how far to drag an elk
Elk
A buddy got an tule elk tag for grizzly island here in CA. We scouted it this weekend and the place is dead flat, with sloughs and marshes mixed with the dry areas and crossed by levees every quarter mile or so. The tag is for a spike, which State F&W says average about 425 lbs on the hoof, about the same as a mature cow. Seems accurate based on what we saw.
The state would like hunters to bring back a whole animal to their check/weigh station for their research. They say if we can get it to a levee they will take it to the station for us. Given that we might have to cross really boggy areas or even an open water slough (I hope not), the question is how far time/distance-wise would you attempt to take an entire animal? Three guys will probably be available to do the dragging. It is likely to be very warm, potentially 90+ degrees.
My take is try to move whole animal only if it takes a half-hour or less to get it to a levee where a quad can take it, otherwise quarter it up, take out the smaller loads and get them on ice pronto. So if the whole distance to the levee is dry, a couple hundred yards max. Your thoughts?
The cow I've shot ( not a tule) probably weighed over 600 and after gutted wasn't fun for 2 guys to drag ten yards. Unless it's not an option I believe I'd carry it out quartered.
Use a chain saw winch if allowed.
I would guess a flat, dry ground drag with std stuff on the ground, would take two guys in their 20's or 30's less than 30 minutes/100 yards.
Sort of a ridiculous request by F&W, it does not sound like fun at all!
Elk+Dragging=Not Happening in my lifetime. Quarter it up period.
Tell them it's a illegal alien ELK and they will bring in helicopters ASAP and fly it to the closest "Sanctuary" city! :-)
Seriously GOOD LUCK. I think I'd personally pass on that tag if it were me, but KJC nailed it. Chain Saw winch would zip it right to ya!
I'd ask how other guys have done it, because it sounds really impractical to do. Personally, I would come up with a plan A in the event you drop one near a levee and a plan B in case you do not. A plastic sled might help with the dragging, but regardless I think it would be tough. A buddy of mine and I dragged a yearling tule cow about 15 yards last year and the weight wasn't too bad, but over 100 yards or more it would have been.
check out a PC capstan winch or Simpson capstan winch. One of my ropes is 600 feet long...there is no limit to how long a rope you can or cannot use.
They're crazy. Grizzly island is small, but dragging an elk over the bogs is completely impractical. If you shoot it anywhere but right next to a levee...
I wouldn't even consider it.
No offense, but before I opened this thread, I just knew TBM was back. :)
Good luck with dragging that elk. Dang.
If they want it, I'd tell them they are welcome to come out and drag it. Otherwise I'm cutting it up. Moving a whole elk is not fun.
I dragged a 5pt 20-25yds by myself to a logging road when I was in my 30's. I was younger, dumber, and much stronger back then. Now that I'm in my 60's, the only thing I'm dragging is myself!
If they want a whole animal brought back, that's fine, but it would be them doing the dragging! Good luck on the hunt!
EDIT: patdel, we obviously had the same thought at the same time. ;-)
I thank all of you. Now that I ruminate on it, 400+ lbs of very dead weight is crazy. Helped a buddy drag a 300+ lb bear a ways with guy on each leg and that was hard as hell. Maybe gutted, halved, and on a sled - big maybe. I'll look into the winch options - what size powerhead do you want for a chainsaw winch? Thanks for that info also.
Hey buddy, I live in Napa just about 20 minutes away from where you will be hunting. There will be a mandatory Fish and Game orientation in which they will tell you exactly how to handle it. For as long as I can remember a Fish and Game person will drive over with a tractor to your location and literally scoop up his Spike and drive it over to the check in station. Should be the easiest pack out ever!! : )
Good luck to you both and have fun. You should also see some great bulls roaming around.
Best regards, Scott Alberda
If they can't bring it out whole then they should allow you to bring it out on a cart. Dragging an elk only works for a few feet until your adrenaline wears off.
I have often wondered why anyone would ever drag out an elk. Gutless quarter method even if a pickup is next to it. No reason not to get it quartered asap. Best to start cooling process. Heard to many people loosing meat by trying to take it to butcher shop whole or trying to drag it out with chainsaw winches and other means. Just quarter it and get it hung in shade until you can get it out
600 pound cow Holy smokes
I drug one out once in a Big Otter sled. However, we had it split into two loads. It still sucked. Never, EVER again.
