First Time Elk Hunt - What should I know

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Lethbridge, Alberta
So - I've been casually hunting for the last few years; read i've gone out looking to get a deer and have succeeded only a couple of times and have spent most of my time making tag soup and eating game birds.

I, for whatever reason, got drawn in year 3 for an antlerless elk in 108. I wasn't quite prepared for that YET and am unsure of what i've really gotten myself into.

I have a "guide" of sorts and a place to go hunt where actual hunting shouldn't be too much of a problem.

What are some things that I should be prepared for in larger game like this elk? Am I going to need a bit more muscle to help me out or if i quarter it well I should be able to pack it all home myself or on the truck etc?

I have 2 decent knives would it be helpful to have a saw as well?

I'm not too worried about weather as I drew for the early dates in mid october so cold gear isn't too much of a concern.

Any tips, pointers, or gotchas would be nice from those who have been there done that.

TIA

King
 
For antlerless elk, there is a good chance that it will be a size that should be easy to pack out. I always get good game bags if there is a possibility that I am going to have to pack something out of the bush. A saw will definitely be a good idea in order to get through the brisket when gutting too.
 
Long time elk hunter here
you will need a saw a little lim saw with a rounded tip
a 50-100 ft of 1/4 inch or 3/16 rope so you can tie back the legs when working on it .
You will need to saw the pelvic bone open .
if the weather is cold enough leave the hind on when you quarter it . Keeps it cleaner meat .
Its an elk they don't drop like a dear if you have a good size rifle first round break the front shoulder
so it can't run away secound round can be the fatal one ...
this way you also won't get that edrenil running in the meat .
Better to loose a front shoulder than a hole elk .
 
Tikkam65 said:
Long time elk hunter here
you will need a saw a little lim saw with a rounded tip
a 50-100 ft of 1/4 inch or 3/16 rope so you can tie back the legs when working on it .
You will need to saw the pelvic bone open .
if the weather is cold enough leave the hind on when you quarter it . Keeps it cleaner meat .
Its an elk they don't drop like a dear if you have a good size rifle first round break the front shoulder
so it can't run away secound round can be the fatal one ...
this way you also won't get that edrenil running in the meat .
Better to loose a front shoulder than a hole elk .
Click to expand...

Not meaning to be #### but why would you suggest to shoot for the front shoulder???? To the OP Always wait for the right shot and always shoot for the vitals....a short track job to an expired elk is IMO way better than possibly chasing a wounded one through the woods that may or may not be recovered! When you hit bones all kinds of things can happen to bullets eg) deflections and fragmentation to name a few. Always shoot for vitals . I've never shot an elk but good hunting practices and ethics don't change from one game animal to the next!
 
Tough bullets, break shoulders. An elk with only one lung popped can live a long time, and go a long way. A tough bullet won't have you losing an entire shoulder, and all the important vital stuff is BETWEEN the front shoulders.... Good ethics would be ensuring you don't lose an entire animal.......

To the OP, if you are going to be hunting any place that you can't get a vehicle equipped with a recovery system of some kind right up to the animal, it is always easier to quarter them on the spot. For that all you need is sharp knife and 5 game bags. Watch some YouTube vid's of gutless elk processing, it will help cool meat down the quickest.
 
That gutless method kind of freaks me out a bit.... I mean trying to cut out the backstraps and sweets from outside and then what about the ribs?? I guess I could saw them off too eh?

@kodiakHntr -- I think i'll have access to someone with a truck nearby and we can load it on there. My idea is to gut and if needed after that quarter it to put it on the truck, sounds like more work though.
I'm packing some clean tarp to wrap and move.

The rope and the saw was an idea I hadn't really thought of but I guess with such a large animal having the rope to keep the legs back is something to keep on hand.

For my round I'm looking to use my 30-06 with 180gr soft. Where i'm hunting is mostly foothills and some coulees so i'm zeroing to 200yds with hopes of sub 200yd shot.

I'm sorry but I'd rather go for the vitals and do a bit of tracking then risk losing a wounded animal. The suggestion bears no weight to cripple/wound and then a kill shot. It is much more an ethical idea, IMHO, to go for a clean shot first to the vitals and then make a follow up shot or stalk again as needed.
 
If you do a bit of a study on elk anatomy, you'll find that the good bits are between the front twigs on an elk. If you break shoulders, you WILL hit vitals. Period. If you let one land a few inches behind the front legs, you may end up with a fringe lung hit. And that will create a rodeo for you.

The front shoulders are the clean first shot to the vitals. If you are a newbie elk hunter, you really can't fathom how tough an elk can be if you don't do it right the first shot.
Square in line with the front legs, halfway up will do it every single time on a square broadside poke.

As to the gutless, there is zero reason to gut first, other than if you want to waste some time and energy. Start a slice in the hide from the throat to the butt, and skin off the top side. Peel the back straps and neck meat off as per usual. Lift off the front quarter. Separate the back quarter. Make a small slice at the top of the spine/hip junction, reach in and slip out eh tenderloins. If you want the ribs, use a saw or axe or even a heavy knife and lop them off at the spine/brisket. Pull out heart and liver. Flip half over, repeat skinning and lift off quarters. 40 minute operation, tops. If you are leaving the hide on it can be as quick as 20 minutes.

