Asking about the best way to set up my truck with a in/out steel drum holding 3/4” non-stretch rope for ripping elk out.

Curious on drum size to rope amount. I would want a minimum 3k feet...More? Drum would ride in the 6’-5” bed of a Tundra.

Brackets would need to be fabricated probably. I would want to be able to remove drum and hardware at the end of the season.

Ideas on best way to set a stop or brake on the drum wheel for pulling. Then winding up slack line, crank handle I imagine.

Off season project..,. 😎

Northern Tool has a capstan winch" Marine Tugger" about $700. 1500 lb pull rating , 12 volt. if you know how to coil rope this could do the job. Used a capstan winch to move scenery in the theater for years.

Thanks...I run a Capstan right now...It works good, but it’s a slow way to move an elk. Looking to upgrade to a bed reel set up. 😎

Also have seen some pig hunters that built drum winches that used 2500 lb Polyester Pull Tape which can be bought spooled up in 10,000 ft wooden reels. Easier to handle than that much rope.

Let me start with this...I am NOT judging your approach. As long as it's legal, have at it brother.

I have to ask though...have you had much success road-hunting in the past? I'm sincerely asking because in Idaho at least, I can only remember maybe a single elk in the last 25 years I've taken that I could even get a full-size vehicle remotely close to it.

I'd LOVE to be able to winch an elk out of course, but the only place I seem to be able to find elk are in remote locations that require a great degree of suffering and sweat to remove.

Private land maybe? I'm slumming it on NF lands myself, so that could certainly explain it.


I'm mostly just genuinely curious as to whether or not you've been able to have some success with this approach in the past, as I'm getting well on the North side of 40 and my days of doing it my way are certainly numbered.

Dave

3000 feet isn’t really that close to the road. Mule tape and 4 wheelers in tandem pulled a couple out from over half a mile. If you haven’t seen this stuff, you would be impressed...

That’s pretty funny....You haven’t read much or seen what and how I hunt. I know you’re question is legit... It just made me laugh....Stringing a 1/2 mile or more of rope into some of the steepest, thickest schit you’ll ever hate yourself for killing an elk in, is a far cry from road hunting...😎

Get yourself a Chevy Avalanche and ass-shoot a bear, for starters.

We don't hunt off of fourwheelers but use ours to retrieve deer and elk. Sometimes 20 ft tow straps and two fourwheelers are the trick in steep or slick terrain. I keep 2 - 20 ft straps on my fourwheeler all the time. We also have a 4 ft wide piece of old conveyor belt with fittings for a drag setup that works well for long pulls. I've used that drag sled to move a bull over 2 miles with a fourwheeler. The capstan idea sounds good for some situations, too. Happy Trails

Just this past elk season, we saw a system that some folks were using. They used the polyester “pull tape” on a plastic water hose reel. It could easily be moved ( not bolted to vehicle) to various trucks or 4-wheelers. The reel merely held the tape. He would spool-off down to the elk, tie-off to the 4-wheeler hitch, and pull. If he ran out of driving room, he would back up to his original start point, while winding-up the tape that he had slack. He would repeat the process, until the elk was retrieved. If, a direction change was neede to make the pull, he would run the tape thru a “snatch-block” to facilitate the change of direction. He had recovered several elk for his group, as well as helped other hunters retrieve!

We will have this system next year! memtb

Why not just cut the darn thing up and leave all the junk in the woods? I never have, nor would I, take a whole elk home. It is a lot easier to load quarters, or boned-out meat, than the complete carcass.

As I read it, he was looking for retrieval strap, not knives for cutting it up.

We pulled this bull out in one piece using Mule Tape and 4 wheelers by staying on the road and pulling the tape around the hitch of the other 4 wheeler. A 1000 yards is over half a mile...

So I am flying a trip with a copilot who lives in a western state. He says " You are a mechanical engineer aren't you?" I say yes what do you need? He goes on to tell me about elk hunting at the bottom of a steep canyon. They use a winch to pull out the carcass to avoid horses but it does not hold enough cable. I design a cable and winch system Hercules enough to pull an aircraft carrier into it's berth from mid Atlantic Ocean. Out of appreciation he invites me hunting. First retrieve is far enough back that we communicate to the winch operator by means other than yelling or hand signals. Initial pull is going so well we leave the carcass to scurry up the slope to get a cold one waiting at the top. About halfway up we hear this commotion behind us that includes snapping lodge pole pines. Just as we turn around this elk carcass goes flying by us at a very high rate of speed. We get it all sorted out at the top. His Dad is dismayed by the elk hamburger that has not seen a grinder yet. I console him by saying I guess that is why they put arresting gear engines on the carrier. I also tell him look at the bright side - no grinder to clean. The rest of my career when I ran into him on the line we would just burst into laughter. Be sure and account for stretch in your system.

