.. it will be hilarious....[im getting better than jello-bello]

but seriously happy hunting...http://www.huntingbc.ca/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gifhttp://www.huntingbc.ca/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif