Field Dress a Moose when you are alone

[adrianvip]

Hi Guys. Usually when I go with my body hunting we field dress a moose the regular way by taking the stomach out and hole nine yards but this year he can't come so I will be on my own and I realized the challenge if I shoot something. I was wondering how you guys deal with a big game when you are alone. I know 99% of hunters does not go alone but due to the circumstances I'm interested on the one that take a chance. I was planning to cut the legs, neck and the back muscle and do my best to load it on the truck or ATV. I know how heavy is a moose leg so not even sure that I can lift it without a hitch or something similar. I'm not interested on the ribs and the hart or leaver it's Ok but not if I have to spend an extra 2 hours on the dark to get it.

[decker9]

If I was alone, and couldent use a chain fall or come along to get him in the truck whole, I'd consider using the gutless method, just have game bags and a tarp ready, and maybe a Micky for after the shot! ;)

[steel_ram]

Lots of rope and a come along. I shot a moose that was 100 yard from the road. Field dressing is no big deal, unless the animal slips into a hole or something. I inched it to the high side of the road, then backed the truck into the ditch and then used the come along to flip it in. Watch out for the back window.;)

[dakoda62]

Gutless method is the way to go if your by yourself, debone and leave everything in the bush. We deboned both our moose this year and they fit nicely into 14 canvas game bags.

[hare_assassin]

I'd be offering half a moose to anyone willing to assist, or going with the "gutless" method.

Hell, even with 4 guys an adult moose is a shitload of work.

[Gateholio]

Alone or with others, the gutless is the best method 90% of the time.

[Ron.C]

too easy. Just break it down to managable loads. No need to be wrestling a full moose, or very large quarters by yourself if its too much. Bring plenty of game bags and turn 4 large quarters in 8 smaller bags of meat. Great to be set up to do this especially when you run out of winch line, or you are hunting solo.

also, better be prepared to work in the dark if you want to hunt solo. Chances of dropping your game with enough daylight to get all quarters out before dark is slim if you want to hunt that last couple hours of daylight. This is especially true when you are talking big critters like moose/elk

[BlacktailStalker]

Gutless is your friend and so is rope to tie off/hold legs etc for you while working.

[adrianvip]

Ok so two questions, First can I split a quarter in two and still not get in trouble with the conservation officer? Second most of the gutless method consist on taking the entire skin off then cut the quarters. If I shoot on the morning and I have plenty of light to do the work that's exactly what I will do but when is done at night will that work if I just cut the quarters out with the skin that I will take care of next morning and skin only the back to take the tenderloins or it will make it harder to cut this way?

[Ron.C]

Ok so two questions, First can I split a quarter in two and still not get in trouble with the conservation officer? Second most of the gutless method consist on taking the entire skin off then cut the quarters. If I shoot on the morning and I have plenty of light to do the work that's exactly what I will do but when is done at night will that work if I just cut the quarters out with the skin that I will take care of next morning and skin only the back to take the tenderloins or it will make it harder to cut this way?


leave proof of sex/ chunk of hide attached to the each rear quarter. This can also be left attached to a portion of meat if you have to bone out the quarter for easier transport. I got checked by a CO doing this with an elk and had no issues. I personally prefer to remove the hide during the quartering process.

[srupp]

my last solo drive in moose hunt I used the atv to drag the moose onto a logging rd..then quartered the moose on a tarp and rolled the quarter onto the edge of the atv ramp and then one roll further up lifted the end of the ramp and slid it mostly into the bed./.rolled the 1/4 off the aluminum ramp...repeated 3 more times...for fly in hunts its gutless method and then packframe.. Steven

[Hillbros_96]

Since I just experienced this, it is a difficult decision. I would try for the gutless method for sure. If there are trees around of sufficient length and width to anchor to, I would even try to hang him to gut and skin (which is what I grew up with hunting elk in Alberta with quads). Seperating the legs at the hip bones and removing the shoulder and legs made it much more easier to handle. It was all I could do to lift them onto the back of my quad, and then into the front of my trailer. This coming from a farm boy to beat. I took 12 tarps up with me and ended up using 9 of them when it was all said in done. The best thing I did was open one of my small ones 5x7 and put all my supplies on it. The knives, saws, anything I used went right back on the tarp when done. In the dark, it made searching for anything much easier.

[slashhunter]

sorry to hear that you've had to do that project on your own..

[rocksteady]

I did the.gutless method on my elk on Monday, by myself, I had it ready to go for packboards and game cart in less than an hour...

