NYhunterAF

i'm new to hunting out west, and will hopefully get the chance to do some elk hunting over the next few years. if i do, it will be self guided and i was wondering what you do with an elk once you kill one? back east, if you kill a 120lb whitetail you just gut it and drag it out, but if you take a 350lb elk, and say i was on public land which i couldnt drive i vehicle onto, whats the best way to get it out? is it better to just take part of it and not the whole thing?

salukipv1

all depends on the state/regulations. Also how far from the road that elk drops.....

I think the best thing to be prepared to do is to pack it out on your back, that means having a nice pack frame/backpack.

Rather than gutting the animal, I've seen a guy kinda lay the animal on its side and cut from the top of the back down.....cutting off al lthe meat etc...from the bone......seemed like the least amount of work, I have it on video, i'm sur eyou can find it online how to cut up an elk that way.

Some states though allow you to drive to your animal, though good luck with a truck, an atv is more likely, some states require an off road sticker/license for your vehicle if you are going to be doing that. Though more and more states are banning atv's, some still allow for the retreaval of game I believe, you should be prepared to cut up your elk and put it on your back and hike it out. Also some states you can be fined/charged with crimes if you do not retrieve meat, I believe thats teh case in CO. Im sure other states probably have similar laws as well. I think they require you to remove at least the hind quarters.....

Some guys really worry about where they shoot an animal, for that hike back...etc....maybe one day that will be me, but not having harvested many animals yet, I see a shooter, he's going down, and I'll worry about the rest later.

So I def recommend a pack frame/backpack, the proper tools, ie knives/saws, and knowing how to dress an animal.....

Alsatian

If you take a mature bull elk and cut up the meat at the kill site, taking only meat and leaving all bones, you are liable to walk away with about 200 LBS of deboned meat. I think there is more weight invovled than you are thinking. I'm guessing a mature bull elk can weight 700 LBS and more live weight.

In most states it is against the law to abandon good meat -- the backstraps, the rear quarters, the front quarters would certainly quality, and in some states rib meat and neck meat may be viewed as requiring harvest. It is not an option to just carry out what you can carry in one trip and abandon the rest. Anyone who observes you doing this will promptly report you to the authorities, I would speculate.

There are two general approaches to getting an elk out from a kill site. One is to gut the beast, leave the skin on, and cut the elk into quarters -- two rear quarters cut down the middle of the back from somewhere forward of the pelvis, two rear quarters cut down the middle of the back somewhere around where the neck meets the chest. These quarters may weigh as much as 100 LBS each and may be packed out two quaters to a horse or one quarter on a pack frame on a strong man's back. Another option is to remove the skin and remove the meat from the bones, taking only the meat. This will reduce your load considerably and is advisable for those packing out the meat on their back. Leaving the skin on helps keep the meat clean and moist; but if you are packing it out on your back, every extra pound wasted carrying out products you won't cook is ill advised and should be eliminated.

Redclub

What we do is, bone out the meat,only thing you need a saw for is to remove horns. Use a outsideframe backpack and get it to where you can use a 2 wheel game carrier,almost all elk places have old logging roads, National forests have all but abandoned the use of ATV'S except on certain trails. It is easy (even for an ol'timer) to haul an elk on a game carrier'
Redclub

beech18

First, you need to be more concerned about killing one. Being a first timer and going DIY, and a deer hunter. Read as much as you can and watch as many videos as you can as this question really doesnt matter if you dont kill one first.Highly recommend though getting a good back pack, knives, and saw for the event you do kill one. If your back in elk country away from the roads, no way the elk is coming out in 1 piece.

MTdream

350lbs. would be a VERY small elk...calf or so...

mature bulls can be VERY large, and if you dont have horses on snow, your not getting it out full and intact...

key thing to be aware of, most states require you to keep proof of sex attached to the carcass...if you dont, they can/will take your animal...

So, this leaves you to one of essentiually two methods...debone or not debone...

and sometimes it is easier to not debone, just quarter it, and pull the backstraps and loins...Some states require you to take ALL usable meat whci in Alaska includes rib meat, and neck meat...

If it is warmer weather, I woudl HIGHLY recommend against using plastic bags for meat...Always carry game bags with you, as you might have to hang some meat if you are not going to get it out in one trip...and lots of 1/4" rope to hang teh meat high enough from bears...

bigbulls

Rent horses!

Champlain Islander

A good sized bull elk is the size of a horse and weighs 600 pounds plus. We skin them and quarter them and pack them out on a frame. One quarter is about all one person can carry even with a good frame. My only advice is just take it slow and easy. We usually hunt with a group of 3 and it can take all day or morefor 3 guys in good condition to get one out. Having apackable saw, sharp kives and a sharpener is a must. We always put the quarters in game bags. Lots of work but that is half the fun.

eagle 1

I agree with beech18 your first concern needs to be with killing one. I live and hunt these beautiful beast in the northwest, Washington state to be exzact and I have only killed a hand full. The best way to start is to school yourself to the best of your ability on how to hunt them. Then school yourself on how toquarter and debone eilk.One of the first things I would do in your case is to find some hunting partners not afraid ofa challenge, because after the animal is down the hardest part starts. In my elk camp we have taken animals in the range of 800 to 1200 lbs on hoof. Which can take us as long as two days to pack out without horses. Which we generally hunt in groups of three. If you hunt Washington plan on using a pack because the best elk areas fall in wilderness areas which is shut of to all motorized vehicles. For example we pack in about two miles back which makes for one heck of a pack out. Though, keep in mind pulling the trigger on a bow release or a rifle is the easiest thing. Finding the elk and everything working out right, in order to harvest the animal is no where even close to what you see in videoson T.V.It is work! I will say, no matter hard it is, the hunt, the pack out, and everything in between it is the sweetest reward I have ever tasted.So good luck.

121553

Thats a good question to ask as opposed to shooting one and then say wtf. I do mostly solo elk hunting in eastern and here on the west side of montana and I carry a game cart or sled depending on location and time of year in the back of the truck. The honda 450 foreman is available too. AS mentioned earlier, you have to leave evidence of sex. Bowhunting sucks early in the season as your under a time factor to get it out before it turns green as temperatures can reach above 110f in the afternoons. Good luck.

Bobby