Quarters for me.
I'd tell them if they want it whole, be on standby to come out and get it in the state truck.
425 on the hoof is likely 300 + or - gutted. Are they saying they want the animal whole?
No way. In those temps the least you can do is get that internal heat out and opened up. Minimum. Honestly in those temps i'd want it deboned and major muscles split out ASAP.
Three guys on fairy level ground with a sled or tarp or something could move 300 lbs a good ways I'd think. Watched 4 guys drag a cow elk up out of a good size gulch once. Took em hours. Deboned a half hour, 45 minutes tops.
Surfed a raghorn a hundred'n 50 yards or so down a mountainside in ID to get him to a good level spot on the bottom to break him down.... literally rode him at points. Looked up across the canyon to see a couple other hunters watching us.... like they couldn't believe what they were seeing....
They want it whole I'd give em a place to meet me and help drag, not a place I'm draggin' it to. My guess is it won't be all that important anymore....
If they want the animal then let them come get it
City of course there is no way of knowing exactly but she would have easily weighed close to 600. Yielded a tad over 190 lbs of finished product, no bone in steaks. Picture is crappy but I am not propped up ten feet behind her, I am holding her head. She made the only other elk I I've killed , a spike, look tiny. Who knows maybe my butcher gave me thirty pounds off beef as mine was the only elk in this Texas panhandle butcher shop. I told him about having beef stolen off my steer at hometown butcher ( yielded 48% of hanging weight), so maybe he was trying to keep me happy. On a side note when your talking to your butcher, as he grills steaks, and he says" if I ever quit raising beef I'm buying yours, your steers sure look good" he is eating your meat. Lol
We all know there's a huge difference between downhill and up hill, or even flat. DNA, we've already had a preliminary chat with the grizzly state people. They said they're not going out into the field to get it, that you have to get it to a levy and they will take it from there. Maybe they will liberalize their requirements day of, but I'm not counting on it. I looked around the (dried out) marsh areas we were walking on and did not see any quad or pickup truck tracks. The elk we scouted were already wise to the dangers drivable areas present, and were well away from them.
It's amazing that any subspecies of elk can handle 100+ degree temperatures alive. We all know how fast meet can spoil at that temperature.
Does anyone have experience on whether a non-bloated corpse will float? Judging by the elk hair flies I've tied I'm guessing yes, but it would be great to hear from someone who's actually had to fish one out of the pond or stream ( or in this case slough).
Thanks again for the comments.
Link WR cow congras most bulls yeild 150 170 lbs for mature bulls
I'm thinking the states attorney would advise you not to drag a full body elk to the levy. One dead guys widow would put an end to the requests.
I shot an old "elephant cow" one time that was as big as any of my biggest bulls, body wise. Had to struggle to turn her over when skinning.
williamtell, can't speak for elk but I let the air out of a caribou once that ran back into the river to die, and it was about half sunk when we hunted for him by boat.
The low-country elk around where I live in N. CO aren't concerned with temps. The live year-round down near the towns, bed out in the open. This bunch was feeding out here at 2:00 in the afternoon in late July last year when it was 90 on my vehicle thermometer. The nearest tree or shade of any kind was about three miles away.
As far as dragging them? Once - with an ATV..
Elk are not meant to be dragged period! They are meant to be quartered in place. Any chance of using an ATV to do the dragging? That is a ridiculous requests by that game service.
Don't have any experience with Elk, but I know a guy that shot an almost 700 lb bear(676?) in a swampy area in New Jersey. 7 guys rolled the thing into a flat bottom jon boat and they used an atv winch to pull it out(several hundred yards). They would winch, then move the atv, winch then move the ATV until they got it out.
Not just no! but Hell no hahahaha 425 under average if you ask me
save your friendship with your partners and pack it hahaha there large
MikeC why work hard when you can work smart
I have a feeling when we walk up on it there will be no question how that puppy is going out of there. Plus let's face it with a spike it's all about the meat, so game bags and ice and get it down to 40 degrees asap will be the name of the game. With big hindquarters needing to get cooled down and temps fighting us we are going to go through a lot of ice.
