Toughest Pack Out?

[WapitiTalk1]

Ya, the toughest. Recent or back in the day, what was your gnarliest (so rare we get to use this word in a sentence) pack out on an elk. Ya, dragging an elk out whole would be in the conversation if you were boneheaded enough to try that (I did it “once or twice” with some fellow bone heads). Let’s hear em

[Swede]

I dragged an elk out whole with my dad many years ago. It was a three point bull and the skid was about 100 yards downhill. It was not too bad of a pull and when we got to the road, another hunter came along and helped us load it in the truck. That was actually pretty easy.
The worst elk pack out came from one I killed in the evening. I had it gutted and mostly skinned when I cut off a quarter (that is a real quarter for you that mistakenly think a drum stick is half a chicken) and loaded in on my pack frame. I packed it out to the truck, put my flashlight in the pack and headed back downhill to the elk. I was going to load another quarter and figured I would be back before dark. It seemed pretty simple. The evening was cool and overcast, but there was no rain. When I got back to the kill site I saw that the one shoulder was still not skinned, so I took a few minutes to finish that job.
Before I finished skinning it had got dark on me. No problem, I turned on the flashlight and held it between my teeth as I bound the next hind quarter to the pack frame. Just as I started to get under the pack to lift it, the bulb on the light went out, and it was dark. It was very dark with the clouds and a new moon. I could not see my hand in front of my face.
I sat the pack down and thought about my predicament. What should I do? I decided to try and walk out in the pitch black night. I reasoned it was uphill most of the way. When I got to the top there was a wide flat. I would just walk straight forward until I felt the dirt road under my feet. It was a simple plan and I would come back in the morning and get the remainder of the elk.
As I went by a small pool about 100 yards back toward the truck, I saw a little shimmer of water. I knew exactly where I was at that point. From there it was dark timber and uphill for several hundred yards. At one point I saw a buckskin log from a few feet away. When I got near the top of the slope, I walked into a boulder patch. I knew where that was, so I was still alright, but the worst part was still ahead. That open flat was troubling. I decided to try to force myself to just go straight which I did until I thought I hit the road. I was not sure. What ever I was on was soft, smooth and free of obstacles. I felt hopeful it was the road, but where was the truck? Should I go left or right? I turned right and went about 50 yards when I saw a wood gate handle suspended in the air. The barbed wire that held it up was not visible . I was jubilant. I knew exactly where I was and turned around and started back, veering a little to my left. After walking about 60 feet I saw a little reflection off the pickup. I got the key out of my pocket and into the door lock sort of by the braille system. It was open in short order.
I sat down, gave a sigh of relief and started the engine. Thankful and blessed I just drove home. About the time I go to the house it dawned on me. I had left my bow at the base of a tree right by the road. I did not sleep well that night. By first light I was back on the mountain to retrieve my bow which was thankfully still there. Next came the pack out the remaining 3/4 of the elk. The next quarter that was on the frame was just a regular pack out. No big deal in the daylight. But then I had to try something really stupid. I went back down and looked at the other half elk, That included everything from the fifth rib forward.
I was not sure I could get it off the ground. I got alongside of the pack and tipped it up. Then I slid under part of it and pulled the remainder up on my back. With much difficulty I got up and walked about 100 yards with it to the base of the slope. I found a log to set the pack on and rested with the pack about two feet off the ground. I was able to do that for the remainder of the pack out even though my walk were getting shorter each time and my rests were getting longer. When I arrived at the truck I was absolutely wasted, totally exhausted and very happy.
That describes my worst pack out ever. I learned my lesson that day. I have no idea to this day why I did not at least remove the shoulders from front half of the carcass.

[Elkduds]

Hunting solo in November, central CO. The gear pictured dates it to the early 90s (optics, pants!). This yearling cow showed up on the other side of a 1200' ridge from my truck. This was my 1st elk that was not close to the truck. That grin didn't last very long, when I realized what it was going to take to get her up to the top of the ridge, and down the other side, moderately steep w the same dense aspens. My skill set was mostly from deer hunting, so I gutted, lost the head and left the hide on. Since I could barely roll the carcass, I cut it in half @ the last rib. Then I tied a cotton rope between the front legs, leaving enough length to hold it around my waist and drag it by walking. I made the same drag sling on the rear half. I started w the rear, it was hitting my heels a little, the snow helped going up to the ridge top @ 10.5K. I went back to bring the front up the ridge, and that was a whole 'nother project. The neck grabbed branches and rocks and stopped It did not slide over obstacles, had to be partially lifted over. It either laid on one side or flipped to the other, with a big patch of hide for friction. It took awhile to get them both to the ridgetop and I was gassed, the rope was wearing welts in my gloved hands and my waist. The rest, however, was all downhill.

