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RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

Thats the only way to go as far as I' m concerned if you don' t have a horse. You can bone out an elk (I leave hind quarters with bone on) without even gutting it out. If it' s on your back, you don' t want any extra weight to carry. I don' t bring my elk to a processing place so I have to do it anyway. Carry game bags to keep meat clean!

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

It sounds so easy when you say, and then he just packs it out.

Even boning out an elk you have a minimum of 3 HEAVY packs to carry out, more like 4 loads. If you are by yourself it takes half a day to cape and bone out an elk and when you are done you will be very tired, especially if it is laying on a slope, they are very tough to turn over by yourself.
Then the packing out starts.

If you are packing it out by yourself you are in for a couple days of serious pain.
If you didn' t take the time to work out and get in SERIOUSLY good condition you may not physically be able to do it, unless you get really lucky and are close to a road or are hunting in relatively flat country.
If there are 3 or 4 buddies with you then each of you can carry one pack out and then it is not bad.

Boning out an elk is just what it sounds like. You cut all the meat off and put it in your bags of choice then throw it on the back pack. If you leave the leg bones in it helps if you are going to hang your meat and age it, but adds significant weight.
You can get by without gutting the animal if you know where to make the cuts to get the tenderloins out.

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

Best way to get an elk out of the back country is walk him out at gunpoint and shoot him at the truck. That technique doesn' t work all that well though, at least for me.

Next is horses and if thats not feasible then I' d say bone him out. The best way to learn how to do it correctly is have someone show you. If someone you know can show you on a deer or better yet an elk that would be your best option. Other than that they sell videos at your major sporting goods stores that have details instructions on how to bone em out. Doesn' t make it easier though by any means.

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

Well the last two we brought out on shanks mare ,but I have used a horse a couple of times .

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

Yep, horses are the best for this. Wish I had more friends with them :) Ive been thinking about buying one of those game carts that you see in Cabela' s, but most of the elk I' ve shot I think it would be just as hard with one of those carts. But for $100 I think the first time you would use one it would pay for itself

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

Visit this link to learn about the Alaskan Method.... An " easy" way to dress out big game...
http://www.outdoorlife.com/outdoor/h...392679,00.html

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

Forget the game cart idea-I have one for deer & even that can be a hassel in a lot less rugged country. If you have to bring out without horses bone it-get a good pack frame. No matter-you have lots of work & usually several trips if no other help. We have had to make 2 trips with 3 making the 1st.
No easy way around backpacking out meat-BUT, it is " DELICIOUS" .
good luck...

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

If you have a good 4x4 atv you can cut an elk up and get most of it tied on your racks and seat and ride it out. Legal in most states for game recovery. I have killed bulls where you can' t get a rig of any kind in and have eithr boned it out with meat in game bags and carried out on pack frames or drag it on a plastic toboggan. I carry a boning knife in my cutting gear and just work the blade along the bones. You will learn quick and it can go fast if you don' t worry about keeping the hide. Good hunting.

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

Thats a nice guide. Pretty much how I do it. I use my hands a little more than most people (wedging hand inbetween meat and bone) when I' m taking meat off the bone, especially the back straps.

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

Hello. Fuldraw' s link to the Outdoor Life site that depicts the boning out process is the best I' ve seen. We use this technique almost exclusively and it cuts down your work significantly. One variation if you' re not keeping the hide is to simply make the initial cut along the top of the neck down the top of the back to the rump then follow the same series of steps as shown in the link. All of us pack a hundred feet of parachute cord in our packs to help secure the game bags in trees etc.
Insure you use elk/moose bags that are much thicker than standard deer game bags. A couple years ago I had to use some deer bags and they just were too thin resulting in having to throw a large exposed front shoulder over my shoulder for the last mile out - wasn' t fun!
Use of a tool known as the Wyoming Knife is a great aid as well. These knives are normally in Cabela' s or similar pubs. Regards.

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

here in arizona you can drive to your kill and load it up. i like it :D:D:D

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

I carry a small pulley to hang quarters up till I get' em out. Got a pack frame and snow sled back at camp. Also got horses that haven' t packed yet (could be a rodeo). I wouldn' t worry about packing my first one out. It can be done. You will learn real fast from the experience lol. If it' s necessary, I think every mountain range has a couple people who' ll pack it out with horses for ya, but it won' t be real cheap. Packin one out makes hunting with friends really worth it!

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

Anyone use an atv and try to haul it that way?. I know that some areas are thick and dense with brush! But we' ve moose hunted in some pretty rough country and hauled then out on traverses in quarters..just a tought??

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

I always take an ATV. It usually stays in the truck or a trailhead till an animals down. But like some have said if its rough country sometimes you can' t get an ATV in. Besides I try not to tear up the hillside whenever possible. I think its good to have an ATV for packing but it shouldn' t be your primary plan.

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

Here in Colorado you can only have a ATV on the road, so it' s not much help anyway. Just need a good pack frame and lots of water (and some cold beer back in camp)

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

The answer is it depends! Are you young or getting up there? Are you a desk jockey and only moderately in shape or an iron man? How far is it? How much vertical is involved? How difficult is the terrain? How much help do you have and how good of shape are they in?

Just in my circle of elk hunters (which is pretty good size), just about every year someone usually knows of someone somewhere that had a heart attack packing out an elk. The task is no joke -- it' s a serious undertaking -- no similarity to dragging a deer out of the woods by the antlers. I wonder how many folks never make that last trip back into the woods for the shoulder cuts -- given their blistered feet and sore knees and backs -- after all who is going to know? -- and they just kind of take what they' ve got, break camp, and slink outta there -- I' ve seen the meat hanging out in the woods when it should have been long gone.