Very helpful, I just ordered mine.

Thanks for posting!

David

Taking out an elk, even in “small” pieces, can be a challenge up a steep grade, with a foot of snow on the ground. If there’s a two-track road available......I consider it “gift from God”! memtb

1500lb mule tape doesn't work on huge moose. I learned that the hard way. We had to double it up. It still broke twice. Then the 2500lb towing strap we were using broke. It was a big moose.

Do you take them to a processor whole?

Fred’s high lead elk retrieval!! Haha

There were no engineers involved in ^^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^.

Mark unless folks know the lay of the ground on the coast and the logging rd systems they won’t understand

It’s elk hunting the locations from the first season on AxMen.

Ass shoot’n....I’ll leave that to newbies and a dipschit known as SFMan 😎

I have done it all...I’ve carried quarters, meat bags, and hide. I’ve boned out 100% in the field leaving the stripped cage and guts behind. And I’ve winched out whole elk. It’s a lot easier to take out whole, especially when you have more than one animal down in the same area.

Road hunting at it’s best....This one came up and out with a Capstan Winch. Another bull was laying 60 yards away from this one. 😎

Chris, What’s a processor? memtb

If I can get them home like this without the guts of course. It’s a lot better for me and my pards backs. 😎

I and my wife have backpacked 3 moose and numerous elk, in various stages of dismemberment......give me a vehicle/road or 2-track/and strap anyday....especially if there is snow on the ground! memtb

I have batted about 500 with elk hauled out on my back versus loadable whole. I would like a capstan that would mount in my gooseneck hole or maybe a roller on the headache rack.
I pulled an elk out of the breaks in parts that required 500ft rope to get down to. Pulled a deer out with the rope and truck, in a similar spot. Most times we can anchor one end and pull the truck forward pulling the elk up and in.

Always open to new better options. Elk I shot last month was reachable to load whole, but landowner had preference to gutless method so took out in parts loading her on tailgate 1/2 dozen steps from carcass.

Muletape and capstan would be worth packing.

I was hoping I wasn't too late.

Oh well,
that was too easy!

Crab line

Hey there’s some real cool guys here that haven’t got a elk out whole, or a Montana Muley out whole!!! Hint

Haha

2400 ft on this one and a Partner with the same and another with 1200.
Made dead elk walk over a mile in the nastiest shît a guy can crawl through. Mule tape sucks azz. 9/16 crab line will last for years my spool has pulled out over a hundred deer and elk.

Rope works in pretty ruff country






https://www.englundmarine.com/pages/home-page.html
I buy blocks and rope from this store.
They have fair prices and are very good people.

Yep...Road hunting Mofo’s right there. LMAO! Thanks Fred for posting a pic of a “reel in a truck bed”. We’ll talk about getting me set up with similar unit. 😎

👍 ya we can get something together I would go Aluminum For the spool and build it tall enough for storage tray underneath for rigging and such.

Copy...😎

Jesus H you guys are an industrious bunch.

There simply aren’t any roads where I’m at to get a vehicle hooked up to.....but I do use a dirt bike in a few areas I hunt that have single-track, motorized trail access. Generally avoid ATV routes due to the immense traffic they generally have, but the single-track stuff I occasionally hunt weeds out all but the very best bike riders.

Maybe I can figure out a way to anchor something to the old DRZ....

Dave

That 4th pic would describe our country fairly well..... there's no way to get into shape for that [bleep] other than workin the riggin or cuttin.... even greenhorn would quarter one out... haha

Dave it's totally different hunting/country for sure. Our ground is a Hodge podge of shiit, cut up by roads, because there's a lot of timber harvested here

I need a drink your pictures gave me flashbacks to hunting in the trask unit for elk in November back 96... I have buds who grew up in that country and they all ran winches with plenty of cable to yard them up out them hell holes

In the olden days when I was younger, chain saw winches were fairly common here in north Idaho. Skidded out several back in the 70's. Don't hear about them much anymore. They worked good, when they worked. Not so good when you were a mile or so from the truck and the saw wouldn't start.

