Longest, hardest, most logistically difficult solo packout?

[Poser]

How far, how much elevation, % off trail, number of days? Difficulty on a scale of 1-10 and could you do harder?

Attempting to reconcile with my solo elk hunt plans next month. In the past, I’ve always had a 2-3 partners with me and packouts in the area we hunt have been absolutely brutal, multiday affairs with lots of logistics. I have a plan to execute this solo, but a pack out will take me to the absolute limit.

 

[Dakota Dude]

Only elk I have shot solo was about a 2 mile pack out. I shot a calf on the last day of archery season at 2 yards. I quartered it and was able to get everything out in one trip. It was all down hill and about 60% trail. Difficulty level was a 2. I have had way harder group elk pack outs. I typically hunt with one other person, or have the ability to call people to help get an animal out. I am lucky in that sense.

I shot a bear solo last week. That was 9 miles total. 3,000 in elevation total. I made two trips with the full cape, quarters, and loins. 70% trail. I was home by 1:15 p.m, so about a half a day. Difficulty was about a 4. It was a lot of weight for two trips. The cape was sopping wet and it was shockingly heavy. Both pack outs were 110lbs.

When I hunt solo I do not tend to go as "deep" into the woods. I like to hunt spots that I know hold animals and bounce around. I usually only hunt the mornings and evenings too. That way I can hang out with the family during the day. For an elk, I don't think I would shoot one more than 3.5 miles in if I knew I was not going to have any help getting it out.

 

[TaperPin]

There’s no better way to find your limit than to load up a heavy pack and go for an all day hike.

If you’ve packed an elk from this area with friends, what is different doing it solo other than the time?

Personally I like to leap frog game bags so it gives legs a break multiples times a day when back tracking for the next load and it’s often a much more efficient use of time. You just have to allow enough time to get back to camp and walking without weight is effortless compared to humping 100+ lb loads all day. Making long round trip loads often leaves extra time on the clock when it’s not possible to make another trip - leap frogging you know from the time you crawl out of bed until you crawl back in you’ll be working.

Leap frogging allows you to cover unlimited distance - it’s just like going to work each day and punching a time card - in the roughest/steepest spots in bad weather wearing crampons I’ve moved the whole elk and my camp not even 3/4 mile per day and on a good game trail going slightly downhill it could be 2-1/2 miles. That 2-1/2 miles is 25 miles on the odometer, half of it loaded down, so that’s a long day, but it’s not hard on the joints.

 

[mtwarden]

I've done two solo elk elk packouts, both sucked Three loads each time, no trails but both were downhill (some difficult sidehilling thrown in for good measure), a fair amount of blowdown to contend with and both right at 2.5-3 miles (not counting the hunt, just the packout- total mileage 15-ish miles- half with an near empty pack).

I did have a mule deer two years ago that required two trips (two days) ~ 7 miles one way, that one sucked too

I prefer to keep the weight in or near 70-ish lbs, 100-ish lb loads are asking for trouble- for me anyways.

 

[Poser]

Only elk I have shot solo was about a 2 mile pack out. I shot a calf on the last day of archery season at 2 yards. I quartered it and was able to get everything out in one trip. It was all down hill and about 60% trail. Difficulty level was a 2. I have had way harder group elk pack outs. I typically hunt with one other person, or have the ability to call people to help get an animal out. I am lucky in that sense.

I shot a bear solo last week. That was 9 miles total. 3,000 in elevation total. I made two trips with the full cape, quarters, and loins. 70% trail. I was home by 1:15 p.m, so about a half a day. Difficulty was about a 4. It was a lot of weight for two trips. The cape was sopping wet and it was shockingly heavy. Both pack outs were 110lbs.

When I hunt solo I do not tend to go as "deep" into the woods. I like to hunt spots that I know hold animals and bounce around. I usually only hunt the mornings and evenings too. That way I can hang out with the family during the day. For an elk, I don't think I would shoot one more than 3.5 miles in if I knew I was not going to have any help getting it out.

