Packing out meat

[Pheroze]

This may not be in the right section because it deals with North America, but it is an after the hunt issue.

I am hoping someone can give me advice on how to pack out meat from a back country hunt.

@nuval.J2711 and I are taking our moose hunt one step further. Our plan is to hike into the back country, away from the cabin, and spend a few days trying to get a moose where no one else goes. I have done camping and hunting, but never in this intense a fashion. My experience with this terrain leave me to believe I am not likely to get an ATV close.

I believe my camping packs are not sufficient for the task. I am puzzling over how to get 1000 lbs of animal out from a tangle of trees and swamp, probably in the rain lol. At this point I am looking at various backpacks such as Mystery Ranch and Kuiu that allow for the pack to be moved to accommodate a meat bag. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[JimP]

Knife, fork, salt, pepper, and some meat tenderizer.

Other than that you will want to bone the meat out and place it into some good game bags. Bones on a moose are large and heavy. I have a Cabela's Alaskan frame pack that I regularly use to pack out elk and even with a elk it takes quite a few trips to get all the meat out and I can just imagine a moose.

I once read on the Alaska Game and Fish web site that most moose are killed within 1/4 of a mile from a road just for the weight of the meat.

 

[Pheroze]

Our cabin is 2km from the road already but on a lake which helps a lot. We may be able to haul the boned out meat, or perhaps a quarter, to a spot on the lake and radio our companions to bring a boat. Otherwise, there are lanes cut by surveyors that make movement easier and some would allow for an ATV to a point.

Do you carry in a frame for packing out the meat separate from your camping back pack? Or do you remove the pack and use the frame when you carry the meat.

I am trying to figure out the logistics of the camping gear with the meat, if I am making sense. I guess I am looking at the pack doing double duty

 

[CAustin]

Sounds like you are going to do some real work! Are both of you after a moose? What if both of you take one? Is there a possibility of getting the boat near the hunt?

 

[Pheroze]

I thought I would share some pointers I read somewhere else: use walking sticks to help with the hiking under loads; consider hanging the boned out meat for a few days and it will lose some water weight and bring friends lol. One thing I need to check is whether a particular piece of anatomy needs to be retained in a particular manner.

@CAustin the we will both have a tag but it is two tags per animal, I believe. I was considering getting a bear tag too, particularly if we are hanging meat for a few days!

 

[CAustin]

Pheroze I think bringing friends would be a good idea for all the meat you are talking about. Is this hunt in Alaska?

 

[Clayton]

Got this idea from two old Elk hunters in the CO Rockies years ago. Without pack animals this is the easiest way:

1. Shoot the moose.
2. Move the camp to the moose.
3. Stay there till you have eaten enough to make the task manageable.

If you have teenage boys bring them along. Makes the whole process go faster.

 

[Royal27]

I havent packed out a Moose, but I've packed out multiple elk. By camping backpack I'm assuming you mean an external frame pack with a gear bag that's removable.

If so, remove the bag and tie the meat to frame. Or at least that's what we've always done. I've carried whole hams and shoulders for elk, but boned out would be a must for Moose and sure as heck makes an elk a lot lighter.

We will put smaller chunks of meat in a meat sack (some people call what we use a black plastic trash bag ). I've always found my back to be a more limiting factor than the pack. You ain't gonna get it in one trip. fill the pack to your limit and start walking. Then rinse and repeat.

 

[G Skinner]

Honest to God my friend did this ..........................!

Glen

 

[Bhfs300]

A week ago I got a bull elk. Down the side of a hole that you couldn't get out of down because of private land. About 250 feet straight up.
The elk fell down hill into a log that was about three feet in diameter. I was by my self and skinned and quartered out the top side got the head off. First call a friend that I was staying with and she said she would see if she could get some help. The elk was down at about 8:30 AM and after the two of us carried out the first two quarters we got a call from a friend of hers so we waited for him to bring him to the animal. He was more efficient than I was we got the body pulled out from the log and flipped over. He got the other two quarters, back straps, and tenderloins out. We got to the top of the hill at 5:45 PM with the head. A very hard working day but felt great. Had to go back down the next day to get all the things that I left to get the meat out. Next time I will have a back pack frame to make the carry out easier and cleaner.
Here is the statement you need to say: After the kill "Now the work starts".

 

[JimP]

On separating the pack and the frame, I'll do it both ways. Having a bag on the frame is nice when you are packing boned out meat, it gives it a little bit more stability. If I am packing out a hind quarter I'll just collapse the bag and tie the quarter to the frame instead of trying to place it into the bag.

 

[Pheroze]

We are hunting in Quebec. There will be about 7 at the cabin, but only the two of us heading out.

My pack has a frame but does not readily pull apart. I have been trying to decide if another type of frame pack would be worth the expense. I don't think there is any shortcut to just taking one load at a time. I think a comfortable frame will be an absolute must.