Do the head/legs get caught up in brush as you're winching it out or is the winch and rope strong enough to power through everything? Does someone have to walk with it the whole way to shift it out of the way of logs, stumps or whatever else?

I can see this saving a guy's back, but it almost seems like more work getting the rope strung out and constantly shifting the elk around when winching than it would be to just quarter it up.

Forgive my ignorance, but what are you using to pull the rope back once you get it to the animal?

Boat cleat in the trucks receiver couple half hitches on it pull as far as the road allows then back up and role the loose rope back on the spool and tie to the cleat again and go. On the elk end we have an eye in the line I cut a hole between the rear leg bone and large tendon then I shove the eye through the hole in both legs once the eye is through take the line push it through the eye on the bone side of the leg then loop the rope up over the feet and pull it tight. Then half hitch from the hole you pushed The eye into to the hooves.
Do not pull from the head. It pulls the vertebrates apart and let’s the spinal fluid leak into the meat and will cause bone sour even in a cooler.
We always pull from the rear feet.

Tman if you like the horns cut off the head and carry it out the rest is fine and very seldom does the animal hang up but if the do I carry a strap and block and Pull them around said fûckhole. We use two way radios to communicate and the guy in the hole tries to keep eyes on the show looking for snags/hangups. But they are not terrible to deal with at all usually it’s just feet going under a large root or something to stout for the role to upheave.

Dave,
I was assuming there would be a lot of guys running a drum reel with rope or cable to make long pulls on large animals out of steep, ugly country. Apparently it’s more of a NW thing, maybe due to our logging history...

As for running a Capstan Winch. Personally, I think it’s the next best thing to a truck mounted reel. It may or may not help your hunt- only you’ll know if there is a situation that winching would be better than packing. Here’s the link to the outfit I used to purchase my Capstan. If you wait, just before hunting season they usually run a “Hunting Special” where you get the Honda winch and 800’ft of low stretch nylon rope with shipping for $1000. 😎

https://www.loggingsupply.com/products/simpson-capstan-winch-with-engine

I've only shot 1 elk in my life that could be loaded whole, and that was after a long slide down a steep hill in the snow and a 1/4 mile drive through sagebrush with the pickup while dodging rocks.

Gotcha.

Thanks!

You guys are killing me with this winch [bleep]. Anyone have three miles of rope?

Isn’t that the truth...

Objection, non sequitur. There are many different types of elk hunting, self righteous indignation provides little to the original question.

K, it’s all good...We all have boards in our trucks that we strap our main packs to when hiking miles into areas where deploying ropes off reels or winches can’t be run...Brad, wyo; you both know better then your comments portray... Akin, to me saying Brad, your 308 Win is a weak chambering that should be left at home...Pretty fugg’n stupid comment. You get the point. 😎

Oh take a deep breath... all in good fun.

I’m breathing just fine...Like I would be packing out an 80lb hind quarter. Slow and steady 😎
I forgot the Grin 😁

We have 1 1/2 and can get another mile maybe two with a phone call.

When brad is in your corner [bleep] in said corner and run.

Brads lips quiver when he sees such disregard for etiquette “both sets!!”

Captain elk killer boys.

Bro, hate to break the news, but that’s a Llama in a hat...🤣😎

With 1 exception, my last 4 or 5 elk have come out by llamaback.

You need about 40k feet.

That’s a New Year’s Day Llama. 😂 lmfao.

To be clear, this guy (me) would have happily used a winch if I could have gotten one to the rather unpleasant drainage this bull came out of on the Selway…




This is my boy doing the same a month later. He would have sold off his little sister to a shoe-factory in Indonesia for a winch I assure you...





We aren't doing it this way because of some "moral" issue. I'll take a dead elk any way I can get one. I'm just not a good enough hunter to get one in a more friendly arena so they come out in pieces, and usually several miles from where we started our day afoot.

Of course the payoff doesn't suck and the pain has a way of fading when things work out....

Dave, our road systems are a lot closer together than that selway country. Grin

Amen brother. Any way I can get them home is cool with me. Helo support wouldn’t stink at all!

Good stuff right there!...Yep, rope, reels and winches are just another part of our gear. Nothing more to it. Your boy get’s his “elk on” for sure. Nice bull!
You do look all kinds of pissed in your selfie. Wonder why? Maybe cuz packing, though a huge part of hunting, can have major suckage 😄😎

You’re assessment is spot-on across the board.

