Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Bjorn on March 20, 2012, 12:01:00 PM
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Adam and I do the gutless method; we skin and quarter, remove the tenderloins, heart and backstraps leaving very little actual meat on the carcass.
Either way you need really good, sharp knives to help you along the way
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/068.jpg)
Michael Bankston, 75diagg, makes some wonderful blades that work as good as they look.
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I have never elk hunted, but that's how I do my deer. Deboned in the field and all meat and, hopefully, antlers carried out in a backpack.
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If I am packing it out it gets boned on the spot. Agreed on the sharp knife and I would add edge retention and stability to that requirement as well.
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bone it all out. Why carry all that extra weight ?
ChuckC
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I also use the gutless boning method. I packed out 230# of elk meat last Fall. I used to pack out elk quarters one at a time but got smarter as I got older.
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Gutless for my boys and I....we even go gutless on our deer anymore. It saves bunches of work for us.
Good blades and a good sharpening kit as well, I'd reccommend. Thats a good looking knife there, Bjorn.
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(http://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc516/75diagg/044.jpg)
This is Bjorns blade......bad pic taken with flashlight and nikon.....For a fundraiser I think?
Same knife differant sheath..
I have a great method for meat gettin...PUT IT ON A PLATE!!!!!!!!!!!
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Thanks for the much better pic Michael.
This is going to be my donation to the St. Jude's auction right here on Trad Gang!
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I start with the hide, and use it for a tarp to lay everything out on. Then remove the legs, loins, etc.
I de-bone what I can in the field but some time do after. We have CWD here so I try not to cut into bone, or spinal/major nerves systems.
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Gutless only here as well. Lots easier to pack stuff out than drag. At least out here in the west.
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Gutless here. I have never shot an elk anywhere close to where I could just gut and load an animal that large. See it all the time here in WY., pickup going down the road with whole animal in back of it. I also use the method with deer and antelope.
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Gutlass. Usually bone out the quarters before packing.
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I like to shoot them above a road. Then roll the entire animal down to the road and load them up whole. It always impresses every one to have a bull elk in the back of your pickup. Its surprising that more hunters do not kill elk close to roads or hunt close to roads. I killed a really nice six point bull withing 400 yards of I 5 and took him out whole. Rolled him to an old log road and then got the 4 wheeler in and loaded him whole on the 4 wheeler and very slowly drove him out. the tires were like 1/2 in thick with the bull loated on it. I walked by the Foreman and had to be really careful to not run over my own feet.
But truth is, here in S Oregon there are really few places where a road is not real close. When in one of those areas I pack quarters.
God bless you all, Steve
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Gutless??
You mean you leave the guts in the game?
...I couldn't do it. Those inner tenders are way too good...
You guys know a trick to getting them by going thru the back?
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Zradix
Poke in through the last rib and you can easily get out the inners. Cut through gently and massage those goodies out of there with your knife. Easy Cheesy!
Gutless is the only way to go...
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Hess is my hero today!
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Gutless is the way I go as well.
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Yup, the tenderloins are super easy to remove whole using the gutless method.
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gutless this year for my elk and the whole process took less than a hour. I'm thinking that it is the way to go...
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Ive been on the fence about it. Ive watched some videos, but never tried it. Maybe I will give it a go this year..if the Elk cooperate
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Don't mean to hijack the thread but what do you do for "proof of sex" (where required) with the gutless method?
Thanks!
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good question
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Originally posted by fnshtr: Don't mean to hijack the thread but what do you do for "proof of sex" (where required) with the gutless method? Thanks!
yeah evidence of sex naturally attached???
good question
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Where required leave them attached to one hindquarter just like the regs ask you to. Check your local requirements, they will vary from state to state as to sex requirements and how much meat is allowed on the carcass.
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I gotta kill one first, but I'm definitely going gut-less for elk.
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Gutless is the best and only way to do it for me and mine now.
I grew up cutting elk in half just behind the ribs then split the back bone to accomodate the saddle horn through the hide. It was usually 1/2 elk per horse with leds cut off at the knees ass tie downs. With deer we made a notch between ribs and slid it over the saddle horn and tied the head back to prevent horning, cutting and using the legs in the same fashion.
Now it is so much easier to leave the non edibles on the mountain.
We've found that by cutting the last 3 ribs at the spine with the same snips we use for trimming shooting lanes we can have FULL ACCESS to the inside tenders.
I use 3 knives to do it all. An old schrade to skin, and two fillet knives.
It is all good stuff right there!!!
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Always gutted but after reading the post will try gutless. Sounds like it will save alot of time and wear and tear on my 63 year old back. Also my sons back :bigsmyl:
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No experience with elk, but with moose we skin one side, take the quarters off, then backstraps, ribs, tenderloins and neck meat. Then turn it over and repeat laying all the meat on a clean tarp.
Never boned out a moose in the field since we were never too terribly far from transport (boat, atv, or truck).
We leave evidence of sex attached to one of the hindquarters.
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Originally posted by Ringneck:
If I am packing it out it gets boned on the spot. Agreed on the sharp knife and I would add edge retention and stability to that requirement as well.
I like the way you think... Especially after a trip to your website.
Which model is it in the pic that shows "desert ironwood". Didn't see it in you line up. I like that one a lot.
I'm pretty well sold on D2 after using a Benchmade Snody Activator the last 3 years. I've got the scratch for an Ingram right now, but I'd feel better giving it to a guy who live Traditional.
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If you want to do the gutless method bring along your favourite skinner but also bring along a butchers "boning" knife. It works so much better for getting the meat off the bones. After all if a butcher uses a boning knife all day long instead of a skinning knife there must be a reason for it.