Only about a mile to go, down through the aspens. It was more of the same with some new twists. The front still was not sliding over logs. The hind kept rolling sideways, trying to beat me down the hill. the hair was worn most of the way off the hide by halfway down. I'd set one down, rest while climbing up 50 or so yards to the other, try to drag it 100 yards, repeat the leapfrog. My hip sockets hurt in a new and interesting way. My fleece pullover was around my waist, and I was sweating like it was September.

I shot @ 8am. I loaded the truck @ 3pm.

elkSmall.png (853.04 KiB) Viewed 4927 times

[Indian Summer]

I don’t wanna talk about it.....

[Lefty]

Ive always had some "easy packs" at least in my mind. Maybe that came from the mindset of packing out trapped beaver when I was younger. An ATV, pickup and snow machine where legal. And the only time I like horses heck even the only time I like some people Even had a fitness trainer help on one. He loved it.

Shot a deer down deep and steep with 8 inches of snow. I completely boned the deer. Packed out what I could that night. The next day we ditched the last part of church and hiked in. there wasnt that much meat to pack out. However the brush and snow in the steep canyon walls made it tough.

My moose was a bit tough. Sort of: I was alone. Gutting quartering and cooling took two hours. Hiking in to retrieve my sled from a snowed in camp took 3 1/2 hours.
2 hours to slide 6 sleds of meat 300 yards down 40 degree slope. Sometimes the sage and quakies stopped the sled. Other times the sled was running me over. Maybe the worst of the whole deal. I was soaked with sweat and some moose body juices. Pulling the sleds out with an ATV, everything froze. I got chilled driving in and waiting to thaw my clothes to get it off. Buy then I was so worn out I couldnt lift some of the meat bags.
Ive had it easy,.. but maybe not as easy next year. I am setting a camp down and in. It will be either 1500 up and a couple mile, or a few miles and 2500 feet down and th down will still include some up

[Lefty]

I don’t wanna talk about it.....

Scared to re-live horror stories?

[WapitiTalk1]

I don’t wanna talk about it.....

Sounds like a dandy .

[ishy]

I've had several solo packs, but the last one was the toughest. 2 miles in, 3 trips, through north Idaho alder thickets, and it was only 17 days after my first full Ironman and hadn't recovered fully yet.

[elkstalker]

How bout the one 1/2 mile up the mountain, 3.5 miles down the trail with 2 bulls? At least I had a friend with me that time. I think the worst experience (not the whole pack), was the time I was spiked in 3 miles, and killed an elk 2 miles further in. I shot it in the afternoon/evening, and by the time i had it gutted and quarters hung in a tree in the shade, it was totally dark. Based on my USGS quad, if I walked down the small drainage i was in, I would hit a pack trail before I hit the main creek bottom/drainage. I had not been this way before. Well, as I hear the creek below I start looking for the trail, is it on the bench above the creek? Didn't find it there, so I begin a steep, nasty, wet (oh yeah it started raining), descent into the bottom where i will hopefully find the pack trail. I slip and slide my way down into this nasty bottom only to discover there is no trail, and it's too thick for me to walk along the creek. So back up to the top, slipping and sliding and grabbing onto whatever bushes and brush I can until I find a deer/elk trail that I walk out towards my camp. The next day I hiked in at first light for the rest of the elk, only to discover the trail was reconstructed on the other side of the drainage, my map was wrong because it was printed at least 15 years ago.

[Elkhunttoo]

I have had my share of pretty bad pack outs... some really nice ones to (love those four legged hay burners)...my worst pack outs that deal with elk are in the spring with elk sheds...absolutely brutal at times

[Indian Summer]

I don’t wanna talk about it.....

Scared to re-live horror stories?

13 miles, 2 days, 2 greenhorns without proper packs. My first bull. Rory you might know where the Ross Creek Cedars are up the Bull River from Noxon. From there all the way to the top of Pillick Ridge and like a dummy who would go to the end of the earth to kill any elk..... down the other side!

[Lefty]

I think Elk stalkers whole situation would really make it tough. rough terrain,. bad map,. not knowing the ground.

But greenhorns and the unprepared make it worse.

