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Can You Skin Griz Pilgrim?

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Can You Skin Griz Pilgrim?

Postby Swede » 10 10, 2017 •  [Post 1]

That was the question the old timer asked Jeremiah Johnson. He may have had his doubts about the newcomer to the lonesome life of a hunter/trapper. My question here is; can you do a respectable job of butchering an elk in the field, regardless of where it is piled up? Can you do it alone, keeping the meat reasonably clean? Will you get all of it?
Those may seem to be condescending questions or even nonsense, but I have seen good animals left in the forest and many let spoil in camp, or at home. Every year the garbage dumps still are the final resting place for many good game animals. I have seen many critters that were carried for hundreds of miles in the back of a pickup truck with the hide on, when the temperatures are in the 70s or more. The quality of your meat is directly related to how you take care of your animal. Don't like gamey meat? Well butcher it right away and don't let it get contaminated with urine, feces, pile, stomach fluids, etc. Good tasting meat is taken care of, and cooled right away.
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Re: Can You Skin Griz Pilgrim?

Postby Indian Summer » 10 10, 2017 •  [Post 2]

I can skin a bull I can run a trot line, cause a country boy can survive. Quick too, on a hillside in the dark...alone. But it wasn't always that way. In the beginning it would take 2 of us 2 hours to "gut an elk" and quarter it out. The big step in the right direction was going gutless. And then it's just a matter of experience. Learning through repetition. As with any skill the saying goes first you get good then you get fast. These days I consider myself a surgeon. Not only can I get the job done quickly but also with minimal mess or loss of meat.

One time in Wyoming I was accompanying a friend who was guiding two hunters. It was the last night of their hunt and on the way back to the horses with very little light left one guy shot a cow. I said to my bud Will... let's do this in record time man! Two experienced guides, flat ground, and dwindling light. I kid you not we had that elk in bags in 23 minutes! The hunters timed us. They were amazed. Quite frankly so were we. :lol:
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Re: Can You Skin Griz Pilgrim?

Postby saddlesore » 10 10, 2017 •  [Post 3]

Once I get an animal down,it changes from a hunting trip a butchering trip. I treat it the same as a beef, pig, etc. I can do it all myself except now days,the hanging, I need some help with that or I need to cut it into smaller pieces, When I get it home,there is very little hair or such on it. I hang it, hose off what ever blood I can , trim fat etc and go to butchering it.

Here is typical butchering scene of a bull I took a few years back. Most of them are not in that much of an opening, making it a little more difficult.

201 bull.jpg
201 bull.jpg (441.37 KiB) Viewed 6324 times
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Re: Can You Skin Griz Pilgrim?

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 10 10, 2017 •  [Post 4]

Holy heck Saddlesore, that's a darn meat processing plant size area there ;). For those of you who don't carry a piece of lightweight plastic to put your chunks of meat on, save this picture and lock the image down in your memory banks. Its sure a nice pert to have that piece of "clean ground" to put your meat on as you process it. I betcha that big hind quarter hanging from that Aspen is getting ready to be boned out (solid game plan is to hang your quarters from a tree with a piece of para cord and bone em out while they hang if you have a tree large enough to hold the weight). Now I'm getting hungry :D
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Re: Can You Skin Griz Pilgrim?

Postby Roosiebull » 10 11, 2017 •  [Post 5]

usually do it solo, take as much as i can, try to get rid of as much blood and fat as i can in the woods, and keep them pretty clean. i had one really tough one, my bull jumped off of a bank (or fell) and sunk to his chest in swamp mud, couldn't budge him, and had to cut him as he lay.
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Re: Can You Skin Griz Pilgrim?

Postby BrentLaBere » 10 11, 2017 •  [Post 6]

Ive cut up one elk by myself and that was tough. Everything turned out great as far as hair and dirt go, clean quarters. I was pretty tired after it was all over. I havent laid meat out in the field without the quarters being in game bags. But I can see the plastic being a great option. As long as flies and wasps arent an issue. Will I get all of it? All legal meat for sure. And I have been getting a lot better about taking extra scraps. Adds quite a bit more meat and I love having the extra burger. Wasnt something I was taught and wasnt really aware of. Over the years I wouldn't say ive gotten faster at doing the job, just more meticulous.
Cooling the meat is a big concern. Always having a plan in place for when you might be successful. Be prepared
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Re: Can You Skin Griz Pilgrim?

Postby Indian Summer » 10 11, 2017 •  [Post 7]

If you don't carry plastic fresh pine boughs will keep meat up off of the ground too
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Re: Can You Skin Griz Pilgrim?

