Backpacking trips required to pack out an animal (elk / deer)???

[Jared Lampton]

If you are talking just meat, I would guess that is pretty firmly on the heavy side. Avg. is under 200, I would venture.

It seems like different parts of the country produce different body-size elk. Two rag bulls (2.5yr olds) I totally boned out came to between 180 and 185 lbs. 2 older bulls that I boned out and actually had weighed went 267 and 300. just meat. These bulls were from far northwestern Montana which is almost like where Roosevelt elk live climate wise.

The point is that bull elk can vary quite a bit in weight.

 

[Jon Boy]

It seems like different parts of the country produce different body-size elk. Two rag bulls (2.5yr olds) I totally boned out came to between 180 and 185 lbs. 2 older bulls that I boned out and actually had weighed went 267 and 300. just meat. These bulls were from far northwestern Montana which is almost like where Roosevelt elk live climate wise.

The point is that bull elk can vary quite a bit in weight.

Id also agree with this. Any one whose hunted roosies in SW washington or on the oly pen know they can grow em big.

 

[dotman]

Id also agree with this. Any one whose hunted roosies in SW washington or on the oly pen know they can grow em big.

Exactly which is why my avg will always be on the high side . Don't want a first timer to think they'll only be packing 180lbs of meat. Here is an ok referance but of course not every animal will weigh the same http://www.skinnymoose.com/racktracker/2008/09/04/how-much-meat-will-i-get-from-my-elk/

 

[ut1031]

Having packed out many elk, I would say that getting a big bull out in two trips would be VERY difficult. The use of trekking poles will help balance the load tremendously! I have carried them for many years..........SK1, if you get a big bull this year, give me a call(8015971676), more than happy to help u pack it out!

 

[slim9300]

My partner and I bone out the entire elk and take it out in one trip. If I hunted solo I would probably do the same thing (ie. 2 trips). Last year we packed our two 6x6 bulls a little over 5 miles out to the truck, each in one trip and one day apart. From what I have seen, a mature Rocky Mountain bull has around 200-250 lbs. of trimmed meat (plus the antlers) but keep in mind that we take the extra time and trim as much fat and silver-skin as we can while be load the game bags. Also keep in mind that we have never felt the need to take the cape.

I am 6' 2" and 170 lbs. (150 lbs. at the end of a typical 10 day hunt) so I'm not a big guy by any means but I train for months before the season by carrying an 80+ lb. pack for a couple miles per day. This really seems to help get my body in shape. I also use trekking poles once the animal goes down. My partner is 6' 2" and 200 lbs. so he's a little more capable but he doesn't like to workout. Thus, we split the weight evenly.

 

[slim9300]

It seems like different parts of the country produce different body-size elk. Two rag bulls (2.5yr olds) I totally boned out came to between 180 and 185 lbs. 2 older bulls that I boned out and actually had weighed went 267 and 300. just meat. These bulls were from far northwestern Montana which is almost like where Roosevelt elk live climate wise.

The point is that bull elk can vary quite a bit in weight.

This is a good point. An average mature MT bull from where I hunt in the state, weighs about 500-600 lbs. on the hoof. The bull I killed on the Olympic Peninsula in 2010 was probably only 3.5 years old and it had to weigh around 700 lbs. on the hoof. We got about 50 lbs. more boned out meat than my two biggest MT 6x6's. This bull took two trips with my partner and I mainly because we used small daypacks at the time.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Sorry about the threadjack on meat weight, but I guess it is related. My average of under 200 was for Rocky Mountain elk, and takes into consideration most bulls killed are under 3 1/2 years old.

I agree completely there is a wide variance in body size. We actually had a thread on meat from an elk last year sometime and I mentioned my old horse of a MT bull that was definitely outsized and yielded right at 330 pounds of meat. My butcher even remarked at how unusual it was.

On that big bull my partner and I took out two quarters that day, and four of us went in the next day for the rest. He was a big sucker. Solo, it would have been six miserable trips.

