Post by: WapitiTalk1 on April 15, 2019, 07:01:46 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on April 15, 2019, 07:11:44 PM
My first was probably the toughest because we didn’t know how to quarter in the field. He was only a couple hundred yards from the hill above camp so we drug him whole. 3 of us. Took as long or longer to go that couple hundred yards than to just quarter and pack him. Had to learn some how!
Post by: Twispriver on April 15, 2019, 07:35:01 PM
Post by: trophyhunt on April 15, 2019, 07:37:13 PM
Post by: Magnum_Willys on April 15, 2019, 07:54:47 PM
Shuttled part out of creek on evening of day one came out empty. Hiked in day two and shuttled rest of it out of creek bottom to first ridge and came out empty to meet mule packer to bring it all out. Packer said something came up he couldn’t help. Took two more 11 mile round trips to bring it all out. 4 trips, 44 miles. Good hunt.
Post by: Karl Blanchard on April 15, 2019, 07:59:44 PM
2017 I pulled a LE bull tag in idaho. I knew the area and was certain of an easy bull. Drove through the night from yakima and arrived at the trail head at 0200. Crash in the cab of the truck with my buddy Mike. Get up at 0400 and take off. Goal was first 6pt I could find so we could move areas and get on the mule deer. This needed to be a one day hunt so no overnight gear and a days worth of food.
For 7 miles we worked up the mountain. No damn elk anywhere. Towards evening we sit to glass and make a fire. Just as the fire got rolling I spot a bull. A 6pt. I tell Mike "we can have a bullet in that bull inside an hour. I know right where to go!" So we bomb around the rim of this drainage and ease into position. Sure enough he is right where he should be. Out of the blue another bull appears and they start cracking skulls! Like flat out getting after it! As they break I seize the opportunity. It's a crazy steep downhill and I put it right between his shoulder blades and he pancakes! Down the hill he goes sliding on the freshly falling snow! I was wrong, it took an hour and 5 min
Anyways, we get down to him right at dark. Snap a few pics and get to work. By the time we get him all boned out it is dumping snow! Like inches an hour type snow!. We assess the situation and decide straight down this drainage to the valley floor and the road. Some eye balling of the map and it looks to be about 4 miles
We gotta kill some deer so we decide its gotta be a one tripper. So we load our packs with half a bull each and we start off (I'm a meat hunter first so yes we took everything including rib meat and neck). When we reached the bottom of the drainage (midnight) we made a fire and ate the last of our food. No sleep and a long day made for tired folks. The going was miserable. We got too low and kept cliffing out. If we got high we hit deadfalls in a burn. The snow was falling so hard that the light from your headlamp was reflecting off of it and blinding us. At about 0200 I made the call. One of us is gonna get hurt bad if we continue. I was already bracing up a torn meniscus That season so pushing it was not helping.
We gathered a huge pile of wood, scratched out some beds and settled in for a miserable sleep. We slept in shifts so we could keep the fire hot. Youd dry out your puffy, put it on so you could dry your shirts, just to do it all over again. I did have a space blanket and man I'm glad I did! As morning came, we were doing ok.
If you remember earlier in the story where I figured we were about 4 miles from the road, well I was wrong. We'd already walked 4.5 and the next leg was the worst part. Canyon after canyon we had to traverse. Chest high buck brush and rock slides in every one of them.
We finally hit the road at 3:30 that afternoon. Did some more calculated calculations and realized that on the road we had 6 more winding miles to go to the truck. I damn near cried. Just then I heard the most beautiful sound. A Cummins rattling down the road. Was a whole family of good cowboy folks out for a Sunday drive. They offered a ride and a cold Coors original. Happiest I've ever been in my whole life! All in all we packed that bull 9.35 foot miles and almost 36 hours from when we had left the truck.
Post by: WapitiTalk1 on April 15, 2019, 08:13:49 PM
Post by: trophyhunt on April 15, 2019, 08:14:54 PM
Post by: Mr Mykiss on April 15, 2019, 09:51:55 PM
Post by: Humptulips on April 15, 2019, 11:22:19 PM
What I remember as the toughest was my initiation into elk hunting. I would have been 14. I was turning out for football and game days were Saturdays so I had only Sundays to hunt. I had been deer hunting and following my Dad and the hounds around chasing cats since I was about 8 but this was the first year my Dad deemed me mature enough to hunt elk.
My Dad and his hunting partner Don were loggers and had only weekends to hunt so anything killed on a Sunday was a frantic effort to get out so they could get to work Monday morning.
This particular day we were hunting up Kalalock Cr. Don and his son who must have been about 20 had split off to the right and Dad and I continued up the creek. Several hours later we heard shooting and it turned out to be Don and his son. They had two spikes down.
After getting the pack boards we made our way up the creek about a mile I guess and then turned up the hill for a ways. It was raining hard. What else? We skinned them on the ground and whacked them each in half. Wrapped them up and tied them on pack boards. I had a front half but I believe Dad cut that elk a little uneven to take some of the weight off me. Still it was a struggle to stand up even with help.