You aren't always wrong.

Mule Tape pulls are handy at that in between zone of packing quarters and killed it on the 2 track.





Cross river recovery.

A few years ago, 3 hunters in the WA Cascades went down in some hell hole and shot a huge bull. While dressing it out, 1 of the hunters died from a heart attack. It took a rescue team 3 days to pack his body out of there. Can you imagine what it would take to pack out a 1000lb bull? (granted, they probably didn't bone out the hunter).

In all fairness, that's a lot different walking country compared to the PNW clearcuts. They are straight up miserable.

The Selway is every bit as steep (and in many places, as thick) as anyplace I have been in the PNW, including the Olympic Peninsula and the Oregon Cascades.

That wilderness area is no joke.

Techniques for getting elk out vary a lot regionally...nothing wrong with any way as long as it is legal, but I almost think I would rather pack quarters than drag a mile of rope through brush. That sounds like a nightmare to me, but I do like the idea of getting elk out whole and not having so much red crust to deal with.

Different strokes and all.

I've never been anywhere as miserable as a coastal oregon, Washington, or pow clear cut, nowhere. ...... That's why I gotta laugh when (blacktail) hunters from Jackson \joshophine county Oregon, klickitat county Washington or anywhere in California say they're hunting blacktails..... All due respect Ted I've hunted the selway and lochsa....

Fact....

Self righteous? I was asking a serious question. Anyone have three miles of rope? How about seven?

Fred.... learn me on this killing elk by the road. I'm getting real tired of cutting the turds up and packing them out on my back.

It's all good dude. I have hunted both the Cascades and the Selway/Lochsa myself. I think they're on par with each other. Both were tougher or equal to hunt (terrain wise) than most all places I have hunted in Alaska.

Never hunted Cali blacktails but the country I have seen them in is pretty mild compared to their habitat further north...

Selway is a stupid Steep sumbitch for sure, just not the devils club, maple, tag worst of briars like we have.. Wish there were some in the selway like the 80's and early 90's....

Like has been stated earlier the road system in the coast of wa and or adds much more accessible, Than some of the areas east. That said I kill when and where the opportunity occurs. Pack fram never sits in the rafters. 😉

You guys have devilsclubs In Idaho?

yall fellers are a hole bunch tuffer than this flat lander my hat is off to you

Devil's club is appropriately named, for sure. It adds another level of miserableness, and I sure am glad it doesn't grow far from the coast. In that sense, I'll agree the Selway doesn't compare.

I grew up hunting the Selway, riding in from the Montana side into Idaho. I've seen mules loose their footing, fall off the trail and start tumbling, never to be seen again. Steep defines many of the drainages and once you're off the trail, it's sometimes not safe even on foot. How critters live on those slopes is beyond me.

That's the attitude I like to hear!


No to the Devil's club in Idaho...at least I have never seen it. Lots of spiny rose bushes and the like, but nothing like Devil's club.

That's a fact buddy!!! I wouldn't be surprised if the state record whitetail comes from up selway falls country....

First year I hunted over there 20 some years ago we stopped by a taxidermist place in kamiah. He lost his packstring up there and was in pretty much a full body cast... Can lucky it didn't kill him.

The last time I brought horses into the area I hunted in the Selway this fall, the trip ended with me putting a bullet in my dad’s horse from a broken leg and punctured guts. Broke my heart honestly, and I turned around and came out without hunting a single day.

The only good to come of that trip was that my buddy stayed up there and killed a whopper of a bear off of the carcass.

Haven’t hunted off horses since...which is a shame considering how much of the work load they once shouldered for me.

Dave

Doesn't suprise me, unfortunately.
Truth be told, Selway Falls is pretty mild compared to ridges and canyons further upstream, as well as in the Lochsa drainage.

Dave, I have been there...done that. Sucks ass but it is what it is. The [bleep] of Goat Heaven Peaks and Pack Box Pass both have caused me to put down an animal.

For sure, that's the farthest I saw a fair number of whitetail personally. You must came across the Darby rd from Montana?

Yes sir, I've driven that road many times...over Nez Perce Pass and on to Elk City or to Paradise Guard Station.

More than that though I have ridden horses over most of the passes that cross from Montana into Idaho in the Selway Wilderness and into most lakes back in there...all the way to the Selway River. Moose Creek, White Cap Creek, Heavenly Twins, you name it.

My old stomping grounds...we're getting a bit off topic though...

