Game Bags, Good & Bad!! Photos!

[ElkNut1]

Everyear we see or hear hunters talk about game-bags for their Elk & Deer hunts. They ask what's good & bad? Yes, there are many good ones as well as bad ones on the market today! Some are heavy & bulky so we don't have them in our packs, others are extremely light wt but do not do the job! Make sure you pick up game-bags that will do the job & light wt so you will carry them on every DIY hunt. If big, heavy & bulky they will most likely get left at camp or the truck, that's not good on those hot days miles from camp!! We need that meat taken care of, bagged & in the shade that cannot be packed out on 1st trip out! One way to tell good game-bags is to put your hand in the bag & grip your free hand around your wrist of the one in the bag, now push against the sides of the bags wall with the hand inside of bag, you should not be able to see your hand through the mesh under pressure! If you do it's not the bag for you!

This 1st photo is of elk meat in a bag, just look at the mesh stretched out of shape! This is bad & flies will lay eggs on that exposed meat in no time at all !! The 2nd photo of hanging meat in bags is what you are looking for, plus these bags weigh about 1lb for all 4 & can be rolled up & put into any pack & most fanny packs! Take care of your meat!!

ElkNut1

[Swede]

Good point Paul. Maybe the cheap bags are not so cheap after all, and they don't do the job. The better bags can be cleaned up and reused several times. The poor bags: Well, at least you don't wash them. They go straight to the garbage after one use. Of coarse your meat may go straight to the garbage too if it is full of fly larva or maggots.

[>>>---WW---->]

Here's a picture of four Allen game bags,(the kind Elknut sells on his site). They are vacume sealed down to less than one inch thick and make a perfect liner for the bottom of my pack. The coffee cup is for size comparison. They are one heck of a good bag, weigh practically nothing, and you won't be leaving these in camp.

[WA Backcountry]

I have used the Caribou Gear Carnivore for the last two years. Great bags and really light weight. We got to test them out this year on an elk. Just the right size for a boned out elk. They have quarter bags also but I dont see a point of spending a bunch of money on light weight Quarter bags. If your packing bones out your close enought to the truck to send someone for canvas.

[cnelk]

we each carry 2 bags in our packs. That way if someone gets an elk, we can get it hung up and go get the packframes.
I wash mine in cold water with very little bleach as the bleach will weaken the bags.

I have used the same bags for several years

When I went on my moose hunt, i got some moose game bags from Hunter Game Bags
They are awesome!! Also sell elk game bags
http://www.huntergamebags.com/

[WA Backcountry]

Here is the link to the Caribou Gear Bags.

http://www.biggamebags.com/Order_.html

These are light enough to carry everything with you. No issues with tearing when they hang and they wash up well. You definitly would not be able to fit an elk quarter in the bag.

[ElkNut1]

WA Backcountry, why would you use a game bag that you could not get an elk quarter into if you so chose?

ElkNut1

[WA Backcountry]

We backpack 5 miles and set up camp. We usually hunt within 2 miles from camp. This year i shot my bull 7 miles from the truck. There is no chance i will ever pack out bones from there. Ever ounce counts when you pack in. I keep canvas bags around for late season hunts where are closer to the truck.

[ElkNut1]

Thanks!

ElkNut1

[CrazyElkHunter]

I make my own from painters drop cloth I buy at Lowes for $5 each, Sew 1 end ,1 side, sew a shoe string or light cord for a tie off. One of the best game bags you can have for packing out elk. Will not tear, keeps dirt and flies out. 4 large 1/4 bags for $20. I've spoided all my hunting buddies because they know I have enough for everyone, so they do not even bring any. I have over 20, and have given several away. Oh! and don't forget the CHILI POWDER Sprinkle on meat or blood while you are skinning and boneing out your big game to keep the meat bees and flies off. They hate it!




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[cnelk]

if ya got nothing else and want to save some $$$, pillow cases also work quite well

[WA Backcountry]

My wife gets mad at me when I get blood stains on her pillow cases.

[cnelk]

My wife gets mad at me when I get blood stains on her pillow cases.

Her pillow cases? Does she hunt?

[WA Backcountry]

Nope. I love my wife but I enjoy hunting with just the guys. She has no desire to hunt and I have no desire to talk her into it.

