A number of years in the past I discovered myself in a hidden drainage surrounded by bugling bulls. I’ve since come to name this explicit drainage the Elevator Shaft, as three of its sides are nearly vertical. It was my first time searching there, and there have been so many bulls sounding off that I used to be all however sure I’d drag out Elk meat that night.
Provided that I used to be 4 miles from the gated trailhead, I presumptuously started creating an exit technique. In fact, I knew our group of 4 would finally be capable of load our packs and ethically take away an elk from that distance, however it will come at a price.
In my expertise, even a raghorn bull will take a number of closely loaded packs to be faraway from the kill web site.
Relying on the gap from the street, this will take a single match hunter a number of days, or a number of match hunters a complete day. Whereas I am all the time excited on the alternative to pack out a pal’s elk, to be frank, I would quite spend extra time discovering one for myself. My buddies share that sentiment. With that in thoughts, and what I figured was imminent success within the close to future, I got here up with a plan to attenuate the manpower and time that it will take to haul out an elk. I name it the knock-down, drag-out technique.
Origins
I grew up searching whitetail deer in northern Wisconsin. Between my dad, my brother, and myself, we had been very blessed to take a number of bucks annually on extremely pressured public lands. One purpose for our success was merely going farther in than most others would. Distant oak ridges or far-off clear cuts made for ample alternatives at good bucks. However additionally they made for lengthy drags again to the truck.
In these days, quartering a deer wasn’t an possibility in Wisconsin. Our technique? A powerful, 1-2 foot stick and 4 toes of rope. The stick serves as a deal with with the rope connecting it to the buck’s rack. If two of us had been out there to tug, the stick can be about three toes lengthy and we’d every seize a aspect and haul. It’s a quite common technique to take away a deer from the woods.
Clearly, this technique will not work for an grownup elk in practically any occasion. The one exception is a snow-covered mountain the place there is a clear, downhill slope to the street. I do know of hunters who’ve completed precisely that. Gravity may be a robust foe whenever you’re working in opposition to it, nevertheless it makes an important pal whenever you’re in a position to put it to work. Many searching areas within the West are uphill from the trailhead. Roads typically comply with the creek bottoms, with trails weaving for miles up the mountainside. This was the precise situation I discovered myself in that first night time within the Elevator Shaft.
As you’ll have guessed, my optimism was ill-placed. I suppose I are likely to depend chickens earlier than they hatch. I did name in a bull that night time, however misjudged the yardage and packed nothing however my heavy coronary heart and a lighter quiver again to camp. Ashamed, I advised the blokes concerning the secret honey gap, and two of us made a plan to be again within the Shaft vibrant and early. Properly, I used to be in for an additional letdown.
Knock-Down
Whoever got here up with the expression that “silence is golden” certainly wasn’t elk searching through the rut. You possibly can think about how discouraged I used to be when after a number of hours of daylight we hadn’t heard one bugle. The night time earlier than there have been practically a dozen bulls there, and now, all of them appeared to have vanished. There wasn’t a lot as a peep all morning. Lastly, simply as we had been about to maneuver on, we noticed a herd off within the distance. We rapidly closed the hole and made a play. Perhaps I’d be capable of implement my new approach in any case? Nope, strike two.
This time it was my buddy, Clint, who missed. The bull screamed into vary, however within the warmth of the second, he forgot to regulate his single-pin sight and at 24 yards launched the arrow over its again. I couldn’t chastise him too harshly, because the night time earlier than I had dedicated an analogous error. Dejected, I hustled up the mountain to radio our buddy John and see if he had any motion that morning. “John, do you copy?… John, do you copy?”
The scratchy response was exhausting to make out, “Buh… squelch… Dow… squelch… Buh… squelch… Down.” “John, you’re exhausting to repeat, repeat your final transmission.” “Squelch… BULL… squelch… DOWN!” Because it turned out, through the night time, the complete herd had merely shifted over one ridge. John had correctly chosen to move on searching the Elevator Shaft and occurred upon a goldmine of his personal. He, not like Clint and I, shot true, and an hour later, the three of us stood over John’s first bull, a pleasant 5×5.
As we took photos and relived the story, I unveiled my plan to effectively pack this elk out in a single journey. They every checked out me with puzzled faces. We had all packed elk collectively earlier than and in every case, the packing alone took a minimum of a full day away from our searching efforts. “If this works,” I advised them, “I intend to be again in right here in time for a night hunt.” So, we started working.
Earlier than I get into this technique, let me simply say that when you’ve by no means processed an elk earlier than, do your self an enormous favor and watch some YouTube movies on how you can do it. Google “gutless technique,” as an illustration, and take notes, as a result of simply quartering an elk on the aspect of a mountain is an actual job. When you’ve completed it for the primary time you’ll have a greater appreciation for the time period “Mountain Man.”
Drag-Out
Now, the knock-down, drag-out technique is admittedly easy, it simply takes some creativity. As I discussed earlier, an grownup elk can be practically inconceivable to tug out in most situations. They’re simply too massive. However what when you lower them down into extra manageable items? Might you drag them out one piece at a time? In fact, you can, however you’d danger dirtying a lot of the meat. Past that, it will nonetheless require quite a few journeys.
