Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Game bags - what do you use?

I've been using polyester pillow cases for game bags for years. Kuiu is having their 30% off sale and I'm looking at their game bags. I still see the same issue - how to hang them after the kill.

I typically bone the meat in the field or if I have a horse available, cut off the foreleg. I put a quarter in the bag and tie a know in one end. I run parachute chord beneath the knot in the pillow cases and call it good. They hold fairly well.

What game bags or 'system' do you all use? How do you hang the meat?

Thanks.

King sized pillow cases with rope threaded through the folded seam at the mouth of the case. I carry some z like clamps so I can hang them in a tree.

Happen to have e a pic of the z clamps? Sounds like a really good idea.

We fly-in for our annual moose hunt so we bone out the meat and bag to about 40# for easy packing uphill and loading in the Supercub.

I buy 8# rolls of polishing cloth at the local NAPA store. The cloth is a tubular knit cheese cloth type material.

I roll it off in 6' pieces and tie an overhand knot in the middle....pulling one half over the other to form a double strength bag.

Load with 40# of meat....tie an overhand knot in tails...lay a piece of Tyvek marked with cuts etc and tie a second overhand knot. A short piece of 550 cord tied below the knot provides a convenient hanging loop.

When processing meat, I simply cut the bag off and discard.

An 8# roll will do two very large bull moose.

I just buy the packs of "Alaskan" game bags. I think that is the brand as well?

VernAK- That is a great tip. Thanks.

I bought some caribou game bags earlier this year and used them on the wife's cow and I love the hell out of them.

Bwinters: I make my own out of quality (porous) muslin.
The material I use is strong (doesn't rip) and repeatedly washable to remove blood stains.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Pillow cases and duct tape...

Caribou bags are great. This was my first season using them. They are super light and the blood washes out really easy. I'll never go back to cotton bags or pillow cases.

I use the nite figure 9 sliders ..

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Nite...onrDqsNACFQoxaQodvK0PXQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

You can find them cheaper than cabelas carries them... but it's got a picture.

Nite Ize is the brand

What is nice about these is you can raise and lower a heavy bag by sliding the rig through the metal thing, and just wrapping it to sinch it at anytime. That makes single man work alot easier.

I found out this year, because of the flies and bees, chile powder works really great to keep them at bay. It flows thru bags with the blood and keeps on working

+1 on both accounts, yes on Alaska Game Bags and great tip.

Another vote for Caribou bags. Been using them since they started. The synthetic is super tough, can be re-used, wicks moisture quickly, and does not stretch like the cheesecloth variety when loaded with heavy loads.

I've been using the Kifaru bags. They are incredibly light and packable while being very strong. I've put a bunch of elk in mine. The bags allow fluid to drain but the fabric does not breath, so that's a drawback. And they aren't cheap.

Yeah wonder who turned me on to those...? Some dude on TV, I think....

There is some great ideas in this thread. I suspect I'll be using something other than pillow cases next year.

Thanks again.

I've been using Caribou Game Bags for many years. Um, if Big Stick tells you I've just been watching others use them, that's O.K. I really do use them.

Not too worry.

BTW: you should have kept the Kimber 257 😎

I know. You don't by any chance want to buy a set of Redding dies for that do you?

Can someone tell me the downside of using pillow cases and old sheets sewn into a bag? I mean, they are meant to be disposable, right?

I used to use reusable game bags. They are more expensive but since you can put them in the washing machine and reuse them, they are cheaper in the long run. I've stopped using them though. They always seem to get damaged in one way or another and I have had to discard several bags.

Now I use whatever is the cheapest at the sporting goods store. Except I don't use the flimsy cheesecloth bags. They just don't provide enough protection.

I've seen people use old pillowcases that they bought at Goodwill. They are heavier but cheap.

I've always just tied the bags with rope and hung them up. Once they are quartered I don't have any trouble getting them up into the air.

KC

Well, it's not going to help you guys much, but my wife sews mine using heavy unbleached muslim. We have been together for 21 years, and I am still using two of the first four, and two more ten or 11 year-old replacements. Coues whitetails fit in one bag, big mule deer take a couple, and all four will hold elk quarters and left-overs easily.

Muslim, or muslin?

TAG bags for the past 4-5 years now.

Got some tag bags on the cheap, but not sure I like them very much. The meat dries and sticks them too much, will even pull off on the bag. Sheet material or Alaskan bags seem to work better for me. Tie cords built into the bag are kind of redundant. Para cord will tie bag fine and is more flexible for hanging off of whatever is available.

Cleaning tip from a friend was to use powdered dishwasher detergent that doesn't have bleach. She says it has enzymes that break down protein. A couple of washes and rinses in a bucket completely cleans the bags and dissolves all of the blood and bits of meat. Best way I've found to easily and completely clean my bags.

Not really - don't need 2 sets. Have any brass?

Damn! Spell check strikes again!

I use plain old pillow cases. I take zip ties to close them and cord to use to hang them. I put however many I think that I will need in a vac-seal bag. Done this way, they don't take up much room in a pack. They can be re-used many times.

My wife gets really pissed when she wakes up and sees the blood stains.

https://pristineventures.com/products/t-a-g-bags-2/
T.A.G. Bags

That is really funny.

Alaskan Game Bags have worked well. I soaked them in hydrogen peroxide first and them wash them. They come out snow white. Have had this set 4-5 years.

Spot - thanks for posting.

On the nite ize product - it looks handy. I assume you've hung bone-in elk quarters with those little gizmos and they held/not broken?

I'm looking into the bags suggested on this thread. The Caribou bags seem most interesting.

2 questions:

1. Which version do you guys recommend - the single quarter or the high country series? The magnum pack simply looks like 7-8 singles all in one nice tidy package.

2. Are the drawstrings and/or the "lock loops" strong enough to support the weight of a bone-in elk hind quarter? They seem to indicate such then give a warning against it. If not, how do you hang them?

Thanks.

For the Alaskan game bags, I assume they are strong enough to support the weight of a full bone-in quarter. What is the best way to hang these?

Thanks.

A couple cheap, lightweight large nylon stuff sacks. Throw in some pillow cases if I'm lucky enough to draw an elk tag. They all launder clean easily.

I used the Alaskans for years. Generally for me they're a single use bag because they're easily punctured and won't hold up. Several years ago I discovered the TAG bags and that's all I like now. They're very durable and easy to repair when they rarely get torn.

I was in a freight damage store about 10 years ago, They had 100% cotton, King Size pillow cases. I paid $2.00 for a dozen. They had worked well. Still have most of them.

None bwinters.

I use TAG bags as well. They are well made and should last for a long time.

I have not been impressed with the Alaskan bags, They stretch too much, allowing bugs and dirt in. Pillow cases do work, but they've always been too small for me. I simply can't see how others use them for elk and such.

I tried a couple of the kuiu bags this year, and they were pretty nice.

My old stand by are the heavy duty canvas bags. They're heavy no doubt, but will NOT allow dirt, bugs or whatever else in. I can also fit an entire deer (quartered) in one or an elk in two. They're awesome, but I do get tired of the weight.


I think I may try the caribou bags next year and see WTF???

Based on this thread, I just ordered some Caribou bags and now get to wait until next year to try them out!

I've hauled literally tons of meat in AK game bags on my back and the backs of my ponies. I like them. I lose a lot of bags via "donation" to folks I donate meat to. I have washed and reused AK game bags at least a dozen times with no issues. i think AK game bags are where real game bags start in regards to quality.