solo packing

[livtohutn]

i agree with that!~

[letmhunt]

it also depends on if you are going to get the elk head mounted, hair can start slipping within a couple of hours after kill in warm wheather.

[BLKBEARKLR]

and the meat can spoil in that time also. You shot the animal to feed your family, (hopefully), not just to hang something on the wall. That is why I loved Alaska you had to take out all edible portions of meat before teh cape or the antlers came out. It put everything into perspective in my opinion.

[GoPlayOutside]

I've always heard in Washington State you take the head out with the tag first.  This shows it's your animal.  The law says possession of the head equals possession of the animal.  In certain warm situations, of course it goes against logic (we are there for the meat), however, I want to make sure I have legal possession of that animal.  Hide that head in, or around your truck!

[letmhunt]

Dont forget the thread was started with visions of shooting a big bull and packing out the trophy, not im going to get meat for the family!

[BLKBEARKLR]

im elk hunting solo this year and my question is in what order to pack out? trophy first then come back for meat or other way around? may seem kinda silly but i keep having these visions of killing a big ole bull and coming back to the kill to see the head missing either by animal or human. what do you guys think

Dont forget the thread was started asking what order to pack out!!!! In my opinion once again MEAT first always

[letmhunt]

then he should just shoot a cow.

[GoPlayOutside]

The big trophy rack aint worth a damn, if you left the meat behind.  You got your priorities messed up.....unless you can claim Indian

[BLKBEARKLR]

if that is what he chooses to do, then I  wish him the best of luck in being able to remove all the meat before it goes bad on him

[letmhunt]

He wasnt worried about the meat he was worried about his head getting stolen

[letmhunt]

And im not indian, and have never lost any meat!! just got to know how to take care of your game!

[ICEMAN]

Since our meat packing gear is usually in the rig, we usually pack out the head on the first trip to get the game bags/boards.

Hide the head well near the rig.

If I was doing an elk solo, I would gut/skin and get the meat  cooling, then pack the head out, ditch it, then grab the packboard and start transferring meat to the road.....

Warm weather is an issue with one guy. If it is really hot, and you are hunting way back in, I would consider getting with other guys who can help you save everything.

There are certain situations where solo hunting is innappropriate considering the risk of wasting your meat and/or your trophy.

[Gobble]

I definately bone out the carcass and cool it down first, there is no good reason to pack out the weight of the bones when you are limited to what you can carry. Then srap the head onto the outside of your pack

[Alchase]

If I was by myself and I shot a trophy bull, I would depending on the situation either quarter or boned out and organized into pack loads. I also hoist the meat bags up into trees if available. This will minimize meat loss from scavengers between trips. I would take as much of the tenderloin as possible and strap the head to the outside of the pack in the first load.
I use green para cord and hoist the head up into a tree near the truck but out of site from the road. Then packout what is left. 
Learned this the hard way by loosing the head and front shoulder to a bear between trips. There are tons of variables that would decide the order for me though. How far each trip would be, weather.

[tonymoe]

your big bad trophy bull will make you tingle inside whether his head or meat arrive at the truck 1st. Look at the whether and situation at the time and then decide. Your first thought should be the meat