For elk 3/4 of a mile I think I could do ok but like others,I'm too old and worn out (8 back surgeries and metal plates still in there) to haul meat miles and miles.I would have to let it walk!It pains me to say that but I have to be honest to myself.
How far out will you kill an elk by yourself?
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cabelasken
Well-Known Member
I met a bowhunter in Wyoming a few years back that bow hunted a rugged area south of yellowstone. He hiked in 7 or 8 miles alone and camped for 10 to 12 days at a time. I believe the bow season was about 20 days at that time. I asked him about his success rate and he said he averaged taking a bull about every other year. He packed them all out by himself in 4 or 5 trips over two or three days. At the time I met him he was 72 years old and had taken a 6X6 bull that year. He was a really tough old guy!!!! As you all know there are numerous big bears there both black and griz's and I asked about them. He said the meadows he hunts are full of bears and he has to keep alert when field dressing his kill.
memtb
Well-Known Member
Old Rooster, nothing like your number of back surgeries, only two. But, I'm certainly reducing my distances as well.
Plus, I won't hunt without my wife as she loves to hunt….just wouldn't be right. But, she has a bad knee on one side and a bad foot on the other…..we've pretty-much become road hunters!
memtb
Plus, I won't hunt without my wife as she loves to hunt….just wouldn't be right. But, she has a bad knee on one side and a bad foot on the other…..we've pretty-much become road hunters!
memtb
memtb
Well-Known Member
cabalasken, there's a few tough old folks out there….I ain't one of them! 
memtb
memtbcabelasken
Well-Known Member
I try to encourage one of the younger folks in our group to hunt nearby - even to just field dress an elk out!!! Our entire group is aging as the youngest male member is well over 50 and half of us are over 70. The original members have all passed on as they started hunting this property over 45 years ago.cabalasken, there's a few tough old folks out there….I ain't one of them!
I have come a conclusion,getting old sucks but the alternative is even worse!
Can't do anything about it now.
Can't do anything about it now.
Capt. D
Well-Known Member
I'm 60 years old with hips going bad. This past year I was in 2 miles. Took a 5x5 at about 3:30 in the afternoon cross canyon. almost 5:30 by the time I got to him. Got him quartered and hung in the dark. Loaded the heart, one backstrap, and a forequarter. Got back to the truck about 10:30. Went back in the AM and finished the job by about 6:00 PM. Sad part is I am the youngest one in our group and seemingly in the best shape and I don't know if I can do it again.
mbmtb, That brought back some memories.
Early in our figuring out how to hunt elk, I shot my first bull. It was actually in a spot where we could get our full size Bronco to it. I had dropped it on the spot with my .270, and it was actually in a decent spot to field dress and - we thought - to load whole. Ha! Fat chance. We opened the back of the Bronco and I pulled antlers from inside while my spouse pushed from the back. We both pulled, both pushed, and every time we almost had him in there a leg would leak out, then the whole elk was on the ground again. Keeping the head and antlers on was not helping. Finally I cut the beast in half at the top of the pelvis and sweating profusely and covered with blood we finally got him stuffed inside the back and slammed the tailgate. Whew. At least we weren't in the mud you were describing! It would have been so much easier to quarter him and load the pieces. Live and learn.
Years later we proved we were not much brighter. We got tags for elk on a private ranch in WY. Friend of a friend sort of deal, so we were at the ranch and I shot a nice large-bodied bull at the bottom a hill. The ranch owner was sure he could get his pickup up the hill from the opposite side, so the three of us set to pushing and pulling the whole bull up this hill. There was snow cover, and we only had a couple hundred yards to persuade this floppy carcass up the hill. This shenanigan started because some other hunters on the ranch were from out east, and had never seen an elk before. So somehow getting the elk back to the ranch house whole seemed like a good idea.
Cripes, what a dumb idea. Our host helped with the push/pull for a while and as we neared the top of the hill he left us to go get his truck. Alas, there was too much snow to get the truck up, and he left us to our own devices. So the two of us strained, grunted, and inched the bull to the very top. Then we had to get it to the bottom where a truck could reach it. Downhill, once started, worked much better. I sat on the bull and steered by digging his antlers into the ground like a mountain climber uses an ice axe while glissading.
There followed Act II of trying to load a whole elk into a container that was too small. Although I backed my truck into the slope of the hill, try as we might the two of us could not make the elk go into my little Toyota Tacoma, which had a cap on the back. Finally we gave up and went back to the ranch house to get the owner's full size, old beat up Ford with an open bed. The eastern hunters were all so excited about the elk, they piled into the pickup, and with all the extra help the bull was loaded amazingly quickly!
Every other elk has come out boned, and in backpacks.
Last edited:
M1A1ABRAMS
Well-Known Member
My question is why didn't you bring all the easterners out to begin with ? If they wanted to see a elk in full.mbmtb, That brought back some memories.
