Brushing your elk

[Pony Soldier]

I just finished cutting up my last elk half and felt the need to share. Back in the 70s I shot a spike on a rocky hillside just about dark. Since it was two miles to camp, I laid him out and planned on being back by daylight for retrieval. When I got there in the morning everything looked good initially. However as I stepped down the last couple feet no less than 5 ravens jumped out of the chest cavity. They saved me from having to pack out the tenderloins and a sizable portion of the round steak.

So this year, forty years later, a similar situation. We drug the elk down a nasty snow covered sagey hilside about 500 yds. We found a heavy fir canopy and hid the elk under the low hanging limbs figuring that we should be good until daylight. We got there shortly after sunup. And-- those nasty black devils had harvested about 5-6 lbs of round steak. I swear they know where every elk is before you shoot them.

Since I am chronically stupid every 40 years I urge you to brush them up with fir bows or small trees before you have to leave. I had chastised a friend of mine earlier in the season for the same thing. He was only gone for two hours but they were eyeing it. I know many of you are warm weather hunters and that is a differant situation. This was late, a ft of snow and below 0 temps. Don't be stupid like me.

 

[manitou1]

I just finished cutting up my last elk half and felt the need to share. Back in the 70s I shot a spike on a rocky hillside just about dark. Since it was two miles to camp, I laid him out and planned on being back by daylight for retrieval. When I got there in the morning everything looked good initially. However as I stepped down the last couple feet no less than 5 ravens jumped out of the chest cavity. They saved me from having to pack out the tenderloins and a sizable portion of the round steak.

So this year, forty years later, a similar situation. We drug the elk down a nasty snow covered sagey hilside about 500 yds. We found a heavy fir canopy and hid the elk under the low hanging limbs figuring that we should be good until daylight. We got there shortly after sunup. And-- those nasty black devils had harvested about 5-6 lbs of round steak. I swear they know where every elk is before you shoot them.

Since I am chronically stupid every 40 years I urge you to brush them up with fir bows or small trees before you have to leave. I had chastised a friend of mine earlier in the season for the same thing. He was only gone for two hours but they were eyeing it. I know many of you are warm weather hunters and that is a differant situation. This was late, a ft of snow and below 0 temps. Don't be stupid like me.

Man, I would never arm wrestle you! You guys drug an elk 500 yards? One tough cookie!

 

[Ralphie]

Rather have birds then these

 

[Pony Soldier]

If we hadn't hit a patch of downfall where we had to go over logs 3 ft high, we would have dug it the last 300 yards to the horses in the regen. We had to saw our way out.

 

[Huntnnw]

never left elk meat exposed , so I have never had a bird issue. Everything is always game bagged and moved from carcass

 

[5MilesBack]

The amount of time it took to drag 500 yards and/or brushed it in, you might as well have broken it down, put in game bags, and hung them.

 

[WeiserBucks]

The amount of time it took to drag 500 yards and/or brushed it in, you might as well have broken it down, put in game bags, and hung them.

Agree, never had birds mess with bagged meat when there's a stripped carcass they can pick scraps off of.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Not really. It took about 15 minutes to take it 500 yds. One towing and one holding it back. Near verticle slope.

I leave about 25% overnite and process in the morning. It all depends on the conditions.

Meat in a sack doesn't appeal to me. I quarter them. All that is left in the woods are lower legs, guts and head.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Meat in a sack doesn't appeal to me. I quarter them.

Is there a reason you don't put the quarters in a game bag? There's plenty available that'll fit whole bone in elk quarters.

 

[BuckRut]

Brush them in every time if you leave the full carcass. It literally takes 5 minutes.

 

[BuckRut]

Is there a reason you don't put the quarters in a game bag? There's plenty available that'll fit whole bone in elk quarters.

With horses it is easier to leave the hide on to keep the meet clean. Quarters are also larger because there is no need to get rid of the rib cage. Cut them between the 3rd and 4th rib then split the spine with an axe and you are on your way.

 

[Pony Soldier]

It takes about an hour to set up and quarter them. If I have them quartered it takes less than ten minutes to load them on the horses. Its getting the horses to the elk in heavy timber that takes the time.

 

[rayporter]

it has been a few years since i could lift a quarter!!!