Have You Ever Gotten An Elk Out Whole?

[ElkNut1]

In all the years we've hunted with countless elk on the ground we've never had a kill close enough to get one out whole???? Bummer! Who has had the good fortune of doing so & has it happened more than once to you? Thanks!

ElkNut1

[CrazyElkHunter]

In over 30 years of bowhunting them " No"
We have had to bone out and pack out on our backs, no horses, every one of them.
Not sure on the count, but I would say between 35 to 40 elk.
The one I shot in 1999 took us 3 days to get all the meat back to camp.
Labor of love and making memories.

[wawhitey]

ive seen pics of elk in the backs of trucks, but for the life of me i cant imagine how you would accomplish such a feat. even if you only had to drag a gutted elk 200 yards to your truck, i just dont see it being practical. hell im not fond of dragging a gutted whitetail unless its downhill in a couple inches of snow. would take multiple guys for sure, and even with a crew it couldnt be easy to get an elk to and in your rig. you have to disassemble the beast at some point anyway, why not do it before you move it?

[Fridaythe13th]

3 times for us. 1st was a small calf we used a cart. the other 2 was a sled down a mountain we tied a rope on to guide down. The sled work nice with a fresh coat of snow.

[elk.addict]

Only once back in '01. It was rifle season with about 2-3" of snow on the ground. I took off on the trail and about 3/4 of a mile from the trailhead I shot a 5 pt. I went back and got my dirtbike (this was an authorized motorcycle trail), and hooked a rope around its head and pulled it out whole, minus the guts. I had my buddy Scott there to help, and if it wasn't for him walking along and guiding the elk down the trail, I don't think it would of worked.
The best part was my buddy was able to back his truck up to the bank, and we just rolled the elk in whole without breaking a sweat. Ever since then, dang near every elk I've shot has been at least 4 miles in, and in some hell hole. I think I changed my Karma by using the dirtbike

[planebow]

Several years ago we had about an inch of snow one morning, parked the pickup and headed up the ridge. Once we got to the top we set up and gave a couple calls, a young bull came in on a run making a circle around the shooters and straight into the caller. My buddy shot him at less then ten yards. He colasped on the top of the ridge. Backed up the pickup to the bank and slid the bull down the hill and right into the back of the pickup. It never will happen again I am sure.

[under H2O hunter]

All of my rifle kills except one have been taken out whole. Bow kills, not a one.

[elk-n-walleye]

most of my elk and those my dad and brothers have taken have been recovered whole.

[twinkieman]

Where I've killed elk it would be impossible. Even if you could get one out whole, you would need one helluva meat pole to hang it on, and a good winch.

[Swede]

I have taken four out whole. Two I shot with a rifle and two with my bow. This was due to the terrain and the number of roads in the area I hunt. Once in a while you get lucky and they run toward a road or into an open area accessible by vehicle.

[RooseveltObsession]

Yup! Quite a few, actually, rifle hunting the rain forest in the coast range here in Oregon. I predominantly hunt timber company lands, so there is always a road close by. Field dress, go back to the truck and grab the capstan rope winch and yard that bad boy out whole body!

I archery hunt the same area exclusively now. They don't allow vehicle access during archery season, so it's bone out and pack it back to the truck. Good times!

[Swede]

Welcome to the forum Paul. Keep on shooting those Rosies. They need it. I hunt over the mountains from you, and try to do my part to manage their population on the east side.

[one_elk]

Just once

[RooseveltObsession]

Welcome to the forum Paul. Keep on shooting those Rosies. They need it. I hunt over the mountains from you, and try to do my part to manage their population on the east side.

Thanks, Swede! I will and have now recruited my girlfriend to join the obsession of archery hunting Roosevelt Elk! Also, I just started reading your book, although I've only hunted blacktails from a tree stand and don't plan on hunting elk from one, I believe the information in this book will be very helpful.

I am several years away from drawing a Mt. Emily archery tag, so I'll keep honing my skills in the rainforest until then.

