My fast learning curve for packing a 'not so big' elk

[Oregonhunter5]

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Ditch the hand crank though

 

[Velzey]

Horses. Mules. Get either or both.
If you don't have it, and your alone, and way the freak out there, bring a pulley and yank it up a heavy branch.
Or you could do it like my friends dad. Get a trailer with about 3000 foot of cable. Get above the animal, have a kid take the cable and head down hill. Strap the cable to the head, and have the kid ride on top. If it gets hung up on something, tell them to get the hell off, cuz there gonna be on a loaded missle. Works pretty good. Kinda spendy to get set up, but saves your back.

This is exactly what I built! Had a surplus PGE cable puller, and two huge drums with nearly 1 mile of 3/8" cable. Nice little quiet 4 stoke motor that would run the winch. It was all set up on a trailer. Could tow it over somewhere above the animal and pull it up whole. Had a safety line to hook to the main line while you hook up the second drum of cable. Worked really slick..

But guess what they did a few years ago? All the roads are closed to all motor vehicles, even to retrieve your animal. Even all the small access roads where posted over in the Imnaha unit, and this is why we built this winch trailer.. The very first year I ignored the posted signs. I got a big fat warning ticket. Ive used a capstan winch a few times but that really takes two people and its just back breaking. then hauling the gas cans down with the saw motor! yah no thanks

 

[mjbskwim]

There's a lot of hunters this year that wished they had your problem.

There are a lot of elk over here. Even with the army of hunters all the way from Wisconsin and PA that were out here this year
This was a prime hunting ground many years ago but with all the hunters,the animals went farther back until the snows. The locals would pick the big buck and bull instead of hoping to see 1
If you are willing to walk several miles at 8kft you can get a nice bull. 1 guide claimed there were 16 bulls taken opening weekend back in September.But 5 miles off the hiway there was 6 parties at the end of 1 road and another 5,5 miles away. Plenty of folks to keep the animals running.
Getting this late in the season was probably the best deal. My shop was and still is, like a refer so there wasn't any hurry on processing it. Plus it was cooler on the hike.
I'm sure if I dropped about 40lbs it would make the whole thing easier.
Along with more hiking up it the higher hills
I was kinda set on boning the thing out next year. Along with hunting before noon so I had plenty of daylight. The 'sunday drive' thing definitely isn't the mindset to have,lol

 

[BaggerRyder]

Congrats on your success mjbskwim.
I've killed plenty of elk and for the most part almost all of them have come out of the woods whole, with the help of hunting partners and a game cart.
The only elk I didn't have help getting out of the woods was a 175lb spike. Snow on the ground really helped but I just wrapped him up in a tarp, wrapped a tow strap around my waist and tied to the tarp, and dragged him out of the woods and to the truck. Of course I was in my early 20's when I did that.
I've never boned an elk out but have quartered and made several trips out. Longest pack out took 11hrs. 6 point about 2 miles from a road and another 3 miles to the road you can drive on. Would have been easier to bone him out but we quartered him and got him out to a spot where we could get him on a game cart and then to the truck. That pack out sucked and we all decided that maybe pheasant hunting would be the way to go after that season.
The two game carts we have in camp are both custom made so much heavier duty than the ones you can buy from Cabelas. One of them, if balanced correctly, can be wheeled out with one person, with lots of rest.
The Spike I killed last year took about 3 hrs to get back to camp, just cut him in half and dragged one half to a certain point on the mountain, and then back for the other half, repeat, until getting to the truck. That's probably the last time I won't bone an elk out to get them to camp. It doesn't make sense anymore to not bone out to get the meat back to camp if the animal is in the thick, and with the warmer weather we've had during elk season the last couple years, it's better to get that animal as cool as possible and the only way to do that is skin, debone, and bag that animal in the woods. Youtube the gutless method for a quick way to get all the salvageable meat off the animal and in your sled, game cart, or pack frame.
Google deer drag sled and you will find all kinds of options for dragging sleds. But it won't be fun by yourself unless you bone the animal out. Best thing to do is have a good hunting partner with you, and a plan, as well as lots of hoppy refreshments to share back at camp.

 

[mjbskwim]

There is a you tube channel,stuck in the rut,I believe,that is 2 guys from Idaho.
They take dad up to Alaska moose hunting. They kill 3 moose.
They pack 3 moose 5 miles to the truck
BONE IN!
I tell ya, I would have told the boys we are boning the things as they are huge and the bones are massive. No way I would have done 2 ,let alone 3 without deboning.
To be legal,all you need is horns or proof of sex,WTF do we bring the bones and just have to haul them back out?

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

bone out. make trips.it sucks until u eat it.

 

[orygun]

I usually hunt alone and have spent a lot of time thinking about this scenario.
I have a chainsaw winch that works very well, about a hundred feet at a time, but is heavy and awkward to pack. However, it did save our bacon one year...
I have a good pack frame that has a lower shelf. I also have a nice set of canvas "quarter" bags. A come along and a decent length of rope can really help, too, and aren't very heavy. All of these are kept at the truck and will add one trip to the packing out, but if I don't cut that sucker up into little chunks, I ain't moving it too far.
I'd leave most bones, but not all. My dog needs elk treats, too.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Mike, we've been fortunate enough to have taken many- many tons of Roosevelt elk here on the coast range and I could go on all day with long distance haul stories.
If your by yourself, and your in a walk in area, be prepared to bone and pack.
Good game bags to hang the quarters in while you make trips are a must in my opinion.
Keeping the meat clean while quartering can be helped by having an old bed sheet folded in the bottom of your pack, place the meat on it while boning.

