Packing out meat

[BetoBow]

I am hoping to face this dilemma this year but I need to know what hunters already do. Say you harvested an elk    but you are 2-3 miles from your truck and you are doing a solo hunt. How would you pack out your meat? How do you prevent 4-legged and 2-legged critters from taking your meat since it will take a couple of trips to pack it out.

[WapitiTalk1]

To get this rolling, please provide a bit more information.  What time of year will you be hunting, and, bull or cow/calf harvest (makes a difference on how the pack out business will go)?  This should be a very good thread BetoBow; thanks for starting it up.   

[BetoBow]

Great point thank you Phantom16. I am going to be hunting early archery and stuck with spike or cow. Hope to get great ideas from seasoned hunters.

[coachcw]

any way you can cool it do it . get if off the bone if possible , a creek can be your fiend . I often carry garbage bags in may pack . you can submerge meat and keep it dry. pack out the thickest and best cuts first and get them on ice. the reality is if it's hot the chance of losing meat is good . look for alternate routes in and out of your area much easyier packing down hill than up. have a game plan and get to work quick . never let a animal sit overnight in sept to hot plus preditors. I woory little about meat getting ate but if you leave a piece of sweaty clothing or mark the area if you know what I mean it can help. just getting a animal to your truck is half the battle have your plan once you get there .

[huntingfool7]

Hunt with a pack frame on and carry game bags/sheets. 
Shoot, tag, quarter (boneless method), get the quarters out of the sun, make your first trip out count with a loaded pack.
Don't worry about 2 or 4 legged critters, it's not likely to be an issue.

[xXLojackXx]

Shoot it, recover it, tag it, skin it, gutless quarter it, debone the meat, hang in game bags in the shade near a creek (or build a log bridge over the creek and place game bagged meat on the bridge to cool down beig sure it isn't getting splashed on, load up your pack and go. By yourself, a cow or spike shouldn't take more than 3 trips.

[vandeman17]

Hunt with a pack frame on and carry game bags/sheets. 
Shoot, tag, quarter (boneless method), get the quarters out of the sun, make your first trip out count with a loaded pack.
Don't worry about 2 or 4 legged critters, it's not likely to be an issue.

 

[lamrith]

Newby here with question, maybe further discussion..  I have heard people mention garbage bags.  Could those be used to seal up and thus put meat in a creek if available for both cooling and lowering scent window for 4 leggers?

[huntingaddiction]

I like to find an area with a lot of trees near a creek or spring.  You will feel the cool temperature then hang it in a tree with rope.  It gets cooled down while you are packing it out and most critters can't get to it.

[vandeman17]

Newby here with question, maybe further discussion..  I have heard people mention garbage bags.  Could those be used to seal up and thus put meat in a creek if available for both cooling and lowering scent window for 4 leggers?

Only reason to wrap in a bag is if you are going to put it in the water otherwise the bag will not allow meat to cool and just make matters worse. Good game bags work the best for all other scenarios

[Stein]

I use these bags for creek dunking as they are foodsafe.  Trash bags have nasty, nasty stuff in them.

http://www.amazon.com/Ziploc-Double-Zipper-XX-Large-3-Count/dp/B003U6FMOK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406334938&sr=8-1&keywords=ziploc+xxl

Look up hanging bear bags, to keep critters away you want it suspended - not on the ground and not on or near a branch.  If it is extra hot or a longer pack, taking the time to bone out will help with both weight and cooling.

If you haven't done it before, I found this DVD to be a great help:

http://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Edge-QD-101-Quarter-De-bone/dp/B000VIWIOW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406335095&sr=8-1&keywords=outdoor+edge+dvd

[X-Force]

Newby here with question, maybe further discussion..  I have heard people mention garbage bags.  Could those be used to seal up and thus put meat in a creek if available for both cooling and lowering scent window for 4 leggers?

I wouldn't put anything in a garbage bag I was going to eat.

[4fletch]

2 miles should not be a problem. If you ever do use a creek place the meat in cotton game bags before you put them in plastic contractor bags. Boned out many in hot weather left meat in the shade never lost any to spoilage. When you get back to camp if you have a large cooler with dry ice that would also be nice

[RadSav]

In over 30 years of hunting I have only lost meat to yellow jackets and camp robbers.  I pay little worry to losing meat to predators.  Especially if I'm only a couple miles from the truck.  I have seen deer left over night before recovery have their a-holes and livers taken out by yotes.  But never actually witnesses a predator getting boned out meat hanging in a game bag.

When packing solo more than a mile back I prefer to leapfrog my meat out.  Seems easier on the body and that last load doesn't seem nearly as excruciating.

[kevinlisa06]

Last year we had to use the creek to cool off the meat during general rifle season. I shot my bull opening morning, nice clear warm day. Dropped the spike bout 9:30am finally back to camp bout 6:15pm after quartering and packing out meat. We hung the quarters in the tree with sheets that nite then the next morning we dropped it into the creek due to the temperature rise. The rest of the season was cool where we were out of Yakima. We went home that Friday and we spent Saturday and Sunday butchering meat.