However what when you had a means of defending the meat from the dust? And what if the terrain allowed you to tug a good portion whereas on the similar time carrying a completely loaded pack? Properly, theoretically, then, two match folks may take away one elk in a single journey. In reality, relying on how far-off they had been from camp or a automobile, they could nonetheless have sufficient power to proceed searching after the deed was completed.
The one technical a part of the knock-down, drag-out technique is using the conceal from the elk’s aspect to wrap and shield the uncovered meat from the internal thigh of the hind quarter. With that in thoughts, it’s crucial to not separate the conceal from the elk’s aspect from the conceal that’s on the quarter. Fairly, make your incision by the conceal someplace close to the final rib, which is able to present ample pores and skin for use because the wrapping materials. The purpose is to basically make two big, wrapped drumsticks of the elk’s hind quarters.
House-Ec Refresher
To do that, you’ll want to have the ability to sew. Worry not, I’ve completed this a number of completely different occasions with a number of completely different folks, and I’ve but to seek out somebody who can’t determine it out. All you want is a pointy knife and a few paracord. To start out, you’ll want to organize your stitching desk. I like to make use of balsam or spruce boughs if out there, as they shield any uncovered meat from the dust. Lay a number of boughs on the bottom, and lay the unskinned hind quarter on the boughs, flesh aspect up. You’ll not be deboning these quarters till you’re completed dragging them, because the bones present a purchase order level to your rope.
Earlier than stitching something, it’s a good suggestion to take away a number of chunks of meat from the middle of the hind quarter, close to the place the ball joint is situated. This flattens the quarter (assume flattened KFC drumstick), which is useful when dragging as a result of in any other case, it might are likely to roll. Now, flap the spare pores and skin that’s nonetheless connected to the quarter over the uncovered flesh, and lower the surplus pores and skin off the place it meets the conceal on the opposite aspect. Along with your knife, create holes in both sides of the conceal to can help you fully sew the 2 sides collectively, fully defending any uncovered meat.
Bear in mind to go away proof of intercourse connected in accordance with state laws. Now, lower a slot within the decrease leg between the bone and the Achilles tendon. Tie 3-4 toes of rope to the bone, and be a part of the opposite finish to a robust, 1-foot stick. Lastly, lower the leg off slightly below the ankle joint to stop it from kicking you whereas dragging.
That takes care of the hind quarters. I don’t carry a scale with me whereas searching, however I believe considered one of these hind quarters will now weigh about 60-70 kilos on a median bull. The remainder of the meat goes in sport luggage and will probably be packed out in pack frames. Since I’m sort of explicit, I prefer to itemize my meat by sort. To me, there are two kinds of meat: steak and non-steak.
The backstraps, tenderloins, coronary heart, and spare items faraway from the hind quarters will go within the steak bag. The deboned shoulder and neck meat will go within the non-steak bag. I believe every of those luggage would weigh about 40-50 kilos on a median bull. Since I typically have about 15 kilos of drugs and clothes with me, this leaves me with about 65 kilos on my again, and about 65 kilos being dragged. Consider it or not, the load in your again appears to assist with the dragging because you’ll have extra momentum with the heavy pack.
Contemplate the Scenario
Now, that is the place the terrain makes a giant distinction. For those who’re in Blowdownville, you’ve simply wasted your time. Dragging something by blowdowns is a nightmare. You’d be significantly better off packing all of it in your again. But when it’s largely downhill and there’s a horse path close by, or the bottom is comparatively free from blowdowns and thick brush, the quarter will drag fairly simply. In reality, I’ve discovered that dragging 1 / 4 can really make it easier to hike down steep slopes with a heavy pack. With the load behind you, the quarter serves as a type of dynamic anchor, supplying you with and your loaded pack way more management in your descent.
It’s effectively price noting that point and temperature are all the time essential issues when packing out an animal. Oftentimes, an elk isn’t recovered as promptly as John’s was. In that case, particularly if it’s heat outdoors, it’s crucial to take away the conceal rapidly, permitting it to chill quickly. If you end up in a state of affairs of extended downtime (a number of hours or extra) and above-average temperatures, I’d advise you to not do that technique, and as an alternative, separate all massive muscle teams to expedite cooling.
Past that, I additionally understand this technique isn’t for everybody or all locations. Generally horses are the one reply. Float rafts seem to be an important possibility if you could find a giant stream and a available raft. But when the circumstances are proper, which they typically are, the knock-down, drag-out technique will get you again to searching faster than some other technique I’ve tried. In reality, I did make it again to the Elevator Shaft that very same night.
With all of the commotion from earlier within the day, the elk had vacated the realm… till simply earlier than nightfall. Then, a distant bugle turned louder and louder, till quickly, there was the herd. The ivory-tipped, dark-racked 6×6 dwarfed the one John shot that morning, and I needed to chuckle at my success. On earlier packouts, there was no means I’d have been again within the mountains so quickly to take this nice bull. Satirically, the bull chuckled too, after I botched it for the second time in two days. Oh effectively, I’ve discovered that the “drag-out” is the simple half, it’s the “knock-down” half that’s tough.
