Hey you dirt bag, that's "MY" elk!

[WapitiTalk1]

Has anybody had a bear (or even another predator) lay claim to their elk kill before you had completely packed all the meat back to camp? Were you able to get the slime bag off your kill, or, did you have to just call it a day and sacrifice the rest of the meat to the predator?

[KFhunter]

Better to suspend the meat in bags well away from the gut pile or carcass if gutless method.  I carry bags and rope for that.

had a black bear claim my deer once, but by the time I got to it most of the deer was gone, thought it would be safe over night, shot at last light, I kept hunting, bear kept what was left.


Elk should be different story, bear wouldn't be able to eat 3/4 of it in one night.

[lamrith]

Sounds like a great way to fill your bear/cougar tag...   

You all carry your predator tags too right.....

[Bob33]

I had coyotes chewing on an elk's gut pile last fall when I came back to retrieve another load. I also had a golden eagle eat a portion of a deer that I shot.

[WSU]

I had coyotes eat part of a deer that someone in my group shot.  It was not a great shot and right at dark in the rain/snow mix.  Rather than push it, we came back at first light and found the deer partly eaten.  Most was still good though.

[wadu1]

Had a cougar drag my deer down a road about 50 yards.  All it ate was the heart and liver that I had stashed in the body cavity. It all happened in an hour or so. I was hunting Vancouver Island with cousins with two more tags in my pocket. We were looking for the other 3X3 that was running with the one I tagged.

[NOCK NOCK]

Not an elk, but we had a deer that we gave 2 hours to before tracking, mid morning time. Deer only made it 60yards on its own, bear drug it another 50 before having a butt snack. Nephew almost got a shot on the bear.

[ljsommer]

I like this thread.

[jennabug]

I like this thread.

Me too. Following.

[Timberdog]

Killed the bear that had my elk quarters scattered all over after leaving it over night.

[wa_archer]

Had a deer that I shot at last light came back in next morning and butt eaten out of it.  Figured Coyotes or Bear never saw anything they were gone before i got to it in the AM.  Still got it but lost a decent amount of meat.

[big wood]

Had a pine marten chewing on some elk meat but he didn't eat much

[yorketransport]

Sounds like a great way to fill your bear/cougar tag...   

You all carry your predator tags too right.....

That was my first thought!

I got called out one moring to help my father in law retrieve a deer he shot late in the evening the night before. I had already filled my deer tag so I didn't bring a rifle, just a little 10" 30 Herrett Contender in a shoulder holster. When we got to his deer there was a bear shuffling away from the carcass. I couldn't have made the shot off hand with the pistol and my father in law was behind me about 15 yards with his rifle. If I would have had a rifle in my hands though it would have been a dead bear!

[bkaech]

I’ve had ravens pick a little on 1/2 a bear that was left overnight after packing out 1/2 of it. But I’ve never had problems with anything touching the meat and we’ve left plenty of quarters out overnight. If anything comes that night they usually eat the gut pile, lungs, soft tissue stuff.

[71Shovelhead]

Lost an entire deer to the profanity peak pack near Malo Wa. Shot it at last light was back at first light. Head, four legs and a chunk of hide were left. They really drug that thing around. The ground was torn up with paw prints. This was before I even knew of the pack.