Do you field dress or go gutless on Elk?

[fisherick]

If you can see the chrome of the trucks bumper then quarter, if not gutless and bone out is the way to go.

[Shinken]

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

   

[Hoyt]

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.

[flinter]

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.

[calgarychef]

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.

[Firstarrow]

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!

[DGW]

Gutless here also

[Michael Pfander]

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

[LongbowArchitect]

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.

[AZWarts]

definatley gutless out here! That is when we get drawn lol.

[snakebit40]

Thanks PowDuck! Cool video, I think the guy doing the cutting needs a KME knife sharpener!

[3arrows]

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.

[PowDuck]

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.