Originally Posted by flags

I've killed 25 elk and I have never drug an elk a single foot. I carry a pack frame and at lest 4 game bags. I bone them where they hit the ground and leave the hide, guts, head and bones there. Coyotes have to eat too and that's their share. I seldom bring out antlers unless required by law.

I can completely bone an elk in less than 2 hrs with only a knife. You don't even have to gut it if you know what you're doing. Edible meat on most animals is about 40% of the live weight. Hide, head, blood, bones, hooves and gut comprise around 60%. So, an elk like that, which is probably around 600 lbs live weight can be reduced to about 240 lbs of boned meat. This means 4 trips packing with a 60 lb pack. Not too hard to do. If you have the pack frame with you, the first load comes out while you're headed to the truck.