[buglmin]

If I have to pack elk out on my back, we debone everything and use the Alasken Game bags to get the meat out. Once its out, its switched over to the game bags I got from Cross creek traders years ago. If left in a garage or shed overnite, the meat is taken out and put in Alasken Game bags to cool at nite. The meat is gotten to a cooler asap.
By putting quarters straight into a thick game bag, you aint allowing the air to help cool the meat cause the game bag will and does hold heat in. Next time you get a bull down, use a meat thermometer to check the meat. Also, its best to get the meat away from the bone asap, cause yessir, according to a lot of meat processors, bone will sour faster then meat.
In one of the above photos, the quarters are hung in meat bags and hung in the sun...get the meat into the shade asap to start the cooling process. Why hang meat in the shade?
If I use horses, again everything is deboned before being loaded onto the horses. If I take whole quarters to the processor, strict instructions are left to not cut through the bone on any of my meat. If an animal is sick, it will show in the marrow, and by cutting through bone, it could be passed to the meat.

[cnelk]

I don't think I'm gonna carry a meat thermometer...
we hang the quarters where we can to get the best air circulation and bust ass to get the packframes.

If the pic refering of quarters hanging in the sun is mine, as you can see there wasn't much shade, it was cool with a breeze, perfect conditions for cooling meat. And they were only hanging there for a couple hours. Better than laying them on the ground yes?

[CrazyElkHunter]

30 + years of bowhunting elk, 20+ elk, never lost a ounce of meat. Just use common sense. Pictures do not tell the whole story. cnelk is a good hunter and knows his stuff. It was cool and he was moving the meat fast. Sun moves and shade moves, if you have any. Mine were on the ground because 2 of us just brought all the bags out of hell hole and staged all the meat in 1 place just above a steep ridge where we could get the quads. All the meat was still cold or cool on top and underneath, even with that partial sun. All the meat was taken to a processor and stored 40 miles away that afternoon. I'm not worried about my bags holding heat or letting dirt in because they never have and I trust my prized elk meat to be put in them. Its amazing how fast meat will turn cold when you bone and bag. Just use common sense and touch. Never had the luxury of having horses, so every pound of meat go's on our backs. In 1999, I left 4 bags of meat overnight, on the ground, up against a cold mossy old log. The sun never hits that spot and the ground stayed cool. I made that choice due to the ground and the log. Sprinkled chili powder on the bags, and it killed the scent so bears were detoured. That was in August and a 4 mile hike. Those cheap cheese cloth type bags Paul shows in the 1st picture should be banned. They are the biggest joke ever put on the shelf for hunters.

[elkoholic]

I make my own from painters drop cloth I buy at Lowes for $5 each, Sew 1 end ,1 side, sew a shoe string or light cord for a tie off. One of the best game bags you can have for packing out elk. Will not tear, keeps dirt and flies out. 4 large 1/4 bags for $20. I've spoided all my hunting buddies because they know I have enough for everyone, so they do not even bring any. I have over 20, and have given several away. Oh! and don't forget the CHILI POWDER Sprinkle on meat or blood while you are skinning and boneing out your big game to keep the meat bees and flies off. They hate it!




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Sounds like a good idea. I might have to try that

[ElkNut1]

Hey there Crazyelkhunter, I did try the chili powder this year & I was very impressed!! It worked as Advertised! (big grin) You definitely need two bottles of it on those hot insect/fly days! All in all, great tip Sir!! Thank you!

ElkNut1

[CrazyElkHunter]

Hey there Crazyelkhunter, I did try the chili powder this year & I was very impressed!! It worked as Advertised! (big grin) You definitely need two bottles of it on those hot insect/fly days! All in all, great tip Sir!! Thank you!

ElkNut1

Thank you Paul! If it were not for this forum, there would be a lot more beginning elk hunters scratching there head. We never quit learning. Even old farts like me. The elk I hunted 25 years ago and elk today are so different. Elk on public land are a lot quieter than they used to be due to more hunters, more pressure and more calling. The chili powder thing has worked for me for a very long time. Until forums like this, I just shared it with all the new hunters I met year to year. I always have 15 or 20 in camp to give away to new friends I meet. Last couple of years guys were showing up in camp because other hunters in the area would tell them to come see me for advice and some calling lessons. It is so cool to see the excitement rekindled from hunters that were not having much luck in finding or seeing elk.

[Coveyleader]

In my area if I left meat hanging like that I wouldn't even bother coming back to get it. It would be white with maggots. Huge concern where I hunt and the clock started way before you let the arrow go.