Google the Fred Eichler 15 minute elk video, shows the hide on method in pretty good detail.

I mean though, it's your elk, do what you want with it. If you want to spend 20 minutes wrestling with 80lbs of guts, by all means. I know my first solo elk that's how I did it, after stripping to the waist to crawl inside it to get at the wind pipe with my knife....

Now for me it's simply a 40 minute process, and it is in easier to manage quarters for handling and cutting.
 
A bit of terminology clarification... i come from a family of butchers and cringe when hunters incorrectly use our trades terminology, so forgive me but I'm going to give a little lesson.

Whenever people post about the "front shoulders" it makes me laugh and wonder where they think the back shoulders are? Elk have shoulders, and they also have front quarters, but there are no front shoulders on an elk or anything else.

Quarters refers to legs with the backbone attached. Taking off the four legs and calling them "quarters" is incorrect. Quartering an elk by skinning the entire animal, splitting the backbone lengthwise and then splitting it again between the second and third rib is the classic butchers method, yielding four quarters, but is way too much work and not easily done without a bunch of equipment.

If you need to pack out an elk the lightest way ( as pointed out above) is to remove the 4 legs, place each in a bag, remove backstraps and tenderloins, debone the ribs and neck meat, and place all of the loose meat in two bags. However, this exposes a LOT of meat to contamination and is not the best for maximizing meat yield - there will be unavoidable trim on high value cuts like the backstraps and hams. It works reasonably OK if you do not age your meat.

If not packing too far, I prefer to pack out elk and moose in 8 pieces, bone in. This will keep pack sizes reasonable and minimize contamination. You will need a saw to remove the ribs and split sternum. Remove all four legs, saw off the 2 slabs of ribs and bag them, then split the backbone into 2, loin in one section and rib/neck section. Leave tenderloins and backstraps attached. There will be much less contamination and trim, and I believe meat hung on the bone will age better and yield more.
 
Longwalker said:
Whenever people post about the "front shoulders" it makes me laugh and wonder where they think the back shoulders are?
Click to expand...

I forget that not everyone reads the major forums like I do.... The "front shoulders" reference comes from a thread on the 'Fire, where a well known poster was talking about a hit he made on the "rear shoulders"....


But I get it, I cringe every time someone types "caliber" when they mean "cartridge"....
 
Its 108 which is a Prairie zone - you wont be packing far. You are afforded a great deal of luxury that the mountain elk hunters don't have. Close, flat and (typically) no G-bears.

Get a game cart and a buddy. Or even a pack board/backpack. You can easy take it in 1 to 4 loads depending on how energetic you are in the butchering on the spot.
 
I've hunted in a zone not too far from that. I'd zero rifle for 250 yds. Can have shots of 350 or more. If you can walk along a river or creek they are likely to be around. Check pockets of trees along these spots. If it gets warm they will be near water / trees. For some reason the elk always seem to be on the opposite side of river I hunt along. Just one of those things.

If shot at from coulee bottom they like to run uphill. If shot at from flats above they run down into coulee. When pressured they can go a long ways in a short period of time. Make your rounds / hits count. If one has already been running and you shoot it, don't expect it to just flop over. We shot one like this. Dropped and then got back up. These things are surprisingly tough.

I'm no expert, and others will have more advice. Stay positive, don't give up. The ones I've taken always make me work for it. Whether it's blisters, long hikes, or them dying in the thickest nastiest spots. Try to keep down wind. Primos make wind checkers and I like them for knowing exactly where wind is blowing.

Bring bug spray. Holy friggin mosquitoes this year!
 
Open country elk are victims of wishful thinking far too often. "shots of 350 or more" are not shots, they are sightings. "Shots" only extend to the range where you can consistently hit a paper plate sized object, every time, from field positions, when you are not hurried and out of breath. Most people can't make those "shots" from more than 200 yards or much closer under hunting conditions. Learn to stalk within range, don't stroll around in the open and on the skyline ( or in your truck) with a long distance capable rifle and expect to shoot at any elk you see. They deserve better than to be wounded and lost.
 
Longwalker said:
Open country elk are victims of wishful thinking far too often. "shots of 350 or more" are not shots, they are sightings. "Shots" only extend to the range where you can consistently hit a paper plate sized object, every time, from field positions, when you are not hurried and out of breath. Most people can't make those "shots" from more than 200 yards or much closer under hunting conditions. Learn to stalk within range, don't stroll around in the open and on the skyline ( or in your truck) with a long distance capable rifle and expect to shoot at any elk you see. They deserve better than to be wounded and lost.
Click to expand...

First trick is to judge range on the open prairie, or use a range finder. Elk is a big animal and can appear closer than it really is. Packing it out, bring a buddy or hunt wherevehicle access is possible. Deer weighs about 125 lbs, cow elk about 500 + Do the math. :)

Grizz
 
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