Elk bag size question
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: Ucsdryder
29-Mar-19
I bought some reusable game bags, both 20x30” and bigger 30x40” bags. The bigger bags are huge! Has anybody tried using deer bags 20x30 for front shoulders (bone in)? I would like to carry 2 40” bags for rear quarters, 2 20” bags for front quarters and a 20” bag for trim. Those 5 bags are smaller than the 4 big bags.
From: Brotsky
29-Mar-19
I use the Ovis sacks (have both elk and deer size), totally agree on the the elk size bags being overly large but they work awesome. I think you could possibly get the front shoulder from a small bull or cow into the deer sized bag but a big bull would be a tight fit. Maybe someone else has done it, I'm just basing it off my eyeballing of them.
From: Jaquomo
29-Mar-19
Deer bags work just fine for front quarters.
From: Ucsdryder
29-Mar-19
Thanks guys! I was eyeballing them too and it sure seemed about right. The elk bags are ridiculously big, but the combination of bags looks just about perfect!
From: smarba
29-Mar-19
Personally I'd worry more about the extra pounds of bone than the extra few ounces of bag fabric.
That said I use home made bags that are about 24"x36" (4) plus another smaller one for backstraps and loose meat. I always debone everything and that setup has worked fine for several bull elk. However, a couple of years ago I killed an old bull with a HUGE body and the bags didn't even come close. We used all of mine plus all of my buddy's similarly size bags. So to be safe I'd err on the side of having bags too big than too small.
From: LKH
29-Mar-19
leg bones for a big elk weigh about 12 pounds but you can get rid of some more weight if you bone.
From: Ucsdryder
29-Mar-19
Smarba it’s a combination of ounces and volume. Also, when you’re covering 10-20 miles a day, over and over, ounces feel like pounds. I’ll cut every ounce I can in a day pack. I’d rather carry an extra 8 pounds of bone 3 miles than an extra pound of weight in my day pack for 100 miles a season.