pack in distance

A

ADM

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I am going to join the masses next year and attempt my first backcountry elk hunt. I will most likely be alone. my younger sister might tag along, she is into tbackpacking but not into hunting.
So my question is
How far do you guys pack in away from you're vehicles for a week long trip?
I will not have access to horses.
 
ELK MEAT IS HEAVIER THAN GOLD, FOR ME....NO MORE THAN 3-4 MILES. BUT AT THIS STAGE OF THE GAME I LINE HORSES UP.......YD.
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-31-11 AT 12:15PM (MST)[p]Yep, It's not the packing in that's the problem. It's the packing out that will kill you. If you don't have horses, depending on the terrain you plan on hiking in to, I strongly suggest you invest or build a one wheeled deer cart. I referenced how I built one on the "Hunting Gear Forum" site further down. If there is a half way decent trail, it makes packing out almost easy.
 
BUCKLOVER.......YEARS AGO I BOUGHT A "PAC ORSE" ONE WHEEL CART WITH DUAL BREAKS, IT IS THE HOT TICKET FOR MEAT & GEAR. STILL USE IT A BIT. EVER HEAR OF THE PRODUCT???? A LIKE PRODUCT MUST BE YOUR INVENTION......HEY ??? HAPPY NEW YEAR.........YD.
 
The bull elk I killed opening morning here in Utah was 2.2 miles from the trailhead and I had it all out by 8 in the evening.
Well I would like to hunt in a wilderness area in Colorado so a cart is out of the picture. Horses would be nice, just out of my budget. It will be hard enough to pay for the out of state tag. I am not not worried about the packing out as crazy as that sounds. I just want to be at a reasonable distance so I don't ruin any of the meat.
Thank you for the replies.
 
If it is during rifle season, wouldn't worry too much as long as there isn't deep snow. When we shoot elk during first season camp is about 9500', we leave it hanging at camp in the shade for up to 4 days. Don't matter if it is hanging at camp or 4 miles in 4 days at a time. Just make sure it is on a north/northeast facin slope, preferrably in some dark timber.

Archery season it will not be as cool and you generally don't have as long. The longest we have had ours hang was 3 days before it was in the freezer.
Just get it off the the elk quickly and in the shade, that is the important part.

I have hunted 6+ miles on my own back in elk hunting and on a future hunt (if I draw) I will likely be in 10+ miles on my own.
Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"
 
I have never heard of a "PAC ORSE". I just knew I was in need of one. I saw a few different homemade varieties growing up. I had a student that needed a project and I needed a cart, so I drew mine up and we built it. It has saved me tons of work. People just don't understand how easy it is to haul a bunch of weight when you don't have to pick it up. I'm in the process of getting some pictures taken and posted. I'll try not to drag my feet. HAPPY NEW YEAR'S to you, too. Thanks for the reply.
 
Some of us just wasn't born with STUD jeans, and the jeans we have are getting old and worn out. So, anything that makes a job easier will keep us going just a little bit longer. :)
 
BUCKLOVER.......YEARS AGO I BOUGHT A "PAC ORSE" ONE WHEEL CART WITH DUAL BREAKS, IT IS THE HOT TICKET FOR MEAT & GEAR. STILL USE IT A BIT. EVER HEAR OF THE PRODUCT????

Yukon, I do remember that cart and would be nice to have one like it now.....think they have been out of business for some time.

Brian
http://i25.tinypic.com/fxbjgy.jpg[/IMG]
 
How far you should/could go in depends on the weather, if you have access to stock, and your physical ability.

If the weather is warm, say getting up to seventy or eighty during the day, you don't have very long to get your meat out. So, with warm weather but no stock, I do not go more than 2 to 3 miles in. Even at this, you are looking at at least twenty miles worth of walking and half of those miles with around eighty or more pounds on your back (assuming it is not boned out).

If the weather is cold, and you are physically fit, then you can go a lot deeper in. You can take a few days to get your meat out and not be worried. Of course, if you go way in, you are going to need stock regardless of the weather.

I am by no means the most knowledgable or experienced with this type of thing, but I have packed a few elk out and the paramters above are what I adhere to.

