tbrunson

Hoping someone can guide me in the right direction here.

This is my first year hunting Elk and have been able to find most of the information I am looking for...

After it's down,
Do I cut the neck and point the body downhill to drain blood? Or does standard gutting/quartering negate this?

Is there a standard way to lash the quarter to your pack?

Do I remove the head at the top of the neck or at the shoulders?

Thank you for your help/wisdom in advance.

Tim

Howler

gut it, no reason to drain the blood! Hind 1/4's are easy to tie onto a good pack that has a shelf for the 1/4's to sit on. We use bungee cords. The front 1/4's can be done this way too, and you'll be better off with a pack with a bag for all the loose meat. You will have 4 good loads of meat and antlers. Buy some quality game bags to put it all in at the kill sight. If there's two of you, completely 1/4 the elk and hang the two bags that you won't take with you on the first trip in a near by tree so the meat can be cooling while you're packing out the first 2 bags.
Only reason to the remove the head is if you're doing a shoulder mount. If so, cut it off as near to the skull as you can and cape accordingly, otherwise, leave the head at the kill sight and take all the neck meat off right where it lays. As far as proof of sex, the tits or testis will need to be attached to the hind 1/4's, hence, no need for the head unless you're doing a shoulder mount.

tbrunson

Thanks, appreciate it!

manboy

the only bones i would pack is the horns, the rest i wouldleave at kill site. i wouldn't even gut it!

Champlain Islander

Good game bags, sharp knife withsharpener and a saw or hatchetare a must and I found a quarter in each one to be about as much as I wanted to pack out uphill.I put the backstraps and Tl's in with the front quarters since they were a tad lighter. Watch out when gutting because one little slip with the knife and it will blow all over you. It is no deer and the pressure is amazing. Some people do it the gutless method but I found that I was comfortable gutting, skinning, quartering and packing them out on a pack frame.

BrutalAttack

I quarter. I've only been on one place where i felt I might bone it out.

Don't forget to split the pelvis and the brisket all the way up to the jaw. Skin it and put the quarters in game bags.

I usually take the horns out first so I can find a good route out without a heavy load, then I bring all the meat out.

bsurplus2003

Tim the thing that ruins meat is bone heat.....If you want the head for a mount then cut around the shoulders and cut the front legs around the knees like socks. then run your blade down the back side of each leg untill you get to the arm pit, then on its back cut a straight line along the back bone untill you get to the back of the skull. leave some neck meat on so your taxidermist can measure the neck for your form. You can cut the quarters in 4 strikes and remove all the meat off and leave the bones, stick a rock in its mouth to open it so that way the taxidermist can cut along the lips. He'll love you for it. I quarter it, debone it take the back straps and tenderloins and kick the cage. Point the rump down hill and remember to tie off both back legs to two trees, and spread him wide. If you need more help feel free to call on me. Good luck
Brett

Waterproof

I don't gut an elk if I can help it. I skin it and bone it out on the spot and pack it out boned out. I can walk you through real easy how to do that with an elk if you would like.

Lay Elk on side and cut the hide from the meat out straight up the backbone from the anus to however far up the neck you want the meat. Then cut across the neck towards the brisket down the brisket, across the stomach towards the anus in a straight line. Once you get the hide all cut in half then make a down the back of the rear leg to the knee, cut around the knee. Cut from the spine across the front shoulder down to the front knee and around the front knee. Then skin the hide off the elk leaving it laying on its side, lay the hide out like a blanket, skinside up, hair to groundand start the deboning process. From the rear leg I just cut between the muscle groups to the bone and then roll the whole leg meat off the femur like a giant roast. Lay meat on hide and then do the same with the front leg. Then remove front leg bone by cutting away shoulder blade. Cut off backstrap and any additional cuts of meat you may want from the ribs. Make a small incision near the backbone between the last rib and the back hip to get to tenderloin inside the rib cage if you want that. Roll animal over repeat skinning process and deboning process on that side. When you are done meat is all laid out so it can cool evenly, and you can load up packs as necessary to remove meat.

BrutalAttack

See where I hunt by the time I get to the animal and get it gutted and skinned, I'd rather not sit around for 3 hours in the darkcutting steaks off and throwing them in the bag. I like to cut it into four pieces and get out so I can hang it in my friends walk in cooler. Not stick around so it can get hotter, dirtier, darker etc.

There is a time and place to bone out I just don't think it's for everyone all the time.

To each his own though.

Waterproof

The thing about what I am saying Brutal is that I can have half of the elk already boned by the time you are done guttingand skinning it and the other half done shortly after you would be done getting it all cut up.

I am not saying that any one way is better then another. I just don't see the point of gutting an animal to turn around and cut it up when you could just cut it up without gutting it.