Bone-in quarters...

[VernAK]

Some folks just need a bit of inspiration to accomplish what they thought they couldn't possibly do.

A young SD friend shot a huge bull a half mile downhill from our cub landing strip. While I boned/butchered/bagged, he made many trips up that hill. Finally we lashed the head and antlers to the pack frame [last load by law] and helped him to his feet. Before he started uphill, I showed him my sharp skinning knife and advised him that if he slowed down, I'd be slicing washers off his anus. He seemed motivated!

 

[Ray]

The bone in rule in some units comes from a variety of issues over the years. As Larry has posted a few times it comes down to meat spoilage over time. A de-boned bag of meat is hard to keep dry and cool. A solid leg can be heavy, but easier to handle in the field. Especially if you are in a raft.

The intent of AK game management is the collection of food for people. Not antlers for walls. Thus, any process that keeps meat from spoiling will become a requirement.

Any air service that is operating in a bone in unit and requiring customers to bone out their meat will eventually have an issue with the Troopers.

An often overlooked piece of equipment for moose hunting is a small plastic sled. However, it depends on how you are accessing the area and what you can take with you. Also depends on the terrain. Flat grassland only for the most part.

 

[Kevin Dill]

The funny thing about Alaska: As soon as you step out of the plane and breathe in all that crisp clean air, you become 50% stronger than you are back home. You can pack moose meat all day and pick your teeth with an oosik after dinner. Man up!

 

[mcseal2]

Kevin's comment reminds me of the Narnia books I read as a kid. The kids transported there got more grown up the longer they were in that place. AK does something similar, when it's just you and who/what you have in camp you become more self reliant.

We got ours packed out last year. Both were less than half mile pack-outs to where we could get the inflatable boat through very tough terrain. It was swampy swampy stuff. Lots of places it was just vegetation growing over water and nothing solid underfoot. We avoided that as much as possible. We still sunk to our knees many steps in mud. I felt like we prepared well and it was still tougher than I anticipated. The mud made it much harder for us. I have packed elk quarters on solid ground miles with less effort. It is not impossible though, you can do it. There was a huge difference in quarter size/weight between my bull and my buddies younger bull also.

A few pointers from a novice, take them for what they are worth. Lots are not my ideas but those others shared with me that I found helpful:

Before the trip:
-Work out your legs, core, and wind. Work other stuff too, you will use a lot of it, but those are key
-Spend 2-3 days per week working out with a loaded pack. I packed an 80lb bag of quickcrete a lot on my pack
-Train both with and without trekking poles with the weighted pack. Without helps with core and stabilizer muscles
-Train places that strengthen your ankles, and wear something on the hunt with ankle support. I used Simms G3 boots and waders. I would have struggled in hip boots without ankle support.
-I spent time walking "pond laps" too. I would go to a shallow muddy pond and walk in my waders, get my knees and ankles used to the sucking pressure of pulling my legs out of the muck.
-I ride a horse a lot at work. I find riding a horse working a cow keeps my core strong. Think of ways to strengthen your back and core.
-Don't overdo it and hurt yourself right before your hunt.
-Watch Larry Bartlett's project bloodtrail

After shooting your bull in a reasonable location:

-Eat and drink before you start butchering. It will take several hours (3.5hrs on the first bull with 2 of us) It is work and it's better to start out fueled and hydrated.
-Use a saw if needed to clear brush from where the moose fell, and make a path out. Don't leave sharp things to fall on with a heavy quarter on your back
-Leave the leg's on until last, they help roll moose over
-Be careful getting up with a quarter. Help each other if possible. Don't let the quarter on your buddies back shift and smack you in the head with a leg bone as you get up. It hurts! I almost blacked out when it smacked me.
-Use trekking poles
-Plan your route, maybe by taking a lighter load first
-Be careful in bad spots. We had one place we used our pack frames like a stretcher and each took an end. The bog was deep and bad enough we didn't want to have a pack strapped to us if we fell, this way we could turn it loose if needed. We shuttled the meat that way to a hump on the other side and then put our packs back on

Prepare as best you can and you will be glad you did. My buddy did a lot of the same prep I did, more in some ways, and still had a knee injury that hadn't bothered him in 15 years flare back up. He also had back trouble before it was all done. He toughed through it, never even said it hurt until we were out of the field. It was a rewarding experience, Type 2 fun!

 

[Panhandler80]

Kevin's comment reminds me of the Narnia books I read as a kid. The kids transported there got more grown up the longer they were in that place. AK does something similar, when it's just you and who/what you have in camp you become more self reliant.

We got ours packed out last year. Both were less than half mile pack-outs to where we could get the inflatable boat through very tough terrain. It was swampy swampy stuff. Lots of places it was just vegetation growing over water and nothing solid underfoot. We avoided that as much as possible. We still sunk to our knees many steps in mud. I felt like we prepared well and it was still tougher than I anticipated. The mud made it much harder for us. I have packed elk quarters on solid ground miles with less effort. It is not impossible though, you can do it. There was a huge difference in quarter size/weight between my bull and my buddies younger bull also.