 

[sk1]

finally slim, a vote of confidence lol....i believe i can do the same. after butchering two cow elk this year and looking at how much fat and silverskin was thrown away.....that was also somethng i discussed with a few people, maybe trimming as much of that as possible before packing out, i wonder how much weight you lose there alone. may or may not be something i do, havent decided on that one yet, will let the situation dictate i suppose.

ut1031 - watch what you say or you might get a phone call! haha, thanks for the offer. im taking my father-in-law from wisconsin on this hunt, and am just trying to limit the down time between packing one out and getting back to the hunt if one of us shoots one--another reason i tried to find a horse packer

 

[Backpack Hunter]

sk1; You can certainly do it. I have done it on multiple occasions, and lived to tell the tale.
Must admit though, I do prefer to keep my pack around 80lbs vs 100+ lbs.

 

[slim9300]

Sorry about the threadjack on meat weight, but I guess it is related. My average of under 200 was for Rocky Mountain elk, and takes into consideration most bulls killed are under 3 1/2 years old.

I agree completely there is a wide variance in body size. We actually had a thread on meat from an elk last year sometime and I mentioned my old horse of a MT bull that was definitely outsized and yielded right at 330 pounds of meat. My butcher even remarked at how unusual it was.

On that big bull my partner and I took out two quarters that day, and four of us went in the next day for the rest. He was a big sucker. Solo, it would have been six miserable trips.

Exactly. Most guys don't realize that a raghorn Rocky Mountain bull may only have 150-170 lbs. of meat. I killed a spike in 2011 in MT that only netted about 130 lbs. of clean meat. My partner's young 5x5 bull that died at the same time and within 100 yards, had about 170 lbs. of trimmed meat.

 

[Aron Snyder]

You get 30% of the meat from the"on the hoof" weight of an elk (from my experience anyway)

 

[slim9300]

finally slim, a vote of confidence lol....i believe i can do the same. after butchering two cow elk this year and looking at how much fat and silverskin was thrown away.....that was also somethng i discussed with a few people, maybe trimming as much of that as possible before packing out, i wonder how much weight you lose there alone. may or may not be something i do, havent decided on that one yet, will let the situation dictate i suppose.

ut1031 - watch what you say or you might get a phone call! haha, thanks for the offer. im taking my father-in-law from wisconsin on this hunt, and am just trying to limit the down time between packing one out and getting back to the hunt if one of us shoots one--another reason i tried to find a horse packer

Imagine the unnecessary miles you are going to save yourself! There is a little more pain and you do move slower, but it pays off big time especially if you have more hunting to do. Just make sure you are in shape and comfortable carrying heavy loads BEFORE you head out hunting. There is no reason to hurt yourself however.

It also brings up the point of carrying a pack capable of heavy loads at all times. In the past when an elk hit the dirt, my partner and I headed to spike camp or the truck to get the pack frames. Now we have our Kifaru packs that allow us to deal with the animal on the spot and get the entire animal out same day.

 

[slim9300]

You get 30% of the meat from the"on the hoof" weight of an elk (from my experience anyway)

Yep.

 

[sk1]

Imagine the unnecessary miles you are going to save yourself! There is a little more pain and you do move slower, but it pays off big time especially if you have more hunting to do. Just make sure you are in shape and comfortable carrying heavy loads BEFORE you head out hunting. There is no reason to hurt yourself however.

It also brings up the point of carrying a pack capable of heavy loads at all times. In the past when an elk hit the dirt, my partner and I headed to spike camp or the truck to get the pack frames. Now we have our Kifaru packs that allow us to deal with the animal on the spot and get the entire animal out same day.

agreed on the pack, i can honestly say i dreaded heavy loads in any pack i ever owned up until i got my kifaru last season.....what a life saver to have a pack that fits so well. i never thought id find the perfect fit, glad i finally ponied up and bought one.

 

[Jared Lampton]

You get 30% of the meat from the"on the hoof" weight of an elk (from my experience anyway)

I agree with that. It's what a butcher friend of mine who does mostly wild game told me...about 1/3