Grizz Country Gutless Method

[CiK01]

I will be in thick, Wyoming grizz country, solo hunting elk this year. The one task that has me somewhat anxious is the breaking down of the elk IF I get one down. I am concerned I will be too focused on it to look around and check my surroundings enough.

Is breaking an animal down with the hide/hair still on and hanging it in a distant tree to pack out later a viable time saver than doing all the skinning at the kill site? If the weather permits, will the meat hold up to leaving hide and hair on for a few hours/days?

Just thinking I could get things done and away from the kill site quickly, hung in a tree and can do the skinning at the safer base camp after getting all the meat back there.

Will late September, early October Wyoming weather support this idea?

Thanks!




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[Pronghunter]

Have done this for years on my own. I will leave the hide on if it’s dark and need to leave. If it’s still light I’ll skin it. A lot of my elk kied are early September and temps are 80-90 degrees. You should be fine, especially if there’s shade. Always pack out what I can and the rest I usually hang at least 200 yards from the gut pile. Sometimes Ive had a bear on it, and times there’s not when I return. But I’ve never had one on the hanging meat, it’s always been the gut pile. When going back for the remaining trips, always stop as far back as possible and glass the gut pile and the hanging meat....sometimes for a while just to be sure there’s not a lingering Grizz on it. You can almost always tell if ones been on it during the night. It’s either rolled around or buried. Be safe.

I always carry both pepper spray and a pistol, especially on return pack outs. I don’t trust the plastic trigger on bear spray and I don’t trust my ability to accurately hit a bear at Mach 2. Have a plan.

 

[CiK01]

Have done this for years on my own. I will leave the hide on if it’s dark and need to leave. If it’s still light I’ll skin it. A lot of my elk kied are early September and temps are 80-90 degrees. You should be fine, especially if there’s shade. Always pack out what I can and the rest I usually hang at least 200 yards from the gut pile. Sometimes there’s a bear on it, sometimes there’s not when I return. But I’ve never had one on the hanging meat, it’s always been the gut pile. When going back for the remaining trips, always stop as far back as possible and glass the gut pile and the hanging meat....sometimes for a little while just to be sure there’s not a lingering Grizz on it. You can almost always tell if ones been on it during the night. It’s either rolled around or buried. Be safe.

I always carry both pepper spray and a pistol, especially on return pack outs. I don’t trust a plastic trigger on bear spray and I don’t trust my ability to accurately hit a bear at Mach 2. Have a plan.

Thank you!

 

[tuffcity]

Just a note about returning to the kill site. Put a tripod of light poles (limbed trees) with some flagging tape on the top over the gut pile or any meat you may have had to leave behind. It's a lot easier to see at a distance if a land shark has been active on the site- the tripod will be down.

RC

 

[wyodan]

I have always just skinned and then packed the meat a considerable distance from the gut pile. While skinning, I always load a round in my rifle, and unholster and unclip the bear spray. Thus far, I have had no problems, but oh boy is that an exhilarating experience while your working away with your eyes constantly wandering.

 

[Beendare]

Yeah, you won't be dragging an elk carcass. Just bone it out and move the meat bags away from the carcass.

something like Tuffcity's idea with the flagging is a good one.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

Just a note about returning to the kill site. Put a tripod of light poles (limbed trees) with some flagging tape on the top over the gut pile or any meat you may have had to leave behind. It's a lot easier to see at a distance if a land shark has been active on the site- the tripod will be down.

RC

I like this idea. That makes a lot of sense.

 

[gbflyer]

Been my experience that the meat sours on an elk starting at the neck, the hair there is incredibly thick. I’ve on occasion dressed and then skinned the neck only for an overnighter. After learning about the gutless method when I moved to AK, that’s all I do now. Leaving the noodles in the carcass really buys you some time when it comes to the scavengers. Typically it’s the squawking birds that attract the 4 - legged opportunists. I agree that leaving hide on the quarters overnight is OK if you have to.

Also don’t discount the effectiveness of the piss fence. Works on bears and coyotes.

 

[CX5Ranch]

If a bear has been there or is there what is the proper thing to do then. I'd probably head for Missouri.

Land shark. Lol. That's a good one

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[MTguy0341]

Also a fan of the piss fence and hanging an article of sweaty clothing on a tree nearby. Don't know if the shirt does any good or not but haven't had a bear or lion on a carcass yet.

 

[Bulldawg]

You gotta show them who’s boss! That’s your elk and you gotta take it back by all means necessary

If a bear has been there or is there what is the proper thing to do then. I'd probably head for Missouri.

Land shark. Lol. That's a good one

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[CiK01]

If a bear has been there or is there what is the proper thing to do then. I'd probably head for Missouri.

Land shark. Lol. That's a good one

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They say you should surrender it to the bear. Or, you can go the BJJ route.

 

[KSP277]

I piss off porch every morning. Never once have I had a grizzly bear near my fort. Gotta let em know it’s your territory. Establish Dominance. If it works here in Kentucky I can’t imagine it wouldn’t work anywhere else.

 

[RDT415]

Just a note about returning to the kill site. Put a tripod of light poles (limbed trees) with some flagging tape on the top over the gut pile or any meat you may have had to leave behind. It's a lot easier to see at a distance if a land shark has been active on the site- the tripod will be down.

RC

Solid advice. Going to have to remember that when the time (hopefully) comes.

 

[CX5Ranch]

Lol. Works in Kentucky. Good grief that's funny

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[oldgoat]

I've only read about this, haven't done it, but once you get the elk broke apart, guys are leap frogging the meat away from the guy pile, as in they move a bag fifty yards or whatever yards, then return and get a second bag and take it to the first until it's all moved then start over moving all the bags again. I've not done an elk with all the hide on and bones in, but I've done an average sized whitetail doe like that, it's really a lot of extra weight to move, my pack weighed 87 pounds so probably 80 pounds was the deer. So I'm guessing roughly twice the weight of just boned out meat, I did it because it was large river freezing cold out not because of grizzly though!

 

[sneaky]

They say you should surrender it to the bear. Or, you can go the BJJ route.

Nah, you roll over and play dead. It's good practice for when you die a couple minutes later.

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