What should you be carrying in your pack to dress out an elk?

Thanks, TJ

I carry this, even dressed out a steer with it last year. It works good if you don't bully it, otherwise the locking mechanism will slip unless they've changed them.

http://www.thekershawstore.com/Kershaw_Alaskan_Blade_Trader_Knife_p/k1098ak.htm

If you're deboning, the only other things you need is a little rope and some plastic sacks and a backpack.

I carry a hatchet, a knife, a sharpener, game bags and paracord

A knife will do it all. Unless you want to saw the horns off with just the skull plate.

I'll try gutless this season if an elk or muley is stupid enough to let me shoot 'em..

I have a knife, sharpener, small folding limb saw, king sized pillowcases, paracord, and headlamps.

Here's a $10 folding saw from Stanley. It uses standard recip saw blades so you have a huge variety to select from.
One of these for whacking off the antlers, a knife, sharpener, and bags of some kind are all you need for either gutting/quartering or gutless boning.
Don't waste your money on the $1 cheesecloth bags. They're useless. Flies can lay eggs through them and dirt isn't even slowed down. Any tightly woven bag/pillow case/sheet, etc will work.

I like to have a good pair of rubber gloves along with all the above mentioned stuff

Oh yeah. Forgot the gloves. I like these by Rubbermaid. They come in XL for us guys. $2 at grocery stores.


Or, if you prefer..........

Let me add a hard lesson learned from this year - have a good sharpener. I had one of those made of a steel plate with a rough diamond finish. I hadn't noticed but over the years it had been worn smooth. I had two good sharp knives to start with, and all went well with elk no. 1 that my son killed.

Then the next day, when I had one down I had two dull blades and no good way to sharpen them. I never want to do that again.

Sharpeners do wear out over time.

Yup, a 3-blade Buck stockman is what I've used

My hunting buddy has used the Kershaw like Savage shows in his post above. It seems to work great on elk, The gut hook to open them up. The second blade works great to bone out and the saw blade for any bones you need tocut through. We mostly do the gutless methods, so not a of bones to cut.

I do carry a sharpner. Few knives will hold an edge through whole elk, and rarely through a couple if you help your buddy with his.

Back to the original question.m Knife, some para cord, some cotton bags to put the meat in, and something to wash my hands with after

rock chuck
or any one else with that stanley saw. can you get a skull cap off? or do you just saw off each antler?

i have looked at them and they look awful short to get a skull cap off.

dont forget a pencil to fill out the tag- i have used a bullet to sign several tags.

This thread may help... http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/3329893/1

Two knives, small knife sharpener, parachute cord, frame backpack and a couple of buddies (or a horse) to help get it out.

RH

I use.
A 6 " blade knife,
A skinning knife.
A .002 mil painters plastic tarp to lay meat on
two 25 ft long pices of clothes line.
2 pr nitrile gloves
4 game bags(I keep at the mules)

You can take the legs off at the joints with a knife and the head at the 1st vertebvrae also

That bottom set belong to tom264 or northern dave?

This season I gutted, skinned, cut off the lower legs and head, and removed the entire spinal column and rib cage from my elk with a Buck Trapper pocket knife with no sharpening. When finished, it was a single chunk of meat with only the long leg bones remaining in the carcass.

In the more traditionl quartering method, a meat/bone saw is really handy for splitting the backbone length wise. The same can be accomplished with a hatchet/single bit ax and a hammer, but the job will be a bit more sloppy.

In most instances, a knife and a saw. Maybe 20 feet of rope if one is alone and wants to spread out legs or hold the critter in place on steep slopes.

i think you "need" a knife and a way to sharpen it when it gets dull. however, you may want more stuff if you are up the mountain as opposed to at the ranch house. i skined and boned out a cow elk this past thursday with a buck 110 and a small (6") sharpening steel. we were able to get her on a small trailer and back to a skinning rack. had i been on the mountainside where they usually fall, i'd have used what i keep in my backpack: 2 knives, sharpening steel, para cord, folding saw, and some old pillow cases. for me, these are the minimum if you figure the elk will fall somewhere on the mtn and you plan to hump the meat out. ymmv.

