Opening day Bull
11-06-2013, 02:24 AM
#11
Fork Horn
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 386
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.
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.
11-06-2013, 06:29 AM
#12
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 9,557
11-06-2013, 09:19 AM
#15
Fork Horn
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 386
Butchering it in the field. Yes, that poses a major problem.
11-06-2013, 02:15 PM
#17
Typical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Buffalo, WY
Posts: 992
And these nimrods who boast and thump their chests on this forum have probably killed an elk or two and that makes them instant experts. Old farts like us who have been doing it all our lives need to listen to these guys. We might learn something.
LOL
LOL
11-06-2013, 05:13 PM
#19
Typical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Buffalo, WY
Posts: 992
I'd hate to tote the generator it would take to run a sawzall.
I'd rather quarter the elk at the kill site and tote the quarters out.
But then I usually shoot elk where you can't drive an ATV up to the dead critter.
I'd rather quarter the elk at the kill site and tote the quarters out.
But then I usually shoot elk where you can't drive an ATV up to the dead critter.
11-06-2013, 09:54 PM
#20
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 9,230
Please take a video of it next time, and post it all for us to see.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife sells a pretty good video that shows hot to bone an elk in the field. It isn't the exact system I use but it is pretty close.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife sells a pretty good video that shows hot to bone an elk in the field. It isn't the exact system I use but it is pretty close.