Elk kill kit

[Sled]

i've used a thick garbage bag and a cheap garbage bag. the thick bags are heavy and the cheap ones don't last long. i spend my time utilizing the surroundings to my favor and getting the meat into bags quickly. in treed areas i'll hang the meat and then slip the bag on after i pick hairs or lightly rinse if it touched dirt. i hunt solo so i get creative. the best thing i've done to help keep meat clean is learn how to cut hide without putting hair everywhere.

 

[6bailey]

Lots of good ideas so far. Might sound weird but landscaped fabric. Its not to heavy its cheep and comes in a variety of widths and you can roll out how much you want for your length cut it use it and then have more when you need to replace it.

 

[Wapiti406]

I’m also using Tyvek. I fold it up in a Ziploc and suck the air out. It really doesn’t take up too much room in the pack. When I was younger, I used to use a cheap throw away rain poncho or garbage bags... I can’t imagine how dirty the meat would get without some sort of ground sheet.


If you go the Tyvek route, wrinkle the sheet up and run it through the washing machine prior to storing in your bag. It will make the sheet way quieter and easier to work with in the field.

 

[Chad L]

i've used a thick garbage bag and a cheap garbage bag. the thick bags are heavy and the cheap ones don't last long. i spend my time utilizing the surroundings to my favor and getting the meat into bags quickly. in treed areas i'll hang the meat and then slip the bag on after i pick hairs or lightly rinse if it touched dirt. i hunt solo so i get creative. the best thing i've done to help keep meat clean is learn how to cut hide without putting hair everywhere.

Not sure how many people have a “kill kit” but I have a question on something Iv been pondering about adding to it. I see some guys use a 5x7 tarp or even tyvek to lay on the ground to put the quarters on. I’m debating if it is worth having something like that, last year I had a rear deer quarter fall into the dirt, wasn’t to happy.

What’s works great is if you have a
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what works great is if your already carrying an emergency space blanket-these are only a few dollars and work great for butchering as well. They weigh next to nothing.

 

[Coveyleader]

Gutless method, pull hide down, lay quarter on carcass, debone, and into the bag.

Anyone else feeling their "Greener" side as of late? Everything is plastic and one use.

 

[Sled]

Gutless method, pull hide down, lay quarter on carcass, debone, and into the bag.

Anyone else feeling their "Greener" side as of late? Everything is plastic and one use.

i use the gutless method and will occasionally use the inside of the hide to set meat on if it is without cut hair on it. my favorite is cold snow on the ground.

 

[cnelk]

This is really over thought.

Everyone has more than 1 game bag in their pack.
Just lay out one bag and place the quarter on it, grab another bag and put the quarter in it.

Or just place the quarters on clean log and put meat in when ready

 

[TradLife406]

Use your contractor bags you use for a pack liner for the meat or caching meat in a stream. Then invert the bag to store the meat after laying it on the bag.

A piece of polycro works great too and it's super light.

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[Ucsdryder]

I like to lay them out before putting them in the game bags to start the cooling process. The synthetic bags breath ok, but nothing beats open air.

 

[Swede]

I have used an old bed sheet many times. I have gone to a quality motel and offered to buy some that they would not reuse. They were all washed and folded when I got them free. The only thing wrong was some small stain that did not come out in the wash or a minor tear.

 

[Gapmaster]

We’ve always used the hide or extra game bags. You are already pulling the hide back. Assuming you didn’t just hack it up like Edward Scissor Hands...

 

[TAArrowood]

I always carry 3 or 4 of the cloth mesh game bags.. As I prepare the meat for de-boning I lay it on a large plastic (3 mil) garbage bag (42 or 50 gal).. I de-bone it on the plastic bag, then place it into the mesh cloth bag, then into a clean 2 mil 20 gal trash bag for packing.. One of the most useful things to have in your pack.. I've used them to oth mesh bag keeps the meat from sticking to the plastic and adds strength if you need to hang the meat... I usually take a couple large (3mil) bags and 3 or 4 smaller ones.. If you don't get air into them they pack really tight and weigh almost nothing.. They have a million uses and can save your life.. Per pound to utility value, heavy duty plastic bags are some of the most useful thing to pack... I've used them to collect water, form resevours to bath in, water horses, temp shelters, boot liners, waders. pack/equipment covers, put snow in to cool meat, put snow in to mely for drinking, etc, etc...

 

[Coveyleader]

Keep in mind in some places you hunt, if you leave the quarter out for a minute, not in bags i.e not covered or on logs to cool, you will have flies laying eggs/maggot issues instantly depending on the time of day killed. It's hard to comprehend how fast eggs appear on your quarters if left out for just a few minutes. Their impact is greater on quarters that have been de-boned.

We used to pack in large mosquito nets (weigh nothing) to drape over the quarters to keep the bugs off.

Flies in areas I hunt have more of an impact than heat. I would much rather shoot an elk in the evening vs AM to avoid them if possible. Flies can be so bad that at times I have killed an hour or so before dark and didn't even begin to break them down until dark.

 

[ElkNut1]

Red Pepper is your friend when swarmed with horse flies & meat bees. It will have them running!

ElkNut

 

[TAArrowood]

2nd the pepper.. I've used both black and red pepper.. The flys don't like it and will leave the meat alone while your'e working it up..

 

[wytx]

Yall don't just set the quarters on top of the game bags until you're ready to put them inside?

Yes, yes we do. Or if you skin, on the hide. Skinning a fresh, warm carcass is not hard or time consuming.

 

[cnelk]

Have the game bag handy / close when quartering. Just lift and put in game bag.

Never had a problem with flies. Must be a Southern Colorado thing

 

[SonnyDay]

I always carry 3 or 4 of the cloth mesh game bags.. As I prepare the meat for de-boning I lay it on a large plastic (3 mil) garbage bag (42 or 50 gal).. I de-bone it on the plastic bag, then place it into the mesh cloth bag, then into a clean 2 mil 20 gal trash bag for packing.. One of the most useful things to have in your pack.. I've used them to oth mesh bag keeps the meat from sticking to the plastic and adds strength if you need to hang the meat... I usually take a couple large (3mil) bags and 3 or 4 smaller ones.. If you don't get air into them they pack really tight and weigh almost nothing.. They have a million uses and can save your life.. Per pound to utility value, heavy duty plastic bags are some of the most useful thing to pack... I've used them to collect water, form resevours to bath in, water horses, temp shelters, boot liners, waders. pack/equipment covers, put snow in to cool meat, put snow in to mely for drinking, etc, etc...

I’ve noticed the contractor bags I always used to buy at Home Depot now have perfume on them. Anyone have a source for unscented heavy duty bags?

 

[Inrutt]

Red Pepper is your friend when swarmed with horse flies & meat bees. It will have them running!

ElkNut

Red pepper flakes liberally applied directly to the meat, or something else?

 

[CMF]

I did the space blanket last year and didn't work well at all due to the steep terrain, brush, etc. it ended up in shreds.
I also set a piece on a log that "looked" clean until I picked the meat up and it had quite a bit of debris on the meat.
I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do this year,. If the wife doesn't go with me, I'm going to get the SG Skyair and maybe use the footprint as a tarp if I kill. I may just not bring anything and use the bags, hide, spare clothes, or whatever I have with me, the best that I can.
I'm not sure on the weight of the plastic painters tarp, might check it out, but I'm not going to add more than a couple oz for a dedicated meat tarp.