How far would you pack out an elk

[hubbs77]

I am about to adventure into the Elk woods for the first time. I am going with a friend and we are both predominantly whitetail hunters from down south so packouts usually arent that bad to non existent. I was just curious if anyone would be interested in telling some horror stories about packouts or packouts that turned out to be ideal. What to do what not to do and how far you'd ethically shoot an elk knowing you were going to have to pack the animal out. Looking forward to hearing some of your experiences and hoping to learn something from hunters that have been in this situation before. Thanks !

 

[Billy Goat]

No further than 400 yards thru deadfalls.

On trail probably 5-6 miles.


Once you get out there you will understand it.

 

[Molon Labe]

Be reasonable on your first hunt. Stay within a couple miles of the trailhead and stay away from beetle kill. Two of you should be fine. Save the heaviest pack for last load.

 

[dieselchessy]

How far is directly related to temps and conditions. If its below 40deg. and relatively dry weather, no concerns of bears or other scavengers, then you can pack 1 load a day. Elk tend to take 5 loads unless you go real heavy.

I've done 6+ miles a few times. And I've had an elk related hernia patched.

Some folks do much more, and during archery season........

 

[Stubborn_bowhunter]

If there's a maintained trail, downhill, you know what you're doing, and you're in good shape 5+ miles isn't out of the question. If it's not a perfect situation (which usually it wont) then I'd aim for 1-2 miles from a road max.

You just don't want to find out you're not actually in the shape you thought you were after a bull hits the ground. Mental strength is a major thing on a bad pack out as well. When your body doesn't want to take another step, but there's another load left will you be able to force yourself to go back in?

Two guys can do it in a few trips if you don't over load your pack. Getting the meat off the critter fast is the biggest thing for meat welfare. Then it's just being a pack mule for a day or two.

Best packout tip is to take your time and enjoy the packout. Embrace the suck you're just hiking heavy. You might hate it, but after you'll most likely dream about doing it again.

 

[Ross]

So much comes down to is there a trail, how much elevation to gain and lose each trip, temperature, your fitness and number of pack participants. First time you walk up to a dead elk and especially a big bull and your adrenaline wears off you realize the work to come. Look at the above variables be realistic and you will make the determination how far is too far for you.....good Luck You quickly realize it Is a little bigger than a deer..these were each 4.5 miles in left required climb of 1500 vertical no trail and heavy brush I got help for it....right 300 yds up and down to trail did that one myself.....both Fun but more fun with one pack helper

 

[Customweld]

Elk are big animals. You don't realize how big until you are standing next to one laying on the ground. Weather, temperature and terrain dictate distance for me. I've passed on elk that I knew I couldn't get out without losing meat to spoilage. I've shot elk that took two of us a day and a half to pack out. As I get older that distance gets less and less!

 

[Geewhiz]

I hit my limit at 17.5 miles one day/night. Almost exactly 12 hours from when the bull tipped over to when we got the last load to the truck. Two trips each. 40 degrees and pouring rain. Soaked to the bone and freezing cold, but if we didn't get it out that night we would not have been able to get the truck within 30 miles until the road dried out again. Packed a whole bull out with my dad that trip. One of my best memories but downright miserable.

Very weather dependent

 

[JC hunter]

My bull this year (6x6) was 1 1/4 miles on my gps from the truck I shot him just before dark after braking him down I had 1/2 the meat to the truck at 1:00 am alot of work by your self and 65 y.o.

 

[Stubborn_bowhunter]

So much comes down to is there a trail, how much elevation to gain and lose each trip, temperature, your fitness and number of pack participants. First time you walk up to a dead elk and especially a big bull and your adrenaline wears off you realize the work to come. Look at the above variables be realistic and you will make the determination how far is too far for you.....good Luck You quickly realize it Is a little bigger than a deer

Can't help, but ask yourself "what do other people do for fun?" as you start breaking one of them down.

 

[Rich M]

Shoot one first, then worry about yer backs.

If you are going elk hunting and can't handle a pack out, I suggest you start training. First comes the walk, then the weight.

What's a boned out bull elk weigh? 400#? That's 4 50# trips out for each guy. The walk back in is w/o weight.

 

[Ross]

Can't help, but ask yourself "what do other people do for fun?" as you start breaking one of them down.

You pose smile and head out the smile stays for a long time and returns when you look at photos

 

[Stubborn_bowhunter]

You pose smile and head out the smile stays for a long time and returns when you look at photos

It's some type 2 fun for sure.

 

[Sadler]

Threeish miles off trail with a mature 6x6 is as far as I have gone and that’s about as far as I want to go. This really all depends on the terrain too. If we’re talking north idaho, a mile or two is as far as I’d want to pack an elk off trail.

 

[CoHiCntry]

This is Rokslide right? I’m gonna say no further than 89 miles (one way) and no more than 167 lb pack. Blow down... don’t matter. Elevation gain... don’t matter. Trails... don’t matter. Of course there will be a luggage scale back at the truck to confirm pack weight.

