How far is too far?

[MuleyFever]

The amount of quit in this thread is high...

I think the amount of common sense in this thread is high. It isn't just a matter of doing it is a matter of doing it safe and not losing the meat. Remember this is a guy that said he does not have a lot of back country experience, knowledge of the area, or help he can call.

 

[Travis1984]

All I'm saying is it's possible. There is a lot of people saying that it's absolutely not.

 

[Shrek]

Solo 12 miles , rugged terrain , blowdown timber , September weather , and little backcountry experience is a non starter. There are a few guys who could pull it off but they would all know better than do it. Blowdown areas take about triple time and effort if you haven't experienced them. I crossed an area with mild blowdown conditions last fall that was only four hundred yards or so but it took more out of me than the previous three miles. Zig zagging up and down around and climbing over and ducking under all with a big load will absolutely kill you. Have a packer lined up.

 

[jmez]

Temps at night in this area are going to be in the 40's and it warms up during the day. Last year it was in the 80's most every day and I'm not sure it ever made it down into the 40's. We don't have any Yeti type coolers but our block ice was gone on day 3. We hauled 2 elk into Billings because we couldn't keep them cool with ice and coolers.

 

[Nick Muche]

I packed bear bait most of last spring, plus barrels, plus stands, etc... about 2 miles one way, and it was 90% through blow down/old burn...

I loved every second of it.... You know why?

Because most people take the easy way and I knew no one else would consider something so "hard" which allowed us some pretty dang good bear hunting.

If you don't run into Elk before the 8-12 miles I would be very surprised, that's quite a bit of country to not...

Best of luck, just be smart.

 

[squeekieslayer]

All I'm saying is it's possible. There is a lot of people saying that it's absolutely not.

I would argue that it is absolutely NOT possible to go 12 miles with a camp, solo, in the 80's and get a whole bull out without spoilage. I mean to get all the meat you are legally supposed to take. And especially in that terrain. I get a lot annoyed by the "where there's a well there's a way" guys when it comes to this.

That is a MINIMUM of 3, approximately 100 pound trips.... after hunting for god knows how long before hand. That is a minimum of 60 miles. Even with NO breaks and a 3 mile an hour pace its 20 hours of hiking. That means the last load of meat has been sitting out for 20 hours.... Its biology, that won't work.

You can't tough guy yourself out of spoilage. It is a product of time and temperature.

joe

 

[tipsntails7]

Its not a matter of if you can do it or not, I don't know you so I cannot say, but that's a lot of miles and a ton of weight. Meat spoilage is the main concern and really all I would be worried about, anyone can do it, but I'd bet most cannot without losing meat.

Say you shoot a bull 10 miles in, and let's say you have the ability to get it out and camp in 3 loads . That's 50 MILES, 30 of it with 120+ pounds on your back. Can you do that in the time it takes the meat to spoil? Are you confident no matter what conditions you can get it out in an area you have never been in?

For me If its heavy brush or severe down hills I'm gonna cut my pack weight, I've had enough knee surgeries, I don't need another one so I can measure my dick on Internet forums. Most important thing about going out into the woods is being able to come back.

 

[Mike7]

I am older and not as tough as I once was, and not in great shape like when I was younger and hiking all week carrying camp on my back working for the forest service and training for college football inbetween...but I agree with those that are trying to advise not doing this without more experience or the availability of pack animals. The distance, weather, terrain, etc. are all factors as noted above.

Just add up the potential wt though to get an idea of what you might be looking at, regardless of some of the "badassness" expressed above.

This is what I come up with: potentially 275 lbs of boned out meat + 50 lbs of camp/gear + 50 plus lbs of skull/antlers/cape all carried out one way, along with 10-15 lbs of potentially wet pack & survival gear carried each way for at least an additional 3 trips to get back in. And this is not including the hiking in initially, and all of the hiking you will be doing while hunting. So, just to get this animal and your camp gear out in September over a distance of 10 miles, you are looking at 420 lbs that you need to carry out over 4 trips and 40 miles one way, along with 30 miles of carrying a 15 lb load the other way back in. Just let that sink in a little before you immediately say to yourself that you can do it.

I agree with Justin though...have some friends or pack animals that you can get involved.

 

[Bar]

Lets also not forget that elk hunting should be fun. It's not a contest to see how tough you are.

 

[Travis1984]

http://www.backcountrychronicles.com/elk-pack-out-weight/

275 is pretty high. Let's take a more realistic average of say 215-220

 

[Topgun 30-06]

I don't believe there is a person alive that could make more than one 16-20 mile round trip in a mountainous area even without blowdowns with a load of meat on the way out and live to be able to do it 3 or 4 days in a row even if the meat didn't spoil. I don't know how many of you have packed out an elk on your back, but a decent size bull when fully boned out is probably 300#. Add in the skull/antlers even if the cape an part of the head is left and you're talking 4 fairly heavy load when you count in your gear that you'll need to get out. How many on this thread have done a backpack trip like that at even half the max distance the OP is talking about that are saying go for it? Sometimes I really have to laugh when these types of threads get going that are talking about how many miles they walked in a day and what they actually did, LOL!

