WILD GAME Field Care - Tips Based on A Decade of Packing Out ELK MEAT

[@tomgriffith8364]

When hunting solo I always have a mylar emergency blanket. It weighs nothing and provides a clean place to lay quarters as they come off the carcass. If its raining it is a tarp to protect meat.

[@CliffGray]

great tip. most folks have them in their first aid kits, too

[@Adam_Bileckyj]

Yup, also makes a good "don't shoot me" attached to the antlers on the pack out.

[@Yetified_Mayhem]

That's a great tip. I have heaps of those

[@serosedserio6531]

Awesome tips. Sad to say I have packed out a hoof or two.

[@thedarkwolf9423]

Thank you for that tip.

[@MiddleOutdoorsman]

Some of this video I kinda sorta learned the hard way. The following is just my layman's opinion, here's what I think I learned, in August: - You really are racing the clock, particularly if its the afternoon, and the elk decides to die in the sun. - Get the hide off ASAP - Even if your using the gutless method, at least vent the belly, or the gas buildup is going to cause bloat big time. Your going to have those old internet images of exploding whales going through your head, at least I did. - Don't get the meat dirty, period. It won't wash off. Dirty meat ends up being wasted. - Avoid boning out if you can. For one, I doubt you'll have the time to do a nice job of it. For two, your end product is going to be "Elk Mystery meat". It's all too much work, to have that as an end result. For Three, you risk getting the meat dirty. - Packing out, your going to be using a metric buttload of water. If you have to, bring back the tenderloins and backstrap to camp first, and refill up on water before your final push on the packout. - Assuming your solo, Relay the the packout. One of the smartest decisions I ever made, was to relay the meat away from the kill site, to a collection point I marked on OnX. From that collection point, I then moved it to my next collection point. Eventually, I get all the meat to a final collection point for the final packout. I think this relay method is absolutely necessary if your final packout is uphill to the road, and your solo. That final stretch will be MUCH shorter, rather than going all the way back to the kill site each time. It's a mental game really. In December with snow on the ground: - You have more time generally speaking. - You don't have to worry about getting the meat dirty. - Even with the gutless method, I'll still at least drop the guts a little if only to make the tenderloins easier to get to. - A properly made pulk sled will save you a TON of work. We're talking a solo packout of 1 trip instead of 5. - If you have only one knife, don't make it one with a gut hook. - I hate packing out in August. I much prefer a late season packout. Some gear choices reflecting what I've learned: 1. I like to pack a small lightweight ground sheet in my kill kit. It doesn't weigh much, and it's a guaranteed dirt free spot to lay the quarters on in case I totally botch the hide removal. 2. I like to have 5, pre cut lengths of blaze orange 550 cord, looped on one end, and ready to go. Makes hanging quarters in a pine much quicker, and hassle free. 3. I like to have bank line in my emergency kit. In part to make an emergency shelter, but also in part to make a meat pole if I have to. 4. A BAHCO laplander saw is great for two things: Cutting a pole if i have to, or cutting the bottom leg off a quarter. I've found that sometimes I can cut it off no problem, other times I have trouble. The saw is handy in case i lose my patience and decide to drop the bottom of the leg into the fukketbucket and just saw the Mother Fer off. 5. Five relatively good quality game bags, made of cloth, with a draw cord. NOT anything made of cheesecloth or mesh. It's just shit that will rip at some point. You can always count on me writing a freaking essay into a comment. 😁

[@CliffGray]

great stuff man. tons of additional tips in here. appreciate the comment

[@Yetified_Mayhem]

Awesome breakdown!

[@PikeSlayer69]

Goated comment

[@zacktaylor3441]

Great Video Cliff. I think this is extremely important. With the fad status of solo elk hunting there are a lot of guys having the unpleasant realization that they were not prepared for the huge amount of work involved in taking care of a dead elk. I would unfortunately say its the minority of elk hunters that can competently handle an elk with a partner or two and only a very small number that can realistically handle an elk on a backpack hunt.

[@steveb1776]

You need to put this video in a written article in Bugle magazine and even give thought to selling all this info on a CD-it’s that good!!

