Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Winching out Elk setup...

I've got nothing of value to add, but since folks seem to be playing nice(er) now I'll throw a few elk pictures up. All came out on my back, but a couple may have been possible to winch out with the right setup. To be honest, it would have been nice to get them out whole, for a variety of reasons. I almost always hunt by myself though, so I am not sure winching would be an option solo, as all the pictures I have seen thus far seem to be a group effort.











This one I did get out whole. After a 10 or so mile hike without seeing anything, I dropped down and hit a road mid day to hike back to the pickup. This rag was standing off the side of the road, oblivious to the fact that it was rifle season. Never look a gift horse in the mouth. It took some grunt work, but I and a random road hunter that stopped and helped me got him into the pickup bed.

A few more. Luv me some late season cow hunts...

Love that Roosevelt Ted...

Thanks Judedude! I probably have posted him a bit too much on this site, but he's just too awesome not to.

I can see how the clearcut road system you all use lends itself to the winch setup. Although some of my elk are only a mile or so from a road, they're often a full canyon away. Have you all ever winched in that situation or does it only work for winching elk straight up from an abyss that a road happens to be directly above?
I am not being critical...I am genuinely curious.

T Inman, I figured out why you like to hunt solo......you have no choice.......saw that you use a Leupold. Don't you know they suck?

Oh yes...as I venture into turret twisting I have bought some SWFAs and some other brands, but when it is time to get serious, in serious conditions, I always bring a FXIII 6X42.

I have never seen a reason not to.

I don’t know if it counts because I still had to cut him up to get it in the truck. I tried like hell to load him whole but gave up and ended up quartering him .

Textbook road hunt tho! It was -15 that morning and I was camping, told myself the first bull I seen was getting it that morning, on my way to the canyon I was going to hunt this guy decided to spoil me. Ran across the road then stopped right before hitting the timber.. I was thinking no way he’s going to stand there while I got off and Uncase the rifle, but he did ! Easiest elk to date. With a little planning I could have got him home whole but I never even plan on such a scenario and wasn’t prepared .. some day

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Obviously, there are some elk that like to walk roads. Bet they get flamed by the other elk who say that a real elk would only walk on steep cliffs. 🤣😎

First suicidal general season bull I’ve come across. I just considered myself lucky that time ! 😉 that was around 20 years ago .. figure I’m due again anytime now ha.

Mostly the shooting but always involved in being the mule.
I do like what you are trying to rig up.

True sad story.
Neighbor (cop whom I never liked much) had heard that I hunted and wanted to show me this cell phone photo. Nice bull.
Then he volunteers without me even asking, "We had to leave the bull and could only recover the antlers. Weather came in and the road into the canyon just got too slippery and too dangerous to drive."
I didn't say it but I'm thinking to myself 'left it!? when you had a road!?'. I liked him even less after that.

What a fug’n douche drinker...I know and have hunted with a lot of cops. Some good hunters. Others, not so much! 😎

Just my “unwanted” comment to those that seem “indignant”, as to the use of vehicles/winches for game recovery. Did you walk to your elk hunting area, and how many hundred miles did you walk? Do you use a scoped rifle....speaking of rifles, isn’t that a modern convenience ? And, the horses that some use to haul their game, or set-up a hunting camp.....absolutely “lessening” the hunting/recovery experience!

It’s pretty obvious, that few of us have tracked and killed a big game animal.....with our bare hands! Until having done so, ridiculing others, for their methods of recovery.....is the highest form of hypocrisy! memtb

After the last time bringing an elk out in pieces the next will be standing in my truck when I kill him. In the meantime I will stick to mulies and grouse.

Seriously?

In the time it takes to get a truck close enough,, run a line/cable/tape, thread a whole elk through thick and/or downed timber back to the truck, a guy can quarter, bone, and with a pard carry the edible parts out to a vehicle and still probably beat the above method.

Yes, I've helped drag an elk to the road with ATV's, but in every case the critter could have been quartered and loaded onto an ATV and just drive it out (less drama).

4 llamas in the back of truck would take up less room than a 3000 ft reel of elk "tape", too......

See, this way is SO simple.




What is it about yuppies and dead critters? You'd think they just killed a brontosaurus.......

Not to mention pack in a comfortable camp.....

Yuppies? Laffin...Alpine, this thread is heavy with dead critter pics...Hang some of yours for us to enjoy. Thanks. 😎

Odds are I have killed more elk than you and have been in on the retrieval of a lot more.

I'm all for making it as easy as possible, as I have retrieved elk every which way possible short of calling in a Chinook or loading them into a howitzer and shooting them up onto the road.

That would include winching or dragging with an ATV. Been there. A guy could conceivably spend more time and effort pulling an elk through thick/blowdown timber--and a dead elk will hang up on every log, every tight spot it possibly can. You'll spend more time and effort lifting, shoving, and trying to guide an elk through the timber than carrying it out. Been there.

I just don't see how the effort and cost of a 1/2 mile winch and the effort to keep the carcass moving through thick timber (I mean thick) is a better idea.

Odds are good you’re killed more elk then me, if you’re old as dirt, or have spent a lot of money paying for elk hunts that got you more than one elk a year from your home state. Just throwing around numbers since you’re wearing your Superman tights...I’ve killed or been involved in packing out or winching just south of 70 elk that were either OTC General 4 day bull season, or drawn cow tags. 1 elk per year.

It’s all about the terrain. You have as much first hand knowledge about coastal hunting in the Pacific NW as I do with high altitude hunting in Colorado. Which is zero! Before you yap on about “who’s killed or yarded more elk out”. Just pay attention to those of us who have done things you’ve never seen with your own eyes...We all have packed meat and horn stud. It’s not rocket science! Taking off my Superman outfit now. 😎