You' ve had a great hunt, a great time, great friends don' t spoil it now! Unless you' re all in top notch shape [A man has got to know his limitations.... Dirty Harry] then use a horse. If you arrive prior to the hunt to scout (instead of 10PM the night before opening day) it' s not hard to find the " packers." Stop and get their cell phone numbers. When the time comes pay them their $200 (which is nothing compared to the TRUE costs of an elk hunt) and you are way ahead. Your knees, heart, back and feet will thank you. In the time you save over backpacking go ahead and drink beer, cook up one hell of a victory dinner and relish the moment.

Another option is to rent a horse. We have 5 to 8 hunters in camp and we all pitch in to cover the cost of renting a draft horse for the season. In my mind, it' s safer just to use them for packing -- no riding. (Grew up on a ranch, but that was then, not now - if you aren' t a cowboy to where you are " right on top of your game" then riding horses in the mountains introduces a whole new level to your risk management). We use saddle panniers, a mannie (canvas tarp), and a lashing rope. Davis Tent and Awning in Denver (wall tent supplier) puts on a " packing school" each spring -- easy to pick up the basic do' s and don' ts for amateur packing which is about all you need for meat packing.

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

I made the mistake of killing an elk last year about a mile from the truck DOWN in a hole. I spent all day skinning and quartering the bull and made it out about 5:00 with one quarter. It was so warm that I knew I' d lose the meat if I didn' t get it out soon so I went into town and hired a guy with horses to pack it out. We returned and had the whole thing at the truck by dark. It was a little expensive but I have the guy' s number in my cell phone and hope to pay him the same money next year.:D

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

I have been fortunate to harvest my last several elk on a ranch bordering the wilderness.I have used a tractor with front end loader for a few of them and an atv for the rest.We use our atv' s to remove game from the field but do not use them to hunt from.

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

I prefer rope, I have a 1200' spool in my truck and a 600' spool on my quad and a boat. Where I hunt that will get an elk out every time. I have taken two out I could drive my truck to, two out in the boat, two out whole on the back of my quad and several with the rope. It makes it so much nicer and cleaner to take them out whole. I don' t care haw carefull you are quartering in the woods you can' t keep them 100% clean.

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

One tactic I saw a guide use last summer with Caribou is keeping a packboard with him with the large waterproof bags. He carried it with him everywhere with his survival gear in it so it would stay dry. After deboninga n animal, the meat was place into the waterproof, airtight bag and carried out. This is benfeficial if your in Bear country and stops the meat from spoiling in anyway. Plus it keeps the meat clean aswell as you. Good luck with your hunts.

Fiar

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

Lots of good advice above. I would agree that it takes a considerable amount of time to properly cut, bag and hang an elk. It took my partner and I a full day to cut and pack out our kill. It was about 6 miles off the nearest trail and took 3 trips. In the future I' m renting a horse!

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

Hiring a feller ' thout a special use permit can land you an' him in hot water. Its a pet peave of mine, outfitters are issued game retrieval permits, but its not in their best interest to provide the service, so they don' t. We' ve had fellers cited for illegal outfitting because they took a few bucks for gettin' somebody' s elk out. Its a wacky world.

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RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

Helicopter is the best way I know of getting one out. Next comes ATV, renting a horse if you don' t own one,Llama and then Good old Back in that order...All Kidding aside...if you want to do it best way is to bone the 4 quarters and cut out the tenderloins and neck meat and leave the rest where it sits. You' ll eliminate a lot of scent that way and make a back breaking job a little easier on yourself. Did last bull that way and with a friend did it in 2 trips including the head.

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

http://home.att.net/~sajackson/bugle.html Try this link I got it from a board member but can' t remember who.

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

and they say the one that gets his elk is the lucky one ?

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

I just wonder about those who bone out the Elk before packing it out in states that require you to have proof of the sex of the animal. What do you save as proof of that?

MinnFinn

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

You can still leave the sex organs on the meat when you bone it out. Just don' t cut them off. Otherwise take the head with you.

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

How many people don' t think ahead of time on what to do AFTER killing an elk ? Good discussion.

Theres 2 ways I know of of getting an elk out assuming you are walking in and hunting.

#1 - debone and pack it out. Damn tough work
#2 - pay an outfitter to go get it. You still gotta do the work or quartering/deboning, but at leat this method will save your back (at a $200-300 price)


ATV' s will work if the animal dies on a road or you do the illegal thing and take your ATV off road. Elk hunting is hard, as it should be.

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

I carry a little plastic baggie to put the organs in and tie them off still attached to the meat. That keeps the meat clean.
I never carry out the head. Cape out the head and cut off the horns. Do yourself a favor and make sure your bonesaw is sharp. It is hard work on an elk, cut from the front and back, don' t try to saw the horns off from the sides it is much harder that way.
Even if you aren' t going to get the shoulder mount done you can sell the cape to a taxidermist for instore credit or 100 bucks or so.

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

Those cart are kind of nice, my buddie' s Dad bought one 5 years ago and last year we finally got it out of the plastic. This one was a single whelled job with handle bars front and rear(two man if need be) And it had a brake. once we got the deer on it, there were some tricky spots to get around but nothing like dragging or packing out by foot. I also drug a big 5 point Blacktail out with a regular old wheel barrow once. They do come in handy. Draw back is at least in the Washington State Regs. some places they aren' t allowed. No wheeled object for packing game is legal? So you might read up on your hunting regs to make sure you can use it

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

It is legal to take the atv off the road in AZ but only to recover a downed animal. It' s usually dry here so no damage by rutting up the forest. This is a helpful thread as most new elk hunters think it' s easy to cut the animal and get it out. Lots of hard work especially to bone it out and carry. Good hunting and good luck on the draw.

RE: How do you get an elk out of the back country?
 

DART and Glenn - I' m putting in for Unit 23 this year - I' ll be giving you guys a call :D