Leave an elk out overnight?

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For me,I have learned to use extreme care and caution when shooting elk close to dark. The shot has to be as close to a "slam dunk, gimme" as is possible. And I must be in the right state of mind, totally confident.  The shot just needs to "flow"; it's not the time to push it.

Leaving an elk overnight is simply no longer acceptable for me. Now, with so many coyotes, bears and cats the odds are not in your favor for a good outcome. While some may say the meat is still good...that has not passed my taste test.

I would not shoot a beef cow at sunset, let it lie in the field overnight and start with the clean-up details in the morning. Would you?

I know how hard we work to get a shot at an elk. Perhaps its the only one of the season and that is so very, very tough to pass up.

Look, your mileage may vary. What works or does not work for me may very well be different for you. I mean no disrespect to any one. I have just learned the hard way it's not for me.

Respectfully,
Bob

--------------------
Beware of all enterprises that require a new suit.

Don't give up what you want most for what you want now.

[Glunt]

Good post.

Not ideal, but we have left several field dressed overnight in early season with no meat issues except critters.  We always get air circulation under them.  Usually, just packing them out at night is the plan, but nasty terrain, weather, or some other issue sometimes makes that the wrong choice.   None of that helps with bears, coyotes, or the situation of a poor hit that you can't recover that evening.

The clock is ticking even when everything goes right on recovering an elk.  Even if starting a few minutes after the shot, its a long task 90% of the time.

I'm not a great elk hunter, and giving up evening hunts would really stack the odds against me. but recovery has to be considered all the time.

[skilonbw]

A friend of mine who shot one right at dusk a couple of years ago. With the whole herd milling about and not wanting to bother them in case they might come lower to me so he snuck out the valley a different way, we met up and agreed to go in the morning. I think we got lucky in that while the area is known for bears none went in there and got at the cow. So in the morning we gut up there and found here and took her out. She still tasted fine since we found her so early in the morning and got her field dressed then.

[Hummer3T]

My dad shot one several years ago, We could not find and left over night and it turned out to be the best elk we have ever ate.  I skinned and deboned without opening him up though, the leg underneath was starting to go a little and part of it had to be left.

I don't like shooting anything in the evening or at dusk.

[sagebrush]

I won't leave one either. I pull out the knife and start deboning. I just use a good headlamp and keep going until done. This year was especially warm. But I m-m-m-m-m-missed. Gary

[wingnut]

The evening has always been the most productive for me.  But I don't leave them out over night.  If I have one down, we work all night if we have to and recover and process the animal.  Hang it up too cool and get some sleep.  Sometimes if the weather is pleasent we sleep right there.

We shot two cows right at sundown one year and finished processing and got out with the first load as the sun started to peak over the horizon.


Mike

[Grizzbear]

Shot one in Idaho in the eve . Quartered it up hauled a load back to camp. got back about 4am and had. elk steak for breakfast. went right back for the rest . rangers stopped us at the trailhead to warn us about a controlled burn and told us there's grizz  around the area and that a guy got ate on fFriday just across the valley on the next big ridge. went in and somethin had drug the quarters off 30 yards but no damage. Everything was excelent ..

[TURKEYFOOTGIRL]

I agree its not preferable but it can certainly happen.  Its much better to leave an elk overnight than bump it after it has clotted up and never recover it at all.  Once an animal gets its adrenaline going it can go a long way dead on its feet without leaving blood.  
 And no matter how much of a slam dunk the shot is you can never be sure. I have seen lots of people screw up slam dunk shots.
   Every shot must be carefully assessed morning or night before deciding how and when to trail.

[Bill Kissner]

I will not leave one out overnight without locating it and field dressing. I will also partially skin out the neck as it has the heavy mane and will be the first to spoil if it is very warm. We have left several out after doing this. We always leave a smelly hunting undershirt or jacket hanging close. This will most usually keep coyotes away but bears pay no attention to it. So far only one bear has bothered one but it did quite a bit of damage.

[oxnam]

They have to be dressed out as soon as possible.  More guys lose meat to bone sour than they ever do to predators.  Animals need time to die, but after dead, they can't wait too long especially in the higher temps before getting dressed on off the ground.