I don't believe there is a stone on the Kalalock, nothing but slick clay, mud and over grown salal with a good plenty of windfalls thrown in. I seem to remember every step going down creek sinking over my ankles in sticky mud. There were good trails because there were a lot of elk in those times.
Not far from the road we had to cross the creek on a log jam as the creek was too high to cross. Dad got ahead of me and came back and took my load across and the last 500 feet.
I think that one sticks in my mind because of my age. Wish I could go back and do it again.
Post by: Skyvalhunter on April 16, 2019, 05:07:59 AM
Post by: zwickeyman on April 16, 2019, 05:30:05 AM
Snowed 8 inches through the night and was snowing hard, got to the bull at 8AM. Snow and sleet all day, got the bull to the top at 9PM 3.5 miles and up 3500 vertical. If anyone knows the Cowlitz side of Tatoosh you know it wasn't easy
Got up Saturday and headed to the truck with the buck I shot Tuesday and my bull I shot Thursday. Another 3.5 miles and down 3000 vertical to the truck
Went back up Sunday and grabbed camp. Couldn't do it today but I'd try
Post by: Pathfinder101 on April 16, 2019, 08:00:58 AM
We were 4 miles from the trailhead (all downhill) to where we were standing. I don't know how far below us the bull was, but I know that we could have rappelled to that bull safer than we could have walked. We gutted him that night and came back to bone and pack him out the next morning. It took 4 of us all day to get him out.
Post by: theleo on April 16, 2019, 08:16:25 AM
Post by: 2MANY on April 16, 2019, 08:40:13 AM
Post by: ljsommer on April 16, 2019, 12:29:53 PM
Post by: Pathfinder101 on April 16, 2019, 12:57:50 PM
This thread is fantastic, keep em coming. :tup:
I'm waiting for CoryTDF to see this thread. He packed out his entire 6 point bull this year, from the same area as my pictures (minus the draw), the day before the rest of us got to elk camp. By himself. One trip.
no kidding.
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on April 16, 2019, 05:31:02 PM
Post by: Crunchy on April 16, 2019, 05:52:14 PM
Post by: brew on April 16, 2019, 06:06:10 PM
Post by: Skyvalhunter on April 16, 2019, 07:04:39 PM
Post by: Dan-o on April 16, 2019, 07:57:37 PM
5-6 years ago i had walked a solid 150 yards up the rutted dirt road from camp when I heard cow elk (I thought it was some idiot blowing his call all over creation). I hopped off the side of the road and shot a cow at 5 feet. She died right there........ 6 feet off the little dirt road to camp. I had to walk all 150 yards back to camp to get my truck.
4 years ago I had a flapping meniscus in my knee and couldn't walk. the plan was to drop my son at the bottom of a draw and then drive around and pick him up about 1.5 miles away at the top. I dropped him off per plan, turned around and ran into elk after driving about 1 minute back out. Hopped out, threw on my orange, uncased my muzzleloader and dropped my elk standing in my socks. Called the boy on the radio and let him do all the work. He did get to hunt about 3-4 minutes. Yes, I was required to wear orange due to the area being open for modern.
On a more serious note, I have been fortunate enough to get two good bulls in my years. the first one I was young, and dumber than I am now. I was a ways in, but not ridiculously far. But I was unprepared. It was steep. I feel way too many times. It took me 5 trips (quarters and head/cape). It's been a lot of years, but I know I never cramped so hard and so bad and so long in my life. I was thoroughly dehydrated and thought I was going to cramp to death.
Post by: JM on April 16, 2019, 09:57:40 PM
Post by: Dan-o on April 16, 2019, 10:23:19 PM
Post by: Pegasus on April 16, 2019, 10:40:40 PM
Post by: Skyvalhunter on April 17, 2019, 05:32:29 AM
Post by: elkrack on April 17, 2019, 08:34:59 AM
Post by: trophyhunt on April 17, 2019, 08:50:13 AM
Until I switched to bow hunting all of our elk came out whole. Lots of long drags. Now that I’ve been enlightened on quartering due to lack of people to drag life as an elk hunter is much easier. It was nice have elk hanging in camp whole.Your too young yet to have a tough elk pack out!!! Wait about 10 more years, it will get tougher!! :chuckle:
Post by: Woodchuck on April 17, 2019, 09:02:25 AM
Post by: The Marquis on April 17, 2019, 11:32:34 AM
Years ago, my kid and I each dropped spikes about 13 seconds apart on the same nasty shale slide, in the rain, on the last day of season. Any other time those elk would have tumbled for 100's of yards. When the road with the truck on it was down there, nope. We spent the better part of the day getting them tumbled down the hillside. I just kept looking at him and saying "ain't elk hunting fun?". I could say that phrase on the 4th of July and still get death glares from him. :chuckle:
This brings me true joy
Post by: Nice Racks on April 17, 2019, 12:54:34 PM
Post by: Woodchuck on April 17, 2019, 01:12:38 PM
Glad I could help. lolYears ago, my kid and I each dropped spikes about 13 seconds apart on the same nasty shale slide, in the rain, on the last day of season. Any other time those elk would have tumbled for 100's of yards. When the road with the truck on it was down there, nope. We spent the better part of the day getting them tumbled down the hillside. I just kept looking at him and saying "ain't elk hunting fun?". I could say that phrase on the 4th of July and still get death glares from him. :chuckle:
This brings me true joy
Post by: CoryTDF on April 17, 2019, 02:16:56 PM
https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,232835.0.html
@Pathdinder101 has a picture kicking around of another great one I did as a stupid 20 YO kid in which I drug a whole mule deer off a mountain with one of those stupid Walmart backpack dragging systems.