We've had fairly good success with chainsaw winches as well.

Nothing beats a handful of hunting partners showing up to "skid" it out whole though.
We set up a harness much like a dogsled team with two shoulder straps per person made of a section of Muletape.

It can be arduous, tedious and fun as heck with the right guys.

Some these coastal elk can run HUGE! When confronted with one down by yourself there are times when I've had to start taking the quarters off that are available to me, then levering the animal over to the rest.
All this can take time, I know I'm not telling you anything here, but be ready to come out in the dark,, or stay the night.
Fresh meat attracts critters (like the cougar I found and killed on my bull last year on the 3rd trip) so hang those bags!
Just remember, we're not spring chickens anymore (at least I'm not) so be careful, take your time and enjoy the other part of hunting.
Congratulations to you on your success Mike!

 

[nextgenar]

Mike, we've been fortunate enough to have taken many- many tons of Roosevelt elk here on the coast range and I could go on all day with long distance haul stories.
If your by yourself, and your in a walk in area, be prepared to bone and pack.
Good game bags to hang the quarters in while you make trips are a must in my opinion.
Keeping the meat clean while quartering can be helped by having an old bed sheet folded in the bottom of your pack, place the meat on it while boning.

We've had fairly good success with chainsaw winches as well.

Nothing beats a handful of hunting partners showing up to "skid" it out whole though.
We set up a harness much like a dogsled team with two shoulder straps per person made of a section of Muletape.

It can be arduous, tedious and fun as heck with the right guys.

Some these coastal elk can run HUGE! When confronted with one down by yourself there are times when I've had to start taking the quarters off that are available to me, then levering the animal over to the rest.
All this can take time, I know I'm not telling you anything here, but be ready to come out in the dark,, or stay the night.
Fresh meat attracts critters (like the cougar I found and killed on my bull last year on the 3rd trip) so hang those bags!
Just remember, we're not spring chickens anymore (at least I'm not) so be careful, take your time and enjoy the other part of hunting.
Congratulations to you on your success Mike!

The old bed sheet for boning on sounds good, I carry 1 or 2 of the silver "survival" blankets in my pack and use those as a work area to bone out the meat on, they are cheap and disposable.

 

[clearconscience]

Anybody use one of the plastic roll up drag sleds from cabelas?
They looked like a good idea, but with a large elk may not work well.

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Actually I found out how you do it. I helped a guy at his house move some stuff. His basement was full, like a dozen huge trophy elk mounts on the wall.
Apparently all you have to do is be really wealthy and pay people to pack it out for you.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Did he offer up any $ to move the deadheads ?

 

[clearconscience]

No but I would have done that for free!
Guys was pretty weathy but a really nice guy.
One of the nicest homes I've even been in.

 

[mjbskwim]

Anybody use one of the plastic roll up drag sleds from cabelas?
They looked like a good idea, but with a large elk may not work well.

<broken link removed>


Actually I found out how you do it. I helped a guy at his house move some stuff. His basement was full, like a dozen huge trophy elk mounts on the wall.
Apparently all you have to do is be really wealthy and pay people to pack it out for you.

That's the one I was looking for,thanks
At 40 bucks I may get one to try

 

[kenr74]

I have been lucky enough that we were able to use a cart for most of our elk. Sometimes we might need to drag it out of the thick stuff but nothing terrible. Our usual method is either a big wheel barrow with at least two guys or I built a cart that is doable with 1 but much easier with 2 people. The cart uses dirt bike wheels so no worry about bending rims or anything. Biggest problem is it is not light.

 

[Member 5605]

Bone out!

At 17 years old my cousin and I (he was 15) boned and packed out a lead cow in one trip using backpacks I always used the ones that had a big pouch. Then you could bring garbage bags and stuff that pack full.

Who needs a cart?

Desolation unit, top of Sunrise Butte and 5 miles to the road.

 

[mjbskwim]

When i was 17 to about 25 I would have just carried the cow out. But alas that was many moons ago.
But I'm pretty set on riggin' up for bone out.Got the knives part down,just need more canvas bags an maybe a pack board. Should be on sale pretty soon

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Canvas is heavy brother, if you have access to old heavy sheets and a sewing machine you can fab up many meat bags on the cheap.
We've been making and using them for years to pack out.
Tie them shut and lash them
To a good pack frame,, good to go.

 

[mjbskwim]

That is better than using plastic garbage bags ,no?
Looks like a trip to the thrift store for some pillow cases is in order

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Way better, plastic holds heat, sheets won't and they wash.

Don't overlook king/queen sized bed sheets while your there.
A double stitch down one side and across the bottom when folded in half and you have a damn good deer/elk bag to hang your critter in on those rare times when a whole animal makes it back to camp Mike.

 

[orygun]

Way better, plastic holds heat, sheets won't and they wash.

Don't overlook king/queen sized bed sheets while your there.
A double stitch down one side and across the bottom when folded in half and you have a damn good deer/elk bag to hang your critter in on those rare times when a whole animal makes it back to camp Mike.

We have several bags made out of old sheets. They are great for transporting big or small chunks of animal. Keep the flies and birds out, but still let the meat breathe.