Introduction

[JeffRaines]

My biggest advice to you is to hunt where you are capable of hunting. people can say steep and deep. But if you never killed an animal in the backcountry. Then that animal could end up going to waste cause of negligence. Not trying to start anything or calling you that. I'm just stating. Going steep and deep takes more then mind set of yeah I'm gonna walk 7 miles into a wilderness. Down and animal. Then have no way of getting it out in a timely matter. Lot of preparation goes into backcoubtry hunting. Year round gear testing, scouting, making a plan on what to do when you down an animal. Heat is biggest thing early season. Bad weather is the enemy during late season.

 I do admire you wanting and starting this thread. Good info is coming from it. Just wanted to bring things to light. That you might not have thought about. Wilderness hunts in the early season Or late season is no joke. Both have situations that could be bad. But on the other hand. The scenic views are breath taking.

This is a great point. The thought of trekking 8 miles into the wilderness and shooting an animal is a surreal thought - but whats going to come of the meat? I think even a boned out deer will be a liability to someone thats inexperienced, at least you could realistically make it out in one heavy trip although your legs are gonna be toast... now imagine having to make 2-3 more trips in or more to get the entire animal out... maybe in much cooler weather you could really take your time and it would be okay, but in warm weather its not gonna make it.

[Ragnar]

Thank you everyone for the responses! Certainly the point about being too far back in the woods is a valid one, I am thinking more in the 2-4 mile range.  I also certainly recognize that everyone "thinks" or talks about going in deep, but often people don't, or can't (no way to disprove that until I am successful, haha).  Thanks again everyone for taking the time!  I have millions of questions but will try to stagger them the best I can

[Tinmaniac]

Solo packing an Elk 2 to 4 miles in the steep and deep?Try this first.Get an 80 lb sack of concrete.Find some hilly terrain.Drop off bag of concrete.Drive 4 miles away from bag of concrete.Load all of your gear in a pack and walk back to your sack of concrete.Do 100 squats with you pack on along the way.Jog a little.When you get to the sack of concrete spend an hour lifting and rolling it around on the ground.Find a 500 lb log and see how far you can move it.Put the sack in your pack.Walk back to your truck.Do this 3 times.This will tell you how far away you want to be from your truck.

[Ragnar]

Don't really want to get into a "whose tougher online" match, just a hunter hoping to be pointed in the right direction. 

[pianoman9701]

Welcome to the forum. Hunt where the animals are, regardless of how far from the road. Sometimes having other hunters around moves animals to you. 

[h20hunter]

Don't really want to get into a "whose tougher online" match, just a hunter hoping to be pointed in the right direction.

C'mon! Why not?   

I'll tell yah....i helped a member haul out a cow. I had only one qtr and the head. Only needed to go abput a mile and a half but it was uphill and kicked my butt! Good lesson for me. Good luck out there Rag and shoot straight.

[Ragnar]

Thanks.  Aim small, miss small.

I always get a chuckle out of the warnings of how much work it is to pack out an elk, when the warning is given to someone who has tried very hard but never got one.  Its not that the warning isn't correct or anything, it just doesn't matter after a certain amount of time and effort is spent looking for these damn animals hahahaha.  It kind of seems like the warnings about how hard being a parent is, when told to someone who can't/or wants kids, the difficultly after just don't matter, somehow humans keep charging in head first.

I fully know a packout of any distance will be brutal, and will be worse than I imagine, but that doesn't mean the goal isn't worth pursuing.

Thanks everyone - this forum is awesome.

[h20hunter]

My first bear haul out. Had a 20 foot stretch,  nearly vertical that could not be avoided.. terrible......man was it fun!

[Tinmaniac]

High on the shoulder and close to the road!

[Ragnar]

 That's what I'm talking about.   Maybe even killed slightly uphill from my vehicle?

[h20hunter]

Yup, my preferred is just uphill from the road. Don't want my beer getting warm. Im kidding....ive never allowed a beer to get warm.