2rocky'y picture is exactly what I was thinking too. Adjust your pack to be as comfortable as possible. Drop the elk quarter or sacks of meat onto the pack shelf and lash to the frame, or just drop into the pack's sack and go. Of coarse cnelk's idea is even better. I did notice there are a couple of items missing in cnelk's photo. Where is the brush and large dead falls? Also it looks like those hunters are on flat ground. Isn't there some unwritten law that says all elk must die at the bottom of long steep or very steep slopes, and the only way out is up? I'm envious. Did the Forest Service burn off that area for you a couple years earlier so you could have a nice pack out? LOL
And for those that are reading this that DO want to pack out with some sort of pack animal, the principles are the same! Keep the load close to the animal, balanced left and right, off its gut (but not too high) and it'll be a MUCH more stable load, more comfortable load, and you won't be dealing with a cranky animal.
2Rocky - I, too, liked your frame pack pic; nicely done!
i like cnelk's idea the best. it seems easier to have some friends or horses to help carry the load. but aron would be as good as a mule , if you could take him with you to help pack stuff out for you