What’s in you elk kill kit

[wyroberts]

Outdoor Edge with extra blade
Argali high country game bags
Mini sharpie
Nitrile gloves (2 sets)

 

[snowymtnwolf]

* S&W 500 revolver for when a friend decides to check out the kill site


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MallardSX2]

Game bags
Trash Compactor bags (2)
Paracord (20 ft)
Havalon
Extra Havalon Blades

 

[browning2480]

What do you use the zip ties for?

I used a zip tie to hold a tie rod in place in a Can Am to get it back to camp. All kinds of uses for them.

 

[Ucsdryder]

KISS…and light

havalon
2 spare blades
5mm rubber gloves
Space blanket to lay out meat
(4) 3 feet sections of paracord to hang quarter
2 Allen elk size game bags for hind quarters
3 Allen deer size game bags for front quarter and trim

 

[Geewhiz]

KISS…and light

havalon
2 spare blades
5mm rubber gloves
Space blanket to lay out meat
(4) 3 feet sections of paracord to hang quarter
2 Allen elk size game bags for hind quarters
3 Allen deer size game bags for front quarter and trim

That's what mine looks like minus the gloves and add in another few havalon blades. Not going to carry around a bunch of extra crap in case my a arm breaks off my sxs.

 

[Ucsdryder]

That's what mine looks like minus the gloves and add in another few havalon blades. Not going to carry around a bunch of extra crap in case my a arm breaks off my sxs.

I’ve trimmed a lot of stuff over the years. I don’t think there’s anything to add or subtract at this point. I’m happy with it.

I just added the gloves 2 years ago. 5mm are key, but it’s so nice taking off your gloves and not having blood under your fingernails.

Blades are almost weightless and I should probably carry more but I’ve never used more than 2 on an elk, so I carry 3. Maybe I’ll put in another!

I’ve got a first aid kit with a spare light and other crap, but I like to separate, sometimes the first aid kit doesn’t go, but the kill kit always goes!

 

[taskswap]

I use a Kifaru Medium "Ultralight Pullout" to store my kit. It contains:

- Havalon Talon with two styles of blade (regular/gut hook + serrated for working around tendons/bones)
- Smiths CCKS sharpener. Never used it (field dressing is literally the ONE TIME I'm careful with my knives) but for the 1oz and $6 I like to have it.
- Sharpie with 2' of electrical tape wrapped around it for marking tags (here in CO you sign your "carcass tag" only when you take game - not before). I also mark which game bag has the "carcass tag" in it. I've had CPW ask to see this twice and it's annoying to fumble to find which quarter I stuck it on.
- 3 long zip ties. Perfect for attaching tags to rear quarter leg bone and field repairs of game bag strings/hems. Pro tip, if you hunt CO, the tags have two small holes pre-perforated in the middle of them about an inch apart that are almost exactly right to run a zip tie through.
- 2 pairs of 7mil "Venom Steel" gloves. I always tear at least one. The brand is meh. It was cheap at Walmart a few years ago.
- 4 paper towels. Mostly for hair - a dry paper towel pulls hair off your hand faster than water/other options
- Pair of AAA lithium batteries, weighs almost nothing, 10yr shelf life. By whatever luck or karma all of my elk so far have been taken at dusk, and I like having a backup for my headlamp.
- A 1 gallon ziploc - for trash. It's a great idea, weighs nothing, super light. Never used it. I've been carrying the same one for years.
- My Anyooo poncho/tarp isn't IN my kill kit but I consider it part of it. I lay it out as a ground tarp to lay my meat bags on while I'm dressing out. It washes out really easily too.
- 5 compost can-liners that I use for pack liners. I found a no-perfume, no-chemical, no-nothing, compostable brand a few years ago and a box is lasting me forever at this rate. These are super opinionated - nobody really "needs" pack liners, but I like the convenience. I never need to wash my pack, I just air it out at the end of the season and I'm done. Time saved.
- Caribou Gear game bags. BIG fan.
- 10' of waxed bank line for hanging game bags. Almost as strong as paracord but half the bulk and weight.

This isn't a new idea but I take most of the above and at the end of the season when I'm vacuum-sealing other things (like game meat) I put my game bags, gloves, and so on in and vacuum-seal those. It makes a very compact package and keeps it all together and clean for the next year.

Sounds like a big list but it's all pretty small ultralight items. This is all for elk of course - I wouldn't carry half this much for turkey or small game. The only thing you really NEED is a good knife. Everything else on the list is just quality of life items. I think the whole thing weighs 9oz not counting my poncho.

 

[CjMelendrez]

Not in my kill kit, but in my pack I keep a snickers bar. Eat it before starting, so I don’t have to open it with bloody hands….

I really like the snikers bar idea. depending on how much work it took to recover or get to the animal, it's nice to sit, have some water, eat a snack and take a few pictures before getting to work. a few minutes of break time won't slow you down in the long run.

I carry:
MKC stoned goat knife
work sharp pocket sharpener
thick nitrile gloves from work
1 cutting glove
4 elk quarter bags (pillow case type, can't remember brand)
1 medium game bag same as above
50ft paracord (this year I'm going to cut 4 10ft sections and tie loops to 1 end for easy game bag hanging, and an additional 20ft piece for whatever)
a couple zip ties
gallon freezer ziplock (for heat/liver)

Easily accessible in my pack are:
spare headlamp (I keep my main one in my pants pocket)
spare folding knife
trash bags
orange flagging tape
orange beanie (gets put on as soon as i get to the animal)

and a few cold beers back at camp once the work is done.

 

[taskswap]

Snickers bar is a great idea. I should have mentioned, I do something similar with a bottle of water. I'll open a bottle (so I don't need to remove the cap later), drink about a third, and set the bottle out of the way. Standing in snow this is totally not needed. But dress out an elk at 11am in direct sun on a warm day and you'll sure appreciate it.