No, were not.... Grin

God's country for sure...

Why winch out when you can call a Medevac? After all, the Elk is seriously injured.

Just having a little fun with you guys. I like eating elk on a daily basis and the only way I've figured out how to do that is to shoot them where they stand. For me, that's usually miles from a road. Didn't intend to twist any thongs.

All good wyo. Thread got twisted Fire style earlier than your post. A few like to put on their inner Superman outfit and try to fly. I’m guilty of it too...😎

My Superman thong got all kinds of twisted.... gonna need a spoil of cable, a winch, and a .33 cal Uber Mag to dislodge it....

Doesn't matter...post more pictures and all is forgiven.


I have not even seen hills like that in my nightmares.

My retinas hurt at this image...

Doggy, Fred and I finally finished reading the 1Fish-2 Fish-Red Fish-Blue Fish book you recommended. I helped Freddy with the big words “Fa-fa-fa-fist, he kept saying but he got fish out eventually...Fred helped me with all the math in the book...We’re both still a little confused on the colors of fish. Thanks, FredIII and Beav 😎

Do elk carry insurance? A friend of mine did a helicopter trip like that and the bill was 40 grand. His insurance covered all but $250.

That's awesome!

Did only one wheeler move?

Yes, you drive the one 4 wheeler down the road, pulling the elk up the hill at a 90 degree angle around the ball on the rear of the stationary 4 wheeler...

At least 3 ATVs, at least 4 guys, 1000 ft of line available, dually game cart.
That is the flattest elk terrain I have ever seen. Ranch?

I would characterize that accomplishment as falling somewhere short of awesome.

What you don’t see is only eclipsed by what you don’t know. Your reading skills are lacking as well, it was 1000 yards not feet and in the Gravelly Mountains of Southwest Montana, miles and miles from any ranch. The Bull was bigger than most of the culls you are used to in Colorado and the guy that shot it would probably leave your sorry ass in the dust without a 4 wheeler. Spend more time criticizing your own accomplishments, don’t waste your time second guessing someone else’s success...

You live in Colorado let’s see the picture of the elk you kill! let’s hear how you addressed the removal. Please, share if only so we can be entertained.

OK, yards ... so having a machine drag it further is a greater accomplishment?
Anyone can see for themselves how flat it is from your own photo. Call it mountains if you like but you can't hide it.
Leaving an old man like myself in the dust is no accomplishment, but he would first have to make it to timberline (without the ATV).

What satisfaction do you get to criticize what someone else does. The purpose of the thread was to display techniques of winching out an elk. You have to satisfy your need to find fault with our method for no apparent reason. Just why do you need to do that?

You seem to think I can't.
Are you sure you want to double down on that?

Simply ask. If you have a bug in your azz it’s your azz.

Let’s see them bulls. This is about killing elk and getting steak to the plate.
Hit the androgell and post some pics.

So you change your tune ... A LOT.
What happened to all of your insults of my reading skills, my physical ability, Colorado bulls, and so on?

Read again or perhaps get someone to read it to you.
I offered absolutely no opinion of any technique.
In fact, my comment was not even a response to anything you posted. My point is that removing a bull with an enormous support system of people, machines, and on flat terrain is not exactly 'awesome'.

This is an ATV haul.




If the fella doing this carry slips he goes to the bottom.

I don’t need to qualify anything for someone like you. Could you tell us all one more time, what is the title of this thread?

this works if the snow is hard.




via sled




2018

I already told you. Get someone to read it to you.

You do the shooting or just the mule? 😎

What pack frame are you running in those big Colorado bull adventures? Are the packs short to the horses or long packs out? Also we’re all those going to the taxidermy shop? The hide looks heavy! 😉 keep the pics coming.

I wish it was a frame pack. Frameless Lowe.
Couple are shoulder mounts and a couple Euro.
Hide and bone are way heavy, but better not to remove meat from the bone too soon, and sometimes time matters more than weight.
I would absolutely like your setup if extracting from above. Very few of ours are killed below a road.

I would love me some flat, but I haven’t seen any yet. A bud’s rifle is flat shooting though. 😉😎

Without a doubt, you are the most ignorant dumba$$ to ever turn on a computer....come kill that bull on the coast and see how well your rigging works. Thanks for the laugh!!!!!