[@jwdundon]

Cliff, your one of the BEST resources on KZbin for hunters. Bud, you're a f****** Colorado hunting guide! Your THE GUY! I am a good hunter and woodman, BUT, your one of the VERY FEW men I can learn something new from! THANKS, THANKS, A-LOT.

[@PNW_Wolfpack_Adventures]

Another anti weenie move is making sure you have a good headlamp with fresh batteries. If you can see what you are doing and know you have good light it helps staying late and taking care of business. Great video

[@CliffGray]

great additional tip. In colder weather, even making a fire will help a guy get through field dressing and quartering

[@branndonbowman]

So much good information, thank you Cliff 🤝

[@CliffGray]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Rcfreak57]

Good stuff man. Great vid. The warm meat in the cooler is a big one. My cousin did that one year. It was very cold out we quartered the animal and threw it on ice and closed the cooler. All of it spoiled. Lesson learned . I never close the lid on a cooler until the meat is completely cooled down.

[@mandtgrant]

I carry some citric acid powder. Mix a little with water, hair wipes right off. It also prevents contamination; good for wiping cavity and trimmed blood-shot areas. Never had any meat sour after using it

[@GH-ru9kk]

You never had piss soaked elk hoof chili? Num nums. 😂 Thanks for the info some good tips.

[@CliffGray]

bwahahaha, thanks!

[@SurvivalHunting]

great knowledge! im sure this will help many people, i know ive seen plenty of these mistakes that buddies of mine have made

[@CliffGray]

thanks!

[@huntsimple9527]

If we knew how much elk meat is lost each fall due to lack of planning and common sense, it would shock us. I have come across a few hunters with kills and I could tell they had no clue what they were going to do. A plan for meat care should be at the top of the list, not a "what if" that will be figured out later. I do bow hunt alone in the September heat sometimes, and when doing that I will only hunt where I know I can extract that meat by myself in a timeframe that prevents meat spoilage. At a minimum, I owe that to the animal and I believe I owe that to my fellow hunters.

[@CliffGray]

True. And yes, knowing your limitations to retrieve all the meat is important.

[@RubenMiranda-g9k]

Great meat care tips Cliff ! Some places in Colorado, it's a real challenge now to find three live Spruce trees together. Many TV and movie productions are going to Canada to get footage of live trees.

[@CliffGray]

thanks!

[@williamchristy3063]

GREAT VIDEO!!!! I ran across some hunters who downed a 6x6 bull elk just before dark, and then let it lay until the next morning. Sadly, a pack of wolves feasted on the elk during the night.

[@vannemocilac274]

Happily for the wolves😊

[@paoemantega8793]

Excellent, full of good useful advice, thankyou

[@CliffGray]

thanks! glad it was helpful

[@paultellier2147]

Great video as always.

[@1shotbarbeque881]

Great advice..Straight from the G.O.A.T 🇺🇲 merica

[@CliffGray]

thanks!

[@jayfxdx]

Being efficient with your time and effective your efforts matter! Keep caffeine handy and push yourself to finish the job. Lots of great info and very educational video, thanks cliff.

[@CliffGray]

thanks!

[@vannemocilac274]

I keep a snickers bar and electrolyte packets in my processing bag. One time I had helpers show up with beer and no water for me or them. Don’t do that. Bring water for yourself and me!

[@MountBaldyBrewing]

One thing that is noteworthy here about your comments on using contractor bags is to make damned certain those bags have not been treated with anything. Many of those bags actually have treatments on them to reduce odor and reduce rot. I would be very cautious of using any contractor bags. That being said, we once used 5 gallon buckets and a river to keep moose meat cooled while we processed a bull during the hot August Montana weather. We filled the 5 gallon buckets with meat and put the meat into the river. Yes, you have to be careful from getting water into the meat, but it's easy to do. You also have to be where you can easily get buckets to the site. I process all of my own game meat and have for many years. I personally have a method I have used for years where I put all of my quarters / muscle groups into coolers with ice. This works very well for me. I feel that the meat does not stay in contact with the water long enough to make any difference in quality of the final product. It is imperative to drain any water from the meat as soon as you can. I do feel like there is a little bit of wiggle room in time when the meat comes into contact with the water. The latest I have ever left meat in a cooler while processing was a week. That is in Fall temperatures where you lose very little ice over night. One final word for any new Western big game hunters... Do you damnedest to find your animal the day you shoot it. It doesn't matter if the weather only gets to 60 degrees during the day or not. You will loose that animal. It doesn't take long for the meat to spoil when the animal is whole. If I had to track a wounded elk into the night, I would do so. If it goes too far into my comfort zone, I would camp out on site and hit the blood trail first thing in the morning. Come prepared. Bring plenty of snacks and you will be just fine sleeping on the ground. Good luck!

