Loading elk whole?

[Big10gauge]

Roll a whole elk on a blue tarp in the snow grab the horns and ride it down the hill, We did it once, no brakes.  

[shoot-em-dead]

one and only elk I killed died 15 feet from the road.   It was a calf on the last day so it went home whole.

[andrew_12gauge]

only elk i ever got was a spike bull i made a big loop from one road to another and ended up killing him 150 yards from the end of the other road so my dad and grandpa came and picked me up and we drug him in the snow about 150 yards to the truck it was easy and also very lucky

[cohoho]

Loaded a whole gutted elk into the back of a step side truck in Wyoming.  Shot it and it died on an old access road, was able to drive to it. I went on top the truck and tied a tow strap to the trunk of a tree about 10 foot up, hooked the antlers to the other end of the tow strap.  Now all I had to do was drop the tail gate and back up till the antler touched, then it was simply lifting, propping with a stick, then backing up again, repeat.  It worked great and had a whole raggy 5 x 4 in the back of my truck, my first elk solo. 

Everything else since has been cut, de-bone, pack, apply Icy/Hot.... 

[ELKHOG]

I've got to respond to the guy who has an opinion about loading a full ELK in the back of a pick-up truck - let me tell you something - I am 53 years old and have hunted since I was a teenager.  I've been very fortunate in my hunting because I've killed many, many elk.  In my younger years I worked in a slaughter house and so I have had a lot of experience in salughtering animals.

I have hunted with a big group men for the past 15 years and not only me but some of the other guys have taken an animal out "whole" when the circumstances are right and in my opinion that's one of the best ways to take care of an animal because we can take it back home and clean it up and hang it whole, which is the best way to hang it.  Take a look at the 1983 pictures of the Margaret bulls - 2 of them were taken out whole in the back of a Chevy short box pick-up.  They were hung and skinned by 11 a.m.

Now of course, conditions have to be right.  If an animal is close to a road or within the distance of a cable or rope there is nothing wrong with dragging an animal.  DEAD MEAT DOES NOT BRUISE!!  Also, it doesn't hurt to hose an animal down once you're at home and cleaning it - as long as the meat gets to cool or goes into a cooler immediately after.

[fc2038]

I have only got one out whole! All the others have been boned out. i was in the Toutle and shot one in the timber a road was about 300 yards down hill tossed it back into the truck. I have seen a chainsaw winch a few times. I think I might just have to pick one of those up!

[buckhorn2]

We have used crab line on a spool that has a handle on the end to crank the line back in the aluminium spool has 3000 feet of 9'16 silver pacific  line on it and we usually have another truck with the same amount of line and with blocks hung in a tree or around a stump you can get an elk out of some real steep ground. When you get older a packboard is not an option but we also hunt wear there are logging roads everywhere. We do our own elk and have never seen any problem with the meat.

[firecrotch]

there are two ppl in our family that have winches with 5000 ft cable makes it nice.

[wackmaster]

2 years ago late season archery pulled a buddys cow out hole with a sled

[farmin4u_98948]

Got one on the edge of a road but couldnt lift it in without cutting it in half...How frustrating to have it that close and not having enough nads to get it in..... Not laughing then but I can now....              

[matlockmike]

I've loaded four in the back of the truck whole and packed out alot more on my back. 

I think it just depends on the area your hunting and alot of luck in most cases.
Definately easier to load them whole in the truck, always draws a crowd.

[Craig]

I shot this bull up a big hill. they slide really good on 15" of snow. So I slid  him down and it's easy getting them in the truck whole when you use a tractor . The hard part was getting him out.

[fc2038]

Got one on the edge of a road but couldn't lift it in without cutting it in half...How frustrating to have it that close and not having enough nads to get it in..... Not laughing then but I can now....              

Funny you mention that,   my cousin was just about to get his first elk out whole rolled it down the embankment and it hit the bed of his truck and then rolled out. he spent 2 hours quartering his elk next to his truck!!!

[WSU]

Does anyone have pictures or info of these winches?  I've never got an elk in the truck whole, but I've had times when a winch would have made all the difference.

[firecrotch]

Does anyone have pictures or info of these winches?  I've never got an elk in the truck whole, but I've had times when a winch would have made all the difference.

ill get a picture tomorrow, ours are homemade