RE: After it's down questions...Elk
So far the only animal that I de-boned at the kill sight was my Yukon moose, and even at that, it still took 9 packs to get him to a pick up point.
To me, it's easier to simply strap the hind 1/4's and front shoulder on packs with the bones, and easy to hang them. Loose meat in one back, front shoulders in one bag, and each hind 1/4 in a bag each. 4 packs, and if antlers/cape are involved, they get strapped on with the loose meat pack since it's usually the least heavy out of the 4. We've never lost any meat doing it this way, including the elk in archery season.