Elk Hunting.

originally posted by: Idahomie
I'd say that signal fire got stomped. Get it from the market. You cant make shtif like that up.

It was a hit and run, some people come in and drop stuff like that to agitate then dont come back in to defend their position..

I love elk hunting up in Idaho, its where all my friends and my inlaws are.....except for the wolf issue which is now causing problems, well has been for years now

originally posted by: ArmyOfNobunaga
Stupid questions here man.... I've never hunted elk but want to..


1. Is it better to field clean the meat on the spot or do you pack out the whole carcass... and if you field clean it do I need to take steps to bury the parts to keep the bears and wolves away? Or are bears already in for the winter?

2. Do elk hides make a good rug or would I be wasting my time with trying to make one?


3. I'm assuming so... but I'm not sure... but you clean an elk the same as a deer?



1)With an animal the size of an elk, you'll probably want to cut it into manageable pieces on the spot. Depending on where you hunt, you'll possibly be a good distance from the truck and not have the option of moving the whole carcass. I wouldn't worry about trying to bury the remains, the bears/coyotes/wolves will find it and eat it, which is just fine, they gotta eat too.
2) Elk hide is quite nice and it can be tanned and made into various items, depending on how much work you want to do. It is quite thick, especially the neck area, and will take a lot of work to get it nice and soft if your doing the work yourself.
3) You can , but where deer can often be transported whole, in most cases an elk cannot. The elk I shot this year did me the favor of falling in a nice open meadow, where I could drive right to him. I prefer the "gutless" method of field dressing large game like elk and moose. What I do is lay the animal on its side(it usually is already) and skin out one side, laying the hide out flat. I then remove the backstrap first, followed by the front and rear quarters. You can lay these on the spread out hide for now to keep them clean. Once that's done, put the pieces into game bags and out of the way. Its now easier to flip the animal onto the other side, as its much lighter. Repeat the same process on the other side. You now have all the major pieces removed. I then reach inside with my knife and remove the tenderloins. Afer that, its a matter of trimming neck meat and if you want, rib meat. No need to ever open up the stomach, no need to ever cut bone. It took me 2 hours to do my elk this year, with only myself cutting.

edit on 24-10-2014 by xxclaro because: wrote inside quote

a reply to: ArmyOfNobunaga

The best way to learn is by doing... short of you showing up at my door a week from now here's a vid that'll show youy how to quarter an elk in 10 minutes with a 3inch knife


As for Elk hide... that's high dollar stuff man... good as it gets... lots of folks would want to buy it from you if you didn't want to mess with tanning it... same goes for the antlers , gal bladder and liver... those are big ticket items for the Chinese medicine folks and round here we always see add in the local paper from dealers who all promise the best prices... As for the Hide...Don't know I'd want to make a rug out if it... nice pare of plainsmen's boots, a vest and jacket maybe a soft set of moccasins for the wife.
WikiHow has a how too... lot of work.

Yeah all game animals pretty much dress out/clean the same way... in the field I just quarter, pack in ice ,then drive it to town... I got a buddy there that does game processing and he makes all those pretty cuts and wraps everything up in freezer paper for us.

Oh and I guess I should say we'll be taking a pair of pack horses with us...


the country we hunt in is pretty rugged wild lands. and those draft horses come in mighty handy



This last photo is for Asktheanimals He told ya all he and his family bow hunt out here.
Well this Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. probably close to the spot where they hunt