Elk processing on a hillside

[TaylerW]

Well my partner and I finally killed a bull this past season. I’ve processed a good number of deer, a bear and an antelope previously in a similar situation. We killed him around 1pm. It was warm. Nice sized body mature bull. In hind sight I made a few substantial mistakes.

He died on a fairly steep hillside, so just getting him oriented to work on was a task. Zipped his top open and yanked the straps off. Then boned the meat off the rear and front quarters, then took the neck/rib meat and repeated.

The pack out was brutal. Killed him close to 2000ft below camp, and then camp was 4 miles walking ridges back to the truck. We ended up hiking him straight down the drainage to an old dead end road where some friends met us to help with the last load. All together it took around 14 hours. The temperature never got below around 58 degrees.

We ended up splitting the meat bringing home around 140lb of processed meat each. Lost some of the neck meat and some of a quarter.

We had the right knives, but our inexperience cost us time.

Changes I plan to make
1. Bring a tarp of sorts like 10x10 for a clean place to put meat
2. Yank off quarters asap and let them cool. Maybe hang off a tree with some p-cord
3. Bring way more ice next time and a few more coolers. I think if we would have been able to chill it faster once we got to the truck we would have saved most of what we lost
4. Take a butcher class. I really don’t know what parts of the animal to cut in specific ways to turn the carcass into “meat”
5. Have a larger sturdy knife for popping joints

Thoughts? Am I on the right track?

 

[blkqi]

Just a couple of thoughts...

Knowing that it's going to take you a long time to pack out, I would start with skinning and dressing the animal and then getting it off the ground, whether by hanging (parts or whole) or building a platform from dead wood. This is the easiest way to dump heat quickly.

Think long and hard about taking him downhill if camp is up. That can bite you.

In the mountains you can almost always find a narrow canyon that remains cooler than average. These can make good staging or hanging spots.

 

[rayporter]

yep- you are on the right track.
i cut off legs as fast as i can and hang them. after the straps are hanging you can skin the legs.

 

[Poser]

Citric acid in a powder form + a tiny spray bottle is great for these types of conditions. The citric acid will help get a crust formed on the meat faster, serve as a (moderate) insect deterrent + create a more favorable PH balance to resist bacterial growth.

 

[mt terry d]

A bit of rope is handy for holding legs out of the way.

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

1. Caribou gear has an awesome tarp, I have 2 in my pack one to put meat on if needed and one to hang as a shade if needed
2. When it’s hot out and everything like that hunters need to be a lot more cautious with where they are, I get to many calls as an outfitter cause guys went to far and then are at high risk of losing meat if you think you’re gonna lose meat cause it’s to hot or to far reconsider taking the shot
3. Have extra plans on getting it out, ie friends helping bringing coolers and ice whatever just have back up if something happens
4. Bone hold a lot of heat if it’s hot get that hide off and get the femurs out first. And if there is snow remember snow is an insulator as well. Hanging meat allows the wind to blow around it and assists cooling it.
5. You don’t need a sturdy knife for joints a havalon will do just fine biggest thing is just slow down you don’t have to force a joint apart


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[WCB]

you are on the right track. Also I would add in...on steep terrain and higher heat I pull the guts out immediately. Since you are deboning on the hill not need to split the pelvis or get everything out but you can dump a lot of heat quick and make the animal easier to move.

In general I am moving away from replaceable blade knives.

Looks like you have some shade in the background there. 100% hang meat as it comes off in the shade or lay in the open elevated.

Also, not sure how easy t would have been but I may have thought of pulling/rolling the bull down the hill if you were able to go out the bottom anyways.

 

[WRO]

I much prefer to leave it on the bone. If you hang it in the shade, even if it’s warm it’ll still cool in the shade overnight. Get the guts out first and the wind pipe, it’ll help the cooling process and it only takes a few minutes.

Boning meat makes it harder to cool in my opinion and make 2 trips. I’ve done it both ways, it’s not worth the risk of injury doing 150lbs for a long time.


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[Taudisio]

Changes I plan to make
1. Bring a tarp of sorts like 10x10 for a clean place to put meat
2. Yank off quarters asap and let them cool. Maybe hang off a tree with some p-cord
3. Bring way more ice next time and a few more coolers. I think if we would have been able to chill it faster once we got to the truck we would have saved most of what we lost
4. Take a butcher class. I really don’t know what parts of the animal to cut in specific ways to turn the carcass into “meat”
5. Have a larger sturdy knife for popping joints

Thoughts? Am I on the right track?

1. Thats more weight you will be carrying around. I don’t do it, but it’s not the worst idea.
2. Yes, yes, yes
3. Depending on where you’re at, you can bring a dedicated ice cooler and have it filled. Or just run to the store after you kill and top off the ice.
4. If you have the time and money, butcher classes wouldn’t hurt. I don’t think it’s necessary.
5. Knowledge of how the joints attach and where to put pressure/cut, is more important than the type of knife you’re using. A knife is for cutting, not prying.

Your best idea is getting it quartered and hanging, then plan how you will get it to the truck the fastest. If you and your partner cut and hung the meat in the shade, then pull up a map and make a plan. If you found that road, your partner could have taken a light load (even empty) up to the truck, and you can start down to the road at the bottom and meet up to start the rest of the packing. This is assuming you both have decent navigation skills.
I’ve done the same scenario solo. Shot an elk at 6pm. Had it hanging by 8pm. Packed down to the road by 11pm leapfrogging the 3 loads. I got back up to the truck at 1am and drove down to pick up my meat, pack, and bow at 1:30. I got home at 3:30am. Could have done it with two people in half the time.

