2018 High Buck PACK SHAKEDOWN

[yakimanoob]

Take this for what it's worth but if you are boning out your meat it is absolutely silly to gut the animal.  There's literally ZERO point in adding that step. 

My delicious elk heart tacos beg to differ. 

[yakimanoob]

If weight is an issue then dry them out then rehydrate once you are up there.

Now THAT is a pro tip.  I'll have to try that out... 

[7mmfan]

I'm with them on learning gutless if you're boning animals out. It's intimidating when you've never done it, I get it. I was there not that long ago myself. Once I decided to do it, I never looked back. It took a couple animals to get proficient at it, but now I can do it almost faster than field dressing an animal.

[jackelope]

Get rid of:
Wind checker(Don't need it)
Yeah?  I use it all the time and feel naked without it.  You don't use one?
I don't think I've ever felt much like I needed to check the wind when I'm rifle hunting. It's not a huge weight or a space loss, but it's something, and all those ounces add up.

Leatherman(Don't need it)
What do you carry for blades?  Without the leatherman, I'm guessing just a skinning knife?  I think if I dump the leatherman, I would at least add my pocket knife (Kershaw OSO Sweet) back into the mix.  I'll have to learn how to get at the heart without breaking the ribs...
I carry a Havalon and a Benchmade fixed blade knife. The Benchmade weighs a lot less than my Leatherman. I used to carry one, but cut the cord a few trips ago and never felt like I needed it.  You don't need to split the pelvis for anything.


Alaskan Game Bags. Upgrade these to some Tag bags, Caribou bags or VIAM bags or anything smaller and lighter.

Trowel(use a rock)
Just as a note: the trowel I carry weighs 0.6 oz and does double duty as a shovel in case I need to cover a fire.  I've covered a depressing number of campfires left unattended by other groups while out and about.
Trowel seems light, but I still don't know why you need it.

Anker PowerCore 13000 portable charger 
2' iphone charger cable(put phone in airplane mode and shut off all your apps and it will last a week.
You're right about it lasting that long in airplane mode.  Right now I use it for mapping and navigating; I suppose I could shave weight by going old school and using a paper map.  But I'm a millennial soo......
OK.

Most of your clothes.
1 pair of pants.
Marmot Variant jacket
Scarf
Pick 1 pair of gloves
MSR Mugmate coffee filter (get via's)
Now is a good time to mention that I'm an extreme coffee nerd.  You're lucky I'm not carrying a grinder. 
There's a time and a place??

[jackelope]

I'm also of the opinion that your med kit is way too big.

[Karl Blanchard]

Take this for what it's worth but if you are boning out your meat it is absolutely silly to gut the animal.  There's literally ZERO point in adding that step. 

My delicious elk heart tacos beg to differ. 

I take the heart from every single animal I kill.  Two slices at the bottom of the rib, pull rib loose from brisket and you've got a straight shot to the heart and liver (if you are nasty and like liver )  I get every piece of neat off a boned out, guts in deer that a guy would get off a full carcass.  And I can do it as fast as a guy could skin gut and quarter.

[Karl Blanchard]

On the coffee thing.  If you aren't picky go vias or whatever else.  If you love GOOD coffee get some dark timber ascent packs.  More more than 10oz of water per pack for a killer cup of Joe.  It's so good I buy it in bag form and drink it daily out of my drip pot.

[yakimanoob]

I take the heart from every single animal I kill.  Two slices at the bottom of the rib, pull rib loose from brisket and you've got a straight shot to the heart and liver (if you are nasty and like liver )  I get every piece of neat off a boned out, guts in deer that a guy would get off a full carcass.  And I can do it as fast as a guy could skin gut and quarter.

I stand corrected.  Are you talking about the anterior or posterior ribs?  Could you link a video or something showing that method?

I've done the gutless method before, but didn't know how to access the heart and always regretted it.  Y'all are definitely selling me on the idea of the gutless method if I can still take the heart though...  (and as such, selling me on leaving my leatherman at home). 

[7mmfan]

My M.O. is to get all the meat/quarters off the carcass and then I spill the guts to access the heart/liver/tenderloins. Once all the meat is off the carcass, you don't have to be as careful or thorough about it. You're just releasing the pressure to gain easier access to the cavity.

[yakimanoob]

On the coffee thing.  If you aren't picky go vias or whatever else.  If you love GOOD coffee get some dark timber ascent packs.  More more than 10oz of water per pack for a killer cup of Joe.  It's so good I buy it in bag form and drink it daily out of my drip pot.

I've been wanting to try those, actually.  Thanks for mentioning it.  There's also a new brand of instant coffee called Viola, and I may carry those instead of the mugmate.  But I'm not super happy with the quality and they're the opposite of cheap...

[Magnum_Willys]

For tenderloins after gutless method done then saw the backbone about the 4th rib from tail and  peel back with a lil knife work and perfect tenderloins can be pulled out.  Tried other ways found best results with this.

[Jonathan_S]

I've broken down a couple elk and half a dozen deer with nothing more than a havalon and 2-3 extra blades.  Heart, tenderloins, boned out meat, cape/hide in some cases.  Literally my backpacking kill kit is one game bag, a havalon and a 60L dry sack.  For laying out meat, you can lay it on grass, tree limbs, smooth clean rocks, the animal hide itself etc. 

Coffee I go with Via because I'm usually just guzzling it anyway and want the warmth and caffeine.  That and a squirt bottle of Mio is all I need for food.

For clothes put on everything you'd wear during the coldest glassing session - and only take that plus whatever rain gear 

[Jonathan_S]

For tenderloins after gutless method done then saw the backbone about the 4th rib from tail and  peel back with a lil knife work and perfect tenderloins can be pulled out.  Tried other ways found best results with this.

The "other method" being to slit between pelvis and ribs and extract?

Never had issues doing it that way except when @BULLBLASTER knicked the gut of a moose and hit me with that unholy smell 

[andersonjk4]

My M.O. is to get all the meat/quarters off the carcass and then I spill the guts to access the heart/liver/tenderloins. Once all the meat is off the carcass, you don't have to be as careful or thorough about it. You're just releasing the pressure to gain easier access to the cavity.

 

As long as you can get access to the diaphragm you can get to the goodies above it.  Roll up your sleeves and cut through the diaphragm then reach up into the chest cavity until you find the heart then CAREFULLY reach up in there with your other hand and knife and then either cut just the heart out or find the windpipe and esophagus above the heart and lungs and cut through them both, get the knife out of there and get both hands back up in there and stick a couple fingers down the windpipe for grip and then pull.  You should be able to pull the heart and lungs out far enough to get the heart out easy enough. 

Or as Karl said you can displace a couple ribs and essentially do the same thing.  It is surprisingly easy to cut through the cartilage where the ribs attach with a stout knife, especially at the sternum.     

[7mmfan]

I've broken down a couple elk and half a dozen deer with nothing more than a havalon and 2-3 extra blades.  Heart, tenderloins, boned out meat, cape/hide in some cases.  Literally my backpacking kill kit is one game bag, a havalon and a 60L dry sack.  For laying out meat, you can lay it on grass, tree limbs, smooth clean rocks, the animal hide itself etc. 

Coffee I go with Via because I'm usually just guzzling it anyway and want the warmth and caffeine.  That and a squirt bottle of Mio is all I need for food.

For clothes put on everything you'd wear during the coldest glassing session - and only take that plus whatever rain gear 

This. I stopped carrying a saw of any kind a long time ago. Last half dozen animals have been done exclusively with a Havalon.

I like your approach to clothing, that's a very concise way to pack only what you will wear.