Moose Retrieval

Thanks for the tips guys, I have scoured youtube and have now started having dreams about this so hopefully it all works out.
 
Hunting with younger stronger guys has its advantages when meat is on the ground.
I was reminded of this on Friday when we killed a bull elk 6 km from the truck. And witnessed a pack out job by my hunting partner that would have put me in a wheel chair.

 
workorder4379 said:
If you follow this motto, the bigger the animal the closer to the road then you shoot, if it’s to far to carry there will always be another one.
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Yup

When I'm hunting moose, I never forget just where I am when I think about whether or not to shoot. My brother in law once said to me as we stood looking at a dead moose in a bad spot, "Nothing ruins a moose hunt quite as much as actually shooting one." If you think where you are is a bad spot, imagine where your moose might run (should it decide to do so) that he thinks is a safer spot. It won't be less bad.
 
RatFink said:
That is something I have been considering... are frame backpacks the right choice to go with? Is it feasible to carry a quarter of a cow moose per one person, bone in?
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Yes it is but it might break a lot of safety rules if it was in an industrial environment. We used to use back boards made of 3/8" plywood and the widest lamp wick we could buy for straps. Holes drilled around the perimeter to lash the quarter on and try to get the load up as high as possible on the shoulders. If the terrain was rough then a spotter or two walked along side. In this case we only had to go about 300 yds from the river to the trucks. It was hard but it worked and I at the time was under 30 and in fairly good shape. Good luck!

Bill
 
Milwaukee M18 Hackzall if you think you need a power saw.
Like American Express. Don’t leave home without it.
Leave the chainsaw for cutting trees.
 
DOUGLAS D said:
Milwaukee M18 Hackzall if you think you need a power saw.
Like American Express. Don’t leave home without it.
Leave the chainsaw for cutting trees.
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How long does it take to half your moose right to left side without hanging it with a hackzall?

M170 stihl it only takes a few minutes with the moose lying on the ground on its back and not cutting through the hide to keep the meat clean, then I can still use the chainsaw for cutting trees, no reason to pack 2 saws :)
 
I like the cordless because there’s a lot cleaner cut and you have better control.
It might take a few minutes more but it weighs less if indeed we are still talking about walking in and packing out a moose.
 
DOUGLAS D said:
I like the cordless because there’s a lot cleaner cut and you have better control.
It might take a few minutes more but it weighs less if indeed we are still talking about walking in and packing out a moose.
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Do you have problem with the blade galling up with fat and sinew if the animal is laying on the ground?
 
hawk-i said:
Do you have problem with the blade galling up with fat and sinew if the animal is laying on the ground?
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Not that I’ve ever found.
Something to consider is that that cordless is something that you can easily carry with you in your pack while walking in.
It’s a sure bet you aren’t walking in carrying your chainsaw and rifle so all things being equal you’ll be close to an hour ahead and a lot less walking when the cutting starts.
 
Longwalker said:
There is a lot of mention of "quarters" here. Almost none of them are actually referring to what a butcher calls quarters though. If you want to "quarter" a moose, you need a good butchers splitting saw ( ideal ) or the chainsaw mentioned previously. Trying to split the spine lengthwise accurately is no easy task. It is much easier to be precise if the moose is hanging up. But hauling a whole moose out of the bush to hang it up is just silly IMHO.
What we do is gut the moose, lay it on its side, and skin out the top side. Keep this skin clean as you work. Using a knife, cut off the shoulder and front leg. It is not attached with anything a knife can't handle. Bag the front leg in a cotton bag. Extra large pillowcases are almost ideal. Cheese cloth is way too porous and lets in too much dirt. Set aside on some clean grass or leaves, or better yet hang it up to cool. Separate hind leg from pelvis and work up and around, close to the hip bone and spine to keep as much of the meat (round steaks) as possible with the hind leg. Feel for the ball joint by moving the leg and cut the small tendon that holds the ball to the pelvis with the tip of your knife. Bag that hind leg as you did the front. You now have a legless carcass on the top side. Cut the ribs off on that side, using a saw, or hatchet. Saw is better, makes the ribs less dangerous since there won't be as many sharp shards to handle. Cut them so that you don't damage the rib steaks, perhaps 6" from the centre of the spine. Roll carcass over on the clean hide to the other side, skin that side, and repeat removal of front leg, hind leg, and ribs. Both rib slabs will fit in one bag. Split backbone horizontally between second and third ribs. Bag the loins and pelvis. Remove head if you haven't already. Bag the front backbone/rib steak and neck piece. that't the biggest , heaviest piece by far. You will have 7 or 8 bags of meat, bone - in, in nice manageable pieces just a good size to put on a packframe. Four legs, ( Not "quarters"!) the two spine pieces, one bag of ribs, and the head if you keep it. The advantage of cutting the moose up with bone attached is cleaner meat that can be hung to age without shortening. Backstraps removed by the "gutless" method will shorten and become tough, and no amount of hanging to age will yield as nice and tender steak as you will get by hanging "on the bone". No quad or winch or power equipment needed, just this: a good packframe, some cotton bags, a skinning and perhaps a slimmer deboning knife, a folding saw or hatchet, some cord to hang the meat to cool, good boots and some muscle. Have done it many many times. Note this method will not be OK in BC, where proof of ### needs to stay attached to the carcass.
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very good advice. we used a steel leaf to cut pigs, calf, red deer or wild boar in two on spine lenghtwise but i do not think i will try that with a moose or a bison without a tractor holding it up and high ... the rest is perfect picture on how it should be done.
 
A simple, light aluminum stretcher and you’ll be able to pack out quarters pretty easily. Or, even better, don’t shoot it in a spot you can’t get it out of. Call it closer to the trail or road.
 
DOUGLAS D said:
Not that I’ve ever found.
Something to consider is that that cordless is something that you can easily carry with you in your pack while walking in.
It’s a sure bet you aren’t walking in carrying your chainsaw and rifle so all things being equal you’ll be close to an hour ahead and a lot less walking when the cutting starts.
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I might have to try one and see how it works :)
thx
 
DOUGLAS D said:
Not that I’ve ever found.
Something to consider is that that cordless is something that you can easily carry with you in your pack while walking in.
It’s a sure bet you aren’t walking in carrying your chainsaw and rifle so all things being equal you’ll be close to an hour ahead and a lot less walking when the cutting starts.
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What type of blade do you use? Dedicated bone saw blades have fairly fine teeth but I could imagine if you are going through bine AND tissue at the same time you might want a coarser/wood type blade. I've used a chainsaw for stuff a few times but mostly just a knife and maybe a hatchet. Never a recip. But I've seen it done. (Actually all my recips are plug in so that wouldn't be convenient to pack a genny too) :)
 
Battery powered sawzall with a long wood w/nails blade. Works like a charm. You can split them on their side, but tedious but possible. I’ve done a few on my own.
 
Gatehouse said:
What type of blade do you use? Dedicated bone saw blades have fairly fine teeth but I could imagine if you are going through bine AND tissue at the same time you might want a coarser/wood type blade. I've used a chainsaw for stuff a few times but mostly just a knife and maybe a hatchet. Never a recip. But I've seen it done. (Actually all my recips are plug in so that wouldn't be convenient to pack a genny too) :)
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I've tried a recip. saw with various blades to steak fresh caught chinook salmon with not very good results...blade kept plugging and didn't cut worth shyt....sharp knife and mallet worked better but moose might be different.

Skeptical on the outcome but worth a try...however, I know the chainsaw has worked great on many many moose over the years though. :)
 
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