[@chadclayburg1410]

I see the same thing every year hunting the coast range in Oregon.

[@davidmayers1645]

One great Ice hack is to freeze water in used/washed 2 liter bottles. Melts much more slowly and keeps any water off the meat as ice melts.

[@RichardEnglander]

Yes, and make it very salty

[@nj-bz8pv]

Also our biggest obstacle in Colorado is polesmoker polis and his anti hunting husband

[@CliffGray]

bwhaha!!!!

[@tonymorrison5023]

Great video and very informative. Assuming you are able to get the bull or buck gutted and hide off within three hours of death how long would you feel comfortable hanging quarters in September? Assuming that it is in an adequately shaded spot and an average day time temperature of 70 and night time temp of 45.

[@XhaleSpearfishing]

Assuming time isn't the biggest concern, is boning out the quarters a good idea? seems to me like opening up the whole quarter would dissipate even more heat quicker, and would save you some more weight on packout. I don't see many people doing this so I'm assuming theres a good reason :)

[@CliffGray]

If night time temps are below 40-45, I generally don't bone out meat. One night at those temps, with meat hung up, will get the heat out of the meat. At higher temps, if I can get the meat out within the day (bull shot early morning), again I don't typically bone it out. Boning meat makes it much harder to pack and it makes it harder to keep the meat clean. A bit counterintuitive given the weight savings of removing the bones, but long bones do a good job of distributing the meat vertically in the pack. I've boned out a few big horn rams purely for the weight/bulk savings when packing meat out with camp in one run. Basically couldn't fit the bones in and the other gear made it so I could distribute weight in my pack how I wanted it.

[@desperado8605]

Had a guy say he takes a bottle of lemon juice to spray on the quarters to speed up the crusting

[@CliffGray]

I've never used it. I have used diluted vinegar when hanging meat at home. That is more for a bacteria kill step.

[@desperado8605]

@@CliffGray yeah I'd never heard of it til he said it

[@davidbohn4671]

I was hoping to get some discussion on flies and maggots.

[@justinjones2882]

Great advice and video. A kayaking z drag kit, and some good downloaded tunes shaved time off my quartering jobs.

[@briancharles5989]

Have worked many years as a wrangler packer and have got to see lots of meat issues! Looking to start a packing business on the grand Mesa area, to help with this same story for groups that have got to deep to back pack out, any advice on doing so?

[@miloganze3469]

A year ago we shot a bull on a warm mid October day. I was doing the gutless method as you described and skinned one side of the bull. While I was getting the quarters off the blow flies were attacking the meat . Do you have a suggestion on how to deal with flies while trying to get the quarters in the bag quickly?

[@MichaelKing-i9o]

Great video. Cliff. One question do you think putting the meat in a creek 4 a few days. It's what I done twice. Worked 4 me. But is it a good idea

[@charlesbond4413]

Okay, I watched this entire video waiting for some help getting the elk in the tree. Several years ago I lost my hunting partner. With a rope thrown over a branch and one lifting, we could hang high enough for the wolves and black bear, grizzly’s, well we were lucky. So now, older, wiser and weaker, I was looking for a way to hang the quarters when I’m solo. I’ve tried years ago a pulley, but the results were so so. I’ve used poles, limbed sapling trees and lifted and pulled my rope at the same time. Ugly, not very effective but the quarters are off the ground. What don’t I know about hanging an animal. Share your secrets when solo.