 

[Divernhunter]

I have only done this with deer but you could do the same with moose...........just more trips due to weight and volume. I let the meat cool as much as possible. Bone it out and place it in backpack lined with HD garbage bags(like the black lawn type ones) and pack it out. Also helps to have a fool---I mean friend-- with you to do the same.
Pack it to the closest place where you can get a ATV/jeep/truck/boat/airplane/horse/mule to take it from there

 

[Royal27]

We are hunting in Quebec. There will be about 7 at the cabin, but only the two of us heading out.

My pack has a frame but does not readily pull apart. I have been trying to decide if another type of frame pack would be worth the expense. I don't think there is any shortcut to just taking one load at a time. I think a comfortable frame will be an absolute must.

@G Skinner has this right. Don't invest in a packframe, invest in a helicopter and a long rope. Just don't shoot the moose right under a big tree.

 

[JimP]

@G Skinner has this right. Don't invest in a packframe, invest in a helicopter and a long rope, and a chain saw for the tree. Just don't shoot the moose right under a big tree.

I fixed it for you Royal

Chainsaws are also nice for cutting up large animals. Just clean them real good and replace the bar oil with a food grade cooking oil.

 

[Mekaniks]

I have helped pack out 3 moose over the years. First- DONT SHOOT IT IN A SWAMP. The first one I helped a buddy and it was in about 8 inches of swamp water= SUPER UNFUN
Bones are heavy. Ultimately you will likely bone most of it out anyway, so might as well bone it n the field if it's a long hard pack. Hang meat bags in a tree so it airs while you are packing and hope a bear doesn't find it while your gone. Moving camp to the kill site is a good idea if you are going to be a couple days getting it out. But remember, after you are done packing out meat you have to go back for the camp...
Battery operated sawsalls are the bomb. They make some really cool fairly light weight now and can be super effective at cutting knees, ribs and backbone.
Telling your buddies they can keep whatever they pack out seems to help with motivation levels...

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

A few items/thoughts/crazy ideas that come to mind from some experience getting moose and elk out of the woods:

1) Heavy canvas game bags, not those skimpy cheesecloth bags. Hang the meat if you can.
2) Pack frame - this is a serious load and you'll want a proper one for distributing the weight
3) You'll likely need a friend to help get the pack on your back. While one is carrying a heavy load, the other should carry a less heavy load to help the other stay on their feet.
4) Numerous sharp knives and knife sharpener. Moose skin is thick and you'll definitely want to bone out the meat. The less time spent bent over the moose, the less wore out you'll be for the pack.
5) Parachute cord makes for great rope, is cheap and easy to carry
6) Bring at least one extra shirt. After you're done cleaning up the moose and ready to take the meat out change your shirt. Hang the sweaty shirt you were wearing from a tree branch.
7) Drink lots of water while cleaning the moose. After hanging the sweaty shirt take a leak several feet up a number of trees in a circle around the moose. I did this along with the shirt a number of years ago when I had to leave a mule deer buck for an entire day before getting a horse and extra hands in to get the buck out. Not a single coyote messed with that deer.
8) Small hatchet for splitting the thick pelvic bone and sternum. Again less time bent over the moose the better.
9) If possible, get a couple of those cheap plastic sleds the kids use in the winter. If the ground is not too rocky or uneven you might be able to drag the meat in this manner. If you put a hole or two in them, so what.
10) Cabelas and other outdoor stores sell what equates to a wheel barrel of sorts for getting game out. Perhaps this will work in the terrain you're in?

All I can think of past quads and horses.

 

[Pheroze]

I really appreciate all the replies fellas. I am sharing this all with the boy so we can both appreciate the task ahead. I think looking for promising places near the shore - but not in a swamp- would be the best. It would also be possible to put the meat in garbage bags and into the river to cool it until we can get it all out. Too far inland and I think we are into a real challenge.

I walked a fair distance last year into an area where the ground felt like a wet kitchen sponge (muskeg I think). I think firmer terrain would be easier to manage.

@G Skinner pm me the name and number for the fella with the helicopter please I think it's the least you can do since you are one of those people who are feeding @nuval.J2711 addiction to fancy and expensive bows

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I read this several years ago: Where's the best place to shoot a moose? Near a forklift!

I have been on lots of hunts where we've packed out elk, deer, etc. Always preferred to have pack mules, horses or lots of friends. Have helped carry out a few on pack frames and it's a lot of work but doable.

A couple words of caution if you have to make multiple trips: Be aware of bears. You might pack out the first load or two and a local bear decides to make a meal out of your moose. I hunted with a guide in Alaska that had survived a bear attack while packing out a caribou. He was lucky to be alive. Also, be sure to check the hunting regs. Some places require you pack out all the meat first and the last trip is for the antlers and cape.

 

[David Middleton]

You can get Army bags (A-bag) we traveled with cheap from any Army Navy store. They are strong and have the ability to close and open easily, they have attached backpack straps and any veteran can tell you how much you can fit and carry. great to fill and hang to keep from bear and coyote. You can pack many into one and travel with and not too expensive if you destroy but can wash up after pretty well.