A few pointers from a novice, take them for what they are worth. Lots are not my ideas but those others shared with me that I found helpful:

Before the trip:
-Work out your legs, core, and wind. Work other stuff too, you will use a lot of it, but those are key
-Spend 2-3 days per week working out with a loaded pack. I packed an 80lb bag of quickcrete a lot on my pack
-Train both with and without trekking poles with the weighted pack. Without helps with core and stabilizer muscles
-Train places that strengthen your ankles, and wear something on the hunt with ankle support. I used Simms G3 boots and waders. I would have struggled in hip boots without ankle support.
-I spent time walking "pond laps" too. I would go to a shallow muddy pond and walk in my waders, get my knees and ankles used to the sucking pressure of pulling my legs out of the muck.
-I ride a horse a lot at work. I find riding a horse working a cow keeps my core strong. Think of ways to strengthen your back and core.
-Don't overdo it and hurt yourself right before your hunt.
-Watch Larry Bartlett's project bloodtrail

After shooting your bull in a reasonable location:

-Eat and drink before you start butchering. It will take several hours (3.5hrs on the first bull with 2 of us) It is work and it's better to start out fueled and hydrated.
-Use a saw if needed to clear brush from where the moose fell, and make a path out. Don't leave sharp things to fall on with a heavy quarter on your back
-Leave the leg's on until last, they help roll moose over
-Be careful getting up with a quarter. Help each other if possible. Don't let the quarter on your buddies back shift and smack you in the head with a leg bone as you get up. It hurts! I almost blacked out when it smacked me.
-Use trekking poles
-Plan your route, maybe by taking a lighter load first
-Be careful in bad spots. We had one place we used our pack frames like a stretcher and each took an end. The bog was deep and bad enough we didn't want to have a pack strapped to us if we fell, this way we could turn it loose if needed. We shuttled the meat that way to a hump on the other side and then put our packs back on

Prepare as best you can and you will be glad you did. My buddy did a lot of the same prep I did, more in some ways, and still had a knee injury that hadn't bothered him in 15 years flare back up. He also had back trouble before it was all done. He toughed through it, never even said it hurt until we were out of the field. It was a rewarding experience, Type 2 fun!

Good stuff. As always! Project Bloodtrail as well as his field taxidermy is on order as of today. Also have Larry's 1st and 2nd edition float trip books. We aren't going to float hunt, but I've already picked up some good nuggets in skimming through them, amongst the other 4 or 5 books I've got.

Nothing above in your post is groundbreaking, but it's awesome to see it in print. Even though I'm 2.5 years out, seeing another guy's first hand experience in print confirms a lot of what I'm thinking. That's not only comforting, but also encouraging. Granted, if we needed comfort or encouragement, our idea of a trip would necessarily be a bad one. However, confirmation that any part of our plan is on target is always welcomed! Boy, I can't wait.

Next few months are CRAZY here. Finishing up hurricane repair on our house next couple weeks. Tuna charter (lost my boat in storm) out of Louisiana mid May for couple of days, we move houses here June 7, baby comes June 22. Bam. ONE blink... I'd like to have an area picked / transport lined up before we move houses. Then focus on baby and us for a quite some time. Then this time next year start really focusing on gear, exercise schedule, legitimate need / want gear, you know... the FUN part.

Had some bad thunderstorms last night and full moon. I woke up and visions of AK hunt kept me up rest of morning. I'm haunted. It's under my skin.

 

[mcseal2]

After being there once, there is nothing like it. I'm headed back in 2020 and will probably be going every 2-3 years for as long as I'm able. I have other hunts I enjoy that are less expensive to do in off years as I save up for the next AK trip. It gets in your blood. Lower 48 back country is awesome and I love it too, but there is something more adventurous about being far enough from civilization you can't walk out in a day.

 

[VernAK]

When packing those heavy loads across the fast streams, remember to unbuckle your pack belt and get one hand inside a shoulder strap. If you go down in that fast water, you need to be out of that pack quickly.

A friend was guiding a hunter that wanted to help pack heavy moose quarters across some wet tundra. The hunter tripped and fell face down in the water between tussocks. The pack shifted upward over his shoulders and held his head in the water. Fortunately,, the guide was behind him and pulled up on the pack immediately.

 

[fishermaster]

Ive been following this thread, and really wanted to go moose hunting by myself and have thought the same thing about packing out myself.

Ive come to terms with limiting where I would shoot a moose if opportunity presents itself .

But some of the transporters I contacted really don't want to drop me off by myself.