[POk3s]

Never for me. I killed a cow about 100 yards from a road....maybe less but the road was uphill and with only me and my dad we halfed it and drug it uphill.

My dad's buddies have a picture of 3 bulls in the back of a truck whole. All 3 rag bulls. I wanna say it was the very last day of rifle bull season they braved the snow and were late getting up there. Were crossing a long meadow when they noticed the 3 bulls standing just off the two track road. That'll never happen to me.

[ishy]

Several out of a hole, never out whole.

[Sean D.]

Just need to have one of these, this was the first elk I killed in CO a bunch of years ago. Was on a private ranch and called the manager, he brought the hoe out, lifted him up, and I backed the truck under him. Hands down the easiest retreival ever!

[elk-n-walleye]

This was due to the terrain and the number of roads in the area I hunt. Once in a while you get lucky and they run toward a road or into an open area accessible by vehicle.

this... my family hunts this type of area most seasons. We hike the area but once we get one down it nice that the roads are everywhere. it is the only way my family has ever gotten them out whole. it still takes two men and a come-along to get them in the truck. they are no doubt big animals!

[Indian Summer]

Never whole but one time I was able to drive a 4 wheeler right to a kill site after quartering a bull and two years ago we quartered up a bull in Wyoming and got the whole thing out in one trip on a single wheeled game cart. Its was a slighty downhill the entire way and the bull went down only 100 yards from a horse trail. Can you believe it! lol

[Thunderfoot]

Only once that I can remember. Late season cow hunt. My dad and uncle shot 2 cows about 100 yards above the road on a snowy hillside. Dropped the tailgate, backed up to the hill and slid them right in. I don't think it could have gotten any easier.

[WapitiTalk1]

Only once in my adult hunting career, never again. Drug a field dressed cow out a quarter mile with three other guys. It was beyond brutal.

[MTLongdraw]

Last year we took two out whole. One was about 3/4 miles down hill with good snow. The other was about half mile very down hill. They still don't drag easy. Tend to roll into every possible hang up within a 1000 yard path. First elk I ever got was a cow. Rolled her down hill about a mile to a jeep trail and drug her the last few yards with a winch. I've also taken four others out where we cut them in half. I prefer the back though. It just means more to me.

[ferris bugler]

Twice. One was a cow that we surfed downhill on snow and the other was a bull that I made a bad first shot on with a rifle. By the time I tracked him through the woods and finally made a fatal shot he was about 30 yards from my truck. Never with a bow though.

[Drawnandpinned]

Yep many two years ago we pulled one outta mt s 380 minus the head and hide still pretty upset about that one i worked all day from first light to get that bull out and didnt get a thank you or a beer sorry to say that guy wont ever be hunting with me again ungreatfull sob and if it makes ne one feel better he shot an average bull

[Gselkhunter]

A buddy of mine shot one in rifle season and I backed the truck up and we put the elk in whole. The only time I have ever done it. I have had a few run toward the truck but gave up the ghost before reaching it.

[Gypsumreaper]

Once we had private land tags and got to hunt a gentlemand property that was only 20 acres shot a cow and a calf and had to drag them in 2 feet of snow about 100 yards, then got to hang them up on the pole and gut them and quarter, only reason we didn't gut them was the guy owned a small pack of wolf hybrids and fed them the left overs, I was the genius that wore tennis shoes and it was 2 degrees outside but had to do what I had to do, the guy called said their on the property come get your choice

[Magic]

Yup, on our very first elk hunt in '73, my partner dropped a bull beside a large tree. While he was doing the gutting chores. I walked to the old '68 Bronco, chained up, and drove to the top. Thankfully the rear seat had been removed for the trip. I had several two and three sheave rope blocks, so we hoisted him up and managed to pull him into the Bronco hind end first, tying the hind legs to the front seats. We left the tailgate down, lowered the top window, and tied the antlers to the roof rack. Since neither of us had ever seen a bull elk, we just thought that was the way to do it.

