Taking a light first load out is a gigantic waste of time for me. Even on hunts that I can return to a truck/cabin/house each night, I'm not taking a pack with me that can't haul out at least a boned out rear quarter. Pretty easy for me to compress my 9,000cu Kifaru down into a day-pack type setup.
Tanner
This. I don't know where the daypack folks are killing elk, but when I get one down, the least amount of trips between the elk and the truck is best.
Thus, I carry a large pack (not full of gear, mind you)...have had two elk quarters and a trimmings bag in it before with some minimal gear for the hunt and off the mountain we went. Also, had eight deer quarters (coues, so not too bad) with gear this season.
When hunting rough, up and down country and far from the vehicle, the less trips the better imho.
YMMV
