Wichita Mountains Elk Pack Out

[RedDirtRifleman]

Those of you that have completed this hunt, how did you get your carcass out? I’ve got a cow tag, and I’m trying to get as much meat as possible off of it.

Options I’ve seen are carts, sleds, and backpacks after quartering in the field. I can do whatever, I just want the most meat I can get.

Should I cart the whole thing out and butcher it back home in my garage, quarter and gut it in the field, or somewhere in between?

 

[magna19]

Field dress immediately. Have proper sharp cutlery, bring old pillow cases, rope to tie off legs if possible, tarp to put meat on while quartering, put in pillow cases, load on pack frame, walk to road. Repeat

 

[kwaynem]

My son in law took a cart and there was no way we could use it because of the terrain the only way to do it is like magna19 said

 

[Cowcatcher]

No horses allowed I'm guessing?

 

[ignerntbend]

I don't dispute that he's your elk, Ma'am. You're the one that shot him.
Just let me get my saddle off him. old joke

 

[PiedmontGuy]

Super fun hunt for me. Carts are almost not usable because of the terrain (just like kwaynem said). You might be able to get a sled to work in some areas. I shot a cow elk last year and was lucky enough the high winds had pushed the elk down in some tight draws by a creek. I was there in January. I described the location to my group leader when I reported my kill and before long I could hear him and another guy hiking in to my spot (I had packed to the nearest road and left TP to mark the trail.) I had shot it where there was some flat land and because it wasn't opening morning, he brought the mule and drove right to my cow elk and we took her out in one piece. Not many other hunters were able to do that though. My brother was my assigned helper but he was busy helping pack out quarters for several other hunters. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation local chapter had 3 people there to help pack out for anyone that needed it. At least they were there on day one. If you ask for volunteers, there's people back in "CAMP" that are chompin at the bit to help someone. The ODWC and Wichita Mntns team also have pack frames for the volunteers. Be sure to request that they bring you one if you get a cow on the ground.

 

[PiedmontGuy]

I posted details about my January hunt in a post called GOVT Shut Downs in the hunting & fishing forum. You might take a look at the pics and the details. Also, once you get checked in if you end up in the same area that I hunted I can show you the spots I found them that were really close to the road and easy for a vehicle to possibly get close. Because I got my entire elk, I bet I harvested over 30 pounds more meat that those that were packing out quarters.

 

[kwaynem]

Piedmontguy hat are was you in? I also drew a cow tag for the same hunt as reddirtrifleman I went with my son in law last year and helped him pack his cow out he was in area G

 

[SPDguns]

Unless you can drive right to it, bone it out at the kill site. Don't waste time and energy hauling anything you can't eat off the mountain.

 

[kwaynem]

That’s what we did