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Last year on my spike hunt I went where nobody else would go...and for good reason which I found out. It took several trips to pack out the meat and I swore I would never do it again. So I plan on doing it again [crazy].
I was not prepared but I plan to change that. I need a pack that is designed to pack out a quartered animal. I don't need anything fancy, it doesn't even have to be camouflage. Are there packs made for this specific reason and if so I would appreciate any info. I used an aluminum frame pack with a waist support to pack it out but it wasn't deep enough and became top heavy in the rough (ridiculous) terrain.
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John,
They are a lot of money but look at Eberlestock packs. Nice, well built and will hold up. $$$ but worth it
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You can get rid of alot of extra weight if you bone your animal before loading it on your pack frame, never could see why people pack the extra weight unless you use the bone for something. The wife and I are in our 60's and we usually end up packing at least one elk out on our backs during the archery hunt. She helps on the 1st load and I go back for the 2nd.
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Here is what I do; I have a Canadian backpack made by Blacks Creek that I cary everyday. It has all the tools I need to skin, quarter and hang an elk (some of these tools change with the seasons). After I get an animal down, I get it hung in a tree to start cooling. When I'm finished and ready to head back I can put one quarter in my pack and the head on the outside. Then I come back with my lighter weight aluminum frame and very minimal supplies (no extra's) to get the rest.
This past rifle season I shot a spike and did it in two trips (3 miles each way).
Like Pete said, bone it out, and load it up. I hauled 3 quarters of my spike in one trip on the aluminum frame, but that was just meat, no junk.
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.
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Is there an easiest way to bone one out or do you guys just have at it? I have never done it but need to start.
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I pack one of those little 5X7 plastic tarps in my pack to lay the meat on. I peel the tenderloins and the backstraps off. I skin the hide back away from the meat. You can seperate each hind quarter into 3 seperate pieces of meat and fillet the meat off from each front shoulder. I usually don't take much meat off the ribs especially on a younger animal during the archery hunt. I do remove some of the neck meat. In the case of a cow I leave one tit attached to one of the chunks of meat from the hind quarter. The area we hunt is spike only so I cut the head off close to ears and hand carry the head if we should end up taking a spike. In the case of a mature bull the rack and the cape is about all I care to handle in one load as shown in the picture. Hope this helps some.
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Thats. Something I definately have to try. We packed out quarters and the tenderloins last year with the bone in and I thought I would die. Maybe I will have a few more years left if I go that way. Thanks for your help.
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I'm over 70 so I pretty much limit the load to 50-60lbs. I use the Badlands 4500 and have hauled 3 elk and my wifes moose using this method. Distance have been from a half mile to 3.5 miles. Google/search for "the boneless method".
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"You can get rid of alot of extra weight if you bone your animal before loading it on your pack frame, never could see why people pack the extra weight unless you use the bone for something"
[#6000bf]Wiser words, in the world of hunting were never spoken![/#6000bf]
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Here's a neat little "How to clean your elk video" - it doesn't show how to de-bone your elk but it's got some pretty good info.
[url "http://elk101.com/gutless-elk-video/"]http://elk101.com/gutless-elk-video/[/url]
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Congrats I hope I can still do that when I hit the 70's. Depending upon which water hole we sit during the archery hunt, our distance to pack runs from 3/4 to 1 mile. Last year we packed 2 of our 3 elk out on a deer cart. We had some extra help last year as my Dad (82) and my grandson and his friend were hunting with us. I think I preferred using the pack frame. I know I was getting pooped after taking care of the meat and packing elk the first 3 days of the hunt.
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I thought thats what horses were for!
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Thanks for the info Bud, I can't afford one of those hay burners. I been waiting to see you guys post some ice fishing pics from up in that country. May see you at the hunting Expo this Sat. if you make it down. Tell the guys I said hi, I would imagine it's a full time job keeping Roger out of trouble. LMAO.[fishin]
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I guess if thats all you had em for, it wouldnt be worth it. I know alot of guys that feed horses year round and only use them 5 days out of the year. but if you ever need a pack, Pete, I know where some are at!
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I'm sure you do, thanks for the offer.
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I'm with packfan on this one.
I quartered the first spike i shot and 3 of us took it out in one trip. I can now bone out elk in about 45 minutes and pack it all in 2 trips by myself. Last one i did was 2.25 miles up steep rocky hills. I don't even quarter deer anymore, it's so much easier and nicer to bone them out too, one deer boned out is an easy one-trip pack for me.
I never realized how much weight you're packing in bones until you try boning it out. Just keep your knife shaving sharp. I like to use plastic bags in my pack, but i switch them to cloth sacks as soon as i get it out. I keep 6 garbage bags in my pack along with a couple ceramic sharpening sticks. I own a blacks creek western pack and it can haul a lot of weight, somedays i wish i had a slightly bigger pack though. Call me crazy but now one of my favorite parts of harvesting an elk with my bow is the satisfaction of hauling it out of the hills by myself.
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