Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Anybody pack an elk out by themselves?

Years ago....
My partner and I have used a wheelbarrow numerous times to pack elk. It works fine as long as you don't have any uphill. It's better than a game cart on narrow, rocky trails where 2 wheels are too wide.

Some years ago, I shot a spike a couple miles back. I pushed my wheelbarrow up there and loaded up the meat. I'd only gone a few hundred yards when one of the wooden arms broke. I jury rigged a splint with a limb and started off again. I got another hundred yards when that broke. Anyway, I ended up backpacking it and the wheelbarrow is still there, tucked away in some 100 year old mining junk left from the past.

moral: a wheelbarrow works but DO NOT use a cheap, K-Mart version.

Wheelbarrows are underrated.

I left a hunt to get some supplies in Durango some years ago, stopped to check out an area I was interested in along the way. Killed a buck there, then had the epiphany, "Oh oh, Now What?"

I remembered a little rental shop back down the road. The wheelbarrow made pretty short work of the haul-out.

I've had help with some, but I've packed about 30 elk out by myself:

Some on a packframe. Had to spend the night with a hind quarter once in the Whitefish range in NW Montana. Just me, my rifle, the quarter of meat, and a book of matches.

A couple on a kids plastic toboggan, the toboggan didn't fare too well.

One bull 1/2 at a time in a wheelbarrow. I shot him about a mile up a Forest Service road, behind a locked gate. Luckily the road was dry and it was mostly downhill.

I've pulled several out, 1/2 at a time, on a thick sheet of plastic from Cabalas.

A couple more, 1/2 at a time, just over the snow.

I killed a spike bull one year fairly high on a mountain in the Madison Range south of Ennis, MT. The side of the mountain was snow covered so I tried to drag him down to the flats where I could easily get my horses. The slope was so steep that each time I started to drag him he would get moving too fast for me to keep in front of him, so I would step aside and he would slide 30-40 yards down the hill then pile up against a tree. After several times of doing that, I decided to get him sliding, then I just hopped on and rode him down until just before he would hit a tree, when I would jump off. I continued doing that all the way to the bottom of the mountain where my horses could pack him out in quarters.

One year I was able to pull a cow elk down off a mountain almost all the way to my car, but the last 200 yards was uphill, so I had to cut her in half for that. Then I had to split the halves to get her into the back of my Subaru.

For about 20 years I had a couple of horses, and they carried out my elk every year. I miss having horses now every elk season.

I have packed out many of them At 70+ I can still get the job done. Last year I packed out a spike by myself, an easy hike 1.4 miles down a nice trail. Got help on two this year, the first bull being the largest but only 2+'miles out. The second was 4 miles out and on a good trail. Made 5 total trips between the two. A great year.

We used to use 'em to pack in our camp back in VA, and then pack out deer. You can do two bucks at a time. You can put a heavy load of camp gear in a good wheelbarrow, and live like a king. Coleman stove and lantern, folding chairs, steaks, pork chops, taters & onions, beer, you name it.

Last years "by myself pack out". The middle daughter was with me the week before and we packed her's out on our backs. She is a work horse and a good hand to have along. We even helped a couple of 70+ year old guys pack a bull out the day before we pulled hers out.

She wasn't along this trip so it was up to me. About a mile down a gradual incline. Just needed a little come along help to crest the incline into the pickup.

Brad couldn't have said it better, "if you're going to be dumb, you better be tough", lol.







I can remember as a kid just starting, sitting in a saddle freezin my azz off and thinking "I aint ever doing this again". Been back out there every year since for almost 40 years now. Yes, being dumb and having a short memory does have it's advantages!!

If I ever get to slide one out in a sled whole, right into the truck, I'm taking pictures too.

Ha, ya, the conditions were just right is all I can say. The pack frame was with me just in case I couldn't get it done. Hardest part was trying to run the come along and get her onto the lip of the endgate by myself but I got it done. That otter sled paid for itself right there. A Vietnam era casualty sled works good as well. Brought a spike out whole once on one of those, but I had help with that one.

I shot my cow elk this year in very steep country and as is the case 95% of the time, I was solo. Took me about 2 hours to quarter it out and hang it in a nearby tree. Country was so steep, that when I took the quarters off one side and had to roll it over, it kept going down hill. Did not stop for about 30 yards. Packed out my gear, backstraps and tenderloins the first trip by the time I got to my quad I was exhausted. Estimated I had to go straight up approximately 1,500 ft. Two more trips later, I could barely move. Ibuprofen kept me going.

Hope to do it all over again next year.

A couple years ago I read a story by Jim Zumbo. He said he shot an elk that went down in a patch of really thick brush. It took him 3 hrs just to turn it over to gut it. My thought was that there couldn't have been a better time for gutless field dressing.

That about sums up my trip this year too.

CENTERSHOT -
I think you are good and nuts too along with most of these members.
So glad to hear from hardcore sportsmen and women.
Last bull I packed out was in six miles took my old legs over
3 days. I out lived my horses and then llamas so was on my own.
Two days after home bought a single mule.Now pack in and stash
supplys for scouting.Return each trip backpack hunting till meat
on the ground,go home for old griz mule. Lots of fun.
Works great for hunting alone. It used to really bother me that
a lot of folks take shortcuts but let them have their machines.
There was an old indian that returned an old Model A to Burro
Bill in Death Valley during the depression. At returning the
broke down auto for demand of his burrows back he left a note
"Ford No Good,tires all gone,bring back my mules". Thanks folks
for you finding value in some burden.

I have had two go under logs while sliding down a steep snowy hill. The first one I did upside down under the log on my side. The second required a much larger younger man to get him where he could be cut up. Getting old isn't for the weak of heart.

Don't discount this, my knees and toes tell me it works. From my experience, don't mess with tablets. Get the crystals at GNC. However, if you are running bone on bone, probably won't help much.

I take approximately 2grams a day, which is above Arthritis Foundation recommendation.
Proceed at your own risk.


http://www.arthritis.org/living-wit...l/vitamins-minerals/vitamin-c-amount.php

Funny, 2 grams is my dose when I'm hunting in the mountains, and yes it works. Along with Voltaren gel.

Never heard of the crystals though, may have to check those out.

Meloxicam 7.5mg is my drug of choice if needed.

Jeff probably just takes a puff.



Addition: If I don't get enough sleep, then guaranteed I'm going to hurt the next day. When you age-up, sleep is your mechanic.

I've packed out the deboned meat of three elk, in a backpack, by myself. Two were cows and they each took three trips. One was a bull and it took four trips including the cape and antlers. The longest pack was a cow and it was 5 miles. But I haven't done that in this century.

KC

I've packed more out by myself than I've had help with. The cow I shot this yr I was able to drive my tk to but I didn't have a come-along and I still had to quarter her out.