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[coachcw]

R ember when you bone out meat make sure not to lump to much meat  together , timing knots to separate meat helps

[James E]

I like to bone my meat out. The added of weight of bone really adds up. Like everyone has mentioned, get the meat cool and fast.

[Damnimissed]

I see these pic of people with whole elk in the back of their trucks. Im like, get that damn hide off, at least! I get the hide off right away, rain or shine. I carry a pastic drop cloth for if its raining or to sort out boned out meat without getting it dirty.

[WapitiTalk1]

Yes sir, bone it out, cool it by whatever means you have available (hang in shade, lay across stacked logs in shade, suspend on logs over stream ensuring you keep it dry.... water spoils meat) and get it out.  I think I've posted this here before but below is a very good VID by Aron Snyder on how to debone using the gutless method.  Aron's on the mark with his method. 
   
http://on.aol.com/video/gutless-method-to-debone-an-elk-517380518

[lamrith]

Wow, makes it look "easy".  Thanks Phantom!

[northwesthunter84]

Also if you are not going to bone it out you can make some cuts down to the bone to release some of the heat, another thing that can happen is bone souring.  The best thing is to get it out asap, bone it out and get it cool and out of the sun.

[BetoBow]

Thank you guys for the great info I will definitely look into methods of separating the meat. Is their anyway I would be able to salvage some of the ribs and quarter bone without risking spoilage? We tend to make some good stew and not waste anything.

[4fletch]

I cut the strips of meat out between the rib bones. When I m done hardly no meat is on the bones.

[northwesthunter84]

You can still pack the bones out separately if you want to, this should not effect the meat at all.  My buddy roasts the leg bones and then cracks them for the marrow, for a stew base.

[pcal]

 I have packed meat in relay and it takes a few days to pack out a large animal like an elk.Doing it in relay to a creek in timber is the best as its cooler close to the creek and you can hoist the bags up a tree or submerge it in the creek to keep it cool. My longest pack was almost 8 miles and took almost 3 days and lost no meat.Boning and cooling it to max  and get it cool is the first priority. I pack less than 100#s  as I only weight 160#s. I can carry out more but why kill yourself? I have packed out a smallish blacktail deer from Coal Ridge between Coyote Lake and Lost Lake in the Goat Rocks and came out to Lily Lake trail head on one go.I got about 100#s of meat and the total pack weighed 133#s,not counting the rifle and the clothes I was wearing. It took 4 hours, about 5 miles and mostly downhill. I did stop a few times and rested on a stump. I love it when you arrive at the trailhead and a car load of road hunters ask you where'd you get him? I always say" I only went about 200 yds and there he was!!!!!! Goat Rocks is a huge area and game is everywhere and nowhere. I was to the east Packwood lake on a ridge and in a clearing there was a complete living room furnishings! Couch,easy chair with side tables and even lamps.I can only imagine how they got up there at 5k'. My  gut feeling was helo as it was miles from any road. It had been up there a few years by the weathering. But I digress: If you pack smaller packs and relay you can get it out without any problem.Just wear good boots and have a good pack.GL!

[pcal]

 I have packed meat in relay and it takes a few days to pack out a large animal like an elk.Doing it in relay to a creek in timber is the best as its cooler close to the creek and you can hoist the bags up a tree or submerge it in the creek to keep it cool. My longest pack was almost 8 miles and took almost 3 days and lost no meat.Boning and cooling it to max  and get it cool is the first priority. I pack less than 100#s  as I only weight 160#s. I can carry out more but why kill yourself? I have packed out a smallish blacktail deer from Coal Ridge between Coyote Lake and Lost Lake in the Goat Rocks and came out to Lily Lake trail head on one go.I got about 100#s of meat and the total pack weighed 133#s,not counting the rifle and the clothes I was wearing. It took 4 hours, about 5 miles and mostly downhill. I did stop a few times and rested on a stump. I love it when you arrive at the trailhead and a car load of road hunters ask you where'd you get him? I always say" I only went about 200 yds and there he was!!!!!! Goat Rocks is a huge area and game is everywhere and nowhere. I was to the east Packwood lake on a ridge and in a clearing there was a complete living room furnishings! Couch,easy chair with side tables and even lamps.I can only imagine how they got up there at 5k'. My  gut feeling was helo as it was miles from any road. It had been up there a few years by the weathering. But I digress: If you pack smaller packs and relay you can get it out without any problem.Just wear good boots and have a good pack.GL!

[Come Get Some]

I carry game bags in my pack. I gut , skin and bone an elk in about an hour. I usually hang the meat in a tree and leave it over night if possible to cool, depending on the temp of course. In 55 dead elk I have never lost any to predators. I know Aron Snyder very well. We shot together quite a bit. He hunts in Colorado and hunts high and is in very good shape. He does not get the option to go a short distance. The more extreme it is the more he likes it. I still gut mine and it does not take any longer for me.I have packed plenty out on my back. I use the mules when ever possible. The most important thing to remember is to get it off of the ground and off of the bone. An elk laying on the groung will bone sour on the down side very fast. Water DOES NOT SPOIL MEAT, it slows down the natural aging process by keeping the bacteria alive by not letting it dry out. It will not ruin your meat. I would never put any meat in a plastic garbage bag. The meat will not be cool for a time after boning and the plastic will keep the heat in not letting it cool properly.