[BrownA5]

This has been good input.

[David Mitchell]

My buddy shot one at dusk, decided to leave it overnight as he had with deer a few times--found it next AM at first light--meat had soured already.  The backstraps were still hot!  The temps that night were in the mid-30s.

[oxnam]

Originally posted by David Mitchell:
My buddy shot one at dusk, decided to leave it overnight as he had with deer a few times--found it next AM at first light--meat had soured already.  The backstraps were still hot!  The temps that night were in the mid-30s.

Exactly    
Elk are big animals that won't cool enough, if left overnight, before you start to lose meat.  They have to be gutted and off the ground.  Don't overlook the off the ground part, it is very important.  Guys can even lose meat in a cooler with ice because the meat mass is too large for the amount of air circulation to cool it down.

[Tracks]

Originally posted by oxnam:
They have to be dressed out as soon as possible.  More guys lose meat to bone sour than they ever do to predators.  

Agreed!
Even on a cold November night, that meat will start to sour overnight if you don't field dress and elevate.  From my (albeit limited) experience, deer fare a night out much better than an elk.
One has to be really careful during the September archery season. When I lived in MT, I spent many days antelope hunting because I won't elk hunt solo in the backcountry when its 70 degrees out.

I like hunting far from the road and, on two occasions (both cold nights), I have left elk carcasses overnight after field-dressing, spliting the pelvis, elevating the hindquarters, and hiking out a front quarter. Both times, I returned ASAP the next morning, boned the meat, and the meat fared great... better (I hypothesize) than if I had immediately boned it out without letting it rigor on the bone.

Of course, you have to play the hand you are dealt, and of course, S#&t happens, and of course, everything is black and white on the Internet and gray in the field... But just like I won't take a long shot, or an unethical angle, I won't shoot an elk if I have doubts about my ability to care for the meat. They are too noble of an animal to disrespect and too tasty to waste for horns on the wall.

[Pete McMiller]

Never leave an Elk overnight if you can help it.  At the very least it needs to be skinned, quartered and hung.  It really doesn't take that long.  A buddy and I did just that to a bull I shot maybe ten years ago and it took us 45 minutes to get the unboned quarters hung.  Animals will generally go for the carcass first and leave the hung meat alone.  I take two head lamps with me, extra batteries and enough knife power to do the job myself.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Originally posted by oxnam:
 

Originally posted by David Mitchell:
My buddy shot one at dusk, decided to leave it overnight as he had with deer a few times--found it next AM at first light--meat had soured already.  The backstraps were still hot!  The temps that night were in the mid-30s.

Exactly        
Elk are big animals that won't cool enough, if left overnight, before you start to lose meat.  They have to be gutted and off the ground.  Don't overlook the off the ground part, it is very important.  Guys can even lose meat in a cooler with ice because the meat mass is too large for the amount of air circulation to cool it down. [/b]

Originally posted by wingnut:
The evening has always been the most productive for me.  But I don't leave them out over night.  If I have one down, we work all night if we have to and recover and process the animal.  Hang it up too cool and get some sleep.  Sometimes if the weather is pleasent we sleep right there.

We shot two cows right at sundown one year and finished processing and got out with the first load as the sun started to peak over the horizon.


Mike

I'm with these guys completely. Bone sour ruins more meat than predators by a long shot. I'll bet I've spent a dozen nights or more out there in the woods hanging meat in trees and eating fresh liver over an open fire at 2 am.

I'm a firm believer in keeping elk quarter bags right in the bottom of my day pack all the time.
if I'm back in to far to get back to camp and come back with the portable winch. I just plan on spending the night out there and get the hide off them ASAP..... The up side to field dressing at night is there are a lot less bees and flies to bother you.

i watched that "Gut-less" field dressing video the other day where the guy left the hide on the quarters to keep the meat clean while packing it out. my first thought was, "Hey! That's pretty slick!"

My second thought was bone sour and leaving the heart and liver behind......I couldn't do that myself.

another one we've done in very warm weather was rolling the elk into a creek after field dressing, and washing out the rib cage. I left one right in the creek for a couple hours and went for help a few years ago and had a bonus harvest when we got back.