Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting septuagenarian elk packing

So would you be at the Skylark ranch or thereabouts? I’m over on 125, by the C Lazy U

No I took it off of a dead deer and posed it on him as a joke, its property of CPW.

Yes Riverdog, of course if I OWNED the Skylark I wouldn't have to charge for my pack llamas... stop by and meet the boys sometime winters are pretty slow around here.

Good planning on your part to be able to continue to elk hunt, Congratulations.

Not sure if it would be worth the trip but NE Texas has a world of mules and donkeys. Don't know if any could be bought or the price but nearly every small farm or ranch has 2-3 on the property. I have no idea why because a lot of the properties I see them on have no visible need for them and I don't think they make good pets.

Mama elk is hanging in the cooler for another week or more but I whacked off a piece of loin for bbq chops. Tasty and tender. This is going to be one of the good ones.
Conditions vary greatly but if I can, I like to gut and skin them then leave them lie overnight if possible. I'll come up the next morning with the llamas and dice them up before the pack out. That gives them plenty of time to go in and out of rigor mortis which makes for more tender meat. Boning before they cool and go into rigor can make them much tougher. I've learned that the hard way. I've had some really tough meat when I bone them hot.
Bear and wolf problems abound but so far I've been lucky.

Agree 100% ,

Yes.

I will use tie down straps to elevate the quarters in trees.

I also leave whatever clothes I can spare, especially hats, surrounding the quarters for scent.

I leave the carcass and guts away from the good meat, so they can get something. In bear country I keep everything inside the scent zone.

Some guys will pee around the carcass. However, stand hunters often say they can pee off the stand it won't affect the deer at all so I don't know if helps. I guess it can't hurt anyway. You have to pee somewhere so around the elk is as good a place as any.

I've always had bears more interested in the gut pile, but one time a bear stole a hanging quarter from a tree. There was snow at the time so it was easy to follow the tracks of the thief. I found the quarter after a couple hundred yards. The meat had a perfect dental impression of the bears mouth and teeth pressed/melted into the frozen quarter. Could have made a bear denture from it.

What is the cost to rent Llama's for a pack trip?

I killed a nice bull on my 2017 hunt, out in a high Colorado alpine basin, far from any trees. I took the quarters off, intending to come back in the morning with my llamas. Wife sez "I've seen some bear sign, you better move those quarters down so you can hang them. I say naw, no need, they wont come and if they do they'll go for the gut pile. Wrong. At least two bears came in, didn't touch the gut pile, and dragged one front and one hind two hundred yards, ate an estimated 30 pounds of meat, and tore hell out of two of my new TAG bags. Yep, lesson learned.

I get $50/day or $300/ten days Most are higher, some much so.

I have heard the same thing about urine.

But human head hair holds a lot of scent...that's why I leave hats.

Excellent!!

Way to go fella, good on the elk and making it happen.

Just saw this. Congratulations Rock Chuck. I never knew. Very informative thank you.