Getting a Bear or Elk home

[Mark W.]

So here's the deal I have a 48 Willys jeep with a hard top. I am about to start building a small camping support trailer with a 3' x 5'6" box with a covered lid. The interior of the trailer will almost all be taken up by gear. The inside of the WIllys jeep will almost all be taken up by gear.

SO now suppose my son and I are in far off Oregon 300+ miles from home and we bag 1 or more Elk or Bear or even a pair of deer. How best to get the meat home.

My options are to make insertable walls for the trailer (the lid will hinge at the front but can also be completely removed) I could then add say 12" to the interior height of the trailer box. And with some careful packing get a big Elk once broke down into it. The trouble with this option is having to either do the whole trip with the larger box or make room inside the trailer for the additional panels.

Another option is to put the animal on the roof of the trailer in some sort of water proof (it is Oregon afterall so have to plan on rain) bag. I am planning on having tie down points where a simple rack could be attached (the broke down rack would take much less room as well as weigh much less then the additional wall panels. Once Quartered up and in game bags the bags could then be wrapped /covered in a trap and tied down to the rack.

Any thought on this silly problem?

We have already taken the jeep on multiple long trips including a 2002 mile 9 day trip all over SE Oregon and across Idaho. It was built for this kind of adventure so no I won't be changing vehicles.

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[MikeInOr]

Why would you put the additional panels inside the trailer? Hang them on the back of the trailer, on the trailer tung, on the outside of the trailer walls or even under the trailer.

Male the panels so they can double as a traction device in case you get stuck in the mud or snow.

Are you going to have 2 or 4 additional panels? If the panels splay out from the top of the trailer they will hold more cargo/meat than if they just point straight up. Put chains for on the top corners of the splayed panels to keep the meat in and add strength to the panels.

 

[No_Regerts]

I'd bone it out and put the meat in a cooler.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Make jerky and put it in your pocket.

 

[Buster1969]

So here's the deal I have a 48 Willys jeep with a hard top. I am about to start building a small camping support trailer with a 3' x 5'6" box with a covered lid. The interior of the trailer will almost all be taken up by gear. The inside of the WIllys jeep will almost all be taken up by gear.

SO now suppose my son and I are in far off Oregon 300+ miles from home and we bag 1 or more Elk or Bear or even a pair of deer. How best to get the meat home.

My options are to make insertable walls for the trailer (the lid will hinge at the front but can also be completely removed) I could then add say 12" to the interior height of the trailer box. And with some careful packing get a big Elk once broke down into it. The trouble with this option is having to either do the whole trip with the larger box or make room inside the trailer for the additional panels.

Another option is to put the animal on the roof of the trailer in some sort of water proof (it is Oregon afterall so have to plan on rain) bag. I am planning on having tie down points where a simple rack could be attached (the broke down rack would take much less room as well as weigh much less then the additional wall panels. Once Quartered up and in game bags the bags could then be wrapped /covered in a trap and tied down to the rack.

Any thought on this silly problem?

We have already taken the jeep on multiple long trips including a 2002 mile 9 day trip all over SE Oregon and across Idaho. It was built for this kind of adventure so no I won't be changing vehicles.

Have you ever actually killed an animal?

 

[thorborg]

If you have any distance to go, and temperature is higher than cold, Putting meat in a cooler can be a horrible option. If not a health risk. I don't recommend it. Better left in their muslin bags (1/4 bags if elk) exposed to plenty of outside air as you drive, and shaded some how.

 

[Croat]

So here's the deal I have a 48 Willys jeep with a hard top. I am about to start building a small camping support trailer with a 3' x 5'6" box with a covered lid. The interior of the trailer will almost all be taken up by gear. The inside of the WIllys jeep will almost all be taken up by gear.

SO now suppose my son and I are in far off Oregon 300+ miles from home and we bag 1 or more Elk or Bear or even a pair of deer. How best to get the meat home.

My options are to make insertable walls for the trailer (the lid will hinge at the front but can also be completely removed) I could then add say 12" to the interior height of the trailer box. And with some careful packing get a big Elk once broke down into it. The trouble with this option is having to either do the whole trip with the larger box or make room inside the trailer for the additional panels.

Another option is to put the animal on the roof of the trailer in some sort of water proof (it is Oregon afterall so have to plan on rain) bag. I am planning on having tie down points where a simple rack could be attached (the broke down rack would take much less room as well as weigh much less then the additional wall panels. Once Quartered up and in game bags the bags could then be wrapped /covered in a trap and tied down to the rack.