[@CliffGray]

it's hard. I honestly don't have a great solution for you. Depending on your remoteness, I have seen people use chain saw winches, portable winches. Z-rigs with carabiners can create an insane amount of mechanical advantage. look at 3:1 z-rigs

[@Yetified_Mayhem]

I'd be happy to come lend a hand if you're in central Idaho;)

[@charlesbond4413]

Thanks Mayhem, but I fly into the center of the frank church and get dropped off. You want to help, you need to be there for two weeks. I appreciate the offer. More than you know. I help several panhandle hunters with elk retrieval if I’m not hunting myself. That’s especially important during archery season as it is often warm.

[@davehood2534]

Look into Pack-a-Pull. I forget where they’re located, but I carry three mini pulleys and dyneema cord.3:1 advantage.There is an Idaho company that has similar gear, but more expensive,saw the ad in the back of the regs booklet some years ago.

[@arthurquintana1345]

I want to breed some mules. Are quarter mules good for packing? Are 15hand mules a good size to pack. Thanks for the video!

[@CliffGray]

quarter horse mules are great but I prefer draft crosses. In the end disposition of the individual parents matters most.

[@arthurquintana1345]

@@CliffGray thanks Cliff thats what I say disposition is very important

[@nj-bz8pv]

I worked in an area with a ton of Mexicans when I was a kid. We sold pig hooves all the time to them

[@BranNew1]

Whoa ! I accidentally hit the 0.5 playback speed and I felt like I was back to my life while drinking.. haha

[@JamesM-l5g]

👍

[@daneblackburn613]

I was wondering what your hunting rifle weighs? Mine is almost 12 pounds. I shoot it great. Reading sounds like that is a problem when hunting out west

[@CliffGray]

Depends on the type of hunt. For backpack hunts, it’s going to be rough. Horseback or vehicle-based, not a big deal. Most my elk hunting rifles are 8-9lbs

[@JacopoSkydweller]

Having done a couple Rocky Mountain hunts with a nearly 13 lb rifle... It sucks. It's basically cutting down either -your speed -your mileage -your morale. The less weight carried the better. It was bad enough that I am getting a custom built carbon fiber stock and wrapped barrel to bring it down to about 8 lbs with a scope. I'm a leftie so custom was really the only option for all the features I wanted.

[@brettcu7650]

Try a kifaru gun bear. Helps a bunch with carrying

[@RichardEnglander]

​@JacopoSkydweller got the rifle yet bro?

[@COREYDEER]

So last archery season I shot a nice mule deer buck with a big body. It was 91 degrees when he died. I worked fast to get him gutted and into some shade for a quad to come grab him. Within 5 hours I had him home, boned out and one ice in my large cooler. The next morning the ice was mainly cool water but when I took meat to butcher he said it was not a big deal because it was only for a short time. Meat was still very tasty. So my question is what is the matter with water logged meat? Is it just a bacteria thing if it’s not cooled?

[@CliffGray]

I’ve traveled with meat on ice a lot over the years and had the same situation numerous times. No issues. The problem arises if you get the meat wet/hunid and then it is exposed to warm temps again. The best example in the field would be cool night, rain in the AM soaking meat and game bags, then a 70-80degree day. You will get bacteria growth in the meat much worse than if the meat was cool/dry/rind going into the warm day. Overall I think people worry too much about meat getting a bit damp in the cooler, particularly if it’s going from cooler straight to getting processed (not ageing/hanging)

[@COREYDEER]

@@CliffGray ok cool. So ya it’s the warming again that’s the issue. Thanks cliff.

[@ChrisQHuntsAZ]

Idk who would want to go into town for McDonald’s in the middle of a successful hunt with a harvest to complete 😂

[@Yetified_Mayhem]

Headline: "KZbinr Cliff Gray prevents 1 million lbs of game meat from spoil in the 2025 fall hunt. "

[@CliffGray]

bwhahah! i like it

[@stephenj5889]

😊

[@glassduck985]

Why don’t you just debone it?

[@andreisharma]

Or take a hack saw. Bone broth and marrow is great