Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting What stuff do you need to dress out an Elk?

I'll second having the sharpener....and sharpen often for quick cuts with little effort. I can imagine with a full elk a good blade can make it through but the edge has to fold over at some point, and then you have to bring the edge back.

I just hope someday I get to skin and quarter my own elk.

Along with with what the others mentioned...
You may want a small block and tackle or come-along if your in a steep hill situation and you can't move the elk. This is nice and it takes little effort and you'll be tired anyway.

Rope is good - I like a cotton or natural rope so it doesn't slip like the nylon stuff, and it rots away if left in the woods, natural ropes can also make a good fire starter if you get into a bad situation.

Metal fence wire is an amazing thing, almost like duct tape, we always find uses for it around camp and other needs.

My sharpner is called spare blades. 12 of them weigh much less than any sharpener I could carry.... and much easier to use....

Folks can be stubborn or learn to see the light....

Painters drop cloth was mentioned but I'll 2nd it.

1 knife.

Bone them out. Much lighter to carry and no need to saw anything.

There's plenty to carry if the regs say bulls only, you have to take the antlers, and you have to pack out the whole head because you only have a knife.

This is the sharpener that I carry. It touches up the blade real nice and only weighs a couple of ounces - much lighter than even one extra blade.

Lansky Quick Fix

RH

I use a Wyoming knife, a regular clip point fixed blade and a gerber pax. Makes my life pretty easy.

hey damn it!! I read this stuff you know!!



as far as the OP...

I just use my bear hands.

a knife is all you need but a saw is nice to have.

I just carry my old puma duke, a small hatchet, some rope. Good game bags and a tarp. The last elk I shot, I had dressed out quartered and then boned out and bagged in all of about 3 hours. I took my time to do it right and to keep things clean. Oh a head lamp is a must. By the time I was ready to come down of the hill is was well into dark. four trips for the meat and hide. Its not hard, the hard part is taking the time to do it right and keeping things clean. I started carrying a small tarp just to keep things out of the dirt while skinning and boneing meat. I should have thought of it sooner in my hunting life. Live and learn.

hey damn it!! I read this stuff you know!!




Hey Dave...what's the pink stuff in the bottle??????

Ingwe

Knife, 3-4 peices of parachute cord 10-15 ft each, folding saw, and one of those hand held quick sharpening gizmos for a quick edge on my knife if it gets too dull.



Casey

A knife and a sharpening steel works for me.

After removing two elk from very STEEP conditions, some type of cord will be in my bag from now on!!! A buddy had some and that saved us from all sliding down the slope!
So my pack will at least have:
2 knives
1 small sharpener
Rope/cord
Small tarp
2 lights

Coming off a steep mountain in the dark is no fun.......you will find every deadfall on the mountain!!

Good Luck!!

Cord is useful for tying off the legs as you gut and skin. Cord is VERY useful for keeping the elk from sliding the rest of the way down the mountain while gutting and skinning........


Casey

Whoa!--Those would go well with SU's purple bike.......

A big +1 on the para cord...

Had to use my bootlaces once..

and don't ask how I did it, but I accidentally cut one of them....


Ingwe

Good link to what looks like a light sharpener. Got me there. Of course I"m still sold on popping on a razor sharp ready to go blade on instantly. So you got me curiuos and I looked in my work drawer and have 7 blades in packages ready to go, went and weighed them.... 0.8 oz for 7 ready to go blades....Still sold on my option.

I carry a fixed blade knife, a good Uncle Henry folder, a sharpener, and several pieces of bailing twine. Pretty much what everyone else carries. A headlamp is also nice. I also carry a Wyoming Saw but out of habit. Since I switched to gut-less, I have not needed it. I mainly carry it in case the elk falls in a place I can just dally up and drag it out in one piece, (like a logging road) I'll saw legs off at the knee and otherwise do things like I use to. I have not been lucky enough to kill one in a spot like that yet though.

Knife
Small sharpener
Gloves
Para-cord
Small LED flashlight (not as bright but they last a lot longer)
Small folding saw (optional)