ORIGINAL: Waterproof
I don't gut an elk if I can help it. I skin it and bone it out on the spot and pack it out boned out. I can walk you through real easy how to do that with an elk if you would like.
Lay Elk on side and cut the hide from the meat out straight up the backbone from the anus to however far up the neck you want the meat. Then cut across the neck towards the brisket down the brisket, across the stomach towards the anus in a straight line. Once you get the hide all cut in half then make a down the back of the rear leg to the knee, cut around the knee. Cut from the spine across the front shoulder down to the front knee and around the front knee. Then skin the hide off the elk leaving it laying on its side, lay the hide out like a blanket, skinside up, hair to groundand start the deboning process. From the rear leg I just cut between the muscle groups to the bone and then roll the whole leg meat off the femur like a giant roast. Lay meat on hide and then do the same with the front leg. Then remove front leg bone by cutting away shoulder blade. Cut off backstrap and any additional cuts of meat you may want from the ribs. Make a small incision near the backbone between the last rib and the back hip to get to tenderloin inside the rib cage if you want that. Roll animal over repeat skinning process and deboning process on that side. When you are done meat is all laid out so it can cool evenly, and you can load up packs as necessary to remove meat.
You saved me a ton of typing here waterproof. If I want to have it mountedalso I will cape out the head and cut the horns out. The skull stays. I used to gut it but figured it was a waste of time and I could be far into boning the elk out by the time i gutted it. By not taking out the guts, it saved me time and also reduced the chances of bacteria on my knife. If I am by myself with no help, I can usually have the job done in about an hour and a half. At the end of august or early september, it is still pretty warm and it is good to pop the seams on the meat and get the temperature down. We do everything on foot and it is nice not to carry any more weight than you have to.
We have been known to stray far from camp which is already in the middle of east Jesus. Everyone carries 1-2 game bags and knives in their day pack. When a bull goes down, we take pictures and start boning on the spot without having to make a trip back and forth to camp to get our packs. The meat goes into the sacks and the topof the sack gets tied to a bottom corner of the sack. We can then drape the sack over our body and take off walking. Getting the elk out is a one trip deal with 3 guys. We load the meat on our frames at camp and go the rest of the way.
By boning the elk, It saves me from having to pack anything but a couple of knives and one small saw for the horns only. If I didn't know how to cape the head, I could still pop the head off at the atlas axis joint. It is at the base of the skull and is much like the ball socket on the leg only it goes one direction. Out of the 20+ bulls we have pulled out ofour drainage, not one has spoiled. If the temperature is too hot for the meat to make the trip, we have been known to utilize the creek and bring the meat out in the wee hours of the morning. Thats what I love about elk hunting, there is no watch, no timeclock, you do what you have to, when you have to. There is plenty of time for rest when you get done.