Post by: Skyvalhunter on April 17, 2019, 02:20:05 PM
Post by: CoryTDF on April 17, 2019, 02:21:48 PM
This thread is fantastic, keep em coming. :tup:
I'm waiting for CoryTDF to see this thread. He packed out his entire 6 point bull this year, from the same area as my pictures (minus the draw), the day before the rest of us got to elk camp. By himself. One trip.
no kidding.
Just saw it and posted the link to the thread above.
Post by: CoryTDF on April 17, 2019, 02:24:01 PM
I want to see pictures of that. I am surprised Pathfinder hunts with you anymore.
I mean, I gutted, boned, and packed his buck out this year so.... I cant see why he would leave me behind. LOL :chuckle:
Post by: Skyvalhunter on April 17, 2019, 02:30:03 PM
Post by: Humptulips on April 17, 2019, 02:31:49 PM
I say go back and make you dream come true!!
If I only could! I'll never be 14 again.
I ain't quitting elk hunting but gravity seems to have intensified over the last 50 years. An elk quarter that would have went 100 pounds now easily goes 300 now.
The toughest elk pack out could easily be next years.
Post by: Pathfinder101 on April 17, 2019, 04:11:07 PM
Here is the thread to absolutely the hardest pack out week of my life!
https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,232835.0.html
@Pathdinder101 has a picture kicking around of another great one I did as a stupid 20 YO kid in which I drug a whole mule deer off a mountain with one of those stupid Walmart backpack dragging systems.
I'll have to see if I can find that pic. Epic misery... :chuckle: That must have been back before we figured out you could cut 'em into pieces to get them out...
Post by: Falcon on April 17, 2019, 08:23:01 PM
Dang, 1/2 the elk I’ve killed have been the toughest pack out. But 2 that come to mind are one in the backcountry of Washington. Rifle elk, 4 1/2 miles in, one buddy to help, 4 quarters and deboned meat, rag bull. Took two trips, all up hill with full packs. Had to go back in the morning for the second trip, it was snowing so hard we barely made it to the trail head. The other worst pack made my knees hurt for a year, Idaho roadless area about 3 miles in, all up hill. Killed my biggest bull at noon, by myself. Skinned, gutted and packed out the head, back to camp around dark. My hunting partner had already packed up camp because we were leaving that night and I was only going to hunt half day. So back up the mountain we went, the temps dropped into the teens and it started snowing. We had to hike down hill, steep at times, and finally got the elk out and in the truck at 1:30 am. We were soaked and froze to the bone with sweat and snow. We drove all the way to vantage before we pulled over about 7 hours later, to sleep for 1/2 hour. Got home and weighed our packs from the last trip out, mine was 139 lbs and his was 138 lbs!!! Every step down hill was brutal! What we all do as hunters would amaze most the general public.
:yeah:
Who needs a gym membership? Just sign up to hunt with this knucklehead😂
Post by: SilkOnTheDrySide on April 17, 2019, 08:50:29 PM
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Post by: Pathfinder101 on April 18, 2019, 04:10:08 PM
I want to see pictures of that. I am surprised Pathfinder hunts with you anymore.
I mean, I gutted, boned, and packed his buck out this year so.... I cant see why he would leave me behind. LOL :chuckle:
First guy I call when I find a new spot... ;)
Post by: Skyvalhunter on April 18, 2019, 05:36:12 PM
Post by: castie2504 on April 18, 2019, 07:07:52 PM
My 2017 Idaho bull was pretty much exactly the same...except it was 0.14 miles from the truck.
Haha
Post by: whuppinstick on April 22, 2019, 11:02:06 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/swDaYlc.jpg?1)
I killed these two animals 14 miles in last year and packed them out alone. I did get a couple of horse packers to carry the elk rear quarters 8 miles, which took two days off my trip, but it still took me six days.
Post by: andrew_in_idaho on April 22, 2019, 04:52:32 PM
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Post by: Skyvalhunter on April 22, 2019, 05:05:46 PM
Post by: andrew_in_idaho on April 23, 2019, 05:03:58 AM
Would you do it again if you had the chance?With better gear, absolutely
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Post by: trophyhunt on April 23, 2019, 06:22:09 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/nwSG64N.jpg?1)Damn, next time get a partner!!! :chuckle: Seriously, that is an amazing feat Dave.
(https://i.imgur.com/swDaYlc.jpg?1)
I killed these two animals 14 miles in last year and packed them out alone. I did get a couple of horse packers to carry the elk rear quarters 8 miles, which took two days off my trip, but it still took me six days.
Post by: Skyvalhunter on April 23, 2019, 07:42:44 AM
Post by: CavemantheHunter on April 23, 2019, 08:41:25 AM