Postby saddlesore » 10 11, 2017 •  [Post 8]

Those 10 x 10 plastic drop cloths are big enough so you can lay the meat on them and yet have enough to fold over to keep the flies and yellow jackets off if you don'y carry chili powder. I have used pine bows, rocks,logs tree limbs ,just about everything in a pinch.The plastic works best and it is in a very small bag to pack.
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Re: Can You Skin Griz Pilgrim?

Postby Swede » 10 11, 2017 •  [Post 9]

Roosie, I had an elk go down in the mud of a wallow years ago. Oly and a friend helped me get it out. It was one of three elk I have shot that I could drive up close to. They just put a rope on the critter and we pulled it out to dry ground. In the end it was an easy field butcher job. One elk, three guys on open flat ground. It was simple. Gut, load, and go. That happened the day after I had taken a nasty fall out on my tree stand.
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Re: Can You Skin Griz Pilgrim?

Postby Washington Wapiti » 10 11, 2017 •  [Post 10]

Definitely. But I'm no Fred Eichler. This year, I shot for taking the first front quarter off in 17 seconds like he does in one of his vids . . . it was more like 17 minutes. :lol: Admittedly, with an arthritic right hand (triggered by breaking down my first elk with an ever-dulling blade in 2013 btw, keep those knives sharp), and a messed up back that results in nerve pain in my left leg . . . I'm slow. I get gassed fairly quick from the crouching/bending/pulling/twisting. So I have to be methodical and strategic. I can't put on the miles I could just 4 short years ago. I know my limitations, so I camp and hunt within a 2.5 to 3 mile area from my vehicle. If I get something down, I'm able to break it down, and cart the quarters and loose meat back to camp in multiple short trips. I have to stop somewhat often, sit and let the leg pain subside, and then continue . Depending on time of day, skin the quarters back at camp and hang all the meat overnight or skin quarters and throw it all into the two 120 quart coolers we bring in, and wheel it out. From there, I'll either take it to my brother's house - which is about 45 minutes away - and put it in his chest freezer. Or if its early enough, grab ice from the local QuikyMart, get it in the coolers and take it all home which is a couple of hours away and put it in my freezer. Usually my bro is with me part of the time, or is able to hike in and assist with the pack-out if he's had to leave. Other years, like this one, I get lucky and get assistance from others that I've met in the field. I'm fanatical about the meat, as this is the most important aspect to me. I usually get most of it, minus the rib meat and maybe a small portion of the neck. This year with 3 of us, we got every last scrap, between the ribs and all. 7 game bags total, plus the head. I've hauled 3 bulls out in this fashion and the meat is perfect every time.
The only time I've hugged a tree is to hang a stand.
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Re: Can You Skin Griz Pilgrim?

Postby Elkhunttoo » 10 11, 2017 •  [Post 11]

Just as fast as you can bring them to me! 8-)
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Re: Can You Skin Griz Pilgrim?

Postby Tigger » 10 13, 2017 •  [Post 12]

I am okay. Do a decent job. Many are much faster that is for sure. I will say that the speed goes up and quality suffers a little when at the end of a blood trail, in a ravine as it is getting dark in grizzly country!
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Re: Can You Skin Griz Pilgrim?

Postby ElkNut1 » 10 13, 2017 •  [Post 13]

Yep, done them alone but like it much more when it's my son & I. Goes much quicker! (grin) We average 45 minutes from start to finish, practice makes perfect! (grin)

Joe, that's a super fast time! If we tried that we'd most likely be minus a few fingers! (grin)

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Re: Can You Skin Griz Pilgrim?

Postby Swede » 10 13, 2017 •  [Post 14]

I usually like to have help butchering, but can get it done by myself. I say usually, as I had help one time that did not want to bother to get all of the meat. It takes me two full hours to butcher. I may be slower than average, but I am fussy about doing a good job. I want all of the meat, except I left the meat from between the ribs this year.
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Re: Can You Skin Griz Pilgrim?

Postby Lefty » 10 13, 2017 •  [Post 15]

Ive had small bucks in the snow boned out in 45 minutes.
packed size cuts on antelope in the field in an hour
4 hours to quarter and move a bull moose alone , mostly in the dark.

And 4 hours to quarter and bag a bull moose with my daughters help.

Maybe tomarrow Ill have another chance to butcher in the field!!!
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Re: Can You Skin Griz Pilgrim?

Postby Kentrek » 10 14, 2017 •  [Post 16]

I prefer to take my time....never happy when I rush things and this year was no exception....over looong my work back at the cooler I wonder what the heck I was doing but that's easy to do once your out of the storm and in the day light...seems like there's alot of things that contribute to quality of meat care
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