Good to see another meat hunter like myself pay'n some attention to the end result of a good hunt, the meat. Seems like too many just pack it out and drag it to the packing house to satisfy the law. When comes time to eat it, kinda like Christmas, open it up and see what you got. If it don't eat right then they musta gave me someone elses meat! Two years later it all goes out in the mornin' trash 'cept for what was gave away, whata waste! You don't want to know what really goes on behind the slaugher house door! Better to handle your own meat, big savings too. Debone in the field, better for the meat 'n lighter to carry. Cut and wrap your own if you want high quality elk meat. Handlin' the meat yourself shows respect to the life you just took. Checked out the "field dressing without gutting" link a few posts back, kinda like how the meat comes off the critter quicker an' is coolin' while you'd still be hacken bone and pullen guts the old way.