Huntsman22:
One puts the blade of the first axe/hatchet against a single vertebra, and strikes the flat with a second. Sort of like using the first as a wedge. One successively works his way down the spine with typically one pop needed to split each joint. Given the bone is essentially wedged or shattered, there can be lots of stray fragments, so be careful going in with hands or fingers. Usually a bit neater than swinging away with a single axe, given ones general failure to precisely nail the intended target each time. One gets the job done, two is a bit neater, but a saw is better yet.
TheKid:
Why does one chop an elk in half lengthwise?
When one gets into country that even a mule can't negotiate, he may end up packing quarters on a back pack frame. In those cases, I first split lengthwise, then split front and rear leaving two ribs attached to each rear quarter. Thus torn apart, each quarter is near the same weight, and makes balancing loads on ones steeds a bit easier.
Also, if one has snow, and can drag half of an elk, it's easier to drag a long half than an attached pair of shoulders or hams.
One also has the option of boning or doing the gutless method. If I tag out early, but will still be with my party for another 8 or 10 days, I do quarters. Don't think much of those that sign on for a season of hunting and groceries and then leave the day they bag their game. If I'm going home tonight or maybe tomorrow morning, I may just bone everything at the kill site. Boning, however, exposes a lot of surface area, and one will lose a lot of meat to trim if it has to hang in camp for a week or more before final workup.
With deer, I can back pack a half, splitting them into front and rear halves by again cutting across between the second and third ribs counting from the back end. Usually have my pack frame along in rugged country, so I don't have to make an empty 5-mile trip back and out to get the first load in.