My father-in-law had a real horror story: Sheep hunting. Hunting with two experienced hunters. The guys that wanted to continue in when the weather was turning and they didnt have the gear for overnight.
Killed sheep and wanted to pack them out as the weather was turned.
One fellow panicked wanted to shortcut to the truck, and left in a blowing snow. My father in law convinced/forced the one man to stay with him. Following the ridge was the only sure safe way out. They rested in their sheep skins. Two days later within sight of the trucks they met a local packing in looking for them .
The fellow that took off was spotted by an outfitter. The guy walked all night and by chance walked into an outfitters camp, Miles from where he thought he was headed.
They lost their heads, the two guys both left their guns, early on. ( reportedly never found either) the one dumped his pack.
My father in law said it was a tough two nights, but very doable, the 2nd night they had a "big" fire. He knew if the other fellow had lots of light, a job to do, stayed warm he could function. But the two guys lost their minds. He mentioned that was his first fear,.. how irrational they became. His biggest fear he said he was just sure the way it was going he was going to have to tell the other two companions widows.
My FIL never hunted with either again.

Another father in law story I don't think Ive shared on here. He was on Search and rescue. An elderly neighbor fellow hadnt returned from his deer hunt. The old fellow had always shared , he hoped to die by " his tree".
Search and rescue hadnt found the old fellow. ,... My father in law went up dug through the snow, tried to put the fellow in his jeep pickup. . Placed the body in the bed of the truck. The frozen body just slid around, until he found more of Sand R.

[7mmfan]

I posted this on another forum but since then I've remembered a few good ones. The real good ones all happened when I was young and we didn't comprehend quartering and packing, we drug everything. First elk was killed 500 yards from camp. We drug it whole, just a spike. Still took 3 hours with 3 guys. My elk in Idaho last year was 5 miles from the truck. He died in a creek 500 near vertical feet below the trail. Getting the meat to the trail was the hardest part. From there it was pretty flat going to the truck, just long. 2 trips with two guys and 20 some odd miles made for a long day.

The good ones were the first 2 deer I killed in Wyoming as a kid. The first one was my first buck, 30 minutes after daylight on my first day hunting. Killed a 3x4 about 2 miles from the truck across a huge canyon. We had a crew, but it was still a monumental effort dragging him 1000' feet up the side of a canyon to the truck.

The 2nd one was killed 3 canyons from the truck, another nice 3x4. That one was just dad and I and we drug for 3 hours on Wyoming gumbo as the snow from the day before was melting. That was brutal. Glad I was young.

I think the most painful was the buck in my avatar. It was a 5 mile pack with some elevation gain, but there were 3 of us to split that load. Unfortunately I had torqued my knee really bad the day before and it was all coming to a head about the time we finished cutting him up. I couldn't bend my knee, but every time I came down straight legged I got electric shock up into my neck. Thank god my buddy lent me his trekking poles, otherwise I'm not sure I'd have gotten my share of the load out that night. Got to the truck at 11:00, had to chain up all 4 to get off the mountain safely, back to camp at 1:00. Spent the next 4 days in camp nursing my knee. Got frisky on day 5 and did a 2000' gain hike with my Dad. Coming back down empty was all I could do to stay vertical.

[WapitiTalk1]

I don’t wanna talk about it.....

Scared to re-live horror stories?

13 miles, 2 days, 2 greenhorns without proper packs. My first bull. Rory you might know where the Ross Creek Cedars are up the Bull River from Noxon. From there all the way to the top of Pillick Ridge and like a dummy who would go to the end of the earth to kill any elk..... down the other side!

Yes sir, been up "there" before. Used to access the head end from the Spar Lake side. Got hammered by some September snow storms up there before.

[Tigger]

The one in my avatar. Got to the ATVs around 3 am. slippery and steep. seemed like it would never end. So, so tired. It took my feet a month to recover.

[BrentLaBere]

The only pack out that stands out the most to me was last years bull, hunting partners bull, that was down in some heavy dead fall. Just getting it to the ridge, out of the hole, was the hardest part. 1/4 mile or so in dead fall up to your chest, in the dark, with no head lamp, is something I dont care to experience again. We had good intentions of getting the elk out that night when we started. After we made it to the top, we left everything and came back the next day for the rest. Im usually really good about having back up things or checking and making sure things are in order. For whatever reason we were both un prepared for this.

[Swede]

The pack out the last couple of years have been fairly easy. I had some great help, but the trend has been for the mountains to get steeper and the elk heavier. I am not going to venture into some places I would have gone 20 years ago.

[Camelcluch]

The toughest is also the first. My buddy and I were about 3 miles from camp. We took a break and accidentally called in a small bull. Well that bull run and he ran straight up the mountain. After a good blood trail we found him. We got him all cleaned up and neither of us had any type of gear for this. We wrapped the meat and quarters in your shirts and each grabbed a quarter. Three trips at 3 miles,1500 feet in elevation and through a rock slide. It just about killed two young men in good shape. I bought game bags and a pack....