 

[Labdad]

If your choice is solo or never going, go. I have packed moose by myself. A grind but doable.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Transporters tend to not take solo hunters....especially first-time moose hunters....or ones they don't know well. A guy by himself is going to face greater challenges out there. If things go wrong (injury or say meat spoilage) the transporter will be involved somehow and dealing with problems. Two guys don't guarantee that problems won't happen, but they do have a better margin of safety and ability to get the work of butchering and meat-packing done. Then there's the fact that sending one guy to a good moose camp yields 50% of the money that 2 guys would pay a pilot. For most pilots it just doesn't make sense most of the time.

If I was a pilot there's no way I'd fly a solo hunter in for his first moose hunt. I did a good number of years (of AK hunting) before my pilot took me in solo the first time. By the time I killed my first solo bull, I'd butchered and packed a number of killed bulls, so I knew the drill and what I was up against being alone. I hunt VERY conservatively when alone because there is little margin for error.

 

[mcseal2]

Good advice from guys who have done a lot more hunting up there than I'll likely ever get done. I always like these threads where I can learn the little things I wouldn't think of on my own. I unbuckle the hip belt but hadn't thought of the shoulder strap trick. Good stuff that could save my life sometime.

 

[fishermaster]

If your choice is solo or never going, go. I have packed moose by myself. A grind but doable.

 

[fishermaster]

Transporters tend to not take solo hunters....especially first-time moose hunters....or ones they don't know well. A guy by himself is going to face greater challenges out there. If things go wrong (injury or say meat spoilage) the transporter will be involved somehow and dealing with problems. Two guys don't guarantee that problems won't happen, but they do have a better margin of safety and ability to get the work of butchering and meat-packing done. Then there's the fact that sending one guy to a good moose camp yields 50% of the money that 2 guys would pay a pilot. For most pilots it just doesn't make sense most of the time.

If I was a pilot there's no way I'd fly a solo hunter in for his first moose hunt. I did a good number of years (of AK hunting) before my pilot took me in solo the first time. By the time I killed my first solo bull, I'd butchered and packed a number of killed bulls, so I knew the drill and what I was up against being alone. I hunt VERY conservatively when alone because there is little margin for error.

If your choice is solo or never going, go. I have packed moose by myself. A grind but doable.
[/QUOTE


I plan on going with or with out someone.

Im understand the costs a pilot faces with only taking one person , but I have to keep plugging away at making it happen.

 

[fishermaster]

you can tell Im new , I cant do the quote thing correct yet , lol

 

[VernAK]

As Kevin says, pilots are reluctant to leave hunters alone in teh bush especially considering that they have few moose locations and 2-4 hunters creates a lot more revenue for that location.

I frequently have coffee with pilots and guides often mentioned on these sites and they have so many horror stories about problems with clients and not all are humorous. Some clients get pissed off because their 350 pound body can't be shoehorned into the back seat of a Cub!

The game is slowly changing to where the new clients may have to provide references rather than clients seeking references from the flight service.

 

[Panhandler80]

When packing those heavy loads across the fast streams, remember to unbuckle your pack belt and get one hand inside a shoulder strap. If you go down in that fast water, you need to be out of that pack quickly.

A friend was guiding a hunter that wanted to help pack heavy moose quarters across some wet tundra. The hunter tripped and fell face down in the water between tussocks. The pack shifted upward over his shoulders and held his head in the water. Fortunately,, the guide was behind him and pulled up on the pack immediately.

Dang it, man. Could have been real bad. I slipped on ice in chest waders fly fishing one time solo and it was real damn scary. I was above a little structure with real fast water casting in to a pool across the way. Had I not found a rock to grab, it would have real feakin' bad. That event is one of only a handful of outdoor experiences that really shook me.

 

[hodgeman]

Packing moose sucks but i do it at every opportunity I can. FWIW, I think people tend to over-emphazize the suck in the interest of a good story. Don't be dumb and shoot one in a spot you can't get it out of, take your time and stay safe.

Finding and getting a bull down is the hard part. The packing is just time and calories. My partner and I shot a bull last year about a mile from our pickup. It took about 12 hours of steady work to get it all butchered and hauled out in 4 trips ea. I'm 47 with a bad back and he's 63 so it's certainly doable.

I actually prefer to leave the bone in...the bones don't weigh all that much and it is much easier to pack a quarter on bone than try to handle an 80 pound sack of formless, shifting meat.

 

[Labdad]

As Kevin says, pilots are reluctant to leave hunters alone in teh bush especially considering that they have few moose locations and 2-4 hunters creates a lot more revenue for that location.

I frequently have coffee with pilots and guides often mentioned on these sites and they have so many horror stories about problems with clients and not all are humorous. Some clients get pissed off because their 350 pound body can't be shoehorned into the back seat of a Cub!

The game is slowly changing to where the new clients may have to provide references rather than clients seeking references from the flight service.

It's a whole different world....

 

[AK Troutbum]

I actually prefer to leave the bone in...the bones don't weigh all that much and it is much easier to pack a quarter on bone than try to handle an 80 pound sack of formless, shifting meat.

Couldn’t agree more.




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