Solo Pack Out Question

[BigLou]

Hey friends, fired up about another elk season and wish you all great luck. I start next tuesday...my first camp will be 6.5 miles deep, solo. Curious about the number of trips you make solo packing out a bull and what combo of loads. At this distance, I think I'm gonna have to make a trip for each of the hind quarters (with straps and tenders), one trip with both front quarters and a last trip with antlers and camp gear. That's 4 total trips. You got a better way? My ruck training is usually with about 70 pounds, but don't think I can make 6.5 miles with a front and hind quarter without killing myself...

 

[Scoot]

Solid plan. 4 man trips for us usually.

 

[mtnbound]

Hey friends, fired up about another elk season and wish you all great luck. I start next tuesday...my first camp will be 6.5 miles deep, solo. Curious about the number of trips you make solo packing out a bull and what combo of loads. At this distance, I think I'm gonna have to make a trip for each of the hind quarters (with straps and tenders), one trip with both front quarters and a last trip with antlers and camp gear. That's 4 total trips. You got a better way? My ruck training is usually with about 70 pounds, but don't think I can make 6.5 miles with a front and hind quarter without killing myself...

That's 8 trips, not 4. Being solo, I typically wouldn't go over 4-5 miles depending on the area, especially during archery season. I don't know your ruck fitness, but I'm guessing it's about 3-4 hours of sustained walking each way. Be smart and don't go back in too hot on your empty trips and smoke yourself before your heavy loads out. Use the empty trips to recover. You will want to have lots of calories, electrolytes, and water.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Not all miles are created equal, neither are all bulls. I killed a bull in Idaho one year that we did in four loads and it was absolutely brutal. One of the biggest bodied bulls I’ve ever seen.

On a normal bull I would figure hind plus backstrap x 2, fronts with antlers, neck meat plus camp.

 

[cnelk]

All I know is that you’re going to be so much wiser if you pack an elk out 6+ miles.

Good luck!

 

[Rizzy]

For the longer packouts like that, I hike a load for about half an hour to an hour, depending on the terrain, then hang it and go back for another. I like to spread it out into 4 or 5 loads depending on the size of the Bull. With the shorter intervals I get more rests in between and come out of the hunt less tore up.

 

[Maverick1]

Three trips. This is my general approach.
1. Kill elk.
2. Quarter elk. Hang 2 hind quarters and 1 front shoulder in tree. (Leave camp up on the mountain. Gives me a place to sleep if needed for steps 3 or 4 below. Never know how long a pack out will take. Always good to have a camp on the mountain and at the vehicle.)
3. First load out: backstraps, tenderloins, one front shoulder deboned. This will be a heavy load. Use hunting backpack. Hike down to vehicle. Drive into town to get ice if needed. Switch backpacks.
4. Second load out: One hind quarter, deboned, second front shoulder, deboned. This will be the heaviest load. Use frame pack.
5. Third load out: Second hind quarter, antlers. Use frame pack. Bring camp off the mountain. Drive home. Or go back up the mountain and repeat if I have another tag.

 

[Gpw]

2 trips for the elk. Front, hind, and meat bag. Second trip front, hind ,and head. Third trip camp

 

[Colson12]

Hey friends, fired up about another elk season and wish you all great luck. I start next tuesday...my first camp will be 6.5 miles deep, solo. Curious about the number of trips you make solo packing out a bull and what combo of loads. At this distance, I think I'm gonna have to make a trip for each of the hind quarters (with straps and tenders), one trip with both front quarters and a last trip with antlers and camp gear. That's 4 total trips. You got a better way? My ruck training is usually with about 70 pounds, but don't think I can make 6.5 miles with a front and hind quarter without killing myself...

My advice would be to con any adventurous friends you have into going with you. Myself and three buddies are planning to go that deep, but a bull split between 4 people is a lot less taxing on your body

 

[cnelk]

Three trips. This is my general approach.
1. Kill elk.

This could be the hardest part

 

[Marble]

I'd say a minimum of three trips. Most likely 4. Depends on the terrain and the size of the bull.

Make sure to have a bed and some decent food back at the truck. I've made trips out at night to get some meat out, sleep, hike back in and grab another load.