Mr. C - what species of elk is that? Looks like it's a rare mature antlerless bull by the size of it.
I am taking one of these to the mountains with me this year. Hoping to be able to pack quartered meat to the trail and then use this to make one trip back to the truck.
I killed a beast of a cow last year in NM. Not sure if it was 6, but easily 500. I'm 185 for reference.
Everyone please read BNAA response ABOVE.
F&G is NOT asking ANYONE to drag out the animal but to contact them and they will come with a tractor to haul it OUT.
BTW In college me and 4 buddies dragged a 5 point bull 1/2 mile - mostly downhill. I was whooped for 2 days. It can be done, not recommended. Haha.
Mr. Tell that would be a roosevelt and if I remember correctly She was 386lbs on the meat hook ,no head ,or hide,cut off at the knees....it was a very large cow indeed one of the biggest Iv encountered ..im 6'in the white T MikeC... Now back to the show
Just visited with an old timer in Colorado and he showed me his elk pics. All were hanging whole on a game pole.
just call the Gov or x gov 500lb nada for him
I will never drag a cow unless it is late season and there is snow enough for the jet sled! Any other time it is quarter and hauled on packs. Even 200 yards I can quarter and pack faster than it can be dragged!
Tule's aren't exactly roosies.....
Seems you you just tape some measurements and extrapolate vs bringing the body back.Crazy....
If they want the whole animal have them come and get it without wasting any meat.
Sage and BNAA
F&W will get their chance. Meat on the ground on a hot day is very time sensitive, even ignoring the yellowjackets that will probably be showing up to the party in droves. We shall see whether and how quick they get on their steel pony (assuming we get lucky). Everyone agrees that level ground whole elk hauling is a bad idea.
I dragged one once for over a half mile with a busted shoulder.
But I was sitting on a Polaris in low gear :)
Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
We drag-carried a spike 200 yds. up hill we had six guys.Dragged a raghorn about 350 yds up and down but he was small we stuffed him whole in the back of an Explorer!If the rental companies only knew.LOL
I've used these a number of times. They roll up Lin a tube and easy to carry. It's slick plastic that slides over any terrain. It would be a whole lot easier than dragging it without anything. We had a big good sized Mule Deer that was up a steep hill about two hundred yards. Secured the deer and let it go like a tobagan. Once it got going it mowed down sagebrush. They're cheap. Definately better than nothing. Another thought would be several hundred feet of Good parachute cord. When you get close enough to your truck tie it to the sled and pull it out. Even if you can only drag it 30 ft at a time. Just take up the slack and go again.
Me and a fella I met in the mountains, who watched me shoot the big ole cow, drug her out of a meadow into the shade. It was about 50 yards, downhill. Lord willing, never again. God Bless
I've got one of those c'mhere deer sleds and they do reduce friction. Got a bad feeing a 400+ lb elk is a whole lot harder than even a toad muley. Dragged a 275 boar about 75 yards up a hill with a buddy once. Took over an hour - ouch. ATV's with a winch and extra rope - now you're talking, but this gig is 100% the state guys on the mechanical end. Will post the results.
quick side question - how long will elk meat from a fresh kill stay good in 90+ degree heat and the sun? I'm thinking 2 hours.
I've got one of those c'mhere deer sleds and they do reduce friction. Got a bad feeing a 400+ lb elk is a whole lot harder than even a toad muley. Dragged a 275 boar about 75 yards up a hill with a buddy once. Took over an hour - ouch. ATV's with a winch and extra rope - now you're talking, but this gig is 100% the state guys on the mechanical end. Will post the results.
quick side question - how long will elk meat from a fresh kill stay good in 90+ degree heat and the sun? I'm thinking 2 hours.
I'm thinking that in 90+ degree weather you should be able to eat it in 10 hours.
If it's flat like you say and solid enough ground, get you 3-4 8 to10inch in diameter and 3-4 feet long each. posts or logs and a sheet of plywood and roll it out. It will feel like it weighs 10 lbs. moving it. Iv'e done it my self moving extremely heavy things. Getting this material there will be a lot easier than moving that elk.
