Solo Pack Out Question

[fatlander]

I was part of packing out a bull about 7 miles once in September. No chance I’d attempt that alone. I had 96 pounds of elk, plus my day hunting gear, binos, and bow. 2800 foot of net gain to get the truck. I’ve run some marathons, done some other difficult pack outs, and that effort absolutely takes the cake. Couldn’t imagine getting to the truck and turning back around for 3 or 4 more trips. Good luck!


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[awcopeland]

@BigLou check out this thread. It can be done.

 

[Alpinedrifter]

I usually do the skull and backstraps/tenderloins in one load, neck meat, etc along with one front quarter, then each subsequent quarter by itself. I would definitely keep camp set up near the kill site for a place to sleep and re-charge while you pack out. And I would have a bedroll or another car camp set-up for when you arrive at the vehicle with a load. You may not feel like hiking all the way back up. Also consider packing out your loads halfway from the kill site to the vehicle and concentrating them there. Then go back one last time for your camp and set up and sleep at your halfway point. In the end it’s all the same distance, but it seems to make the trips more bearable. And absolutely use trekking poles. 4WD will save your joints.

 

[DFloTN]

We were headed into a steep CO unit in 2019 and there was a guy at the trailhead offering to show people where he saw some other bulls in exchange for helping him pack his several miles. We declined but he managed to get 2 guys on board.

We got slammed by a gnarly hail / electrical storm when they would’ve been on the trail. Always made me wonder what a raw deal / nightmare that turned into. Point being I saw him half-begging at that TH and it always reminds me how you can get past your limits if you’re not careful.

 

[roosiebull]

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...

Sounds like you have a pretty realistic plan, but don’t be terribly surprised if you decide to make 5 trips. Generally, I try to do it in 4 but don’t have camp to pack. I leave bone in always by choice, so that matters too. I’m also dealing with roosies and don’t know for certain how much more weight is on one vs the same age rocky. I remember a couple really big bulls I have decided to do it in 5, and on the flip side, I’ve got spikes out in 3 trips.

The dilemma being 6.5 miles in is do you keep the pack weight more manageable and do 5 trips (extra 13 miles and a few hours) or try to tough it out and do it in 4 heavy trips?

Have you ever carried elk quarters several miles? Packing a bull that far, 4-5 round trips is going to take a long time, and half of that with a heavy pack. It’s going to be 2 full hard days of packing if you can do it in 4 trips, just know the reality of what you’re getting into, but sounds like a fun hunt

 

[Bobrobheimer]

We were headed into a steep CO unit in 2019 and there was a guy at the trailhead offering to show people where he saw some other bulls in exchange for helping him pack his several miles. We declined but he managed to get 2 guys on board.

We got slammed by a gnarly hail / electrical storm when they would’ve been on the trail. Always made me wonder what a raw deal / nightmare that turned into. Point being I saw him half-begging at that TH and it always reminds me how you can get past your limits if you’re not careful.

In our early years I would probably have taken that trade and enjoyed it. Partly just to experience what packing out an elk is like.

 

[elkliver]

Um... i will chime in with the others.... Why are you planning on 6.5 miles in? as others have said, its not about trying to put you down but being reasonable., You get a good size bull down in a hole with a steep climb and pole patches intermixed, a mile will feel like forever. A lot depends on the size of the bull, but 5 trips is certainly reasonable. In reading a lot of the previous answers, im thinking some folks may not love elk meat as much as i do.

Have a plan and a backup plan if needed. Going in with the idea of "im pretty sure i can do it" is not a plan. Seriously. Please listen to those of us who have suffered and know

 

[Stache Attack]

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

You’re an animal.

I’ve done this load once boned in. I’m in good shape but 3.4 miles wore me out. Doable and likely dumb enough to do again. Guess it depends how many days you’ve hunted prior. That load was around 115lbs in 16” of snow.

I like the OPs plan and depending on terrain and bone in or bone out 3 is doable depending on camp.

 

[roosiebull]

I have packed out a lot of elk solo, but never that far. I've been able to get a bull out in 3 trips a couple times, but that was boned out smaller bulls. I also had a big bull that was 5 heavy loads boned out. I think to pack a bull out that far solo, you will have to get lucky with the weather to not lose meat. In warm weather, you are not going to be able to get it all packed out before spoilage sets in. Packing 80-100+ lbs 6-1/2 miles one time is hard, but not really a big deal. Making 4 or 5 heavy trips for that distance over the course of several days and not hitting a physical wall will be an enormous task.

The farthest I have packed one solo was 4.1 miles, and most of that was on logging roads, and it was brutal. That day is responsible for me making sure I have a decent amount of calories with me always, because i didn’t that day and I felt like garbage pretty early on, I would prefer to not do that again.

Last year my buck was a little over 6 miles, and I couldn’t imagine having to do 3 more round trips after getting him to my pickup.

I always stay in shape, but packing a whole bull solo over 3 miles is about as much as I care to do, unless it’s close to the river where I can pack it down and get my sled, or mostly roads where I could bring the hawk crawler cart and do it in one load.

I have packed out somewhere in the teens of bulls solo, and it’s hard to appreciate how taxing it is without doing it, even 2 miles with a little elevation or blowdown is rough

 

[trophyhill]

Is that 6.5 miles as the crow flies? If so, you could be looking at 60+ miles overall. Hope you've been doing some triathlons regularly. Good luck!

 

[trophyhill]

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

I've seen the terrain you've packed off of. Just a mile is brutal. Let alone 6 lol

 

[Elkhuntinfool78]

This thread just keeps going so I guess I'll chime in. Farthest I've packed out a bull was right at 6 miles. That said it actually wasn't bad. Probably 5.5 miles was on a maintained trail with not much elevation gain or loss. Took me 4 loads over 2 days, temperature was good so I didn't have the worry of spoilage.

My worst packouts have been under 2 miles with steep nasty terrain and lots of blow down. I've needed as much as 4 days to get a bull out once in late November.

At the end of the day the OP is the only one who knows his level of fitness and mental fortitude.

Mental fortitude, haven't seen many people post on that but it's the one muscle you can't work out and is equally as important as physical fitness imo. I've seen some super fit guys get halfway through a pack out and crumble as if it's not possible.

I I try not to think about the misery I'm in for and focus on making it to that next tree or rock or whatever spot and then the next one and so on until finally at the truck and done.