Cascades elk?

Raincatcher
Raincatcher
I have never hunted but have always been interested in the sport. I do have a question for you hunters. How on earth do you haul that beast out of the woods after you "bag" it?! Surely you don't just grab it by the horns and start dragging it. Do you butcher it or cut it into manageable hunks? I can't imagine hiking several miles and then having to haul it back out to your rig. Someone please enlighten me.
 
R
RunWithSasquatch
Raincatcher said:
I have never hunted but have always been interested in the sport. I do have a question for you hunters. How on earth do you haul that beast out of the woods after you "bag" it?! Surely you don't just grab it by the horns and start dragging it. Do you butcher it or cut it into manageable hunks? I can't imagine hiking several miles and then having to haul it back out to your rig. Someone please enlighten me.

Generally, they go home in pieces. All the elk ive killed, or been a part of, have had to be quartered in the field, and packed out.
 
A
alseaalumaweld
lots of crab line! u can pull stuff out hole
 
R
RunWithSasquatch
alseaalumaweld said:
lots of crab line! u can pull stuff out hole

Obviously anything is possible Jake.




2 miles of line, 100 snatch blocks, and you could even pull and elk out whole from back in behind a gate.
 
A
alseaalumaweld
your a mind reader but make that 7 miles of rope :)
 
A
alseaalumaweld
a lot of roads are closed or travle managment anymore. but with all the newer logging and roads you can drive/ hike out other ways to cut some long hikes down. goggle earth can show you things at home for free thats years of driveing will never show you
 
R
RunWithSasquatch
alseaalumaweld said:
your a mind reader but make that 7 miles of rope :)

Might be ground down to only half a critter by the time you get it to the truck. haha but thats okay.
 
A
alseaalumaweld
naw it will be good :) my laast deer on the otherhand was pretty bad when it got out from a pack out
 
R
RunWithSasquatch
alseaalumaweld said:
naw it will be good :) my laast deer on the otherhand was pretty bad when it got out from a pack out

Im not sure we can say you actually packed it out.... Im not sure we can say what really happend to be exactly. We'll just say it got home.. somehow.
 
A
alseaalumaweld
pack trow push tow haul waterfall log ride. ya that about what was use. never will i try to drag a deer out hole. bone and pack out only!
 
Z
ZeeBorn
Well i ended up coming back yesterday night form my trip. i had located a bunch of somewhat fresh (with in the last week) tracks and droppings but at that point I had already hiked about half a mile to a mile off the main trail and I couldn't really see getting an elk that far out of the woods out of the woods buy my self. And anywhere near the trail there was almost no sign and nothing fresh. I think they know whats up and move deeper into the woods around this time of year. Maybe I could have packed it out ... I don't know. not ever having done it I didn't have any idea how long it would take me. I didn't really like the idea of it taking more than a day with all the bear scat I was seeing. Next time I'll get some one else to go with me. I did find lots of chanterelles though, had them with all my meals. also spooked up three ruff grouse and got lots of cool pictures so definitely a good time even though no elk.
I'm planning to give it another shot later this week some where om Mt. Hood just as a day trip though.
 
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A
alseaalumaweld
well frist off your gona be deep in the timber to get a elk. yes its gona be 4 trips for a pack out and take all of a day alone. week old sign is pretty old they can be along ways away. but if your in timber with chanterelles. id say your in a good stand of timber.
 
Z
ZeeBorn
Yeah I'm kind of regretting my decision now. I think I just psyched myself out. There were just a lot of unknown factors. I didn't know if continuing deeper into the woods was a good idea or if I was crazy to have gone in as far as I did. I think I just need to be part of a hunt with someone who knows what they are doing and fined out whats really involved in packing out an elk. In the mean time I have at least one more day that I can try to learn on my own.
 
A
alseaalumaweld
well do you know how to gut and quarter a elk? you got a gps? i dont hunt with one never got lost never will but i know most people think they walked a long time and its like 4-5 miles not 10-15 people think. a good gps could help you out on the lay of the land. i gota respect your trying hard
 
Z
ZeeBorn
Yeah, I have a gps witch I used to mark points of interest that saw on google earth. That part of the hunt worked out great, never felt like I was getting lost and I found some good spots that I'm sure most people have never seen. As far as gutting and quartering goes, I have never done it or seen it done in person but I have been watching lots of videos about the process and feel confident that I could pull it off. I guess what I don't really have a grasp on yet is what the elk are likely to be doing for a given set of conditions. Things like, if it rained with in the last 24 hours are they still going to be seeking out watering holes or do they just get there water from wet vegetation or licking it off rocks, what kind of plants do they like to eat, and how dose the brightness of the moon affect when they are active??.... It might seem dumb, but that's the kinds of things that not knowing the answer to makes me unsure of what I should be doing. I know I will get the hang of it eventually though. I really just got to spend more time in the woods this next year, witch can be hard when its a choice between hiking miles through the woods or going fishing.
 
A
alseaalumaweld
they dont need to go to water they will get if from grasses. rite now thery will eat black berrys ferns trees grass. moon affect when they are active a lot full moon they will feed more at nite. no moon they will feed more in the day.
 
A
alseaalumaweld
elk do lota of time hangout in creek drainages. see 9 today feed out on one then cross it and feed up a cat road into the next patch of timber 77 deg outside and up and feeding at 4pm
 
T
the_intimidator03
zeeborn, as for what elk do in a given set of circumstances, as with any other game, that takes time and experience. I have noticed for the most part that game animals are routine and predictable to a degree. All you can do is go out there and hunt while analyzing whats going on. take notes when you can.
 
A
alseaalumaweld
you spend time get on fresh track and stay on them u will find elk
 

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