How far away?

[WyoDoug]

I had issues last year on horses when I failed to properly hydrate. I know how that feels. I now carry around 4 liters of water in my pack. I got some really serious heat exhaustion combined with some flu I think.

 

[tjones]

I find it funny how many people won’t shoot a cow far from the road but would pack a 2.5 year old rag horn for miles. I used to be like that too. 2-3 miles depending on terrain for me any more.

This one is easy, with bull ratios in Montana running 10-15 bulls per 100 cows it’s a no brainer why guys would pack out a bull regardless of size but look for an easy cow. Simple, bulls are harder to come by.

I wouldn’t pack out a cow 1”, but I have only shot 3 of them. 15-20 of the bulls I have killed have come out in tiny pieces, the rest in various sizes from quarters to whole. If I’m shooting a cow it’s coming out whole and an easy drag at that.

 

[WyoDoug]

I would pack out a cow but I am a meat hunter and would not shoot less than a decent sized 3-5 year cow that has had a chance to breed first. I avoid older cows because the meat begins to get tougher like the old bulls do. I have been lucky though. What I had to pack out was deer. The elk I shot so far were close to the road and in areas where they allowed ATVs to retrieve them. That has changed though. Most places i hunted in the past where I could do that are now closed to vehicle traffic. I had to pack out one bull years ago though and that was a tough one. I shot it in a ravine and you had to climb up to go 2 miles to where we were parked or you could go down to the bottom and walk out about 10 miles. Choices to make LOL

 

[std7mag]

Anyone do the 3-4 miles solo? mtmuley

Heck, that's darn near all my hunting!
Seems like closest to my truck i hunt anymore is 2 miles.
And i'm talking deer, bear. Haven't gotten drawn for elk in PA yet.

 

[Preacher shaner]

Ok i have to ask do you realy check how far you are in before you pull the trigger

 

[mtmuley]

I have a 622 B tag. Probly won't use it, but, you never know. mtmuley

 

[EYJONAS!]

If I can't get the bale bed to them then forget it.

 

[mtmuley]

If I can't get the bail bed to them then forget it.

I two tripped a bull last year. 4.33 miles one way. I love killing bulls. But, I also like a full freezer. And I love the Breaks. mtmuley

 

[riley]

Iv never hunted elk. would it be easyer draging meat out on a sled?

 

[Frazier]

Last one we drove the truck to it. The bull tag I drew this year I’m preparing for a hell of a pack out

 

[Pucky Freak]

Are there any states where you have to take the bones?

IA you can only leave viscera in the field. Everything else must be packed out

 

[EYJONAS!]

I two tripped a bull last year. 4.33 miles one way. I love killing bulls. But, I also like a full freezer. And I love the Breaks. mtmuley

Don't disagree one bit, ive packed plenty of cows out on my back, horse back, even packed two out on a lodge pole we cut down. But, i've found that the bale bed is a pretty nice feature to have. You've been to the breaks enough times I'm sure you which cut is good to shoot one in and which cut isn't. Packing out any animal over a couple miles in the breaks sucks. the reward of a full freezer and a cold beverage afterwards is well worth it. Good luck and get them fingernails dirty.

 

[Deleted member 40728]

A friend of mine shot a cow about 3 miles in the first year I went elk hunting. It was in a pretty deep canyon and it’s not that the pack out was bad but I had a cheap freighter pack that I had borrowed from someone else and it took a toll on me the remainder of the trip. First thing I did when I got home was buy a quality pack (now 3 different ones since that day because I like to experiment with new stuff) and have had plenty pack outs since without trouble. I still feel 3-3.5 would be max depending o terrain for me though.

 

[the nikster]

I don’t get to hunt elk as much now as I did when I was younger, I just cannot endure the pain as much. My last few cows were all shot fairly close to the truck. Hunting with kids and old men will limit the range but does promote hunting. I don’t mind hunting cows uphill if I can drag them down but I rarely go into holes looking for a cow.
Bulls are different for me. Usually it’s a hard to get tag so you stretch yourself a bit. You walk farther, hunt harder risk more pain. That’s me. Kudos to those who go deep for cows, I just find too much success closer to the rig.