I have hunted by myself many times but usually I pack in with a buddy and we go different direction out of our base camp. But if one kills an elk we both go to work packing. That's how I have hunted elk most of my life.
Some years I have sub-guided for others who own horse and mules and that makes the pack-outs nice. Myself however, I don't own pack animals. I have used back-packs.
I no longer hunt that way alone in the parts of the state where we have so many grizzlies. We get more every year too. If you are "way back" it's sure you can't get the whole elk out to a truck in one day and that means the bears get what you can't carry and some times you have to sleep out there a night or two. Doing that when you have blood sent on your clothing and body is not wise. I still hunt solo if it's in areas without grizzlies or large numbers of wolves.
So I only hunt in places with lots of wolves and grizzlies where I can get a whole elk out in one day or when I hunt with 2 partners or more, so I am not at as much of a risk in the night time hours. I am too old to do it all by myself (or maybe just got smart enough to quite risking such things)
