Packing out meat

David Middleton said:

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.

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375 Ruger Fan said:

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.

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PHOENIX PHIL said:

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?

I did this 25 years ago, but we used cheese cloth to wrap the meat at that time. Why is cheese cloth no longer recommended? (Not that I'm ever going to do that again!)

All I can think of past quads and horses.

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Pheroze said:

Are these the standard duffel bag type?

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Pheroze said:

@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

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David Middleton said:

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.

Click to expand...

JimP said:

I would at least talk to the local game warden and the people at the check in station and ask them how to get a moose out in 3 or 4 pieces from the area that you are going to be hunting.

They just may have a solution to it as far as presenting the moose to be checked in.

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