How far would you pack out an elk

[fmyth]

My left knee says 1-2 miles is far enough. The three I packed out last season were all less than a mile. The two from 2019 were less than a mile. Come to think of it I've never packed one more than a mile.

 

[pmikulski]

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 !

The feedback you have on this forum is awesome. I would suggest to also pay particular attention to fit your pack properly, get comfortable with it under different loads (tweak as necessary) and learn your limitations before you go!

 

[Ucsdryder]

3 miles is a long way. Assuming you’re alone. If you’re on Rokslide, 15-20 miles is the norm.

 

[Trr15]

Temperature is the primary variable for me. My bull died exactly 3 miles in this past season. Took me until the following morning to get it all off the mountain. It was cold, so I could take my time. Even still, 3 miles out and back times 3-4 trips adds up to a lot of miles.

 

[orionsbrother]

Like has been said, lots of variables. So, it depends. On a hunt a few years ago, we ended up with two bulls on the ground on a warm day and we were short on water.

My buddy referred to the first 509-600 yards as “The Gauntlet”. Packing out the first load, bee-lining for the road, I got sucked into some bad blow down that I referred to as “Satanic Jenga”

As long as no one gets hurt, a little suffering is OK. It builds character.

Like others have mentioned, do some pack training, get an idea of your limitations, get a bull on the ground and embrace the suck.

 

[Elk97]

Like others have said the terrain and if there is a trail/road can make a huge difference. 1 mile with a trail on fairly level ground is almost easy. Then there's a mile on steep ground, blowdown, creek crossings, etc. My two sons and a friend had one of those one night and my oldest, who is one of the strongest, most determined guys ever, was ready to leave the meat for the bears at one point (they sucked it up and made it). One load had been packed out during the day (different route) so there were three quarters and the head/rack left to pack out. They all said it was the hardest thing they had ever done, and they all live in MT (used to the elevation) and work construction, and in great shape. Don't underestimate it, and you can not overtrain for elk hunting. I liked the comment about thinking about the pack out before you shoot, I'm getting pretty picky about the pack out.

 

[hubbs77]

Thanks for all the great responses here. I understand there are tons of variables and will obviously take this into account when traveling in so we don't get in over our heads with the packout, if we're lucky enough to get one. We will be hunting early archery season either CO or MT pending draw. I am really excited to get out there and enjoy the experience and learn what I can on my first venture in this type of terrain. Also I am 36 and in what I consider good shape and will be conditioning as some of you have suggested with a weighted pack in order to put myself in the best situation I can. Again thanks for all the responses and suggestions.

 

[cgasner1]

No farther than the truck


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[LostArra]

buy some trekking poles and a decent pack, you'll be fine

consider the temperature and distance so you don't lose the meat

the further from the truck the more perfect the shot needs to be

 

[Bighorner]

Even the easy ones suck.

We met some great NRs about to hike in 3 miles on a UTV trail we just came out of. We chatted for a while and helped them with the lay of the land and the reality of hiking out elk. But the light did not come on until I hand them a rear quarter that they realized what they would be up against. They were looking at the 3 miles just to get to hunting. Then who knows from there. Wisely I think the reconsidered something closer for there fist day of the hunt.

The best thing you can do it try hiking in some rough areas with a sixty pound sand bag. Then you will have an idea of what you would reasonably be able to tackle without getting in way over your head. Best of Luck!

 

[swampthing]

I took a decent sized canadian bull moose about 5km [3 miles] in when I was in my prime. I passed it up in the morning but ended up shooting it late that afternoon. I took a load out that day. I packed meat for 5 days after that. It was a 7 hour round trip each day. I had an additional guy helping on two of those days. Eight loads and a week is what that took! I am much less capable [and smarter] these days. I dont think I would shoot an elk farther than 5-6 hours back these days.

 

[cnelk]

I helped my buddy pack out his Wyoming bull a couple years ago. It was about a mile pack back to camp - no trail - thru deadfall.

This is what it looked like - choose wisely

 

[Dos Perros]

You can mitigate the whole “how far” question by having an InReach and $600. Just get a packer lined up. Kill where you kill. Killing is hard enough to add conditions.

 

[ShakeDown]

For all the 5+ mile answers... remember the law of compounding miles in elk hunting.

Bull elk weight bone out ~300#

Packers - 2 (in your situation)

Total trips - 3 w/ 50#+ (plus any gear)

Total distance per packer - 30 mi

How many people can hike 30 miles in 2 days in rough country? With no weight? Add in blow down, elevation gain, etc...

 

[Mosby]

My new rule is I only go as far as my son or nephews can carry out my meat. That is almost always less than 2 miles from the truck. Any further and they get grumpy.

 

[BrokentineCO]

I second what Dos Perros said; I have not let the pack out scare me from hunting farther from the trailhead but I do make sure to have the number of a packer just in case. Haven't had to call one yet but if if I thought I was going to lose meat to spoilage, you can bet I'll be making the call.

 

[seldomseensmith]

I may get called a liar for this but its very true. A few years back we decided to drag a game cart 7 miles and a few thousand feet up a logging road along with a week's worth of camp. I killed a 7 by 6 on the last day of the hunt and we packed the entire quartered elk and camp out in one trip. There were 2 of us. I can't even begin to tell you what a horrible choice it was. It wasn't even our first long pack out. We just decided we were super smart and could cheat the mountain. Nope. It's a hilarious story between the two of us now but it wasn't at the time.

Word of advice, don't get cute with it. Put the meat on your back and take it one trip at a time. Use trekking poles, take care of your feet and don't cheap out on your pack.

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[Molon Labe]

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.

Just like to hit the truck/strip completely whipped. Feels good. Going back up after a really heavy first load sucks haha.

 

[Codangles]

I may get called a liar for this but its very true. A few years back we decided to drag a game cart 7 miles and a few thousand feet up a logging road along with a week's worth of camp. I killed a 7 by 6 on the last day of the hunt and we packed the entire quartered elk and camp out in one trip. There were 2 of us. I can't even begin to tell you what a horrible choice it was. It wasn't even our first long pack out. We just decided we were super smart and could cheat the mountain. Nope. It's a hilarious story between the two of us now but it wasn't at the time.

Word of advice, don't get cute with it. Put the meat on your back and take it one trip at a time. Use trekking poles, take care of your feet and don't cheap out on your pack.

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I agree with this. We hauled a game cart 2000 ft up a mountain at dark to haul out an elk. There were 4 of us. It was hell! Leave the cart at camp and pack it out on your back. It’s sooo much easier.


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[Next Ridge]

Depending on the specific terrain and access you are hunting keep in mind the way you went in may not have to be the way you go out.