Another pack-out question

[roosterdown]

Quick question - once you have a bull down, boned, bagged, cooled and ready to pack down the mountain...do you carry your gear first or last? We have three guys so I am thinking we're in for two trips just for the meat/head. The third trip for gear may turn it into a two-day affair, depending on how deep we've chased.

I am inclined to take gear first, but curious what others do.

Follow-on question - how many folks prefer breaking up a very long haul into shorter carries by leapfrogging? If you do this, how long do you like to carry before dropping & heading back for the next load?

 

[IdahoElk]

Care of meat is always job 1, I pack and hang camp to come back when all the meat is in a cooler.

 

[dtrkyman]

No leap frogging for me, would have to be an insane pack out over really crazy terrain for that and not likely an Elk!

Meat first always, unless it is a short pack and meat is hanging for the night anyway, I may take a camp out with my first load?

 

[roosiebull]

Quick question - once you have a bull down, boned, bagged, cooled and ready to pack down the mountain...do you carry your gear first or last? We have three guys so I am thinking we're in for two trips just for the meat/head. The third trip for gear may turn it into a two-day affair, depending on how deep we've chased.

I am inclined to take gear first, but curious what others do.

Follow-on question - how many folks prefer breaking up a very long haul into shorter carries by leapfrogging? If you do this, how long do you like to carry before dropping & heading back for the next load?

Gear can’t spoil, so it’s always last… maybe there is a circumstance that would go against that, but it’s not coming to me.

The only way I’m leap frogging is if my first goal is to get the meat to a road or trail as a first step, I have done that before and then go get a cart or my boat (have done both) and then continue on

 

[realunlucky]

I've leap frogged before with just meat where I've went 1/2 back to the truck left it in a shady spot. Went back for the other half and hiked that load all the way out to the truck.

For me it just depends on where I've killed it at and what's the weather doing.

I do always leave gear for the end or combine it with the last load.

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[Turkeygetpwnd38]

Agree with everything above, gear comes last. Only way I’m leap frogging is if there is a big obstacle on the front end or taking back to camp first.

 

[justinspicher]

Me and my buddy did a leap frog approach with my bull last year. It was 4 miles to the truck, we each had two loads. We did 1 mile leap frogs. It wasn’t bad, way better than trying to carry it all at once. It did take quite a bit longer than expected though. Fortunately, it was the 3d rifle season and it was cold out.

 

[3325]

I come out with the tenderloins in my hunting pack. I go back in with two pack frames and start leapfrogging loads.

The above has often happened on a last shooting light kill, so coming back with the pack frames has been a next day event.

That’s hunting from the trailhead and not a backcountry camp. I’d do gear last if I had a backcountry camp.

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

Gear and antlers are the last to come out. Meat spoils, gear and antlers don’t, if you’re that worried about your gear don’t hunt and just go camping. I have literally ripped people’s ass for bringing the antlers or gear first, cause they say “that’s important” if you’re going to hunt and take a life your new priority is getting that meat down and processed.

Just like the guys that “fill their freezer” then next year are posting “free meat for dogs, shot another and don’t have the freezer space” if your freezer is full and ur just gonna trash meat from the year before just stay home.


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[alexnelon]

Quick question - once you have a bull down, boned, bagged, cooled and ready to pack down the mountain...do you carry your gear first or last? We have three guys so I am thinking we're in for two trips just for the meat/head. The third trip for gear may turn it into a two-day affair, depending on how deep we've chased.

I am inclined to take gear first, but curious what others do.

Follow-on question - how many folks prefer breaking up a very long haul into shorter carries by leapfrogging? If you do this, how long do you like to carry before dropping & heading back for the next load?

I’m not really seeing how it could take 9 man-trips to get one bull out. There’s just not enough quarters to justify that.

 

[mike.adams.467]

I wouldn't carry the head out. If you want to Euro it, skin it out and cut off the neck as close as possible. If it's going to be a shoulder mount, bring out the cape and the antlers with a small section of skull attached. These can be carried by the guy with the lightest load, if necessary.

 

[roosterdown]

Thanks for all the advice.

More clarity on our situation: the vehicle will be down low and in an area that can get pretty warm on clear days; we have a 2-3 mile hike in this scrubby, very arid zone between the car and the base of the drainage.

Once we're in the drainage we have timber and cold water coming down from treeline lakes (those are about another 6 miles & 3500 feet up).

