Old guys packing elk!!,

[Taudisio]

It's surprising how much help 50 bucks and a dirty 30 of Keystone Light will buy you!

I prefer Coors light, thanks….

 

[TAGPUNCHER]

True...just outta curiosity, are you under or over 50?

52

 

[TAGPUNCHER]

Man, I would tap a keg of a man's favorite flavor for that kind of help.

 

[Customweld]

I prefer Coors light, thanks….

Coors Light, it is than!

 

[87TT]

I try to hunt uphill. Elk down, quarter and pack. Not doing three trips any more. Minimum five now. Backstraps and hunting gear in load one. than a quarter or head in the next loads how ever many it takes. Last elk was a big cow. five trips. I start in the spring walking with a weighted pack every day with hills.
And 52 isn't old. My oldest kid is older.

 

[Tahr]

Im 76. Still carting out my deer (always boned). A decent pack would be my first consideration. Getting the meat close to your back in a meat sling and a good frame and harness is a game breaker. You cant go past the top 5 brands on the pack thread on here - but they are spendy. As said, walking poles (I just use one) are great. Take your time when carrying - a big mistake is pushing it too hard for the first leg. Carrying bone is a complete waste. Frequent but short spells. Don't stop for too long. When it gets really tough I count my steps and allow myself a micro break every 100 steps (or 50 ). I tell myself "this is tough but you have done it many times before and made it every time". And "what a story I will have to tell tomorrow" Self talk is a motivator.

 

[TAGPUNCHER]

Not the age that gets me,it's the 5 back surgeries. I have to limit myself to around 50-55ish per load.

 

[Mike 338]

Packing solo is pretty hard. I de-bone. I'd recommend trekking poles. Heavy weight can cause a guy to commit to a step with his full weight that he shouldn't have taken. Temperatures that time of year will probably dictate how far in you can hunt. Packing uphill or down. 2 trips to pack meat per day can be optimistic unless you're good in the dark. With heart and liver, I seem to get about 225 lbs. of meat. Horns are extra.

In September, it's usually a race against time.

 

[cnelk]

I’m 60.
I don’t go elk hunting solo, I just kill ‘em solo and then we all pack.

 

[SonnyDay]

I will always debone unless I’m next to the truck!

 

[Mtnmilsurp]

I hunt for meat in December and drag the quartered (cow) elk out on a sled over the snow. Far, far easier than rushing a bull out of the high country in September on my back in warm weather.

 

[Maverick1]

@TAGPUNCHER - link to Typical Meat Packing Days

 

[Marble]

My rules:

Know my limitations
Be in shape
Have a good pack meant for heavy loads
Have a plan before you kill. Meaning, keep an eye on terrain and possible alternative routes.
Have a place to keep it cold when you get to the truck.

I've done it with or without bone. Depends on the size of the animal, terrain, weather, distance to be traveled. Most of the time they are boned out.

Never leap frogged an animal when solo packing.

Never had a problem with spoiling meat or animals getting the carcass.

Be smart. Have no regrets. Have fun!

I think packing meat is the best part of a trip.


Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

 

[WyoKid]

Everything everyone said is on point. Debone and make 4-5 trips carrying a quarter each trip, which will be 35-45 lbs depending on the size and front or rear quarters. I prefer to shuttle the meat. I take my time and avoid exhausting myself the first half, which is easy to do. I pack a quarter at a time. I take the back straps and tenderloins out on the first trip as I still have all my daily gear. I then lighten my pack to bare necessities or nothing depending on distance for the next 4 trips.

But, if I had the option, I would definitely hire horses to pack it out for me. On one occasion, I was lucky enough to get the help of 2 local guys with horses that generously helped me get an Elk out.

 

[Huntnnw]

really is completely dependent on the situation. packing a elk 5 miles outta hells canyon or just some regular mountain terrain is completely different experience haha! Is there snow and how much? how far in are you? all factors in what Im carrying for weight.

 

[chanson_roland]

After a certain age, pooling $ together with a few friends for one of these bad boys begins to look like a good idea...

 

[Weldor]

All good advice, 63 broken back 2 twice in my 30's. Failed back surgery from 2000. I de-bone, pack out what is comfortable to to sxs or closest access fs road. Always try to have help lined up. But sometimes you just have to gut it out when they are not available.

 

[5MilesBack]

Almost 60, I still prefer fewer trips with more weight, but you do what you can. Sometimes debone, sometimes not. Normally, once I get pointed to the truck, I'm gone. So I don't leap frog.

 

[teamwhitebelly]

It's surprising how much help 50 bucks and a dirty 30 of Keystone Light will buy you!

and I always treat my packers with some of the meat

 

[Coveyleader]

Almost 60, I still prefer fewer trips with more weight, but you do what you can. Sometimes debone, sometimes not. Normally, once I get pointed to the truck, I'm gone. So I don't leap frog.

Same here on the point me in the right direction, I'm gone. I've tried the "leap frog" before, no thanks. It keeps you in the field longer vs. getting to the truck, relax a bit, drink a gallon of water, maybe a beer, etc.

Every year I say less, just take a quarter out at a time slow and easy, but I hate going back and forth, so it's always heavy which will catch up with me eventually.

It's been awhile since I've packed an elk solo. My main partner and I can get an elk out in two trips. We hunt with some older out of shape guys, and there is normally 4-5 of us pulling an elk in one trip but every year, us young guys are packing their hind quarters out. The day those southern guys stop hunting up there, will be the day I will probably quit elk hunting.