Early in our figuring out how to hunt elk, I shot my first bull. It was actually in a spot where we could get our full size Bronco to it. I had dropped it on the spot with my .270, and it was actually in a decent spot to field dress and - we thought - to load whole. Ha! Fat chance. We opened the back of the Bronco and I pulled antlers from inside while my spouse pushed from the back. We both pulled, both pushed, and every time we almost had him in there a leg would leak out, then the whole elk was on the ground again. Keeping the head and antlers on was not helping. Finally I cut the beast in half at the top of the pelvis and sweating profusely and covered with blood we finally got him stuffed inside the back and slammed the tailgate. Whew. At least we weren't in the mud you were describing! It would have been so much easier to quarter him and load the pieces. Live and learn.
Years later we proved we were not much brighter. We got tags for elk on a private ranch in WY. Friend of a friend sort of deal, so we were at the ranch and I shot a nice large-bodied bull at the bottom a hill. The ranch owner was sure he could get his pickup up the hill from the opposite side, so the three of us set to pushing and pulling the whole bull up this hill. There was snow cover, and we only had a couple hundred yards to persuade this floppy carcass up the hill. This shenanigan started because some other hunters on the ranch were from out east, and had never seen an elk before. So somehow getting the elk back to the ranch house whole seemed like a good idea.
Cripes, what a dumb idea. Our host helped with the push/pull for a while and as we neared the top of the hill he left us to go get his truck. Alas, there was too much snow to get the truck up, and he left us to our own devices. So the two of us strained, grunted, and inched the bull to the very top. Then we had to get it to the bottom where a truck could reach it. Downhill, once started, worked much better. I sat on the bull and steered by digging his antlers into the ground like a mountain climber uses an ice axe while glissading.
There followed Act II of trying to load a whole elk into a container that was too small. Although I backed my truck into the slope of the hill, try as we might the two of us could not make the elk go into my little Toyota Tacoma, which had a cap on the back. Finally we gave up and went back to the ranch house to get the owner's full size, old beat up Ford with an open bed. The eastern hunters were all so excited about the elk, they piled into the pickup, and with all the extra help the bull was loaded amazingly quickly!
Ever other elk has come out boned, and in backpacks.
69precision
Well-Known Member
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in direct correlation to antler size. A raghorn, maybe a couple hundred yards. A 400" 8x9, a few miles at least.
thomasbangs
Well-Known Member
When I was in my 20's, 30's, 40's, and 50's it didn't matter, I could gut, skin, quarter, and hang up the quarters by myself and go back to camp or home and get help. Knees were shot by my late 50's and in my mid 60's had total replacements on both knees. Packing heavy loads (elk quarters) on steep ground was out of the question. Lucky for me the last 2 elk I've shot I was hunting with one of my sons and I needed help even on level ground. That's how I roll now, I elk hunt with one of my sons or a younger friend.
Husky user
Well-Known Member
I killed a nice bull south side of Fort Peck Lake(312BC) I was 1&3/4 miles from the lake (GPS).
Got him quartered and hanging in little burned trees.
Next morning started at day break with two pack frames.
I would load both frames and leap frog them ,drop one go back get the other ,haul it about 1/4 mile past the dropped load.
Did that all the way to camp on lake shore.
Went back to kill site and started over,the time going back to get another load is your recovery time.
This was flat ground the only thing ,there was an alkali creek that I had to cross many times.
I built bridges out of sage brush so as to not get gumbo on my boots.
Took 11 hours 4 loads counting the head,did not bring out much bone,
No grizzlies over there (yet)
Got him quartered and hanging in little burned trees.
Next morning started at day break with two pack frames.
I would load both frames and leap frog them ,drop one go back get the other ,haul it about 1/4 mile past the dropped load.
Did that all the way to camp on lake shore.
Went back to kill site and started over,the time going back to get another load is your recovery time.
This was flat ground the only thing ,there was an alkali creek that I had to cross many times.
I built bridges out of sage brush so as to not get gumbo on my boots.
Took 11 hours 4 loads counting the head,did not bring out much bone,
No grizzlies over there (yet)
My longest pack out of an bull elk was 18 miles. Used two pack horses. South boundry of Yellowstone Nalt Park. The good ole days of 1998 looking over your shoulder every so often for grizzly s. Well worth the effort. Great 10 day hunt with a good friend. Never saw anyone else while hunting.
It's temperature dependent
If it's going to be above 40° in the shade the day turns into a scouting mission.
I live in grizzly country.
If there's no place to hang the meat I won't pull the trigger.
A while back I shot a cow at about 4:30 p.m. After I got her all cut up I realized there was no place to hang the meat out of reach.
I shuttled the quarters as far as I logically could away from the carcass.
It was just over 3.5mi and 1,000+ very ft above my truck in mid calf deep refrozen, isothermic snow.
I managed to get everything out in 2 very heavy trips.
Even my dog wasn't exactly stoked on that pack out.
If it's going to be above 40° in the shade the day turns into a scouting mission.
I live in grizzly country.
If there's no place to hang the meat I won't pull the trigger.
A while back I shot a cow at about 4:30 p.m. After I got her all cut up I realized there was no place to hang the meat out of reach.
I shuttled the quarters as far as I logically could away from the carcass.
It was just over 3.5mi and 1,000+ very ft above my truck in mid calf deep refrozen, isothermic snow.
I managed to get everything out in 2 very heavy trips.
Even my dog wasn't exactly stoked on that pack out.
