Backcountry Questions

[FatMallard]

More questions. The more I watch and read, the more questions I have. If you go on a backcountry multiple day hunt, and you pack in let's say 6-7 miles on the first day. Do you hike further away on the next day and then even further the next, getting further from the truck each day? Or are you making a loop? I know you are likely going to say you go where the elk and wind takes you, but I can't imagine packing out a bull 7,8, 10 miles out. I know guys do it, but I think that would push me over my limit. Next thing, and I know there are a lot of variables, but how long do you "typcially have" to get that bull on ice? Are there any tricks to help preserve the meat on the way back to the truck? Do you prearrange a freezer location if you need one? Thanks All!

 

[Hilltop]

I have never packed a bull more than 3 miles and have been hunting them for 30 years. Packing an elk 1 mile in steep country is an extreme challenge for most. If you are really in shape, you can pack them multiple miles but it can be brutal, even when you at your peak. The amount of time you have is directly influenced by the weather. In cold weather, it doesn't matter if you take a week. In warm weather, it is a race against the clock to prevent spoilage. Temperatures should be seriously considered when deciding how far back you go.

 

[JimP]

Depending on what state you are hunting in once you get in 2 miles you are coming out in another direction. Even if you are hunting in wilderness areas there are usually roads that will get you much closer without being in the wilderness.

Now, if you have never packed out a elk you should start by packing one out just a mile or so. You will quickly learn that you don't really want to venture far from a road. Now if you have horses, or friends that are going to be pack animals then by all means go as far as you think that you need to.

The furthest that I have ever had to pack a elk was 3 miles. That was just because I didn't have access to private property and didn't feel that I needed to get that access. Now after doing it I wished that I would of gone and knocked on the ranch house door and asked. That was back in my late 30's and I would never pack one that far again.

 

[Maxhunter]

Yep,I've never packed an elk farther than 3 mile myself. I've been hunting elk for over 48yrs. I hunt a lot solo. If you go to far, you'll stand a good chance of losing some meat if it's warm.

If you want to go farther line up a packer or rent stock. Like stated packing an elk is a lot of work.

A lot of elk are killed less than a mile from a road. I killed one last week and it was only 1.3 miles from the road. Another thing to consider is if your hunting grizzly country you may have issues leaving meat for a day or two.

Bottom line is know your limitations and plan accordingly.

 

[taskswap]

Chuck two cinder blocks in a backpack and go climb the stairs in your house 30 times. Take your time. That's about what it feels like for me.

Nowadays I spend as much time "researching" ways in and out of an area I plan to hunt as I do researching the areas themselves. If I find some timber pockets or clearings I want to poke around in, I also check for at least one "shallow" route out. I will absolutely hike a half mile out of my way to walk up a gentle hill vs. climbing the wall of a steep ravine with 80lbs on my back.

 

[RICMIC]

Meat management is often the overlooked part of western hunts. Everyone gets so wrapped up in the trip that they don't fully consider the consequences after a successful hunt. I have packed out a whole mule deer with my camp solo from 11K' , (at age 62) and swore I would never do it again. So, next year I went in with two partners, but they got wimpy on me and sure enough I did it again. Since then I have packed out the deer, got it cooled down in an icy stream (bring HV plastic bags), hung it overnight, then finally on ice in the cooler back at the truck. After that I go back up to pack out camp. That's a deer...for a cow elk figure 3 trips, for a bull 4 or 5 trips. If you have hunting partners then all hunting stops until the meat is dealt with. I did it again this year at 68, and it definitely doesn't get any easier. You can't really just plunk 250 # of meat on top of some ice without cooling it down some first.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

RICMIC is spot on about hunting with partners. When I was young, I could pick up a deer and pack it out easily....not anymore. If I am hunting alone, a mile is my limit to hunt away from transportation. (Generally much less, depending on the country).

When I first started hunting Wyoming in the 80's, I always hunted opening week. I didn't know any different and there seemed to be fewer hunters back then, for whatever reason. Late August/early September can be really hot. It is really important to get you meat cooled down. I gut deer & antelope immediately. Get the back to camp & skin & quarter. I have 4 150 qt ice chests that I take with 3 of them full of ice . I put the 1/4's in garbage bags and get them on ice asap. Antelope are can spoil in a heartbeat when it's 100 degrees!