My partner bought one a couple years ago. The blade is a standard reciprocating saw blade, so just buy a longer one than the original. They come in several lengths and tooth types. I've taken off 2 skull caps with it.

Idaho no longer requires signing a tag. We just cut out a notch to show the date.

I carry 50' and several times I've needed it all. A few years back, I shot a bull on a steep, snowy ridge. When he went down, he slide off the side and hung up on a small rock - at least 400' above the worst hell hole I've ever seen. The nearest thing to tie him to was a sagebrush 48' above him..and I had that 50' of rope. It saved us a full day of hard work.

I"ve used a Havalon piranta and a few blades to take all of a moose apart before, not even a 3 inch blade IIRC. Saw is only needed to cut skull cap off if required and helps on seperating rib cage if you don't debone that, though I can seperate each rib fairly easy too.

Beyond that paracord or the like.

A few pairs of gloves or a better pair like my blue fishing gloves.

Some hand cleaner with alcohol in it(doubles as fire starter)

Mesh game bags to hang it, a cloth to put it in the pack, an industrial trash bag to keep the pack dry and not bloody. And I carry a couple of light pulleys to make hanging meat easier if I dont' have any help with me.

Also generally use a tarp or trash bag to lay the meat on as I debone it.

I'll second having the sharpener....and sharpen often for quick cuts with little effort. I can imagine with a full elk a good blade can make it through but the edge has to fold over at some point, and then you have to bring the edge back.

I just hope someday I get to skin and quarter my own elk.

Along with with what the others mentioned...
You may want a small block and tackle or come-along if your in a steep hill situation and you can't move the elk. This is nice and it takes little effort and you'll be tired anyway.

Rope is good - I like a cotton or natural rope so it doesn't slip like the nylon stuff, and it rots away if left in the woods, natural ropes can also make a good fire starter if you get into a bad situation.

Metal fence wire is an amazing thing, almost like duct tape, we always find uses for it around camp and other needs.

My sharpner is called spare blades. 12 of them weigh much less than any sharpener I could carry.... and much easier to use....

Folks can be stubborn or learn to see the light....

Painters drop cloth was mentioned but I'll 2nd it.

1 knife.

Bone them out. Much lighter to carry and no need to saw anything.

There's plenty to carry if the regs say bulls only, you have to take the antlers, and you have to pack out the whole head because you only have a knife.

This is the sharpener that I carry. It touches up the blade real nice and only weighs a couple of ounces - much lighter than even one extra blade.

Lansky Quick Fix

RH

I use a Wyoming knife, a regular clip point fixed blade and a gerber pax. Makes my life pretty easy.

hey damn it!! I read this stuff you know!!



as far as the OP...

I just use my bear hands.

a knife is all you need but a saw is nice to have.

I just carry my old puma duke, a small hatchet, some rope. Good game bags and a tarp. The last elk I shot, I had dressed out quartered and then boned out and bagged in all of about 3 hours. I took my time to do it right and to keep things clean. Oh a head lamp is a must. By the time I was ready to come down of the hill is was well into dark. four trips for the meat and hide. Its not hard, the hard part is taking the time to do it right and keeping things clean. I started carrying a small tarp just to keep things out of the dirt while skinning and boneing meat. I should have thought of it sooner in my hunting life. Live and learn.

hey damn it!! I read this stuff you know!!




Hey Dave...what's the pink stuff in the bottle??????

Ingwe

Knife, 3-4 peices of parachute cord 10-15 ft each, folding saw, and one of those hand held quick sharpening gizmos for a quick edge on my knife if it gets too dull.



Casey

A knife and a sharpening steel works for me.

After removing two elk from very STEEP conditions, some type of cord will be in my bag from now on!!! A buddy had some and that saved us from all sliding down the slope!
So my pack will at least have:
2 knives
1 small sharpener
Rope/cord
Small tarp
2 lights

Coming off a steep mountain in the dark is no fun.......you will find every deadfall on the mountain!!