So it's possible that the vehicle will be hot as hades. If so, perhaps we should move meat to the base of the drainage...then get gear to the vehicle, run for ice, then get back after the meat.

 

[ahawk116]

That’s what I would do.

 

[5MilesBack]

If so, perhaps we should move meat to the base of the drainage...then get gear to the vehicle, run for ice, then get back after the meat.

Or........have the coolers all ready to go. Loads get put on ice as soon as you get to the truck.

 

[Read1t48]

Packing meat too quickly after the kill, depending on the distance, and how you’ve packed it, can be more detrimental than leaving it in a proper place to cool.

I often leap frog when solo from one cool spot to another. I prefer to pack meat in the cool of the night. I sometimes take the head and 1 meat bag first, after properly storing the meat in the mountains including protection from predators. The head was taken out to give time for the edible meat to cool and to eliminate a bulky load if I have an opportunity to bring a game cart or bicycle to a pick up point after getting the meat out over cross country terrain. Meat science is a real thing and can contradict the idea of a quick meat load or pack out off the mountain depending on the time of day and season.

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

Packing meat too quickly after the kill, depending on the distance, and how you’ve packed it, can be more detrimental than leaving it in a proper place to cool.

I often leap frog when solo from one cool spot to another. I prefer to pack meat in the cool of the night. I sometimes take the head and 1 meat bag first, after properly storing the meat in the mountains including protection from predators. The head was taken out to give time for the edible meat to cool and to eliminate a bulky load if I have an opportunity to bring a game cart or bicycle to a pick up point after getting the meat out over cross country terrain. Meat science is a real thing and can contradict the idea of a quick meat load or pack out off the mountain depending on the time of day and season.

If you are solo, by the time you get the first quarter off and then finish the job that quarter should be plenty cool if you got it off and in the shade with air to it to pack out. I always start with the hams. Worst case you can pack out a front quarter and back straps. The head should be the absolute last thing packed out regardless. I will fight that til the day I die, idc about ur “trophy” if ur hunting just for horns and a cape, your here for the wrong reason. I’ve fined clients before for showing up to pack out an animal and they brought the head first cause it was “important”. I will fight that all day long, those antlers aren’t going to spoil.


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[TaperPin]

To me it also depends on where I’d rather pitch the tent. I can sleep at the trailhead and listen to field mice under the tent attracted by all the horse feed, or pick a nice spot on the hill to leap frog to. I love the country I hunt in, so it’s an easy decision. Making a trip to the vehicle and returning to the tent on the mountain is also a better alternative.

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

To me it also depends on where I’d rather pitch the tent. I can sleep at the trailhead and listen to field mice under the tent attracted by all the horse feed, or pick a nice spot on the hill to leap frog to. I love the country I hunt in, so it’s an easy decision. Making a trip to the vehicle and returning to the tent on the mountain is also a better alternative.

That’s a great option, you wake up with fresh legs to get your meat out, then come back in empty and can rest IF you can’t do more than 1 trip in a day.

I also highly suggest that if you don’t feel you can get all the meat of an animal out from where you killed it in a timely manner you are to deep for your own good. To many guys go to far then get in over their head. Wherever you kill, you better be willing to make 4-6 trips, if you don’t think you can do that don’t get greedy and take a shot. Also remember if you take a shot and are worried the animal may go somewhere you don’t want them to especially with a sub par shot, don’t shoot. Hunting has been all about to much greed of gotta kill gotta get antlers gotta boost my ego


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[mtnbound]

Thanks for all the advice.

More clarity on our situation: the vehicle will be down low and in an area that can get pretty warm on clear days; we have a 2-3 mile hike in this scrubby, very arid zone between the car and the base of the drainage.

Once we're in the drainage we have timber and cold water coming down from treeline lakes (those are about another 6 miles & 3500 feet up).

So it's possible that the vehicle will be hot as hades. If so, perhaps we should move meat to the base of the drainage...then get gear to the vehicle, run for ice, then get back after the meat.

That's not a bad plan. How many days will you be hunting? If you have good coolers and are using dry ice, I also wouldn't be afraid to have the coolers already prepped and sitting in the truck.

 

[roosterdown]

Good call on the coolers. Will load them with block ice...but we may be in as long as 10-12 days, so maybe we have ice, and maybe we have warm water. There's a town within 30 minutes of where we will park if we need more ice.