 

[Crowmangler]

Just make sure you're in good shape & get a good pack designed to haul the load.
It just comes down to taking care of your responsibility. No matter how far you're in you just do it.
Depending on the weather, terrain & trails it'll either suck bad or really bad but it will be one of the most rewarding things you've ever done. You'll probably have a big ass smile the whole way (at least the first trip).
Don't short cut the meat care (game bags & hang properly).
Pace yourself, stay hydrated & enjoy the adventure.

You can always line up a packer ahead of time too.

 

[EastHumboldt]

The fact that you’re even asking about this speaks volumes about you. I wasn’t sure if your question was about pack out or shot distance or both, so I’ll address both . To me ethical shot distance is 400 yards or less. And that’s if you practice regularly up to 400 yards. When you miss a target at the range it doesn’t crawl off and die in agony.

As far as pack out distance you have to be in pretty good shape even for a short one. if you’ve never experienced altitude, you’ll be shocked at how thin the air is and how steep the hills are where elk live. I can’t say it enough… Get in shape. When you have a bull or a buck in your crosshairs, think about which side of the Ridge he’s on. If there’s a pretty good chance he’s going to go over the top and down the other side your pack out misery will be multiplied by 10. Unless there’s a road over there that you can drive on. misery can happen even if he runs down into a hole on your side of the ridge. The point is when you have one in your sights take a minute to consider what the pack out is going to be like. do your best to drop him right there. Another reason to avoid really long shots.

take your existing pack, put 80 to 100 pounds in it and go for a two or 3 mile hike where you live. That will give you a good idea what it feels like to carry an elk quarter. If you can find some steep hills to climb up and down even better. This will tell you a lot about how much pain you can stand And how long of a pack out you can tolerate.

walking sticks are a huge help, for balance and rough terrain, especially when you’re going downhill. Even if you can only take one it’s like a third leg. If you don’t want to carry one carry a knife big enough so you can cut one.

 

[Ridge Runner]

There are a ton of variables to this question. 1 mile can absolutely suck in bad terrain. I've done 12 miles 1 way with 70 lb loads that wasn't too bad all on trail took about 5 hrs 1 way each load. Worst was 4 miles with 105 lbs no trail with blow down and steep that almost killed me. Steep down is as bad as steep up. I've also been in places that I said nope when an opportunity presented. I can tell you as I get older (53 yrs) I'm getting much more realistic in what I can accomplish. Shot one 4 miles in this year that took me 2 days to get out and would have taken 3 if I hadn't got help on day 2. Figure a boned out bull at just over 300 lbs. Train with a weighted pack and see what you can handle. Remember if it's 50 lbs that's 6 trips. Be realistic with you abilities. Turned someone in years ago that shot one way further in than their ability to pack it out. The took the horns and backstrap and left the rest.

 

[Packin_packout]

I cannot agree with EastHumboldt more...think before you squeeze the trigger. Know where you are and what the weather will hold. Strap a bag of concrete into your pack and do some stairs to see how you feel. Better yet find a hill at local parks and do some sidehlling. Sticks are 100% legit for downhilling and uphilling under load.

All my elk that I have shot have been between 2.5 to 4.5 miles back. All done solo. All have left me wondering at the sanity of what I do. It's not the first trip...it's the second third fourth and fifth trip. Time & temp drive everything. This year's bull was a young 5x5 and boned out rear quarters were 55lbs. But that does not mean pack weight because you have your rifle, water gear on the first load out...and then return trips you may need rain gear etc so you are realistically looking 65 lbs typically. ( water, pistol/spray, gps, sticks, jacket and rain gear depending on what's going on ). I got the front shoulders boned out in one load. So it only took four trips. Shot at sunset. Got the first three loads back to my truck 2.5 miles away ( my closest pack to truck ever and the easiest one to date due to being close to closed logging road ) by 3 am. Slept for 3 hours and did the remaining two in the morning and was driving off the mountain by 10am. So figure 20 miles in less than 14 hours, half of which was under load. You get 4.5 miles in on a big bull in a canyon...you are looking 45 miles of backing. Your feet / body need to be in shape to handle it.

Have some high calorie stuff to consumer so you don't bonk on calories. I have to constantly eat when packing out or I just crash. Not sure where you are at...I ended having some buddies shot some pigs here in texas and pack them across my buddy's ranch to get a feel for dealing with an elk...they both said no thanks to going elk hunting after that. Good & bad on my part...made sure I did not bring someone who would wimp out when it mattered...but also still stuck solo.

 

[The Ri Guy]

Save the heaviest pack for last load.

Genuine question -- what's your reasoning here?

I've always packed out the heaviest load I can manage first along with all my gear, dump it all at the truck, and then taken it easy on the remainder of the loads.