I’ve done the soaking and wet bear hide pack out before. The bear died in a creek that was knee deep and we could not manage to get that bear out of the creek, and we tried multiple ways. Ended up skinning and quartering him in the water but the hide was absolutely waterlogged and the head + hide in that condition weighed well over 100 lbs alone.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

The most educating solo elk packout I had was maybe 1.5 miles from the truck but all off trail and through heavy downfall which made it surprisingly treacherous. Three trips in and out of that stuff had me completely spent. From that experience I would say that the max I would pack elk solo would be the 2-3 mile range if the dead elk was within 1/2 mile of a trail, and that trail was downhill the rest of the way out. Thankfully all of the other elk I've killed farther in I either had helpers or pack animals.

 

[Poser]

There’s no better way to find your limit than to load up a heavy pack and go for an all day hike.

If you’ve packed an elk from this area with friends, what is different doing it solo other than time?.

Well, that’s the thing. Previous packouts with 2 people have taken 3 full days. Three 9 hour days where we were wrecked, + an another part of a day to get meat out on a trail.

Previous (one bull) packouts with 3 people, took 2 full days + part of another day to get down a trail. We went in one year with 4 guys, 2 tags, but weren’t successful that year. It wasn’t the mileage so much as the off piste terrain with one 1.5 mile section in particular taking 4 hours.

So for me, I need to manage roughly that same timeline solo and carry twice the weight. If I use previous packouts with 2 people as a metric, then I’m looking at 6 days. We went a bit on the light side due to the technical nature of the terrain and then hauled the trail portion carrying 1/2 an elk each. I’m gonna have to suck it up on that technical terrain and carry heavier loads even if it means 12 hour days.

Since we’ve first started hunting back in there, I’ve been in and out 30+ times at this point, so I’d like to think familiarity is an advantage over the earlier years packing out, but I also know I’ve hit some DEEP pain cave moments on those 2 and 3 man packouts in the past. Part of me wants to know if I can pull it off. Part of me hopes I don’t find out…. One area in there requires a 1800 foot climb to get out and crosses over 12,500. There’s no easier way to get out out by going down. I’m sure there are people who have done harder packouts, but I’m also sure I won’t ever do a harder packout.

 

[mtwarden]

^ sounds like you might want to find someone to go with

 

[wind gypsy]

I'd want no part of packing an elk solo up 1800 feet. Done some with that kind of elevation or more and 2.5+ miles in but almost zero uphill on the packing portion and usually fairly decent footing, less than terrible blowdown.

I rent llamas now if I have packing concerns.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

I can tell you right now I wouldn't be able to hack what you're describing. I've packed half a bull elk out in one load once. It was a raghorn. It was all downhill, some 2 miles to the truck, and it was right by the YNP boundary and I didn't want to lose more meat than necessary if a bear found it.

Butchering and shuttling the bull solo on a steep side hill (while nervously scanning for griz every minute or two) took me half my daylight hours, and the other half was spent on that slog to the truck. My foot went numb under the weight of the hip belt a couple times. Could I have hoofed it up five hundred feet before heading downhill? Yes. But it would have taken an extra day or so to finish the job.

 

[InkedElkSlayer]

Longest? - My wife and 2 sons left me solo and had to go back to work/school… next morning I shot a 12.5 year old 6pt that I Europeaned and got aged. 5mi from the truck, 5 loads including camp. 1 load first evening, then 2 days of leap frogging 2 loads. A lot of ridgeline, trail and mostly downhill. I took my time, did realistic loads and had a good time. I was 41.

Worst? - I was “looking for mulies”, N Fork of the Clearwater River. Brought a young bull down 3300vert of absolute shit. Brush, bluffs and had to angle out and maneuver 6, yeah 6, different avalanche shoots to avoid being cliffed out. I was 30.

The sorest I’ve ever been? - A bear WAY back in a horrible wilderness area in NW MT. I was a stupid 23 year old kid. I should’ve gotten Rhabdo, had delayed onset muscle soreness for several days.

 

[TheTone]

Off trail through the woods is an entirely different beast than trail miles. Huge amount of variation in the type of woods also. I have on place I hunt where I can get a long ways from the truck but it’s also largely big open understory timber. I’d be willing to shoot an elk anywhere in that spot and go it alone. I hunted another spot the other day that was absolutely awful thick regen hell; I told myself in the first half hour of the day that I wasn’t shooting a bull unless it was a six point

 

[ORJoe]

There’s no better way to find your limit than to load up a heavy pack and go for an all day hike.

But load your pack with water, so if it turns out you guessed way higher than your actual limit you can dump a bunch out and make it off the trail alive.

