Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting How to bone Elk out...

I rarely completely bone out Elk but I found this video interesting...

How does your way differ?



Jayco

I was in the bottom of one canyon last year that I would have gladly cut and trimmed out anything I could to lighten the load going out. But no, mostly just quarter and go.

I'll debone at home going into the freezer, but I use what I was taught by my Dad and in the Meats lab at school.

I do it a little differently.

I skin from the belly up to the spine on one side. Laying the hide out, hair down on the ground to keep things clean. I start by filleting the brisket and along the ribs up to the spin and then run a knife down along the spine from the neck (as far as I want to go up) then down to the last rib, removing the front quarter along with the filleted brisket along and rib meat.
I then take the back strap from the last rib to the pelvis.Then I debone the meat along the pelvis, top and bottom down to the hip socket and remove that rear quarter taking care to keep evidence of sex as required by CO law.

I flip the carcass over and repeat for the opposite side.

Then I push the paunch in and make a cut for and aft of the tenderloins and pull them out. Some guys poke the paunch with a knife to release pressure (gas)to make getting the tenderloins out easier, I don't.

I carry a thin sheet of plastic ( painters light tarp)that I get at Walmart that cost about $1.50 and is 10'x10' to lay the meat on as I am working. This comes in small packet about 1/2'" thick, 3"x6"

I have tried to take the little bit of meat between the ribs,but it is mostly sinue and doesn't even make good grind. Since I am a lung shooter, a lot of it is shot up anyway.

One problem is that since the loin meat is deboned, it does not go thru rigor and is some tougher than if it did.

Since I pack the meat on mules the leg bone weight is not a concern,but even if I didn't, carrying it would be a lot easier than a sack of deboned meat

I do it just like Saddlesore. I tried in once from the spine and I got alot of hair on the meat. I start from the belly and work up.

I have done it on deer, maybe this year I'll get a chance to do it on an elk.

now, just thinking out loud here. you shoot, the heart stops pumping and with no oxygen rigor should begin. ????

how does the the meat know if it is on the bone or not? why is a bone needed for rigor? i never heard this discussed in meat cutting class.

Best way too date I found...http://elk101.com/webisodes/gutless-video/

Ray.I'm no expert and I may be all wet here,but the loins I have cut out have never stiffened up like a quarter wih bone in that is hanging. I know when I was just quartering elk and leaving the loins on each quarter, they seem to come out a lot tenderer.

I don't think the heart pumping has anything to do with rigor setting in.

Maybe Mule Deer will jump in here with something seeing he is the expert on processing game meat

This. Simple, effective and cuts down on processing time in the field. The method in the OP is a bunch of wasted effort in comparison. I like the idea with the painters tarp... don't forget the black pepper to discourage yellow-jackets and flies.

I think the method changes to the conditions the Elk fell in..I have seen it where you would have to tie the Elk to a tree to get it stable in very steep country and one has to adapt to that scenario.

In Idaho, some of the old timers call the gutless method the poachers cut.Just whacking off quarters...I have seen a few not even skin them first..Just cut off the quarters and go in and get the goodies...Makes short work of a big animal.

Jayco

I've had the exact same experience saddlesore... the loins and backstraps don't seem to get rigor mortis like the quarters do, neither does the lose neck meat and rib meat trimmings either. I do try to wait until rigor mortis sets and then releases before I bone the quarters, unless I'm in the back country in warm weather and have to bone it out on the spot to get it packed it a hurry... although I've not really noticed a difference in the texture of the meat in those instances anyway. The only really tough meat I've had to deal with was on a cow that I killed in CO 3rd rifle season, I just gutted her and hung her whole on the meat pole hide on where she froze hard overnight and remained that way for around 5 days, then I brought her into the jeep barn to thaw, cut her up and put her in the freezer at home. The meat was pretty tough that year, I think because it was frozen twice before eating?

The Colorado DOW recommends the gutless method. They also have a CD you can buy to show you how to bone it out in the field.

When you hunt alone, and have an elk down 4 miles from the truck/camp. Boning it out makes a lot of sense.

I bought that CD a few years ago, it's good. A pretty "high fly" over but effectively demonstrates the major points of gutless. The finesse part to me is fishing out the tenderloins... takes some time to get that one right...

To your point Mauser, its a great method if solo or on foot with no means but your back and your pack to get the meat out...

Rigor is typically 12 hours in and 12 hours out but can be influenced by weather, slowing down significantly in the cold. When going into rigor it is a process of the enzymes breaking down and unable to release the myosin heads on the muscle filaments (sliding filament theory), causing the muscle to stay contracted. The muscle stays contracted until decomposition causes the myosin to degrade and release, allowing the muscle to slide back into an relaxed position. The muscle is held in position by the bone, if the meat is boned out the muscle will contract but when the myosin degrades it will not rebound to its original length.

Sorry if this does not exactly match for elk but its the science behind humans going through rigor so it would probably be a pretty good match.

as theories go, it would explain how the meat knows it is off the bone! always wondered how it would know.

Sounds like Saddlesore does it about like I do. The video is bound to leave a lot of hair on the meat. Starting at the belly leaves less hair because it's shorter there and also the hair is on an area where it doesn't matter so much. I don't want a hairy back strap.

I carry a Heavy trash bag in my pack and have been doing the Gutless method on my Whitetails for a few years now. Good practice for when and if we ever do get a big Elk on the ground. Also did the GM on our Antelope 2 years ago.
No dragging/packing and No Mess!

i feel that if you cut off a leg and hang it to skin it you get less hair on it. also if you are going to put it in a pannier the hide will keep more dirt off. when i get to the truck i then hang the leg and skin it.

you can peel the hide back to get off the rest in what ever way suits you. sometimes the mountain will dictate how you finish skinning. it seems that the neck is by far the hardest to keep clean.

I go pretty much like Saddlesore (go figure :)) I do take the meat between the ribs as at least in my grinder, it goes in very well. I carry an old queen size flat sheet with me to throw the meat on as I cut. If it's a shorter pack, I might leave the hind leg bone in and finish it at camp or at home. The shoulder too, but only if a short pack. It's usually worth the time to bone it out as a lot of the shoulder weight is bone.

Great advice from Muley, good to see you posting again. Steve

Hey Steve!

I might have done it once or twice .

Frankly, it's so easy to drop the guts out of an elk and makes it so much friendlier to work with. I did the gutless method ONCE.