So I recently went through my elk "stuff" and realized I am short a game bag or two. Plus, I think they are a bit small for elk. So what game bags are yinz us'in? What I have are the Alaskan game bags, but pretty sure they are the deer size. Don't need anything to survive a 50 mile pack on mules, just something usable to make it home from a 1-2 hour drive.

Thansk!

I like the synthetic bags sold by Black Ovis!

I've had good luck with the Walmart game bags in elk quarter size including hanging in a tree overnight and a pack out on horseback holding 60+ lbs. of meat. Not the thinnest gauze type material but the thicker stretchy cotton - I think the brand is Hunters Specialty and we typically get a couple of uses out of them. They seem in the same performance neighborhood as the Alaskan bags. I fail to see the value in high dollar game bags doing something simple at 10x the cost.

ditto what specneeds said for me.

Pillow cases from Walmart. 2 for $5, get 4.

Used these for years with no problems.

I tried those once but had a stiff neck in the morning. So I use AK Game Bags, soak 'em in cold water and wash them separately. Goin' on five years with one set.

camofire has 'em on sale all the time. I've got two sets and have been using them for several years.

Anybody know how much the Black Ovis bags (elk size) weight?
I have used and currently carrying thrift store pillow cases... would like to lighten up if I can.

My game bags have flowers, tiger stripes, superman, etc. The kids are long gone but the sheets and pillow cases last forever.

Tag Bags, the moose sized ones would probably hold 2 elk quarters. Been using them for over a decade, they are the real deal. https://pristineventures.com/products/t-a-g-bags-2/

I have used the Allen #6020 Outfitter grade bags for years! I did just buy a set of Tag bags for packing now.

4 3/4 oz

And zip ties

I usually use the heavy duty cotton ones for day hunts or whenever I get a critter to the rig whole. They're heavy but can be used as a blanket if you spend an unplanned night out on the mountain.

For planned back pack hunts, I now use the Caribou bags and really like them. Really light and strong.

The Alaska bags and other cheaper disposables stretch way too much for me. Bugs and dirt go right through them. Pillow cases have never been big enough for a full elk quarter. For completely boned out meat I am sure they would be fine.

Just spent a week in Bettles, AK helping hunters unload after float trips for moose. Moose float trips are the worst test of game bags ever -- in that unit, you have to pack out the rib bones and leg bones. This means that the bags are HEAVY and often filled with bone edges. Not only do the bags need to survive days on a pack and raft, they need to stay together when hung from a rope at the take-out point (where I was).

Prior to this I used pillow cases and cheesecloth bags, as well as large bags made from sewn sheets. Any of my previous bags would have failed on these big moose parts. I unloaded bag after bag that had burst or was ready to.

Hands down the best bags were some made by a company called T.A.G. Another synthetic bag also performed well, but I didn't get the name. It seemed a clone of the T.A.G. product.

I may still use pillow cases for some conditions, but they don't hold a candle to the T.A.G. bags.

Who came up with that brilliant plan? We use bears, coyotes, and wolves for the late fall cleaning.

Them's the rules in some Alaska Game Units. This was on the south side of the Brooks.

I've used pillow cases, my wife has sewn sheets to make bags, I've bought a few varieties of commercial cotton bags and I've tried the T.A.G. and Caribou bags. When weight isn't an issue I think I prefer fairly heavy cotton canvas/fabric bags. They're relatively cheap, plenty durable/strong for moose quarters and I've bags that have been used on more than a dozen different bulls. In the last few seasons I've used more T.A.G. and Caribou bags and they work great too. The biggest advantage I've found with them is that they're lighter and more compact if you must pack them around on your back while hunting.

Nothing works in Alaska but heavy duty light canvas bags (around 36" wide and 70" long). These are used for moose quarters. The bags made of an elastic but very strong sort of cheese-cloth are good for the back straps and tenderloins since these allow for air to aerate the meat inside. But on a cool day or evening without bugs, we hang the meat in a shaded area until it develops a sheen when it dries and remove the game bags. We usually have several bags, and use the new ones when transporting the meat, and to keep flies from laying eggs on it.

A large moose hind leg often weights around 160+ pounds. Pillow cases would never work for that. Maybe to put small pieces of meat from the neck, tenderloins, and back straps.

I use pillowcases. I run a line of parachord through the "overlap" area to make a drawstring. works great. I use 6 bags total. one for each leg, one for the loins and backstrap, and one for "everything else" - neck meat, heart, etc.

I imagine that you are correct about game bags one can use for elk, since these may be a lot smaller than moose. The moose quarters are just too big to fit in pillow cases.

Do you debone the elk meat, and butcher it as soon as you get it home, or do you hang it in a dry and cool place for a couple or days before butchering it? In here most people hang the entire quarters (bone and all), and then butcher and freeze the meat. Moose back straps and tenderloins are quite large, but those I immediately cut them to steaks when I get home, and take care of the rest the same day or day after. Aging the meat makes it tender, and that's the preferred method with most people. I just don't have much free time to do that, and hang it maybe a day or two.

I just got my TAG bags. I haven't used them, but am impressed with the weight and space savings over the Allen 6020 cottons I have been using. I will know more after I put some meet in them!