Opening day Bull
#31

Glad u posted this i morn hunt alone. And bein new to elk huntin was unsure how to get it out. I think ill follow ur idea. Was thinkin it be good bear bait
Yep. Have to agree with this statement. Here is what I do:
I remove the front and back legs with a knife and then skin one side completely out. Then I bone the neck, flank and all the meat between the ribs. Flip the carcass over (if it is bull it is easier if you cut the head off first) and do the same on the other side. After it is all boned out I can reach in and get the loins, the heart and the liver.
When all that is done I skin the 4 qtrs and then bone them out. The skin, spine and bones stay there for the coyotes and magpies. If the law requires I take the horns (I carry a small saw for this reason) and in the case of CO I always leave evidence of sex on both hind qtrs to be in compliance with the laws. I've never seen any reason to carry out a hundred pounds of bones just to have to dispose of them later. Besides, if I return to a kill site a day or 2 later I can probably pick up a coyote and once I filled a bear tag that way.
I remove the front and back legs with a knife and then skin one side completely out. Then I bone the neck, flank and all the meat between the ribs. Flip the carcass over (if it is bull it is easier if you cut the head off first) and do the same on the other side. After it is all boned out I can reach in and get the loins, the heart and the liver.
When all that is done I skin the 4 qtrs and then bone them out. The skin, spine and bones stay there for the coyotes and magpies. If the law requires I take the horns (I carry a small saw for this reason) and in the case of CO I always leave evidence of sex on both hind qtrs to be in compliance with the laws. I've never seen any reason to carry out a hundred pounds of bones just to have to dispose of them later. Besides, if I return to a kill site a day or 2 later I can probably pick up a coyote and once I filled a bear tag that way.
#32
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 9,227

I'm not saying my method is any better than the method anyone else uses, but it works well for me. I do the same thing for deer as well. I can normally put an entire deer in 2 decent sized coolers with ice.
#33
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Rapid City, South Dakota
Posts: 3,732

However, for a long long pack, the bone must be left behind.
#34
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 9,227

One reason, for me at least, to carry out the hind leg bones, is it keeps the hind quarter in place. The bone makes it easier to tie the quarter onto the pack frame. The bone keeps the meat organized, so that when time comes to cut, and package, one knows where the meat came from, and what it is.
However, for a long long pack, the bone must be left behind.
However, for a long long pack, the bone must be left behind.
I've never needed a bone to secure a bag to my pack frame. Enough parachute cord and you can secure an ocean liner. I've been in the Navy for 25 years and like any sailor, I can tie a knot that won't slip. Plus, I'm familiar enough with the muscle groups on an elk or a deer to tell the meat from the hinds from the meat on the fronts. But then, that's me.
Mind you, I'm not saying your way doesn't work for you, but personally, I ain't carrying a bone an inch if I can avoid it. Coyotes need to eat too. The bones and what little meat is attached it them are their share.

Last edited by flags; 11-12-2013 at 05:17 AM.
#35
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Rapid City, South Dakota
Posts: 3,732

However, for neatness, i prefer to carry out the hind leg bone. All the loose meat from the front, is ground into burger, except for the skeins of loin, which are easily identified, and are made into butterflies. One can easily identify the rumps, if they were boned in the field, and cut/wrap them. Me, i just like the way i do my elk, and for me it is most comfortable.
To me it is very very interesting to return to the site of the kill. Normally, if camped out, i will return to the kill more than once. The bones i leave behind are utilized fully by all them critters that partake. After a bit, the only thing remaining is the undigested stuff in the gut. Once in a while a hoof remains, but often there is no hooves, and i have always wondered why they would be drug off. Once there was wolverine on one of the kill remnants, and that was fun to see. One time, because of ruts in the trail, i was able to slide a whole elk onto the tailgate, and take it to town. After a week at work, i returned to the gut pile, and it wasn't there. There was no visible sign whatsoever, that once there was a gut pile there, not even a stain. Several times, i have returned to a gut pile, and found remnants a month later.
The funnest elk i ever took home, i took whole. To get to it i chained up all 4. Then i looped a tow strap on it, and drug it to a huge old Ponderosa. Then i cut some limbs with my chain saw. Lashed a snatch block to a huge limb, and winched the elk up into the sky. Then dropped the critter into the truck.
Most of my elk need to come out on my back, and i have done a few alone.
Myself, i have no problem if someone wishes to haul their elk out on a plastic sheet, or a sled, or a cart. Sometimes a couple three guys can drag a whole elk downhill to a smartly placed tailgate.
#36

I have taken somewhere upward of three dozen elk and have not carried a bone since I was a rookie. Most of my hunting was out of spike camps that were backpacked a few miles deep . I debone the elk and cut into chunks that will fit into one gallon zip lock bags. An external frame pack with a large bag (think it was called a "moose bag") gets filled with enough zip locks and the walking starts. The number of trips varies with terrain, animal size, knees, etc., but it has always worked for me. The bags are labeled to make it easier to figure out what was in them when it came time to butcher.
#37

I've used the gutless method for about 15 years before it became popular. I hunt alone, and needed to find the fastest, and easiest way to get the meat out. I'm always back in the wilderness areas, so I also bone out all the meat. I don't carry out any bones. It's hard to describe how to use the gutless method with words. I've tried it on other forums, but I was never sure if they really understood what to do.
So, here's a video on how to do it. I do some things that aren't on the video. I don't have a buddy to help like in the video, so I bring lots of rope to hold out the legs. I hunt the timber, so there's always lots of trees to tie the legs to. It makes it much easier. I also bring a couple of tarps that I try to get the elk onto, and another to bone out the quarters after they're cut off the carcass. You also see flies landing on the meat. You don't want that. They lay eggs when they do that. That's also why you need good game bags that the flies can't lay eggs through. I use the Caribou bags. They come with tags that I use to label the meat/bags after deboning. You can use pepper on the meat for the flies, but a citric acid spray is better. Just spray all the meat as soon as you get the hide skinned off, and the flies will stay off the meat. You can also spray the bags.
So, watch this video. It's actually easier than what it looks like. He's using a dull knife, and makes it harder than it has to be.
http://elk101.com/videos/gutless-video/
#38

That is the way my hunting partner and I do it. It is easier when you have help but that isn't always available. My knife is usually a bit sharper than the guy on the tape though. We always cut off the legs at the knee with a Wyoming saw.