Good Luck!!

Cord is useful for tying off the legs as you gut and skin. Cord is VERY useful for keeping the elk from sliding the rest of the way down the mountain while gutting and skinning........


Casey

Whoa!--Those would go well with SU's purple bike.......

A big +1 on the para cord...

Had to use my bootlaces once..

and don't ask how I did it, but I accidentally cut one of them....


Ingwe

Good link to what looks like a light sharpener. Got me there. Of course I"m still sold on popping on a razor sharp ready to go blade on instantly. So you got me curiuos and I looked in my work drawer and have 7 blades in packages ready to go, went and weighed them.... 0.8 oz for 7 ready to go blades....Still sold on my option.

I carry a fixed blade knife, a good Uncle Henry folder, a sharpener, and several pieces of bailing twine. Pretty much what everyone else carries. A headlamp is also nice. I also carry a Wyoming Saw but out of habit. Since I switched to gut-less, I have not needed it. I mainly carry it in case the elk falls in a place I can just dally up and drag it out in one piece, (like a logging road) I'll saw legs off at the knee and otherwise do things like I use to. I have not been lucky enough to kill one in a spot like that yet though.

Knife
Small sharpener
Gloves
Para-cord
Small LED flashlight (not as bright but they last a lot longer)
Small folding saw (optional)

Knife, sharpener...

I keep seeing all these references to carrying a sharpener...
I've dressed more elk that I ever wanted to and have never needed one, even when using a relatively soft-steeled Schrade ( Which I love BTW)

However, if you are in a situation where you'll need to bone the critter where he landed.....it might be a good idea....

Ingwe

Getting off the hide, head, quarters and boning out the meat to pack out requires a little touch up to the blade, no matter the blade. Not talking re-shaping the edge, just a light touch up every now and then. Makes for safer, easier work. Also, IMO, taking the hide off dulls a blade faster than any other chore taking apart an elk.

BTW, forgot to add, my knife and steel travel in a bag with plastic bags to pack out meat, tags, and a pair of rubber gloves.

Having tried every conceivable sort of glove, several years back I settled on tiling/grouting gloves that can be bought in the tile section at Home Depot. They happen to be orange (of course) but more importantly they have good "feel" but don't rip or tear after hard use... have never found a rubber glove the quality of them. Stumbled on to them by accident, used them for a installing 600 sf of tile, and never could wear them out...

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Brad.....I'm gonna scope out those gloves...In a sardonic twist of fate I am as allergic as hell to deer and elk, and the only gloves Ive liked so far for dressing chores are vinyl dipped gardening gloves...your idea sounds better!
Ingwe

Ingwe, try them... I really think you'll like them!

I pack those up-to-the-shoulder vet gloves for those places they like to stick their whole arms; then because they're kind of loose and baggy, I pull a pair of surgeons gloves over top. This works to pretty low temps. They get baggy and it takes two pair for an elk but deer only use one pair.

The vet gloves are cheap at any vet office and you can get latex or latex-free surgeons gloves at any drug store outlet.

I'm not big on the bloodied look and these keep you pretty clean. When finished roll them down from the shoulder inside-out and throw in a bag for later disposal.

Leave it to an MD

Seriously, that's not a bad idea, but I've gone to gut-free dressing and it's made life much less bloody.

I tried the surgical gloves....and the vet gloves....I am spastic enough to cut them open EVERY time with either bones around the sternum...or my own knife!!
The heavy gardening gloves don't allow me much sensitivity, but at least I don't know its going to hurt when I stick a knife through them!!! ( and I have....)
Ive only dressed a few score animals...one day I'll get good at it!


Ingwe

We did the gut-free thing on a few caribou in Alaska...pretty sweet.....

Ingwe

Ingwe, I'm with you on all the surgical, latex, trilite, Playtex, blah, blah... I've ripped em all.

I'm still trying to ruin the HD gloves, three seasons now...