 

[tipsntails7]

http://www.backcountrychronicles.com/elk-pack-out-weight/

275 is pretty high. Let's take a more realistic average of say 215-220

Edit

 

[Travis1984]

No but that poster added an additional fifty pounds for head and horns.

This mentality doesn't bother me btw. Keeps most people out of basins I want to hunt.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

http://www.backcountrychronicles.com/elk-pack-out-weight/

275 is pretty high. Let's take a more realistic average of say 215-220

Have you ever backpacked a bull out of the backcountry, especially at any real distance to be talking like you are? Get real please! Even at the minimal weight you are mentioning, if you divide that up into 3 loads of meat you're talking 75# a trip plus the weight of the pack. One round trip per day may be possible if the person is in way above average shape and the meat was able to be kept cold. That is very hard to do in normal September weather even at elevation in the back country if it's going to take 3 days to get it all out and on ice or refrigerated. The only way the OP should even think about doing what he brought up is to have a very reliable packer locked in that can get to a downed animal as soon as possible when he's called and get the meat all out and taken care of in one day, or no more than a day and a half without losing part of it. Elk will sour very fast even when the meat is laying on top of snow if it's not quickly broken down because of it's sheer size. Doing anything less is not doing justice to the animal he's going after!

 

[JP100]

Pretty sure last season 2014, an Aussie guy went to Colorado, walked in something like 10-15km(6-8miles), killed a bull elk, packed it out by him self, 3 trips.
yea it would be hard and terrible but it is possible. Obviously it is not for every one. but just because you cant do something does not mean someone else cant.
But if you dont have experience with packing things out it would be a abit of silly idea to try this as your first go. Also temp would play a part in meat condition.

Some where out there is a poor kiwi packing out whole stags, just remember that haha

 

[Travis1984]

Have you ever backpacked a bull out of the backcountry, especially at any real distance to be talking like you are? Get real please! Even at the minimal weight you are mentioning, if you divide that up into 3 loads of meat you're talking 75# a trip plus the weight of the pack. One round trip per day may be possible if the person is in way above average shape and the meat was able to be kept cold. That is very hard to do in normal September weather even at elevation in the back country if it's going to take 3 days to get it all out and on ice or refrigerated. The only way the OP should even think about doing what he brought up is to have a very reliable packer locked in that can get to a downed animal as soon as possible when he's called and get the meat all out and taken care of in one day, or no more than a day and a half without losing part of it. Elk will sour very fast even when the meat is laying on top of snow if it's not quickly broken down because of it's sheer size. Doing anything less is not doing justice to the animal he's going after!

Elk? Nope. But a friend of mine has killed 25 bulls and gives me a pretty good perspective.

I have packed out half a deer plus horns, cape, camp and gun nine miles in one trip.

Also I killed a bear 19 miles from the truck. (Ok it was a Camry) and packed meat, full cape, and camp between two guys, one trip.

I don't see how this is much different.

Like I stated earlier I don't know the poster or any of you.

I just find it odd that so many of you automatically think it's not possible.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

No but that poster added an additional fifty pounds for head and horns.

This mentality doesn't bother me btw. Keeps most people out of basins I want to hunt.

There ya go, as your answer is no you haven't! If "this mentality" doesn't bother you, it dang well should, because the rest of us are talking about using good old fashioned common sense and I have no idea what you are calling your thoughts. Now I see you have packed out half a deer yadayadayada for x amount of miles. Son, half a deer is about what one boned out hind quarter on a decent sized elk is and maybe less! Next question---Have you ever killed or even backpacked an elk out anywhere at all to even be responding to this thread?

 

[Travis1984]

There ya go, as your answer is no you haven't! If "this mentality" doesn't bother you, it dang well should, because the rest of us are talking about using good old fashioned common sense and I have no idea what you are calling your thoughts.

I was unaware that elk meat weighed differently then bear or deer.

 

[Rizzy]

You don't have to make the round trip all at once. It's a lot easier to hopscotch the meat out over smaller distances. When you get to 5 miles or less, then start making round trips from your truck camp. That's what has worked for me on these longer packouts, but again the weather has to be cool enough for a multi-day packout in the first place.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

I was unaware that elk meat weighed differently then bear or deer.

Now you're just being a wise acre for lack of a more descriptive term that might get me banned!!! Answer the question---Have you ever even killed an elk to be responding to this guy on this thread?


Rizzy---We have done that at times on packouts, but it still adds up to many miles and sheer exhaustion after a day or day and a half and I'm not talking anywhere near the miles the OP is contemplating.