How far away?

[LuketheDog]

Hopefully I'll find out in November...

 

[The Hedgehog]

1 mile, but only if my freezer was empty. Otherwise 1 foot.

 

[375H&H]

Anyone do the 3-4 miles solo? mtmuley

Yes. My first elk ever was a cow 4 miles into a roadless area. She died on extremely steep ground with 3” of fresh snow that melted over night and turned the badlands type terrain to gumbo the next morning.

I quartered her and left her overnight in the snow and pounded gatorades all night as I knew that with only a daypack she would be 4 trips to get her out.

I returned the next day early and started packing her out. 4 trips, 25-30 miles, and 12 hours later she was in the pickup.

I will try and post a pic when I get back home but that was my last time I hunted elk with only a day pack. But man those steaks were good knowing she was killed within 20 minutes of my home and took so much work to retrieve her.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Only Cow Elk was 30yds from a logging road,Threw her in the truck whole.
Had a big Kiabab Buck that we drug for 2mi. Hide worn right off of him.
Found out there was a two track 1/2 mi. away to the east.Oh well.
at least he was tenderized.

 

[Sytes]

I'm exhausted merely reading a few of these posts!

Reality - I'm a glutton for punishment... Done three + on a few occasions. A few occasions more than I would like and a few occasions more than I swore I wouldn't do again.

 

[rtraverdavis]

Right now, I think I’d go just as far as I would for a bull. I can see the bottom of my freezer...

 

[Focus]

If solo pack-out, how is the load divided between trips? Wllm1313 previously said 2 trips if boned out, 3 if bone-in. Are we talking front quarter/back quarter X 2, then backstraps, t-loin and neck meat? Or some other combination?

And does anyone ever take the hide out with them?

 

[T Bone]

Like others have said. Depends on weather and terrain.

If easy terrain and cool weather, a few miles.

Closer is better, but it's been a while since we've had an easy one!

 

[mtmuley]

I saw guys in the Breaks last year looking for cows in some crazy places. mtmuley

 

[FAIR CHASE]

For some, the journey is more important than the destination.

 

[el unit]

A few miles back with horses to pack.
A mile or less if it's on my back (preferably).

 

[BuzzH]

When hunting cows, as close to the road as I can find them.

 

[Nameless Range]

I suppose if I am hunting a cow elk the answer is wherever I find them. The furthest I have packed one out is about a mile and a half.

Here's a picture of a damage roster hunt I went on last February. The truck is on a county road, and that elk is about 20 yards from it, which was nice, and is the way I would like to shoot cow elk moving forward.

 

[el unit]

Every year I try to get one within front-end loader range, but no such luck yet.
Maybe this year.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

If solo pack-out, how is the load divided between trips? Wllm1313 previously said 2 trips if boned out, 3 if bone-in. Are we talking front quarter/back quarter X 2, then backstraps, t-loin and neck meat? Or some other combination?

And does anyone ever take the hide out with them?

I think this chart is pretty close, although access to feed can have a huge effect as well.

I've packed out 2 cows; 1, like I said, I did in a single trip, the other it was me and a buddy, one of us did both hindquarters the other person did fronts, backstraps, t-loin, neck meat, and brisket. I've never packed out a hide.

Did anyone ever catch that clip of Remi Warren packing out an entire bull by himself in one trip? I'm not sure how far it was but it was pretty ridiculous, he had a fully loaded pack and a hindquarter in each hand.

 

[Muskeez]

Like another fella said I did my one and only big mature cow elk just shy of 3 miles one way, but downhill, solo. 2 trips the first day, and one trip of camp plus some meat the next day. I am a meat hog so they were heavy loads for my nearly 50 yr old knees. I swore I felt 3 inches shorter by the end of the last trip. Sidenote; There was a month long "rainbow Party" of hippies, homeless people, and drug use going on at the trail head so there was little sleep for me and my handgun in the truck the night before the last trip up the mountain. Moral of the story, I'd do it again tomorrow!

 

[deer_shooter]

If solo pack-out, how is the load divided between trips? Wllm1313 previously said 2 trips if boned out, 3 if bone-in. Are we talking front quarter/back quarter X 2, then backstraps, t-loin and neck meat? Or some other combination?

And does anyone ever take the hide out with them?

I brought mine out in two trips on an old cabelas frame. Hindquarter, front shoulder, a backstrap, tenderloin and half the trimmings in each load. Not sure the weight of each but it was damn heavy.

 

[Mason326]

Depends on the situation. I like hunting 3rd/4th rifle CO so I can take my time. We hunt with 4 guys. Area we hunt you can just pack the meat bags up or down to the main trail and leave them near there. Most any cow and we can very comfortably get out in one trip (hide, boned out meat) if we only have day gear and dump anything extra near our glassing spot we could get most any bull in one trip. We passed on some that were ~5 miles out, too much work for only the potential of a kill.

Done a one-man one-trip muley extraction once. He was a big guy, about 4 miles bushwhacking. Took me from 9AM (kill) to 12:30AM to get him back to the truck. Was too hot to hang him for the morning. Left my camp in the backcountry and camp back for it two days later haha...

 

[Poke 'Em]

I saw guys in the Breaks last year looking for cows in some crazy places. mtmuley

I saw guys in the breaks last year looking for cows right next to the road. I had a very heavy backpack when I saw them. They had very light coolers.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Too bad I didn't have one of those weight charts with me when we packed out my cows, I'd swear that by the time we got the quarters to the truck they weighed about 400lbs each.
I think the most we ever packed cows out has been about 2.5 miles, but there were 3 of us.