first time elk hunt

[longwalker]

Growing up in the east, the biggest thing we could hunt was a White Tail deer. Black Bear was a non season when it came back in the 80's it was a one day hunt.

I have since moved the the Northern Plains, and have Mule deer, Antelope, Elk, Sheep, Goats and WhiteTail deer as possible game to target. The sheep and goats are pretty slim pickens, and a once in a life time tag. Elk are a real possibility and one can have several opportunities to hunt them if they try. ( very reasonable prices for residents )

My question What does one need to have after you kill one? I know my 6 inch folding knife works great on deer size game, I'm not sure about a 700 pound elk. What do you do about leaving it out at night?

longwalker

[Don Fischer]

It's a big deer and the easiest way to move it is to bone it out right there.
That means a couple good butcher knives, game bags and a sharpening steel. If you want to pack out quarters, I did that once, I did say once, you should really have a good pack frame and small dia. rope to tie on with. A bone saw could be handy but I've never used the one I have.

Bottom line is there's a lot of stuff you could carry to do the job. Some of it might even be worth carrying. But all you really need is a few things to bone and bag the animal.

[longwalker]

Due to the size and time required to dress an elk, is it nesissary to skin the elk to preserve it's meat quality?

longwalker

[james]

My brother and I usually elk hunt together and the shooter starts skinning and quartering while the other goes for the wheels or backpacks.  We only carry 4" multi blade folding blade knives. I usually carry my Gerber pliersl to pull out the ivory teeth.  If we have to back pack out a bull, we cape the head and saw off the skull plate.  If it's close to a road or 4 wheeler trail we take the cape and head out whole. We put the quarters in thin meat bags to cool and keep them clean.  When elk hunting, I keep a pack frame with rope, meat bags, bone saw, and water in my truck or on the 4 wheeler. We usually try to get our elk out the same day but sometimes it is past midnight and into the next day before we get to rest.
James

[freddogs]

Myself and my hunting companions skin one side of the elk and then bone out that side. We put the meat in one to 3 gallon ziplock freezer bags that you can label. Then we flip the elk over onto the hide and skin out the other side and the bone that side. A saw is handy to remove the rack from the skull. Then it's nice to have a quality frame pack to use packing out the meat. Meat is heavy, you don't need a high volume pack. We leave a cooler with ice at the truck( about 150 quart). I like to use a small fillet knife for boning. We've done this for moose also.

[Dogshooter]

Where I hunt, I really don't like to pack any more weight than I have to so I just carry a 4" or so folding lock blade knife. I field dressed  my elk with it again a few days ago. I always smile when I see the out of state hunters come out here and have Bowie knives on their belts. I guess those knives are OK for gathering firewood. Just make sure that whatever kind of knife you choose that it is sharp. I have a small stone I carry too cause one knife seldome will dress out an elk and not dull somewhat.

[Les Staley]

There's a good article in one of the latest sporting magazines about filleting an elk..  remove the hind quarters at the ball/socket, keeping as much meat as possible from the hip bone attached to the quarter,  remove the front shoulders, keeping as much meat as possible from the rib/back/neck attached..  remove the backstraps  and neck meat,  even can get the tenderloins by makeing an incission along the lower part of the backbone and roll them out with your fingers..  NO GUTTING!  clean deal... I've done it.. but you'll still need a four-wheeler or a couple of gullible freinds to abuse... or do like I did last night,  gut it out and drag it with a four-wheeler to the trailer..  HTH..Les

[huntmdown]

Yep, having a trailer or 4-wheeler will definitely help! Good luck to all of you! Stay safe!

[crow_feather]

Les Staley,

There is a name for that which you describe, it is called "the poacher's cut". 

C F

[Les Staley]

Hmmm.....funny the article I read didn't mention that..  guess I can see where it might have got it's start..  it does work though...     Les

[Coppertop]

Crow-

Seems that it takes so much more time to do the "poacher's Cut" than most poachers i know would want to spend at the kill site. I do that to what I kill and then after that meet is out of the way- i gut it to get the heart and liver and what ever else is left.

[Les Staley]

Crow:  got to practice the butchering style I was refering to on Christmas day.. eased up a ridge on my snowcat, spotted a cow bedded below me in the quakies,  got off the sled and eased up closer trying to spot a calf.. bingo!!  cow stood up to leave, and then the calf,  which I promptly knocked down..  took two hours to quarter and drag the meat up to the trail in 20" of snow..strung the quarters behind the machine like a stringer of fish.. home by 7:30pm..  all in all a great day.. 338-06 works good...   Les

[Les Staley]

For those of you wondering, they sell additional cow/calf licenses here in Wyoming..  most years I can draw a second tag..  used both machines to move meat this year, four-wheeler and snowcat..  a gulible freind is still handy..    Les