You really got me there, but at least I can turn on the computer...

couple more, but I am running low on good haul out pics.

dog assist with the loins


easy


difficult


difficult

sharing a cold truck bed with elk above treeline


doesn't look that steep but was stopped by a tree and the hind quarter is tethered


pack animal


easy


not elk but a long way up a mountain

Who cares about all the packing out pictures.

What is the wheel gun?

Nothing very cool sorry to say.
Shot the bull late and got it field dressed in the dark but there were no trees tall enough so the quarters hung about a foot off the ground.
I knew there were bears about.
Next morning a bear had claimed the bull and covered the gut pile with leaves. My blue heelers were going crazy and they made it clear to us that the bear was only about 75 yards off in another stand of timber.
I was young and poor and an S&W .22 was all I had at the time. I'd have brought my rifle if I had known it was going to get as sporting as that.

Shrapnel “wins”. Nobody can hold a candle to him bragging about being able to unwrap a piece of bubblegum.

Bum deal on the lost meat. The wheel gun in the worn leather adds a lot to the picture. Good thing the bear didn't come greet you.

Hard choice...which has more ft/lbs energy, the 40g lead bullet or just throwing the whole gun at him. Your hands would not have been rock steady, and getting 40g of lead through the eye socket on a charging bear would not be fun. LOL

"Self righteous" is defined as having or characterized by a certainty, especially an unfounded one, that one is totally correct or morally superior.
Great pictures of packing elk out on ones back. Contributes absolutely nothing to the posters original question but does self aggrandize and proclaims moral superiority of a groups retrieval style.
Great, you can carry an elk out on your back, congrats. I have done it.
Sometimes I prefer to take out whole if possible to let hang and tenderize the meat.
At times a winch setup would be helpful.

Ooohhhh. A double dog dare. LMAO!

I went straight triple dog no tap backs beotch. LOL.

Two weeks at 33*.


Yummmie. It’s awful having a walk-in.

Dang! That does look horrible!

Looks like you have a black lab hanging there in the back.

Yeah, you're right, now phouc off, you piece of $hit !

Some folks get more mileage out of being critical of everything that does not fit their model or opinion, unfortunately. I think some of the manly man tough guys must not have done schitt in their youth or they wouldn't have the knees, backs, and hips to haul big loads of elk today..... just my observation. I don't hunt the tough places like some of the photos show anymore. Too hard on this old man's bones. Bust your azz anyway you want to. Nobody thinks the more of you anyway! Happy Trails

You guys who get elk out whole pi$$ me off, but it’s all envy on my part. I’ve killed double digits but not a one of them came out ‘cept on my back.






One of these days I’ll hang one whole...





P

Hey this is the interweb age, everyone is hardcore, hardcharging sumbitches!!! Just peak around, Instagram, forums etc. Everyone is elite!! Fuuck I even got shiit from a member here for loading up a 185'' mulie whole in my truck!!! hahaha

Work smarter, not harder, hunt smarter not harder. #sickforit

Talk about a clean piece of meat hangin!!! Pretty handy

Wennaha ?

Could not reach the herd with a rope so we shot a dink easily packed. 👊🏻

Diamond Peak Wilderness, south of Odell Lake. Two bulls down opening day, Saturday . We got the last quarter out Monday at last light.

Shanks’ mare the whole way. I need ibuprofen just thinking about it.




P

Look at how steep this country was.





Year before last. I still can’t walk right.






P

What unit pharm?

Two different ways with the tractor as the preferred...

Northside

Tractor Envy 😎

Then it looks great in the back of the pickup...

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. 😎

Those elk are tough to kill, even tougher to get out!!!!

Toss a number behind that statement big mouth. I only seen one elk that one time. LOL. If only for fun I have gutted two this year.
If you can quarter faster than I can pull one out with my rope and truck you are the man. But the fact is you are full of shît.

PS: I can cape quarter and load in less than 1 1/2 hours if the elk is in a spot that ain’t vertical.

Don’t believe me ask around. Some have seen it with their own eyes.

Why are elk a rock measurement? They're a herd animal, huge sized, leave a dumb amount of sign,come to a call like a turkey, feed like a Angus, stupid easy to spot, but yet folks act like they're ghosts...... People are funny

The guy taking the video Took 10 minutes to pull the line down and you can see how fast it comes out.

Lol.. I’ve said the same a few times, guys make them out to be some mythical creature. Not a big deal to fill a tag if you’re not picky...big bulls, well those [bleep] are a different story.

Standard Disclaimer applies, not jabbing at traveling hunters that don’t live around them year round.