 

[Customweld]

You are on the right track. Having a tarp with you is pretty handy. I try to get the quarters hanging, in the shade if I can. If there isn't shade available, you can usually create some with a tarp. I'm not a fan of boning quarters. IMO, it's easier to keep clean, loose meat is more awkward to carry and when big chunks of loose meat are thrown into a bag, they tend to settle and stack up which really makes it retain heat. I like to carry 6 bags. 1 for each quarter, 1 for loose meat and 1 for backstraps and tenderloins. I stretch the backstraps out length wise in the bags to keep them from stacking up.
Even at 58 degrees, if you hung the quarters up in the shade, that's a 40 degree difference between body heat and ambient temperature.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

Not sure if it was mentioned but if heat is a concern then deboning the meat, especially the hinds, or simple making a cut to expose the bones, will get the heat out much more rapidly. Those bones hold a lot of heat.

Very small sheet of Tyvek rather than a tarp will help. Light weight and you can use it as a moisture barrier under your sleep pad if need be.

edit: I see it's been mentioned. As stated above I don't like to bone them either but if it's hot and I know I'm gonna have cooling issues I'll do it.

Take a look at The Bearded Butchers on YouTube.

 

[Poser]

I agree with the others, if you aren't going to debone the hindquarters, at least open up the meat starting at the ball joint and cut an opening up the femur -that's is the most dense area of muscle (think hamstrings, glutes and quads). An opening to the femur bone will really let quite a bit of heat off.

In terms of butchering, my perspective is admittingly a bit more advanced as I spent some time working in a craft butcher shop. That being said, I've maintained that butchery would be a lot simpler if we merely applied the same names to muscle groups as we do to human anatomy. As I referenced above, when you look at a hindquarter, think in terms of function: you have the posterior muscles such as the hamstrings and glutes (elk don't stand upright, but they do still have the equivalent butt muscles) and calves (aka shanks).
When you look at the shoulders, you effectively have the same muscle groups as well: shoulder group or "delts", tricep, bicep and forearms. If you get lost in there, simple move the legs at the elbow and knee joints and remind yourself how the muscles move the legs. That really simplifies things. For example, that "football roast" is the primary quad muscle. The hamstring groups will have darker, richer color/texture. Just keep it super simple: is it a pulling muscle or a pushing muscle? follow the seams and separate them out.

 

[180ls1]

I use an emergency blanket for meat care. Lighter and cheaper plus its a multi use item that also works great for not getting shot when coming out with the horns.

 

[GunsAreFun]

I carry a Mylar emergency blanket when hunting specifically for the purpose of having a clean spot to set meat.

Weighs nothing, has other uses, and keeps me from making a hot mess out of a more expensive, heavier tarp.

 

[5MilesBack]

Meat is meat, you don't need to be a butcher to cut it all off the bone. You can sort it later if you want, or grind it all. Just get it off, get it to a spot to help cool, and then get it on ice when you can. I shot a big bull several years back that was several miles from the truck. Shot him at 10am in 75 degree temps and broke him down, deboning everything. Hung the meat in the shade, took a first load out, and didn't get the rest out until the next day. It was all fine, and then on ice as soon as it got to the truck. I always fill coolers with frozen milk jugs, then use as many as will fit with the meat. When I get home the meat is so cold it's hard to handle.

 

[GunsAreFun]

And adding to 180, I also use it to avoid getting shot carrying antlers.

 

[butcherboy]

An emergency blanket works well. I actually use the hide. I never ever skin anything from the back down but always skin from the belly towards the back bone. Stretch that hide out and stake it down. Now you have a clean surface to lay meat on until you bag it and hang it. I always hang everything from a game pole I make or tree branches. Take a quarter off, lay it on the hide and then place in a contractor bag to carry over to my hanging area. Remove bag and repeat. Once it’s hanging and cooled out then I decide if I want to debone it or leave the bone in. If I debone then never ever separate the different muscles. Keep the deboned meat as a whole leg just minus the bone.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

Don’t kill anything you can’t get out without it spoiling. If it’s too warm and you don’t have the help you should limit yourself to those spots you know you can get all the meat out in good shape.

As far as knives, everything you need to do can be done with a havalon or similar. You don’t need big knives, saws, etc…

 

[Dave_]

I always carry a small ultralight tarp and tarred twine. Nothing worse than working on an elk in full sun when it's hot out or nowhere shaded to hang meat. I've also used it to lay meat on or keep rain off of meat or myself. Only weighs 8-9 oz and well worth it in my opinion.

More p-cord or tarred twine to prop legs open or help flip. If on a slope tie the carcass and antlers to a tree so it doesn't start sliding down.

Get the quarters off asap and hung in the coolest place you can find. The more airflow & shade the better. Cut around the ball joints /femur bone, then prop the open with a stick so they can start cooling faster.

Don't just start throwing meat in bags, it balls up and retains heat. I lay out everything individually (straps, tenderloins, neck, trimmings, etc) out on logs or hang from low branches in the shade. Once they cool to the touch l put them in bags. If bugs are bad I'll put in bags but still try to spread everything out the best I can.

Extra ice blocks in a cooler is a good idea if you are nowhere near a town to get ice afterwards.




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[Maverick1]

Welcome to killing elk. Not just hunting. Killing.

Do it a couple more times and you will get the hang of it.