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

 

[Packin_packout]

It all depends on how fit you are and how much you've actually trained for long distance. I'm a toothpick and basically i'm a walking steak on a stick when i'm packing out. At 3.5 miles in you are talking 30 miles at four trips. Half of this will be under full load. The reality is that when you're packing out you are probably still carrying water, sidearm (wyoming), rain gear, puffy and head lamp. And if you're smart some some carbs & electrolytes so you don't bonk or cramp up. If you got nice easy terrain twelve hours... Lots of vertical off trail This can be twenty four hours. I am typically hunting in areas with no atv trails or roads. Just horse trails and I don't have horses!

Boning stuff out helps and can save you a trip.

Assess whether you can realistically knock out 1000 foot vertical on the stair climber with a light pack.Then knock out another thousand sidesteppjng up with a full pack.... Then rinse and repeat three more times.

Something to remember is that going u a hill with a light pack is easier than going down with 60# off trail in the dark. That is when you get hurt or something goes wrong. Don't ditch so much gear that.If something else wrong you can get back out.

I had the unfortunate luck of having a creek bank give way on me while packing out and I got dunked when it was already dark cold and raining. Having the gear to get a fire started and get some warm water in me and a Nalgene of hot water up against my belly inside the jacket stopped that from turning into a really bad situation.

 

[stormthelab20]

Three trips. This is my general approach.
1. Kill elk.
2. Quarter elk. Hang 2 hind quarters and 1 front shoulder in tree. (Leave camp up on the mountain. Gives me a place to sleep if needed for steps 3 or 4 below. Never know how long a pack out will take. Always good to have a camp on the mountain and at the vehicle.)
3. First load out: backstraps, tenderloins, one front shoulder deboned. This will be a heavy load. Use hunting backpack. Hike down to vehicle. Drive into town to get ice if needed. Switch backpacks.
4. Second load out: One hind quarter, deboned, second front shoulder, deboned. This will be the heaviest load. Use frame pack.
5. Third load out: Second hind quarter, antlers. Use frame pack. Bring camp off the mountain. Drive home. Or go back up the mountain and repeat if I have another tag.

What frame pack do you use?

 

[ResearchinStuff]

In warm weather, that is too far for a solo packout, especially if you've only trained up to 70#. 2 tripping the meat is going to have you in the 120+ range, and 3 trips is going to give the meat enough time to spoil.

 

[bucksnbirds]

Hardest pack out I've ever had was less than .5 miles from the truck. 800ft of suck as soon as you leave the truck and killed him directly at the bottom where it meets the valley floor.

Easiest was a OTC bull in Co and pulled the truck within 50yds of him.

All packouts are different and it just depends on the terrain. If you're making giant gains or losses, it's less due to terrain. If you're in the low desert in September, it's also less due to temperature and meat care.

 

[Dave_]

Seems like your walking past elk to look for elk.

I've never done a pack out in less 4 trips on a full sized bull, maybe 5-6 if I'm taking the head or hide. I don't know if folks are leaving all the neck meat and trimmings behind or what but that alone can almost be a load by itself.

Edit. My point being: I think the farther/harder your pack out is, the more meat you don't mind leaving behind. You end up justifying taking the bare minimum to stay legal and cheat yourself out of good protein.

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[awcopeland]

Have you ever considered leap frogging the loads? Never needed to do it personally but that’s my going in game plan this year solo.

 

[wytx]

You lost me at 6 miles in, lol.

 

[Gerbdog]

6 miles solo ..... so many athletes out there, good for you guy!

I ruck train with 70 lbs 3 x a week also .... having packed elk off of mountain sides numerous times i can tell you it is only about 10% like ruck training. 4 trips for me on an elk, and even at just 1.5 miles from the truck over total crap terrain you'll be in for some hurt

Dont be the guy that leaves meat bags hanging and rotting. Break my heart every time i come across that. Know your limits

 

[bz_711]

Yes - I think the 4 round trips is appropriate.

I pulled it off solo last year on a solid 6x6- was only 1.75 miles deep. Not sure I'd want to do it solo much past 2.5-3 miles...actually I've very sure.

Good Luck!