JM, Not sure...Dudes like to get horned up about elk. We scout em. We hunt em. We shoot em and we haul em out the best most economical way possible based on the terrain we are faced with...And we can shoot em accurately over 500 yards consistently. Uh-oh, some of us have been shooting for a loooong time past 400 yards 😎

Word....🤣😎

Beav and Fred know how to cut’em up and haul’em out in meat bags too.

This one had running water.

Fred flattering me by loading 130+lbs. on my frame.

Another spot, but 1/2 way to the bottom. The golf shoes came highly recommended by Ted!

Kingston when did you go to Colorado? Grin

[quote=kingston]Fred flattering me by loading 130+lbs. on my frame.

You had it in ya just didn’t believe in yourself. LOL.

The top of another little hill in NW Costal Oregon.

This one was marked with a blue square.

Those aren’t saplings.

Gonna be a bumper winter wheat crop this year.

I don’t ever remember having used fûck that many different ways in a single sustained utterance. It’s like I thought I had energy to waste.

😂 it what I do for fun. What’s that say about a guy.

Way up at the tippy top.

They missed one...

And then up, up, up you went loaded heavy and smiling at the top. Dang nice bull you killed. It’s was a good day! 😎

Okay, I’ll go easy on you if your critter pics are light...Post a picture of your backyard. 😎

Yearning for wildflower filled meadows.

Why y’all hunting stump farms? LOL!

This was part of it.

If the map's not the territory...

Question...do any of you fellows have any knees left?

You'd winch an elk up through that?

Yes about five to ten times a year. Tis why I keep saying mule tape is a joke. The 9/16 crab line is best for user friendly removals. the 3/8 aircraft cable is even better for pulling you just need a one ton truck to haul it and a hoist or forklift to load it before season. The rope is much more user friendly.

I just read this again and can’t stop smiling. The comic relief is priceless. Two out of two butchers (Literal meat cutting union butchers) vote rope is fastest. 👨‍✈️

Casey ? One or both of your ears pierced. Lmfao. And thanks for the photo to prove your bad azzness 🤜🏻

Somehow I am not suprised Alpinecrick posted what he did, with the message he did. It seems to be a habit with him.

I will disagree with others concerning how hard elk are though. I think they're the toughest commonly hunted critter out there to find and I am not just referring to mature bulls. It is just something about the way I hunt or look at habitat I guess. I put way more effort into finding ANY legal bull than I do mature mule deer bucks. Just my hunting style I guess.

Big brother is watching us. LOL.



Fûckn back up cameras. LOL.

you need to get your winch truck a bumper dumper......

It was forgotten while packing.

Haha Jesus Christ fredrica!!!!!

I wore one completely out and have had surgery on the other. These days winches and close to the road are how I like to get elk...

Holy Mother of Sweet Baby Jesus! Please blind me. 🕶😎

Holy mother of all hairy knees.

You’re way ahead of me, not quite double.

That’s a lot of meat.






P

If ever there was a portrait of truly shameless charm... LOL

TI, that’s some good stuff right there and the other pics of dead critters as well. I like the different rifles, too. You’re not sleeping with just one rifle. You fitting the rig to the type of hunt? 😎

I’ve enjoyed a healthy elk hunting career. It didn’t hurt growing up in a part of our state where elk have typically been decent in numbers. Hard to hunt, but pretty consistent success for me, my family, hunting pards and those I’ve played guide for. Blacktail Deer, now that’s another story with a lot less successful endings. 😎

That’s a very nice bull! And a happy dude for getting it...And the happiest hunter alive at that moment for being out of the hole with it. 😎

How in the hell did the line get strung that far up in the tree in that video?

Sometimes. My Wyoming hunts usually involve longer shots, so I take a rifle more tailored for them.

When in bear country, or when I don't know what to expect I take a more mainstream, albeit bigger caliber rifle.

Guy that pulled the rope down didn’t walk a straight line. So we tied it to a stump on the other hillside hooked it to the truck and cleared it up when it came up it hooked on that trees limb. We figured the weight of the elk would brake it off but apparently it was it to be.

The winch on the 4 wheeler can lift the elk into the tree so you can then drive under it and lower it down onto the 4 wheeler. You always send the youngest guy into the tree. Then you drag the other elk...

