RE: Back From NW Colorado Elk Hunt
 

ESetter,

FYI, since you are in Colorado, if you decide you want to use horses to help take the " sting" out of hunting success, then Davis Tent and Awning in Denver puts on a Packing school in the Spring each year. It' s only one day, and it WON' T make you an expert but it will teach you enough for meat packing. Now, having learned how to use a horse, the events that take place AFTER the kill are my favorites: field dressing and quartering (Alaskan method), packing the meat on a horses with panniers, and in camp butchering.

Never Go Undergunned, Always Check The Sight In, Perform At Showtime,
EKM

RE: Back From NW Colorado Elk Hunt
 

When you say the " Alaskan Method" of field dressing and quartering, what do you mean? Although the pack out was hard work, it was worth it all when we cooked that first batch of backstraps.

RE: Back From NW Colorado Elk Hunt
 

ESetter1,

Using the " Alaskan" method you don' t cut the sternum and you leave the gut pile inside the carcass. It works very " slick" if you aren' t wanting to save the hide. [8D] An added benefit is that it reduces one' s contact with the areas that are more prone to harbor CWD and it drastically reduces the " blood bath" factor. This is the first year we have used it and all agreed, that unless we want the hide for something we won' t be going back to the " old way." The transition was easy, but you DO want to have it thought out in your head before trying it.

I started a thread addressing the Alaskan Method and it includes a link that shows how to do it complete with a series of progressive photos.

BTW, we don' t consume any meat until we have received the results of the CWD tests as we turn in all the elk heads for testing. [:o] We already have the results back on ours. All tested clean. :)

I started a thread on CWD, CWD testing, and keeping your animals straight. This includes links to CDOW.

Never Go Undergunned, Always Check The Sight In, Perform At Showtime,
EKM