# Elk Size



## buckykm1 (Dec 19, 2011)

it seems like there are new people coming on pretty regular, wanting to go on there first Elk hunt.
and some talk about a DIY hunt, packing in 5, 7 & even 10 miles, which is fine if you are ready for it.
But, I think that a lot of new Elk hunter don't realize just how big a Elk is, and how much work it is to get one out & in coolers before it spoils.
I saw this picture on Facebook this morning, I don't know this gentleman, but it really shows just how big a large adult cow Elk is, and a Bull is usually about a 1/3 bigger.
definitely not a 140 to 180 pound Deer that you can just drag out.
just something for you newbies to keep in mind when you are planning your Elk hunt.

Good luck to everyone on your hunts this year.

Kevin


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## kracker (Jan 25, 2013)

Good post. Basically if a person can't pack a 60 pound backpack 4 miles 4 times in one weekend on flat ground, they have no business trying it in the mountains. It is absolutely possible to do it but you just need to be in good shape and still be honest with your backpacking ability's.


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

You'll only make that mistake once. I was sore for near a month after bringing my bull off the mountain last year and I had help. I still haven't decided if I'm going back this fall but I'm already easing in to getting in better shape than I was last year in the event I put in for a tag in April. 

I'm not waffling about the work, I killed two last fall plus a heavy weight UP buck. The freezer still has lots of meat even after sharing elk meat with family and friends.


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## kbb3358 (Feb 24, 2005)

I shot a smallish 6x6 five miles into an wilderness area of Colorado just before dark (6;30). With two of us cutting quarters and hanging them it took two hours. I carried out back straps that night and got back to camp by 11pm. The next morning (8:00) three of us hiked back up, deboned all the meat and filled three large frame backpacks with meat. We didn't get back to camp until around 4:30pm. Yes they are a big animal to carry out an most of the time they don't fall on the trial back to camp. By the way wilderness areas in Colorado no wheeled vehicles (including carts, wheel barrows and quads).


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## HTC (Oct 6, 2005)

First elk I ever took was the cow below in SW Colorado.....I think it was 1998. A small herd of 7 or 8 came running right at me while walking down a forest road. She really stood out in the group being much larger than the rest.....Anyways I was lucky enough to be able to back the truck right up to her. I have taken 8 more since including 3 nice bulls but none have matched her body size. She was not weighed but a couple of guys with experience back then put her at 700+ on the hoof and said she as big as any bull they had seen. Anyway you try it they are a handful once on the ground. For reference the little muley buck was maybe 130 lbs or so....good topic.


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## jrose (Aug 17, 2011)

The first elk I had ever seen was in Arizona, up in the mountains near Flagstaff. I was driving a small Toyota pick-up and pulled over to the side of the road to watch them cross. The elk crossed 10 feet in front of my truck and I was looking up at this animal thinking there is no way I could fit that thing in the back of my truck!! By the way there was a fence at the edge of the road and the elk stepped over it like it wasn't there. Impressive!


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## Firefighter (Feb 14, 2007)

I'm just shy of 200 lbs for reference, and the roof truss by the bulls hoof is at 12 feet.

They are MASSIVE animals.

Every deer I've killed since is literally like a Sunday morning stroll through the woods.


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## kbb3358 (Feb 24, 2005)

I have taken 6 elk (5 bulls) and have only taken one out whole. That was a spike my first year chasing them.


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## kbb3358 (Feb 24, 2005)

My biggest bull (scored 377) we tried to lift him with a winch mounted on a quad. Only thing that left the ground was the quad. Chained the quad to a tree and still had to take off quarters to get it off the ground.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Buddy did a DIY hike in trip and his brother shot a small bull, in a clearing right by camp. They walked up to it and he said "WTH do we do now?". It took him two days of more or less bringing coolers to the elk and butchering it right into the coolers to wrap it all up.


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

You guys should see a bull moose.


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## buckykm1 (Dec 19, 2011)

brushbuster said:


> You guys should see a bull moose.


I have many times, even Bigger yet.

Kevin


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

Im looking forward to spring to get back on the bicycle and hike the trails again. Totally out of shape again.


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## buckykm1 (Dec 19, 2011)

I try to stay in halfway decent shape year around, being in my mid 60s now it isn't as easy as it use to be, I am on my Treadmill, Elliptical and Total Gym 3 days a week 10 months out of the year, and once the weather is decent I start riding my Bike around the block too, 7 to 10 miles depending on which way I go. 

Kevin


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## kbb3358 (Feb 24, 2005)

Been eye to eye with many moose they are even bigger. Have hunt booked for moose this fall.


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## kbb3358 (Feb 24, 2005)

Staying in shape is the key. Many times have I out hunted and out walked my buddies at elk camp. They all live at elevation over 6500 feet.


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## 7mmsendero (Dec 2, 2010)

Probably one of the biggest challenges isn't necessarily boning an elk out, it's staying legal too. Evidence of sex requirements are fun.

I did find a tarp (or a couple of contractors bags) and a hatchet were very handy. Carrying Kevlar gloves was a good idea too, it's nice not to worry about cutting yourself a few miles back while standing on your head boning out an elk on a mountainside.

Besides making a decent and compact tarp, the contractors bag is nice to have if you make multiple trips. Load up the guts in the bag and move them away from your meat a couple hundred yards. Scavengers typically hit the guts before the meat. It can help.


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