I knew one old fellow who told me they used to drag elk with a capstan winch run from a chainsaw head. They would pack it in and tie it to trees, making pulls of a couple hundred feet at a time. The way I hunt it is too damn far to hike out to the truck for a chainsaw rig to bother with. Our elk come out on our backs. We hunt uphill. I don't disparage anyone for their easy elk.

He hunted the Gravelly Range. Anyone who thinks it is flat just hasn't been there. They are flat on top but have some of the nasties ravines--true frying pan country. Can be easy, can be absurd.

Fred and Jud,

Willipa hills to Pe Ell, I've spent days packing out bulls. Sling shot to the top the only way to go. Near killed two young-ins with flying elk! Stuck in brush so thick i couldn't touch the ground hangin there arms and face bleeding thinking WTF im gonna die! lol On top of all that throw in days with 3-7 inches of rain! hahaha. The MC corridor a whole nother gig. Two years ago Sept 15th opener woke up in the tent sidewalls touching me 18 inches of fresh snow to start the season!

I'll bet I've killed a smaller 4x4 bull than either of ya!

Is that blue line a target so you can drop it right in the middle and not run over the turd and get it all over your tires? Damn, some guys think of everything.....

Get the boy a NF for his rig dad...😁😎

It’s a Toyota.

You’ve heard about the Japanese toilets...

He’s pissed because his is only a shv f1. But it is his wish I had a NF when I was five. G

Prove it. Pics or it never happened.

Ha!

Beaver,

One of the coolest setups I've seen was posted on iFish a few years back. Dude took an old Honda ATC, 110cc if IIRC, and made a winch out of it with a big spool of wire rope. Essentially infinite duty cycle.

If I can find the details, I'll send them.

Jason

I heard fred made the japanese re-design their toilets.

Fred is fickle...He wants a bidet 💦 😎

Any luck? I’ve searched high and low and haven’t found them.

Neighbor is from Oregon. He kept a spare rim with no tire and a hole cut in it he could put a line through and tie a bolt or something on to keep it from pulling out. Then he’d jack up the rear of his 1975 Scout and bolt that puppy on and have a gas powered winch. I never saw it work in person but he had an old VHS home video that made it look pretty skookum.

We usually measure the distance to the road in miles from our elk kills but I got lucky this year. Walked 12 miles hunting from daylight to nearly dark and I get 200yds from my wheeler and a bull runs across the trail in front of me. I rolled him up as he ran through an opening in the oakbrush and he fell about 250 yards from the trail. Of course since CO changed the rules a few years ago I still had to quarter him and pack it all to the wheeler but it was flat and easy going.

Yes, I’ve owned this Capstan Winch for a few seasons..Works fine. Easy to pack down a mountain, but it’s a slow pull. 😎





Here are the two main ways of pulling out an animal...Attach the securing cable for the Winch around a tree or stump, then maintaining a slight and consistent pulling with your hand on the free rope that is wrapped 3 times around the drum, this is necessary to make the line attached to the animal pull towards you. As the animal moves up towards you, you have a pile of retrieved rope laying at your feet that has unwrapped off the drum. This way is best performed with 2 people. One to run the winch, the other to tie off the rope on the animal, clear a path and remove snags that will halt the pull.

The other way is tie off your rope around a tree, stump, ATV, trailer hitch or whatever is heavy and unmoving...Then you can take the winch and rope line down to the animal. Cut slits in the rear legs to run the securing cable through the openings and bolt the cable to the winch...Now you are working the winch at the same time as the animal is coming up with you.

This last way is the only way I’ve been able to retrieve deer and elk solo and whole. I can see my winch path, remove obstacles before me and run the winch by pulling the rope through the winch drum...Yes, I have winched out several elk and deer with the Capstan alone.

Youtube “Capstan winch hunting” and you’ll see how powerful these Honda motors are. Happy hunting! 😎

No, the 110cc ATC winch is a beast that takes up a few feet in the bed of truck. Huge compared to a Simpson winch. I've used those little capstans before.

Sounds like a wheel winch. People have made them at home. Bushwinch sells one commercially.


Bushwinch link

Sorry man, I checked iFish but the search function only seems to go back a few years. I might have a pic or email stashed someplace but haven't found it.

The beauty of that 110cc engine/tranny was the high and low range, all ready to go. I don't recall what was done for final gear reduction with the big heavy spool of wire rope though.

Gotcha...I think you’re speaking my language. 😎

That's not what I meant. I think the Japanese toilet designers said the Japanese equivalent of "Holy **** we're gonna need a bigger hole."