Evening Hunts/Kills

[Cheater]

I realize each hunt is different, but I am curious what your standard procedures are for kills that happen in the evening—specifically right before dark.

Historically, most of the kills I’ve been a part of took place on morning hunts. Good light makes for great pictures, meat care, caping, packing, etc…The last four kills I’ve been a part of were in the last 30 minutes of shooting light (well away from roads/camp). We’ve broken down and hauled each of these animals out that night, making for some late nights.

Fatigue and darkness bring along some safety issues, and I’m rethinking how we handle things. Do you all have any hard and fast rules that you stick to on in similar situations?

 

[havgunwilltravel]

quarter it, hang it up if possible or cover it, and either spike camp nearby and sought it out in the morning or head back to camp for a snooze and get back in early the next morning and sought it out.

Photo's, gutting and quartering should only take a handful of minutes.

Carry outs late at night sometimes have to happen, but it can have challenges with big loads.

 

[nmelktrout]

Good question. I'm on board with havgunwilltravel. I prefer not to pack meat in the dark due to safety concerns and have left quite a few critters for the morning after gutting and sometimes quartering them. No need to stumble and trip in the dark with a heavy load. I do try to pack meat out in the dark when hunting in an area where bears like to hit kills. We had mountain lions get on a blood trail and run a bull this year. Caught up to them and the bull at last light, killed the bull, wrestled with the idea of packing meat in the dark with a momma cat and two yearlings in the brush nearby and ended up leaving the bull for the nigh after gutting him. Decided that safety was first so we tied clothes around the bull's antlers and nearby bushes and left. Chased the cats off the carcass in the morning but they had only eaten ribs and some neck meat from where we'd cut the wind pipe out. Seems like the majority of my kills take place in the morning...

 

[2rocky]

Grizzly country makes Evening kills pretty dicey. For the most part in GC we use evenings to determine where we want to be in the morning.

In bow season, days are longer and hot days seem to make the animals come out at the first hint of evening cooling. I killed a tule elk in Inyo County CA 30 minutes before dark, and had him in a walk in cooler that night at 11:30 pm. It was in the 90's, and there is no "back out and wait" when it is that hot.

My thought is if you are not willing to trail in the dark on an evening hunt, don't take the shot.

The last wild pig I killed, I chose a head/neck shot with my daughter's 7mm-08 for a DRT kill. There was no way I wanted to blood trail down deeper in that canyon.

My first antelope was an evening kill. Not much brush or trees to worry about.

Overall though If it is last light....It better be a chip shot with a rifle. Like 20 yard throat patch.

 

[Ben Long]

I try to pack two headlamps so I can take care of a carcass with one, and save the second for the hike out if necessary. No messing with batteries in the dark, in the snow, with wet, cramped fingers. This is easily done, as today's headlamps are so light and compact. Seems like even if I kill an elk midafternoon I will still be packing out in the dark. But I agree the goal is to get the heat out of the carcass then get out of there before the bears find it. Come back in the daylight. With friends.

 

[hank4elk]

I won't pack @ nite unless I absolutely have to when I hunt. I can get around OK in dark w/headlamp or moon,but won't risk it with heavy load. Bad enough just breaking one down in the dark...yikes,the close calls.2 headlamps,just ounces is no brainer if hunting late in day.
I always have game bags w/me,at least for the straps and tenders.The rest can hang as is til morn.
I'll go in before first lite to bring it out in good bags.
Grizz is not problem here,dinky black bears and cats. They seem to stay happy with the goodies left over.Had one chewed deer in many years of hunting.I had left it gutted for morning.
Elk have to be broken down ASAP.IMHO.
I'm getting good hiking poles now too,for any time I pack.Been using a single long time.

Come to think of it,I've lucked out the last 3 yrs and have come-a-longed my elk right into the truck...never mind.

 

[Bambistew]

Depends on where things die. Usually break it down, but if temps are ok, will just gut it and prop it up for cooling out and come back in the morning. If the trip back and first load is easily navigated in the dark then we go back to camp, if not camp out near the carcass. Always have overnight gear with me. A small shelter doesn't weigh much, and depending on night time temps, may or may not take a light sleeping bag. May or may not start a fire. I'd say about 50% of the animals I've killed in the last 10 years have been in the evening.

Most worried about stumbling off a cliff, or into a bad spot more so than critters.

 

[Gr8bawana]

My brother and I have killed many deer and a couple of elk in the evening and have had to leave them till morning. After gutting and propping open the cavity and hindquarters we leave one of our shirts over them and have not had any problems with coyotes or cats getting on them, no bears here. I don't know if our scent on the shirt actually does any good but it has worked so far cause there are lots of coyotes.
Packing out in the dark is not an option for us since it's very rugged and steep and usually several miles in.

 

[sagebrush]

Deer and antelope come out that night in one load. Elk, I bring out a load and return sore and stiff in the morning for the rest. A boned out deer is going to give you an 80 lb pack and even I can handle that for a one way trip. Make the first load of elk meat a light one and do the heavy duty hauling in the daylight. If I'm taking my body out then I'm taking some meat with me.

 

[teamhoyt]

I don't prefer to pack out in the dark. I have been in some bad situations after dark, Mostly because of trying to haul more than I should. Horses can really complicate issue in the dark to especially with no lights. I have made exceptions to my own rules on occasion depending on the situation. I think most importantly is knowing when to stop before you get in a bind. The one rule I won't break is packing anything in the dark in grizz country.

 

[mtmiller]

I try to pack two headlamps so I can take care of a carcass with one, and save the second for the hike out if necessary. No messing with batteries in the dark, in the snow, with wet, cramped fingers. This is easily done, as today's headlamps are so light and compact.

What Ben said. I carry two lights, just in case there is a failure.

A couple years ago I didn't get back to the trailhead until about midnight with a entire deer on my back. There was no moon and without a headlamp I would have been forced to spent the night on the "hill". I would rather haul one out in the dark then make an additional trip the next day and worry about bumping a critter trying to claim my venison.

 

[idelkslayer]

Quarter it, hang the quarters, carry out one load and then come back for the rest in the morning.

 

[Kaitum]

Sometimes, depending on the situation, it may be better not to pull the trigger. I passed on a 65(ish)" moose on the first evening of a hunt a few years ago. I was sitting in camp, cooking dinner, and watched him coming from a mile away. Had plenty of time to prep for him and think about scenarios. He walked within 100 yards of my tent. Had I not been watching a couple very large brown bears playing around in the stream near camp all day, I probably would have shot that bull. But temps were warm, darkness was near, and I just didn't want to mess with a carcass till 2 AM knowing bears were nearby. Nor did I want to move our camp away from that carcass the remainder of the hunt. Besides, I thought for sure that bull would only walk a short distance and I'd go find him in the morning. Next day he was long gone. Tough call but I didn't second guess my decision - too much. Ended up shooting a different bull on day 4. Had I shot that first bull we would have packed the quarters back to camp and away from the kill site.