Now I never hunt opening weekend. Usually toward the end of antelope so I catch opening of deer. October is usually lots cooler as everyone has said.

Elk is a different story. I never hunted elk until I was 60 and I was not going to pack one out alone for sure.

 

[taskswap]

Great point on meat management there RICMIC, especially for elk. Each of the hunters in my group brings 2 large coolers. One trick we've found is to load only ONE cooler to the brim with ice and leave the other empty. The ice lasts longer that way without melting. When we have an elk out, we let it cool as much as we can before loading it, then put down a nylon tarp or other barrier on the ice before putting the meat in. After it's been in there a few hours, we flip the meat over. That cools it fast. We've never had anything spoil.

I've never been in this situation, but if the weather is really warm and you're worried about "bone sour" it can help to debone the quarters.

 

[FatMallard]

Man, this is all good information. There is no substitute for experience, and I appreciate you all sharing yours with me. I've hunted my whole life, and I know that sometimes loss happens, but it's always a sour feeling for sure. I can't imagine killing an elk and then losing it because I wasn't prepared to deal with the meat. Thank you!

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Depending on the area you hunt, another thing to be aware of is flies, especially when its warmer or areas where there is livestock. I've had a problem a couple of times with maggots from the fly eggs. If you see flies on your meet, really look it over. In areas that have blood, inside the gut cavity and a especially on the head, look for the eggs. If I find them, I wipe the area down with vineger or salt water.

 

[JimP]

And if it isn't flies it's the meat eating wasp, yellow jackets, or whatever you want to call them.

I swear I have seen them eat 5lbs of meat off a quarter of meat

 

[25contender]

First learn to debone the carcass. You will loose a ton of bone weight for packing out.
Second get four or five of these meat bags from Kifaru they only weigh 1oz each. https://store.kifaru.net/meat-bag-p28.aspx You can pack up to 80lbs of boned meat in each one. They are great because they form a tall tube for the meat and the meat wont ball up in the bottom of your pack which makes it tough to pack out. Citric acid is your friend for bugs and bacteria in the Backcountry. Check out this thread. https://forum.eastmans.com/threads/citric-acid.20794/#post-275419 . Let your deboned meat cool before you put it in a meat bag if not it will stay warm in the middle and that can cause meat rot.. I actually let mine cool for a few hours at the kill sight after spraying with citric acid. Then put it in the meat bags above then in a HD plastic bag in my pack. The HD plastic bag will keep your pack clean and when you get to camp you can zip tie the top and put it in the creek. You will only be able to carry one of these meat bags at a time. A cow will take two bags maybe three meat bags, a bull will take four maybe five meat bags. If possible try to find a place to camp near a Highcountry creek. These creeks are cold enough to put the meat in over night.
We do as mentioned above and bring two xtra large coolers we pack one full with block Ice and cloths and camping gear in the other. When we shoot one we put the gear in plastic bags then split up the ice into the two coolers and split the meat up into the two coolers. We leave the meat in the meat and plastic bags so they dont get in the melted water. We have never lost any meat.

 

[FatMallard]

^^^^Awesome post 25C! Thanks for sharing! I've often wondered about the citric acid impacting the flavor of the meat. Thanks for sharing that additional thread.

 

[tim]

I have only used the citric acid on a moose. it did not affect the taste of the meat.

 

[25contender]

^^^^Awesome post 25C! Thanks for sharing! I've often wondered about the citric acid impacting the flavor of the meat. Thanks for sharing that additional thread.

You don't need much it goes a long long way. You only have to mist the the meat. Used in the food industry all the time.

 

[RICMIC]

25 contender covered it quite well, and this is pretty much the same process that I use. I always have the citrus spray in my pack, but do not add water to the powder in the spray bottle until needed so that it stays fresh, and doesn't risk freezing. The creek next to our last camp was 34 degrees, but I don't leave the meat there overnight due to bears. I have always deboned the meat before packing.
The exception for all this was when I was on guided hunts. Horses and strong young guides change the whole equation.