I guess I ahve always worried about getting the meat cooled quickly withb elk vs a layer drying out,although I can under stand why some worry about that. I too hunt dry Colorado. My elk gets skinned all the time,no matter when the season. It usually hangs 4-5 days in bags made of bed sheets incamp. Not as much if the westher is warm, evern if I have to make a trip home with it to put it in a cooler.If I can, I leave the hide on deer.
Once home and butchering I always remove all the viscera anyway on the outvside the meat. I usually have a crus tabout 1/8 inch thick. With a fine fillet knife,the viscera and thin crust comes right off. I think it helps in that any contamination on the meat gets cut off .
No scientific proof here, but this is what has always worked for me. Might not for some