[Damnimissed]

I'd love to see some of you really experienced guys work. I learn something new every time I take apart an animal.

[huntnnw]

Come down to the blues and bring your pack and Ill show you when I get a bull down

Another tip is to carry plain ole pepper.... just sprinkle it on your meat or hide anything near you and bugs will not touch it!  Ive hung elk in the shade in game bags in 80-90 deg heat and never lost meat mind you it was deboned.

[C-Money]

I put my stinky, sweaty, sweatshirt on the rib cage in hopes the 4 legged critters stay away. Shade, get the meat off the bone, pace yourself, and start packing with a pack that fits right. Making some phone calls once back in cell range is a good thing too. 

[300rum]

I bone it out and lay the meat out anywhere I can to give it a head start cooling.  Fred Meyer carries a canvas type laundry bag in their sporting goods section (I think the brand is Cooligans?) that is cheap, durable and (most importantly) light weight.  The laundry bag also comes with a draw string.  It is better then many of the game bags that you buy as they are far lighter in weight.  They are typically a one-use type bag for me but I have used them in the backcountry and they have held up very well. 

I too like the leap frog method and never worry too much about leaving meat overnight in either bear or wolf country. 

[swisski]

I was to the east Packwood lake on a ridge and in a clearing there was a complete living room furnishings! Couch,easy chair with side tables and even lamps.I can only imagine how they got up there at 5k'

I'm am simply blown away by this.... That's a fairly rugged area and back a ways from anybody being able to easily do this. You see the weirdest things out there at times I swear. Good thread anyhow.

[Mudman]

This year one of the guys didnt find his deer before dark.  Found the front half of it the next morning.  NE Wa.  Darn bears. It does happen.

[mossyhead]

I carry a newspaper delivery bag in my pack along with 1 gallon ziplocs and quarter bags. I immediately quarter and debone all meat, get it into the ziplocs and start the haul out. I put the first load into my newspaper bag and remaining ziplocs left unzipped into an elk quarter bag. This allows for quicker cooling while the first load goes out. 9 times out of ten I can make two trips and get it all. I use this same method for hauling deer as an entire mule deer quartered and all trimmings will fit in the bag. If the terrain is too steep I will bone the deer out though. I use the bag with front and rear pouches which your head slips through the middle of. When you are all done stick it in a five gallon bucket with bleach water, put a rock on it and rinse it out a day later.

[huntingfool7]

I've long wished that I had kept my old delivery bags.  Do they even make those anymore?

[longwalker]

Just buy the T.A.G.S bomb bags kit. I've put an entire boned out bull in that kit and I think it weighs 9 oz. ziplocks? I never put meat I want cooling down in a seald plastic bag

[erk444]

I've long wished that I had kept my old delivery bags.  Do they even make those anymore?

There's actually a company that makes camo ones just for packing out meat. They're called pack bags. I bought one from a guy off this site and it works pretty good.

[huntingfool7]

I've long wished that I had kept my old delivery bags.  Do they even make those anymore?

There's actually a company that makes camo ones just for packing out meat. They're called pack bags. I bought one from a guy off this site and it works pretty good.

As a young teen, I had the Times, the Tribune and the News.  They would also make great decoy bags.

[Reidus]

I've found that  skinning and quartering with the bone in and then hang the quarters using paracord. Debone the hanging quarters straight into a game bag.  Keeps your meat clean.I use pillow cases for game bags. They can hold a lot of meat.

[mossyhead]

The name of the company I bought mine from is Steel City Corp. The bags carry both front and rear and have florescent striping on both sides. They are made of a durable canvas much like wall tent material. Oh, and the ziplocs- I hunt somewhat cooler weather than some of you so I have never had a problem with meat going bad in a ziploc; in fact, the bags cool much nicer than a solid blob of meat in a game bag. Been using this for years and would put it up against any pack board. The nice thing is that you don't have to haul one around all day.

[300rum]

I used this bag just this week on an animal 7 miles in (and down hill most of the way) and am amazed on how well it always holds up.  This year I couldn't find it at Fred Meyers as they changed their sporting goods a little bit since I was in last.  I found the bag at Sportsman's though.  I don't remember how much it cost but it was cheap and after I got it home I just threw it away.

I bone it out and lay the meat out anywhere I can to give it a head start cooling.  Fred Meyer carries a canvas type laundry bag in their sporting goods section (I think the brand is Cooligans?) that is cheap, durable and (most importantly) light weight.  The laundry bag also comes with a draw string.  It is better then many of the game bags that you buy as they are far lighter in weight.  They are typically a one-use type bag for me but I have used them in the backcountry and they have held up very well. 

I too like the leap frog method and never worry too much about leaving meat overnight in either bear or wolf country.