 

[TaperPin]

Well, that’s the thing. Previous packouts with 2 people have taken 3 full days. Three 9 hour days where we were wrecked, + an another part of a day to get meat out on a trail.

Previous (one bull) packouts with 3 people, took 2 full days + part of another day to get down a trail. We went in one year with 4 guys, 2 tags, but weren’t successful that year. It wasn’t the mileage so much as the off piste terrain with one 1.5 mile section in particular taking 4 hours.

So for me, I need to manage roughly that same timeline solo and carry twice the weight. If I use previous packouts with 2 people as a metric, then I’m looking at 6 days. We went a bit on the light side due to the technical nature of the terrain and then hauled the trail portion carrying 1/2 an elk each. I’m gonna have to suck it up on that technical terrain and carry heavier loads even if it means 12 hour days.

Since we’ve first started hunting back in there, I’ve been in and out 30+ times at this point, so I’d like to think familiarity is an advantage over the earlier years packing out, but I also know I’ve hit some DEEP pain cave moments on those 2 and 3 man packouts in the past. Part of me wants to know if I can pull it off. Part of me hopes I don’t find out…. One area in there requires a 1800 foot climb to get out and crosses over 12,500. There’s no easier way to get out out by going down. I’m sure there are people who have done harder packouts, but I’m also sure I won’t ever do a harder packout.

When you‘re young this kind of plan makes perfect sense! Lol

Honestly, it’s cool that you’re so excited about the area and you know what you’re getting yourself into. If you had been there, but not packed an elk I’d say it’s a no go and hunting closer is better - especially if this is a meat bull. The young me would love the challenge.

This is what I’d tell the young me back before learning a few hard lessons and having more enthusiasm than solid workable plans (I’m assuming your hunt is a month away):

The clock is your enemy - it’s late in the game and there’s a good chance you’ll get injured, so don’t put off toughening up your joints and muscles anyway possible. Get a 16” tall plywood box or bench and step up and back down, alternating your legs, for as long as you can before work and after. If your quads are week and it allows the lower part of the knee cap to sag and jamb the joint you may not be able to finish a pack out.

Right now put together a 90 - 100 lb pack and even if you are stuck at home, wear it as long as you can every day and take it walking and hiking every chance you get. Even if you like less weight in the mountains, you need a heavier pack now since there aren’t enough hours in the day to wear a light pack enough. The muscles that support a heavy pack need to toughen up so you don’t end up with a serious strain halfway through an elk.

Just standing on flat ground with a pack or without, do three sets of one foot calf raises until failure every day. If you go to the gym do extra leg extensions and squats.

Wear your hunting boots all day every day - if your feet were sore before, they need as much callous as possible. Go to a sporting good store and get enough athletic tape to wrap an ankle a few times - and enough to practice at least once before you go. The more overworked and overloaded, the more likely you’ll get injured.

If you think it’s too hard doing all this now, apply some vagisil and just do it.

Even if you think trekking poles are for woosies, get a pair and use them.

Once the elk is boned out and packing has begun, be smart about it and pace yourself. Force yourself to stop every 30-40 minutes, take the pack off, get a snack, big drink and then get going. Keep socks and feet dry. Going fast and getting burned out before the end of the day isn‘t going to help. Going light on water isn’t smart - it’s wearing you out early every day and making it harder.

Eventually you’ll get to know an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon, but if he’s also an elk hunter he knows exactly what you did to get injured. Lol

Hope you have a big rack to show us after the hunt! The hardest hunts can make the best memories.

 

[Poser]

When you‘re young this kind of plan makes perfect sense! Lol

Honestly, it’s cool that you’re so excited about the area and you know what you’re getting yourself into. If you had been there, but not packed an elk I’d say it’s a no go and hunting closer is better - especially if this is a meat bull. The young me would love the challenge.

This is what I’d tell the young me back before learning a few hard lessons and having more enthusiasm than solid workable plans (I’m assuming your hunt is a month away):

The clock is your enemy - it’s late in the game and there’s a good chance you’ll get injured, so don’t put off toughening up your joints and muscles anyway possible. Get a 16” tall plywood box or bench and step up and back down, alternating your legs, for as long as you can before work and after. If your quads are week and it allows the lower part of the knee cap to sag and jamb the joint you may not be able to finish a pack out.