Now I'm gonna wanna go kill something else...just to try them out....
The allergy is a curse...JBs wife, Eileen, is the same way...
Ingwe

Yeah, before she got some anti-allergy injections and anti-allergy pills, Eileen would kill something and then approach only within 50 feet upwind just to make sure it was was--then come and get me. Too bad, because she used to love to skin them....

I keep forgetting to put on gloves because I grew up without using them and have never found anything I'm allergic to--except too much whiskey, which Ingwe and I have confirmed on more than one occasion.

Soooo, that malaise the following morning is an allergic reaction???

That explains a LOT....




I know Eileen is like me, and when you get covered in blood and hop in the enclosed truck, I'll bet you catch hell for it!!

Ingwe

Actually I wash off as much blood as possible. The big problem is the clothes that have rubbed up against the hair. That's why I always wear some out layers that can be taken off and stuffed in bag in the back of the pickup.

If she has you that well-trained...you need to go deer hunting with ME!

Ingwe

I carry a 1# Estwing hatchet, a Victoronix Swiss Army knife (Super Tinker), a Smith's Pocket Pal Sharpener, a 4" Gerber Gator Drop Point SV30, Gerber Gator Exchange A Blade Saw, 50' Paracord, two disposable ponchos, 2 pair of nitryl gloves, some hand wipe packets and some electrical tape.

I have a Leatherman and bits in my survival kit but I only rarely use it on an animal.

The hatchet gets the most use. I use it to do most of the skinning and to split the elk.

The SAK gets the fine work, the FB knife gets in spots it is hard to reach with the hatchet.

I use the saw rarely, mostly to cut leg joints if i miss the spot.

I try to end up with the elk skinned and staked (if needed)on it's hide/ the poncho's. I carry out the skullcap, heart and liver first load and come back for the rest. When I am more than a couple miles from my camp I add a light pack frame with my pack on it and two pillow cases. I cut out the backstraps and butcher steaks and add them to the first load too.

If the elk endsup in a bad spot (most have) I cut it up the best I can and get it out in chunks.

I really want to learn the gutles method.

Brad and Ingwe, I learned that very thing on my one AK trip and have been doing it since-a lot less gore-nice-but I still use the gloves. I'm also an obsessive-compulsive which helps me do things like that .

Another thing compelled me to not dress game without some kind of glove. Quite a while ago I read HUNTERS OF THE PLAINS, 1870s, an historical novel by Fred Kaufman. He tells of the last buffalo hunters, white and Indian, and the trappers during that time in the mid-Dakotas and Nebraska. Talk about a tough life. Anyway, I digress; a white trapper watched an Indian trapping mate get bit by a trapped muskrat and later skinning a trapped rabid wolf, contracted rabies through the wound and died an almost unspeakable death in the dark of a candle lit cabin. I know, latex gloves aren't not much protection but they're something.

Brad, I'm a nurse anesthetist and a Fellow in the American Academy of Pain Management. I'm nearing retirement, God-willing, and glad for it when I see what this admin and Demo congress is trying to pass. You all would be speechlessly horrified if you all knew the implications. God help us but I digress again.

You'll get all the info on how to dress out any ungulate anywhere right here from these guys.

Thank you very much for the responses. I'll try to have a compiled list by tomorrow.

TJ

I carry a Wyoming saw. a couple different knives, cord, orange
flagging, head lamp, and instead of a tarp I carry a queen
size bed sheet. I got tired of the meat sliding off the
plastic on a steep slope. Also it gives you some to clean
up with afterwords.
The orange flagging helps me find the animal, this
comes from a guy who lost his atv for 3 days.
Charlie

The last two I skinned out I had two Buck folder knives and a "Buck Steel".

We were able to drive the truck to the elk on both shots, very lucky.

I quartered them up, boned the meat off the neck, cut off the back straps.

I went and got two of Dave McCroskey's knives. You don't have to stop and sharpen them.

I would suggest a very large dress, try the Women's section, extra large.