Excavator
 
well the place i have picked out is 7 miles in to a ridge that seperates 2 basins. The trail follows a creek for 3/4 of the way, so i would think that there would be plenty of places to keep the meat cool. I plan on hunting the week before the muzzle loader season starts, so the weather could go either way. Wouldnt maintaining and keeping track of horses by yourself be kind of difficult? Granted I know nothing about horses. What is the average cost for these types of services?
From everybodys responses seems like i am being a little over ambitious. But thanks again for all the replys.
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-01-12 AT 06:52AM (MST)[p]
ADM---There is no guessing allowed in what you are talking about. 7 miles one way is quite a distance for a solo elk hunt unless the weather is cool enough to keep that meat because you would only be able to make one trip out and back to camp per day. That would probably mean 3-4 days getting all the meat and your equipment back to a trailhead. One properly broken in horse is probably the minimum that you need to be thinking about to do that hunt. You have plenty of time to find a place that has one and to learn how to either highline or hobble him so he's there when you need him. I've done two DIY horseback hunts and they can be a PITA if you have never been around them to know what all it involves. Good luck, but please be on the conservative side of this issue so you don't run into big trouble. If you've never attempted to backpack an elk out of the back country, it is a lot of work, but rewarding if you can accomplish it.
 
If you are planning on keeping the meat cool in the creek-not a good idea.From what I understand,immersing your big game in water can cause bacterial problems in the meat.
 
ADM.... We need a pic of your sister to properly determine how much weight she can carry.... which will also determine how far you can go into the back country.
 
Don't let the armchair experts on MM dissuade you from your plan. Most wouldn't consider a 2 mile pack, so a 7 mile trip "CAN'T" be done!

You seem to understand the amount of work required. And make no mistake, packing an elk out 7 miles one way is a lot of work. It is entirely doable, however, even in warm weather. The furthest I have packed an elk by myself as 8 miles. I routinely do 5 miles. Get the meat off the carcass and hung in a cool location - shade, creek bottom, wherever. Expect to pack for two solid days. Depending on terrain, you might even spend the first day just ferrying meat to the horse trail you mentioned. Plodding down a trail, even after dark is a lot different than going cross country.

You will be alone in the area unless lots of horse hunters are nearby. Very few people camp even 2 miles off the road when solo backpack elk hunting. I prefer to stay in the 4-5 mile range to make the pack a bit easier, but if I had a honey hole 7 miles in it wouldn't stop me. For me, my absolute "won't do it" limit is 10 miles. At this distance you are talking 3 plus days to get an elk and your camp out to the road alone, and the fun quota really starts to disappear.
Bill
 
Let some logic guide you. A 3.5 year old 5pt bull will yield ~180lbs of boned meat, a spike bull bull probably 15% less and a old moster probably up to 25% more. I weigh every one I have killed. Know how to bone proberly and cleanly!

Given that and your camp, I would limit myself to what I could get out within 48 hours max from a cool shady hiding spot for early archery. For a late hunt, like my Nov hunts most can be done over 4 or 5 days, but weather can limit travel.

You know your abilities better than most. Of course a few miles, up or down hill will get you away from a LOT of people.

Myself, at 44 and not a marathoner, I own horses, but only because my wife loves them and takes care of them. Otherwise I would shoot a lot less elk. Check into options for day rental for pack out of downed game or someone who you can pay $250 to do it for you. That will be the best money spent if you get a bruiser down when it is hot!
 
7 miles is a long, long, long way on foot. I have done a lot of wilderness hunting and can tell you that without stock I would limit yourself to 3-4 miles on foot for an elk hunt. Looking on a map makes the trip seem a lot easier than actually putting on those miles. We have stock and after ACTUALLY putting on 10 miles I was shocked at how far it was.
 
ADM-If I go in more than three miles in warm weather conditions, I will have a packer lined up that I can call as soon as I kill my bull (depending on where you are, you might need a sat. phone) This option is much cheaper and easier than owning your own stock unless you own your stock for additional reasons beyond packing your game animals out. Approximate cost for this is $500.