Right now put together a 90 - 100 lb pack and even if you are stuck at home, wear it as long as you can every day and take it walking and hiking every chance you get. Even if you like less weight in the mountains, you need a heavier pack now since there aren’t enough hours in the day to wear a light pack enough. The muscles that support a heavy pack need to toughen up so you don’t end up with a serious strain halfway through an elk.

Just standing on flat ground with a pack or without, do three sets of one foot calf raises until failure every day. If you go to the gym do extra leg extensions and squats.

Wear your hunting boots all day every day - if your feet were sore before, they need as much callous as possible. Go to a sporting good store and get enough athletic tape to wrap an ankle a few times - and enough to practice at least once before you go. The more overworked and overloaded, the more likely you’ll get injured.

If you think it’s too hard doing all this now, apply some vagisil and just do it.

Even if you think trekking poles are for woosies, get a pair and use them.

Once the elk is boned out and packing has begun, be smart about it and pace yourself. Force yourself to stop every 30-40 minutes, take the pack off, get a snack, big drink and then get going. Keep socks and feet dry. Going fast and getting burned out before the end of the day isn‘t going to help. Going light on water isn’t smart - it’s wearing you out early every day and making it harder.

Eventually you’ll get to know an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon, but if he’s also an elk hunter he knows exactly what you did to get injured. Lol

Hope you have a big rack to show us after the hunt! The hardest hunts can make the best memories.

Well, I’m jot on the young side but I do live in these mountains and spend extensive time out in them: hunting, scouting, fishing, backpacking, peak bagging and backcountry skiing. I know the area in and out.

 

[Poser]

^ sounds like you might want to find someone to go with

I only have 4 prequalified partners that are capable of pulling off a backpack hunt of this ambition. None are available this year.

 

[jolemons]

I did 4 miles one way once with about 1,500' elevation gain on trail and then approximately 350' off trail. Off trail portion was steep enough I was on hands and knees. Never again. I was physically capable enough to do more, but mentally, it sucked. I was probably 35 y/o at the time and in pretty good shape. Loss of meat didn't occur, but it could easily have if it were warmer. My new self-imposed solo elk distance is about 2 miles in challenging terrain.

Sent from my SM-G990U using Tapatalk

 

[justinspicher]

You know I would be out there with you this year, but this stupid event called work is getting in the way…..

 

[HighUintas]

I did 9.5 miles solo one way, from 11k feet, with a 45 lb gear layout at the start (packed out on day 3). Raghorn bull. It was mostly on trail, but it was a rough trail. Probably a thousand feet of vert over that 9.5mi with a net loss. I packed it plus my gear out in about 15 hours. The meat was bone in. I didn't pack the hide.

Probably one of the hardest things I've endured for that amount of time on feet.

With it being that fast, overnight low of 40s and daytime high of 60, starting the packout at 7:30AM, I had no issues with meat spoilage.

Planning on hitting an area that is around 15 in at some point.... But I'll have to get in better shape for that.

 

[HighUintas]

Well, that’s the thing. Previous packouts with 2 people have taken 3 full days. Three 9 hour days where we were wrecked, + an another part of a day to get meat out on a trail.

Previous (one bull) packouts with 3 people, took 2 full days + part of another day to get down a trail. We went in one year with 4 guys, 2 tags, but weren’t successful that year. It wasn’t the mileage so much as the off piste terrain with one 1.5 mile section in particular taking 4 hours.

So for me, I need to manage roughly that same timeline solo and carry twice the weight. If I use previous packouts with 2 people as a metric, then I’m looking at 6 days. We went a bit on the light side due to the technical nature of the terrain and then hauled the trail portion carrying 1/2 an elk each. I’m gonna have to suck it up on that technical terrain and carry heavier loads even if it means 12 hour days.

Since we’ve first started hunting back in there, I’ve been in and out 30+ times at this point, so I’d like to think familiarity is an advantage over the earlier years packing out, but I also know I’ve hit some DEEP pain cave moments on those 2 and 3 man packouts in the past. Part of me wants to know if I can pull it off. Part of me hopes I don’t find out…. One area in there requires a 1800 foot climb to get out and crosses over 12,500. There’s no easier way to get out out by going down. I’m sure there are people who have done harder packouts, but I’m also sure I won’t ever do a harder packout.

Do it.