[Elkduds]

My first cow went in the back of my Toyota pickup whole, I had to get it in there myself. How? Backed truck right to it. Stood cow on its butt/hind legs, w front legs on the tailgate. Got under the topper, tied front legs to front of bed. Used logs as ramp and lever to lift hind end off ground and slid it up onto tailgate, shoved her in! Along the way I broke some logs, some rope, a big ol' sweat, and spent about 45 min between figuring, trying and correcting my method. Necessity is a mother! Another whole cow went easily into a low trailer I had behind an ATV, so easy it is barely worth mentioning. Since then I have tried cutting in half @ back of ribs, and sawing bone-in rib and hindquarters (not worth it). Now I use the gutless method, so there is still a little fun to be had w packframe after I pull the trigger.

[Fullabull]

Always in quarters, never can figure out how they get them out whole. I have a hard enough time just getting them into position to quarter them sometimes

[Heartwood]

No!!!!!x10

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

2 for 3 on getting them out whole actually... My grandpa is REALLY good at finding elk in places that are easy to get them out of. One died within 30 yards of a road (cow elk), and another time we shot two cows in two feet of snow with nothing but a long, easy slope down to the road. It only took us four hours to move two cow elk a full two miles.

And the one elk I packed out on my back died only a mile or so from the road but in archery season, or he could have been drug out as well (again all downhill to the rig).

[Lefty]

Killed a rifle bull in Montana, some fellow came up pony'ing a young horse,. slidmy bull it up the hill to a ATV trail; and 5 more guys showed up to load it on the ATV
Killed a rifle bull in Idaho, we were able to get an ATV to it
Killed a rifle cow on Deseret Land And Livestock in Utah, private ranch dropped it dead on a two track and had help putting it in the pickup
An cow open access, sort of technical driving to get to it

[Olydog09]

3 of them. One was my first elk a calf. Pulled her to an access road and got her with the 4 wheeler. another was a cow that I was able to get my 4 wheeler to with some creative driving and the third wasnt mine but the people I was with had a chainsaw winch.

[IdahoD]

My first elk came out whole. Hunting private ground, dropped her with my rifle in an alfalfa field and the farmer's son (about my age and a friend of mine) was on the same walkie talkie radio station we were. He said to hang tight and he'll come help. Sure enough here comes a pickup a little while later driving through the field. We loaded her up and drove her out. Still a workout to get that thing in the truck!

[COElkFreak]

The first elk I shot I was able to via a cart. Were 2.5 miles back in but there was a old logging road that we used...was still alot of work. I will see if I can round up a pic.

[Migolito]

Yes. Unfortunately, it was my first Elk. I had injured my knee and was pretty much giving up. I was holed up in Creede Colorado (when it was a general unit) in the only motel in town. I was in the restaurant whining about my bad luck when the Sheriff (yes, THE Sheriff...its a real small county) asked me if I had got my Elk. When I told him no, he walked me outside, pointed to a hill just outside of town, and said he's been seeing a herd on the opposite side every morning. So, the next morning I put on my tennis shoes, shorts and a T shirt and drove to the otherside of the hill. I was able to hobble up a powerline road and collapsed about 100 yards up. I heard a car horn honking and what sounded like a stampede. Next thing I know a herd of Elk are standing in front of me about 100 yards away. I shot a 5x5 and it fell on the side of the powerline road up a little incline 6-7 feet up. I was able to roll the whole thing into the back (tailgate) of my Bronco, lash it down and drive in to town. The butcher asked how the heck I was able to get the whole Elk in the truck. I told him I just dragged it down hill about 2 miles . Side note: I had an emergency and had to leave Asap before the Elk was cut up, so, I donated the whole thing to a needy family in Creede. Karma.

[Screaming_btf]

Yes It was a couple miles in and we used a larger deer type cart to haul it out. It took 4 people to move the cart after a wheel went flat lol!