How far out will you kill an elk by yourself?

[dieseldoc]

Wha my plan was for my honey hole elk hunt ,to hike in 5 miles spike camp. Field dress Elk hands in trees. hike out then get packer in to go for Elk. did that many times when hunting in /Washinton . Never missed for seven years.

 

[adk hunter]

If there are some high school coaches reading along, here is a great chance to get the boys and girls in shape!! "You stack em we pack em" Thanks for the donation to the school athletic department!

 

[bengineer]

I got a Rokon. No worries packing/dragging (on unrestricted ground). Have used an atv for years. Even had two cow elk in the atv at the same time. Sure makes life easier.
I acknowledge motorized isn't allowed everywhere; i don't hunt those places.

 

[Ronald W Schaefer]

I hardly ever hunt alone, usually go with my best friend/business partner or my sons or wife. Then I assess whether I can get the truck (winch equipped) to the carcass. No packing out for me

 

[264WM]

Being 78 I would only shoot a Elk on the up hill side of the road and 100 yards would be pushing it.

 

[del2les]

I had a cow elk tag, this season, and ended up not pulling the trigger because getting to them was so hard when I did the math, I just did not think I could get her out. What do everyone think? What's your worst pack outs? I know I would have made it happen for a bull. The people I talked to had an attitude of "don't work that hard for a cow". I don't know, seasons over and I'm kind of kicking myself. The best thing would have been to be in much better shape, and found some easier elk.

Ugh! Those steep slopes across canyons and up mountains with a heavy pack and multiple times bring back nightmares, and I was younger and in much better shape and health then. But two steps forward and sliding one step back while grabbing anything to help would be a near death sentence now. Today much older and declining health, I just can't take on those types of terrains with a pack full of meat, especially several trips. So, I hunt slightly different terrain now, but at times, I go back to a few of those areas just to glass and enjoy seeing my old hunting areas and seeing those animals.

I always thought getting old would take longer.

 

[skipglo]

ALONE:
15' Max from the Truck! And then the gutless method to dress it. ..at my age I might even cut into steaks first so I can load it!

 

[Idaho Lefty]

I'm pretty sure that, I've shot my LAST Bull Elk when, 73 and 75 yrs old, so Now,..
I like to shoot, Steel Plates with my 6.5 Creed and head to, a good Steak House or, Fred Meyers for Buffalo meat or, Grass fed Beef.
A LOT easier,.. Pack out !
In my 60 years of Big Game Hunting, I've had some Tough pack-outs and, very few,.. "Easy" ones.
My Dad taught me to, "mostly" hunt, Up-Hill and, drag / carry game meat,.. down hill.
Sometimes, that chit, doesn't, apply, tho,.. LOL !
My grandson has, My .270 WSM now, so I'm learning to, "Live with, ..IT"

 

[del2les]

I'm pretty sure that, I've shot my LAST Bull Elk when, 73 and 75 yrs old, so Now,..
I like to shoot, Steel Plates with my 6.5 Creed and head to, a good Steak House or, Fred Meyers for Buffalo meat or, Grass fed Beef.
A LOT easier,.. Pack out !
In my 60 years of Big Game Hunting, I've had some Tough pack-outs and a very few,.. "Easy" ones.
My Dad taught me to, "mostly" hunt, Up-Hill and, drag / carry game meat,.. down hill.
Sometimes that chit, doesn't, apply, tho,.. LOL !
My grandson has, My .270 WSM now, so I'm learning to, "Live with, ..IT"

Just wear your hunting clothes into the steak house and use your hunting knife to cut your steak and enjoy the hunt.

 

[Sealesniper]

I used to run a hunt club in North Hampton County NC. One year I had an Army Ranger join. Great guy and in terrific shape. Just before deer season he was deployed and he did not return until the last week of the season. He called to ask two things. Could he bring is dad to the club to hunt for 3 days and did I have any recommendations on where they should hunt. Even though we had a guest rule (one guest could only hunt one day each season) I gave this service man who had lost his whole season serving our freedom the green light. I then told him to he could hunt any or all of my stands and feeders, and if he came by my house on his way down east, I would give him a map (long before maps on phones) and he could borrow my 4 wheeler and trailer. He and his dad did stop at the house, but he would not take my 4 wheeler. He said he does not borrow things he cant afford to replace. So, here is where the story gets back on track with this post. Most of my stands were at least one mile from the parking area, and while a 4 wheeler could get back there a truck would not make it. He and his dad each shot 2 does, all 4 does were shot at my furthest back stand/feeder. He did not want to "mess up" my hunting area so he did not field dress the deer where they fell. Instead, he put the front legs in one hand and the back legs in the other, and he swung each doe on his back and walked them out whole. His father told me once the deer as on his sons back, they did not come down until int he bad of the truck. So, If I had him with me or his physical abilities, I would shoot a cow elk alone, but since I don't, I would only hunt accessible areas, or with buddies.

One item to look into, is the new E bikes. They give us old farts the ability to cover more ground and to carry meat out. I just hope e bikes are only used for ethical hunting and transport.

 

[Mark37082]

I bought a cart to help me get my harvest out of the woods. I tweaked my back loading the cart in the truck.

 

[Wyowind]

Hunting in NW WY for elk is different than in many other areas. Figuring out how far back you are willing to shoot an elk has to take into account the grizzly bear presence, the weather, the terrain, and your physical abilities or disabilities.

In our camp this year one nice 6x6 bull elk was allowed to keep on going because of the immediate presence of grizzly bears on the trail back to the trailhead. A second day trip into an area which often contained a nice bull got cancelled rather quickly when the realization dawned that the hunters had unknowingly just walked past a big boar grizzly on a gut pile not too far off of the only trail. Immediate decision to not proceed with killing an elk back in there.

While hunting on foot with my wife, she killed an old bull a full 7 miles from the trailhead. It took us each about 28 miles of walking to get that elk out of there. That was brutal. The risk of injury was very high too. Never do that again!

While elk hunting a couple of years ago, I killed a nice 6x6 bull a couple of miles from the closest trailhead while hunting with my wife. On returning to pack out the elk, and happily finding that no grizzly had yet located the kill site, I unexpectedly injured my foot. I could barely walk after that, and could put little weight on that one foot. Carrying an 80 pound pack of meat with a little bit of gear, the pack out was a nightmare. My wife was carrying 90 lbs and was doing all she could to help me get out of there. No trails, just rough country. There is more to the story, but we barely got the meat out of there before losing it to unseasonably warm temperatures.

Today we are older and we stick closer to the roads and trailheads, still hunting on foot. Between grizzlies, snowstorms, horrible terrain, terrible blowdown or burns, two to three miles seems like a much better limit. And I would not venture that far without a big bull at the end of it.

Young strong friends with horses could also change a lot of things!

WyoWind

 

[Taco John]

Being 78 I would only shoot a Elk on the up hill side of the road and 100 yards would be pushing it.

Uphill side of the road ditch.


Calves only

I'm with ya....

 

[stevers75]

I got a nice 6x7 last year in Idaho that was in a hell hole 5 miles from the road by myself. I instantly regretted my choice that day but i took my time and boned all of the meat out, hung it in a tree, and spent the next 3 days shuttling it to the road. Would i do it again? Absolutely!!! But it sucks!!! I don't think i would want to shoot a cow back there unless i was pretty desperate. Elk meat is elk meat, but when the meat is gone i need something to remember the hunt by!