Any thought on this silly problem?

We have already taken the jeep on multiple long trips including a 2002 mile 9 day trip all over SE Oregon and across Idaho. It was built for this kind of adventure so no I won't be changing vehicles.

You'll elicit a range of opinions, from the excellent to the silly, but I want to at least commend you for thinking ahead. Thinking ahead seems to be a lost art these days and often only comes to the fore after people experience the consequences of not thinking ahead. Good luck in the hunt with whatever solution you choose.

 

[orygun]

I'd strap it to the top of the trailer. Weather can be your friend or enemy in this instance. The elk we hauled home from North Powder we bagged and put in the utility trailer we towed along. Those trips were in November, so temp wasn't an issue.

 

[Koda]

Outside air temps are rarely a concern in most of Oregons elk seasons, put the quarters inside the trailer and drive home.

One thing to consider is what if, you land a monster bull with a massive rack? Will that contraption fit inside the enclosed trailer? A roof rack on top is an ideal solution, including more elk quarters if more than one hunter was successful.

For deer just put in the trailer and drive home.

 

[orygun]

One thing to consider is what if, you land a monster bull with a massive rack?

Show it off!

 

[Koda]

Show it off!

Im not one to show off a head on the drive home. But I also know I have to get home... a monster trophy will never fit inside my canopy but it will go on my roof rack. Installed a roof rack for more gear if needed plus meat hauling if needed. Options are a good thing.
Now if only I could land a monster trophy my circle will be complete...

 

[orygun]

Yeah, kinda hard to shoot a big bull on a spike only hunt, which is what we usually hunted. Still, even a small spike has a lot of tasty meat on it.

 

[Koda]

Yeah, kinda hard to shoot a big bull on a spike only hunt, which is what we usually hunted. Still, even a small spike has a lot of tasty meat on it.

I get so frustrated with how the tag situation works. Every 4ish years we draw an any bull tag. The last any bull tag I drew I only saw cows, my partner did see a spike (but couldn't get a shot off). Then when we get the spike tags all I saw was trophy bulls. I could have killed this guy 3 different times during that spike only hunt.

 

[orygun]

I saw the biggest blacktail buck I've ever seen during elk season and found a nice 5 point bull, who just stood there and looked at me from 60 yards the weekend before elk season...

I guess that's why it's called hunting, not killing.

 

[Croat]

I saw the biggest blacktail buck I've ever seen during elk season and found a nice 5 point bull, who just stood there and looked at me from 60 yards the weekend before elk season...

I guess that's why it's called hunting, not killing.

Gotta laugh, not at you, but with you. Happens every year, see the giant elk during deer season, the giant deer during elk season. Honestly, it's as if the damned things are reading the regulations...

 

[Koda]

Gotta laugh, not at you, but with you. Happens every year, see the giant elk during deer season, the giant deer during elk season. Honestly, it's as if the damned things are reading the regulations...

IMO deer and elk definitely pattern the increase of hunters in seasons and react accordingly. Also the coastal blacktail rut peaks during 1st seasons elk so thats why the biggest blacktail bucks Ive seen were all in elk seasons.

 

[orygun]

Back when elk season divided deer season here on the west side is when I saw the monster blacktail I referred to. the last day of deer season I went back to try and find him. I didn't find him, but I found a really big forkie. He came home with me.

 

[No_Regerts]

If you have any distance to go, and temperature is higher than cold, Putting meat in a cooler can be a horrible option. If not a health risk. I don't recommend it. Better left in their muslin bags (1/4 bags if elk) exposed to plenty of outside air as you drive, and shaded some how.

Even with ice? I've boned out a bunch of deer, elk, and pronghorn and bagged the meat and put on ice. Fish too.

 

[deadeye]

So if you are already talking a weatherproof cargo type bag to carry along for added storage are you thinking putting the meat in that and stowing on top of the trailer or putting your gear in the bag? I would maybe carry a couple extra cargo type bags for if you by chance get more than one and maybe strap one with cargo in it on the roof of the hardtop, the hood or the top of the trailer to leave room in the trailer box if wanting to keep the meat out of the weather and on ice.

Maybe buy/build a trailer hitch cargo rack and store it away on the side or underside of the trailer until needed and install a hitch receptacle on the front of the jeep and store the gear bags there. The front hitch if you don't already have one comes in handy for much more than that anyway.

 

[Koda]

Wait.... do not put meat in a waterproof bag it needs to breath. Dont put meat on the roof for the drive home. Put the elk head up there if needed, put your gear up there to make room for the meat inside the trailer.