Tools for quartering elk

[Wedgy]

I saw someone use one of these Fieldtorq things to split up the ribs, just using a ratcheting motion, very easy like an army can opener. Didn't work as well as a gut hook as the skin kind of balled up in the base, but an interesting tool. I'm not a saw guy but I carry a small Outdoor Edge 4.5" flip-n-zip saw. I remember a guy in Washington or Oregon saying they had to take the top of the skull for proof of sex so he had to carry a saw for that.

 

[coyotelite]

i carry a havalon and a leatherman. saws and axes are not needed. every part of an elk will come apart with a knife.

 

[Canhunter35]

What's everyone's techniques for packaging quarters and deboned meat to carry out?
I've used cheese cloth sacks on quarters, but the last few deer I've deboned in field I just put it in zip loc bags and when I get home wash it up and leave it in fridge over night.

 

[slas]

Love my little havalon still carry my granddads KBar from USMC

All I used my last elk was one little Havalon....and the replaceable blade was still sharp enough for a deer later in the year. Love it.

 

[Wedgy]

I have found what dulls the blade the most is the skin , especially on pigs so I generally like to use one blade to skin and another to do the cutting. Last year a guide buddy showed me that they use cheap pillow cases from Walmart cuz they're a couple bucks and they just wash them instead of the mesh cause bags. I don't shoot 30 elk year so I'm okay spending 7 or 8 bucks on the gauze bags.
Havalon now makes a curved hook blade.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hava...JHeGkG4u6zVIz_4okfsaAo-bEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Wedgy]

You can buy $4 scalpel handles that fit the Havalon blades. My idea was to embed one in an antler and have a custom knife, so far I have all the parts but haven't gotten around to making it yet. For cutting the skin there is nothing that lasts as long as the carpet hook knife blades(shown on the small folding Gerber), and they're cheap. For skinning I find the 22A blades give a little more edge surface where as withe the standard 60A Havalon blade you tend to only use the tip and it becomes dull while the lower part is still plenty sharp. The shorter blades also seem to work better for me on small animals too. Anyways, there are a lot of options and you can still have a very light, compact kit. I have never needed a saw as I don't have to save the skull cap as some areas but I do carry a small pocket knife saw. If using the carpet hook sometimes you have to hold the skin so it doesn't ball up in it. I use it to make the skin cut up the belly, legs and cuffs, leaving my other

main blade sharp.

 

[Speedo]

For the way that we do moose a saw is required, while the moose is hanging by the hind legs we split it right down the middle of the spine. Once the moose is split into 2 pieces separate the front from the rear of each half, four large pieces of moose. Not everyone can handle such large pieces of moose but it works well for us.

Gus

 

[Elkeater]

I do the whole thing with my havalon knife. I learned how to go gutless long ago and never looked back.

 

[bigngreen]

What's everyone's techniques for packaging quarters and deboned meat to carry out?
I've used cheese cloth sacks on quarters, but the last few deer I've deboned in field I just put it in zip loc bags and when I get home wash it up and leave it in fridge over night.

I've been super impressed with the Caribou Gear bags, I've had moose come out of the Alaska interior all the way back to My in these bags and the meat was excellent quality and the bags washed up well. I prefer synthetic bags, they clean up better and seem to have less bug issues.
If Im just packing quarters I leave the hide on to keep meat cleaner and keeps it from drying out, if I have to debone everything I use the Caribou bags. When you bag meat it needs air, that's what keeps the funky monkey away!!
You never want to use colored garbage bags as it'll taint the meat.
You want to avoid at all cost bagging warm meat into sealed bags, it's a prime way to spoil meat. I do zip lock meat but only when I can cut and cool it before bagging and throwing on ice.

 

[ATH]

I've process my own and done both gutted and boneless, and now I only do boneless. If you do it right you do not lose meat. You do NOT leave the side or neck meat, you take all of that. The only thing you lose is the organ meat if you are interested in that.

Every elk I've shot has been too far from the vehicle to come out any way other than backpack, so bones don't come along for the ride. I carry a Wyoming saw to get the rack off, it's lighter than carrying the head out, especially on an elk.

 

[livetohunt]

I use a saw I've been developing for a while now. Works good for splitting down the spine or cutting off legs or cutting the head off, it rips thru bone super fast. 14" saw blade, 6 teeth per inch, blade is 1/16" thick high speed steel so you can really lean on it and it doesn't buckle. It works great for wood too. I cerakoted the blade, masking the teeth area and machined what I think is a nice handle to use out of 6061 aluminum and had a hard anodize done so it would hold up very well. In total it weighs 14 oz. I made one in a pull cut version and love it even more.

I like it much more than my Buddies Wyoming saw just becuause there's no assembling/disassembling. And I don't
Have to worry about the bow limiting cut depth.

I've also cut random stuff in camp or even around the shop with it. At elk camp we had a Buddies truck snap a trac bar off the front axle and didn't have tools to remove it. Saw did the job.

 

[Hatrick]

live to hunt
It looks like the blade can be changed with the two screws to a different cutting blade. (Push cut) and I am amazed it cut the track bar steel.

 

[livetohunt]

Ya the two screws are just 1/4-20's. I wire EDM'd the blade to fit the blade pocket and put the two holes in it. And ya I have a few push cut and pull cut.

I was planning on changing the design on my next lot so that the blade is sized and has the mounting holes on both ends so it can be used as a push or pull cut. I also wanted to center the holes so you can mount the blade "upside down". My handle is designed to be used by people with larger hands, but if you flip it upside down the handle fits comfortably in a smaller hand.

The blade is a power hacksaw blade, rated up to 40 Rockwell for cutting. I just try to avoid handsawing anything overly hard with it cause i want to preserve blade life. We cut the heim joint and nut, it was softer.

 

[Hatrick]

Great ideas, keep us posted. Me anyway.