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Depends on how far back in I am. Most elk I get are not close to roads and I do the "gutless" method. If I can take one out whole I will to get a better yield on the meat. You can loose alot more meat than you think by quatering one up. My favorite method is to use a tractor's bucket to load them.
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We always go gutless now. The first three elk our group got back in the 90's were gutted and taken out whole - what a PITA. We wouldn't think of doing that now. We strip the bones pretty well and don't leave much for the critters. Quarters, back straps, tenderloins and neck meat all make it out.
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If you have to carry him then it is the gutless method. The easiest way for us is to cable them out. For that you need to leave the hide on or there won't be much meat left after dragging. The best part is there is always a good story after you drag an Elk for a mile through some rough country.
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When I am buy myself it would be a lot harder to gut. I usally can have an elk ready to go on a horse or in a pack in an hour or less by myself. Working on the half of the animal that is exposed and then flipping it over is much easier.
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I've only hunted elk once and wasn't successful, but I do the gutless method on all deer I shoot. To me, there is not much meat lost.
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In my very limited experience, gutless is the only way to go.
Google "gutless elk" and several videos and webpages will pop up. here's a pretty good one:
http://elk101.com/webisodes/gutless-video/
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Gutless...is the ticket.
The one thing is bring knives, not knife. Elk hair will chew through blade edges like crazy. I have always taken care of downed elk as a team and by the time we are done, most of the knives are close to useless. Of course you could re-edge them in the field, but I prefer to just grab the next knife as the packing out job is in the queue.
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The 3 Elk that I have harvested in New Mexico we were able to get a Pickup close and get my Elk back to a cool building to cut up. Those we gutted. In Utah I was away from all roads so we cut up on site and packed out the meat. On a Yukon Moose Hunt I also cut up on site and packed out the meat.
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Zradix asked how to remove the tenderloins when using the gutless boning method. Personally I skin out one side of the elk, leave the front and rear quarters attached and just start boning meat away from the carcus. I put each piece of boned out meat into a game bag to the side so it stays clean. I can bone out all the meat from the quarters without removing the quarters from the main body (saves time and energy not having to cut thru the joint). After removing the backstrap (42" long backstaps on my bull last fall) I locate the tenderloin and insert one hand under the rear rib and backbone and slide my hand forward about 4" until I can feel where the tenderloin is connected to the underside of the rib cage/backbone. I then carefully insert my other hand with my knife and cut where it connects. Be very careful at this stage to not pierce any of the innards. The connection at the rear of the tenderloin is fully exposed and easy to cut and remove. I then flip the elk over on it's other side and repeat.
It takes me about an hour to gutless bone out an elk by myself and less if I have help from my hunting partner. I usually end up with about 250# of boned-out meat from an average size elk. My buddy got over 400# from his monster bull last fall. I'm glad I didn't have to pack his elk out.
I definately have to sharpen my knife or preferably go to a 2nd back-up knife after the first half of boning out. I agree with lt-m-grow that elk hair is extremely tough and will dull the best steel quickly.
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I carry a skinner, a large bone knife and a fish filleting knife. You can really get close to the bone with the fillet knife.
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If you can see the chrome of the trucks bumper then quarter, if not gutless and bone out is the way to go.
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Gutless...is...good...and if the meat is boned, it will cool quickly....
With pack animals gutting and quartering will get it done.
Have yet to be on a hunt where the gettin' 'em out whole was an option.
Shoot straight, Shinken
:archer2:
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I never field dress deer, hogs or the one elk I killed. Bone them out and pack out. Had horses for the elk and that helped a lot.
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Have any of you gutless fellows ever had a game agent check your carcass after your done? When I went carribou hunting in Alaska I was told to make sure we took all rib meat off because the game agents fly over and if there is any meat left between ribs they will land and write you a game wastage ticket. Now I think you have to pack all bones to camp. I think you could possibly get a wastage ticket going gutless, depending on the mood of the game agent. Gut and pack for me.
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You can always take the rib cage off after you've gotten the rest of the meat. My girls love elk ribs and they are a shame to waste.
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Chef. You are 100% correct. Many times we will use a small fillet knife to bone out between the ribs and roll up the rib meat. When home we will roll it back out put on the favorite seasonings or rubs then roll it back up and tie it up ... presto instant boneles ribs. Mmmmm!
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Gutless here also
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Where I hunt it usually takes a full day [sometimes 2] for me to pack out a boned out elk. It would be twice that if I carried out the bones and hide too.
Its not hard to leave the proof of sex on one hind.
MAP
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Packing out the meat is by far the hardest part of hunting elk. I have to take multiple pack trips with elk meat back to the trail head. I always keep enough extra camping equipment in my SUV at the trailhead in case I'm too whupped to make another trip till the next day. I went to an internal frame component pack system last Fall that I can convert from a full-on freighter pack to a day pack. Perfect for packing out meat. There are several excellent pack systems out there but I settled on the Full Curl pack from Horn Hunters and I couldn't be happier with it. It sure made my pack-outs easier this year.
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definatley gutless out here! That is when we get drawn lol.
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Thanks PowDuck! Cool video, I think the guy doing the cutting needs a KME knife sharpener!
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If i shoot a elk in the morning,I cut down the back and skin out the hind quarter and carry back to camp to get packframe.If i shoot elk in the evening i gut the the elk and skin out hind quarter and carry to camp.Leave your sweaty tshirt hanging over elk.Young guys 4 trips older 5 trips or more, take your time and don't carry too much.Whats the hurry the hunt over.
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Originally posted by snakebit40:
Thanks PowDuck! Cool video, I think the guy doing the cutting needs a KME knife sharpener!
Hahaha. I was thinking the same thing!!
Again, as part of my limited experience, last time we had a horse so quartering with bone in was fine. This year, if we have good luck, we will be the horse so boning will likely be the best option.