Regarding what llamapacker had to say; he must be in seriously good shape. Unless you have really tranied your body, your feet can start to fall apart on you when you start walking twenty plus miles a day. Also, your back, shoulders, etc..can start to go when you begin putting on many miles a day with a lot of weight on your back. These things are definitely doable, but your age and physical condition will be large factors in determining how much you should try and take on.

Excavator
 
I don't see the need in CO anyhow, to pack that far in. Even in a wilderness area. It seems most of the game gets pushed outside of the deeper areas by horse hunters and they will be in the 2 to 5 miles areas AWAY from the major trails. Normally thick and steep. I usually try to 1/4 the animal and debone the next day once the meat has properly cooled. Like said previously, get the meat to a shaded area and you can have several days to get the meat out. About 5 miles is my limit and I have sometimes hired outfitters to pack the elk, because I was so tired from hiking/hunting for 12 hours a day. I am pretty dumb sometimes and have shot elk down in canyons where it must be packed upslope, because of private land issues.
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-01-12 AT 01:11PM (MST)[p]So it seems like around 4 miles is everybodys limit on foot. So if my camp is 4 miles in, how far do you hike out of camp each day? Also where would somebody start to look for someone to pay to pack out you're game?
What if I packed everything half way to the trailhead, then the rest of the way the next day? 3.5 miles x would you say 5 trips to get everything, for two days. Is that still pushing it you think?
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-01-12 AT 01:59PM (MST)[p]Remember that if you shoot a decent bull that you will probably want a shoulder mount, which means one trip alone just to carry the head/cape out. That is a tremendous amount of weight right there and it is awkward when the ground you're on is typical elk country. The mature bull my friend took at daylight in 2010 was a good example in that he took the head/cape out and I took the backstraps and tenderloins out the first trip of about 2 miles. It was rainy and absolutely miserable so the weight John carried was tremendous with that cape being so wet. We got back for the second trip the middle of the afternoon and he took one hindquarter, while I took out all the trimmed burger meat on that trip. By the time we got to the truck with that second load it was almost dark and we decided to go back to camp to get dry, a good meal in us and a good nights sleep/rest. The next morning we were back at the kill site a little after daylight and John took the other hindquarter, while I carried out the boned out front quarters. If we had boned everything out and I wasn't 64 with minor back problems, we might have been able to make it in two trips. However, with the weather being miserable, and with John being exhausted after the first trip out, we decided to go the route I mentioned. The temperature will be the determining factor on your adventure. Plan for warm temperatures and hope that it's cold and that you can take your time and make numerous trips with less weight so you don't kill yourself. Obviously, you should start on a good exercise program right now and build up to at least as much weight as you will be carrying on the trip. Do that on steep inclines as much as possible because going uphill with that weight and at elevations out there will be much different than doing it on the level at low elevations.
Just use good common sense, which you've already demonstrated by asking here on this thread!
 
Just make sure you have a solid plan lined up if going in that far. Should the weather be warm (usually typical in CO during the achery hunt), I would not want to let the meat hang long at all . . .

I've had good luck hunting the "perifery" of wilderness areas, letting the guys with horses and such pack in several miles, while hunting overlooked areas closer to the road. This amounts to 1-3 miles from the road, and in one case a few years ago took an elk .5 miles from the truck in a heavily hunted wilderness area.
 
You might try some less coventional means, such as these. I rent mine for $150/animal/season. Check around your area for what they charge there. You'll need 2 and have to carry your camp on the way out. ( I agree on the pic of your sister! just for research of course)
IMG_4268.jpg


IMG_4259.jpg


Maintenance is easy, bucket of water and a tie -out rope.
IMG_3744.jpg
 
I've packed in 3-5 miles and hunted further back in from there. I won't do this by myself for elk, I would want someone else who could pack a load out with me. Or, have someone ready to come help pack out ASAP depending on weather.

I would like to try the llama pack string some day, I think that would be an excellant way to go.

Smokepole
 
We use llamas. Can get an elk out in one trip on 4 of them. Easy to work with and if they're worked all summer, they really don't get tired. They can go just about any where you can minus downfall and scree/boulder fields. We hunt 9 miles into the wilderness. Good luck


The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!
 

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