Its a bugger trying to hold up a leg to cut a hip socket, but its worth it...

Good knives are essential. I used my new Outdoor Edge swingblade. Worked awesome...

[roadhunter.338]

I did this once by myself with a moose. I quartered it, then cut the fronts in half by removing the shoulder. I left the skin on to keep the meat clean as I dragged it out to the canoe, then I rolled it into the canoe. Once I got back to my launching off point, I backed my quad into the lake and dragged the pieces from the canoe up onto the quad. I was soaking wet by the time I finished but it wasn't cold out. I shot the moose at first light. Overall, it took a half a day to get it back to camp. Two days for my back to recover.

[magnumjeff]

a piece of rope and get ur done

[Moose Guide]

Ok so two questions, First can I split a quarter in two and still not get in trouble with the conservation officer? Second most of the gutless method consist on taking the entire skin off then cut the quarters. If I shoot on the morning and I have plenty of light to do the work that's exactly what I will do but when is done at night will that work if I just cut the quarters out with the skin that I will take care of next morning and skin only the back to take the tenderloins or it will make it harder to cut this way?

Are you planning on leaving 100 lbs of neck and belly meat in the bush???

[Darksith]

lots of options for you. Debone, gutless. If you are by yourself but with a quad you could build a skid/drag and roll it onto that to get it back to the truck. Or simply drag it back to the truck, put rear wheels in ditch. where theres a will theres a way. Deboning is probably your best bet though. Make game bags out of bed sheets

[Daybreak]

Somewhat on topic here.... could someone refresh me as to which ribs you cut between to properly quarter a moose?

[betteroffishing]

4th and 5th me thinks. i have a cheap black plastic sled which i ran a length of rope around for even distribution of pulling force which comes along with me on all hunts , especially sollos. havent needed it for recovery yet , but if i ever do , ill have it.

[308Lover]

I cut a moose into 6 pieces if I have to. 4 quarters, saddle, and brisket. If you want to save the front end minus the quarters, I suggest cutting the ribs down short, otherwise, just cut out the backstraps. There is some waste, but not much .I have dressed out at least a dozen moose, alone, in my life and packed them out.I have had to kneel down to get the pack straps on, then roll over to stand up with a hind quarter on.If you are in reasonable shape, it's no big deal. See our old post 2 old farts exlent adventure. I never do gutless, but have propped my moose on their backs using logs and rope, cut through the brisket and dragged out the innards.Messy maybe, but it's old school.

[308Lover]

PS I skinned all my moose down to the ground on each side, the rolled them over when front and hind quarter is off. Looking into the cavity you will see on each side of the spine where the filet comes to a point. I cut down on that rib on each side before cutting into halves.

[M.Dean]

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Photo_s_014_Medium_.jpgWell, this is how I handled a Moose all alone. If you do have a Quad, pull the bike up to the downed Moose, tie a rope, or winch cable to one of it's hind legs, give it a tug until the belly region is easy to work on, you may have to tie the opposite leg to a tree, brush or what ever. I take the front leg and bend it up until I can hook it behind the horns, tying it is a great idea, thats a lot of hoof to get smacked in the yap with! Now, gut the critter! You can use a whole pile of different methods, I use the old way, by half crawling inside the Moose! Now, drag the Moose and load it in the Quad trailer, by your self! With this one I ran the winch cable as high as I could reach behind the tree, then back down to the Moose, Dam that sounds easy eh??? After this tree fell over on me and the Quad, I moved every thing over to the next tree and winched the front half into the trailer, that sounds real easy too, eh? a side note, the horns got jammed real good once I got the Bull into the trailer, so like a fool, with all the pressure still on the cable I grabbed the stuck horn and reffed on it so as to slide it in, well, the horn went in, but my bloody hand was stuck between the trailer and the horn! Thank God I managed to get it out, would have being a long and lonely night chewing through my wrist to free my hand! So, I guess the morel to this whole story is "Never Moose Hunt Alone"!!! Killing and cleaning, and loading a Moose alone is possible, so take a good camera, a come a long and lots of light cable, I find rope stretches to much pulling a Moose, by the time the rope is done stretching and the Moose starts moving, your at the end of the winch line or come a long cable. Oh yea, being in decent shape is highly recommended, I'm not and I swear a few times over the course of that day, my heart stopped more than once! Good Luck, take lots of photos and we'll look forward to hearing your Moose hunting adventure story's when you return!