How far away?

[Addicting]

I am a meat hunter first before trophies, so I would pack a cow out same as a bull. A cow is a hell of a lot lighter than a big bull and easier to carry. With a cow, I can carry a hindquarter in my pack and one over my shoulder and make fewer trips.

I tried that last year. I made it half way down the hill. That big old cow was just too much weight. Hung that extra quarter up in the shade and kept on trucking after a nice break.

 

[Brian in Montana]

My farthest was a cow I arrowed 7 miles from the trailhead. That sucked. I got it all out in 2 trips, boned out.

Most of the others have been between 1 and 3 miles. I always use the bone out method. In packing stuff on your back, in general, I find that every ounce makes a difference in the end. I don't take anything I don't intend either to eat or hang on the wall - that means no bones.

 

[Tradewind]

I must be the anomaly, I hunt alone. so far 4 1/2 miles. To me distance is irrelevant. Usually takes me 2 days to get it all out. I enjoy the hike

 

[Hunter&Huntress]

I would go the same distance I would for a bull.

 

[jtm307]

Farthest I've killed a cow solo is 2.5 miles. You kill elk where you find them.

 

[Ben Long]

4 miles (foot trail all the way) is my longest cow pack. I'd do it again, even though I am older. I did have good help.

 

[Ben Long]

One buddy of mine is a hard-core ultra marathon runner. 100 mile stuff. Often places in his age class. Anyway, one opening morning, he and his son together drop a cow and a raghorn bull. Honest 4 miles of trail from the truck. We butchered in the evening, hiked out in the dark. Of couse I offered to return the next morning with pack frames. I asked when he wanted to pick me up to go pack out the meat. He says 9 a.m. Why so late? I asked. "Well, I gotta do my training run of 7 miles first." No kidding. The guy ran 7 miles BEFORE packing out two elk 4 four miles (and 2500 feet each way). He still beat me to the trailhead with the last load. And if I recall he "lapped" me at least once.

 

[Cerebral Stalker]

On our late season cow hunt last year we got in 4 miles and spotted a herd of 19 cows bedded in a great location at the 5.8 mile marker. Wouldn't have hesitated to drop one if there wouldn't have been snow drifts up to our knees. Walking away still hurts, but I think it was the smart thing to do.

 

[Western Traveler1]

Some of you are hard core but I am older.
Three years ago a friend called me at home to come help him pack out a cow. A half mile in he said. It was 3 1/2 miles in. Two years ago I killed a cow less than 1/2 mile in. Later that season I passed on a cow 2 1/2 miles in knowing a friend with a horse was waiting for me to call him after I killed one of the cows we were glassing from the road. I hiked in but passed on the shot because my freezer was nearly full and I didn’t want to take him away from his work. Today I would shoot that cow 2 1/2 miles in without the use of the horse as my freezer is empty.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

lol, funny question. I missed a cow barely last year around 11 miles from the trailhead.... shot a spike about 7 miles last year.... I have a hard time letting elk walk lol
Matt

 

[Scott85]

lol, funny question. I missed a cow barely last year around 11 miles from the trailhead.... shot a spike about 7 miles last year.... I have a hard time letting elk walk lol
Matt

Was that with goats in tow?

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Was that with goats in tow?

Yes sir!
Matt

 

[idelkslayer]

I'd go every bit as far for a cow elk as I would for any bull. I'd rather pack a cow out 5 miles alone and not see other hunters than shoot one within sight of a road with everyone else.

 

[MW357]

I must be the anomaly, I hunt alone. so far 4 1/2 miles. To me distance is irrelevant. Usually takes me 2 days to get it all out. I enjoy the hike

I agree. I haven't done more than a few miles but if all the animals I'm looking for turned out to be 10 miles in, then I'm going 10 miles.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

You guys crack me up. “I enjoy the hike”.. yeah, me too for maybe the first half mile while my hips feel mostly normal.

 

[BAKPAKR]

The few cows I have shot came out whole, but the “pack” was not very far

 

[Jon Boy]

Anyone do the 3-4 miles solo? mtmuley

I have. Probably a 2 or 3 year old cow. Took two pretty heavy trips but was on logging roads so not too bad and a lot lighter than a bull. I would gladly do it again. With our hunting group we will shoot one as far as we want as long as the shooter is happy with their harvest! I always hated it when I was an inexperienced hunter and guys wouldn't let me shoot a cow or small bull because it was too far to want to pack.

 

[MTGomer]

I’d have to get on Google Earth and draw it out but this one was atleast six miles.
I was, we’ll say 12 years old. My mom and I split it in half and drug it on plastic sleds down the gated logging road.
We went back and killed another in the same drainage the next year and did the same thing.

Now a days, I would bone it and back pack it, not take the winding road, and it would be about 3 miles.
I’ve packed too many little elk too far too many times. Most miserable was half of a raghorn 8 miles on a gradual uphill on a logging road.

Now I prefer they either be big or close, on a sliding scale depending on time of year and freezer space.

 

[The Hedgehog]

My mom and I split it in half and drug it on plastic sleds down the gated logging road.

SuperMom.

 

[MTGomer]

SuperMom.

She’s pretty damn tough.