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kyleouradnik

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I talked to an employee at Cabela's today about buying a pack and frame combination. His advice to me was to just buy a frame and to strap the backpack I already own to the frame. He said when they shot deer/elk they take the pack off an strap the meat to the frame. I was under the impression that most people quarter the animal up and then put it into the pack to haul it out.

Any advice on how most hunters pack their animals out. I am going on my first elk hunt this fall and trying to make the trip as successful and easy as possible.

Thanks!
 
What you were told, will work. I've done it. I still have a Cabela's Alaska (?) frame hanging in my shop. Not the most comfortable and the external aluminum frame is noisy. But, if budgets are an issue, that is one way to do it.

As a general rule, the box stores are not a good place to purchase a high quality pack that is specifically designed for backpack hunting. Best of luck on your search.

Most people I know will quarter an elk, put it in game bags, then attach it to their pack. If you have an external frame pack, odds are you will be fastening it to the frame. If you have an internal frame pack, you have more options, including inserting the quarters into the "bag" you have mounted on the frame.

With the Mystery Ranch NICE frames I use, you can remove the bag and replace it with a load sling as shown in this video.

http://vimeo.com/9893957

To see more about how MR builds these internal frame NICE Frame packs, go here. It will give you an idea of what options are out there with the higher end hunting packs.

http://www.mysteryranch.com/about-hunting-packs/nice-frame
 
I have used an old Alaskan frame and strapped my fanny pack to it. Sometimes I would ditch the frame to cut down on noise, and just pick it up on the way out. That works great if you go out the exact same way you came in, not so great if you don't.

I would just tie quarters directly to the frame itself like Randy said. For an internal frame pack I would load directly into the pack.

I have a new MR Metcalf and absolutely love it.
 
I have used the Cabelas Alaskan pack for many years. I actually retired one after it had hauled somewhere around 1500 pounds of meat. It now serves as the frame for a backpack sprayer.

I like the Alaskan due to its price and basic functionality. I have carried weights up to 110 pounds with it. I do not ever haul quarters anymore. Every critter that I kill over the hill gets boned out before hauling it out. Just put the meat in bags and line the pack with a large garbage bag. There is no reason to haul heavy bones out of the woods. They are going to be thrown away in the end anyway.
 
sbhooper said:
I have used the Cabelas Alaskan pack for many years. I actually retired one after it had hauled somewhere around 1500 pounds of meat. It now serves as the frame for a backpack sprayer.

I like the Alaskan due to its price and basic functionality. I have carried weights up to 110 pounds with it. I do not ever haul quarters anymore. Every critter that I kill over the hill gets boned out before hauling it out. Just put the meat in bags and line the pack with a large garbage bag. There is no reason to haul heavy bones out of the woods. They are going to be thrown away in the end anyway.
Click to expand...


Some great info here guys. This is exactly why I joined this site. My plan was to quarter and bone the elk out and haul out just the meat off the mountain (and hopefully a giant head...:p). We are backpacking in around 4-5 miles but it looks as tho I will be hunting within a mile or two of spike camp each day. Plan is to hunt with my "day" pack (2000 CI) and if I arrow an elk I will mark the spot, hike back to camp and return with my heavy pack (4500 CI) to haul out the meat. I can then bone the meat and shuttle the meat down the hill to Base camp. My "Heavy pack" is an internal frame pack and quarter bags to haul the meat( this is also the pack that I'm using to get my spike camp equipment into the back country). Once I get all the meat to spike camp Im guessing it will take 2-3 trips down the mountain until all the meat is on ice. I realize every hunt and situation is different but am I on the right track here? BTW...my motto is: "The best laid plans of mice and men...." haha and also everything that can go wrong....will!
 
I have owned numerous packs of all types over the years and my favorite for hauling heavy loads is a vintage 1970's era Jansport D2
You can find these on ebay. They've become so sought after that Jansport brought them back.....called the Retro. But the original made in USA was built to last, unlike all the China made.
 

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kyleouradnik said:
I talked to an employee at Cabela's today about buying a pack and frame combination. His advice to me was to just buy a frame and to strap the backpack I already own to the frame. He said when they shot deer/elk they take the pack off an strap the meat to the frame. I was under the impression that most people quarter the animal up and then put it into the pack to haul it out.

Any advice on how most hunters pack their animals out. I am going on my first elk hunt this fall and trying to make the trip as successful and easy as possible.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

That is good advice, but I can't imagine trying to hunt with a big frame on my back - it makes a huge rectangle silhouette if nothing else.

I hunt with my daypack. If I get something I take out a small load with that pack and then return with my old Kelty frame for the rest. If you feel you can take more on your first load put the backstraps in a long game bag and wear it draped around your neck and over your shoulders. It is surprisingly comfortable.

I prefer the frame pack because you can tie the meat to the frame up high - between your shoulder blades. If you just throw the meat in the bag of a pack it will sit down below your butt and feel extremely heavy. It took me several painful years to figure that one out....
 
I have done both the frame and day pack. Using a frame pack to hunt with makes sense in that you are already there and can bring out a heavy load on the first trip. The older that I get, the more I like to limit the number of trips. I have never had issues with hunting with a frame on, unless maybe when you are moving through thick stuff.

Looks to me like you are on the right track, Eyeguy.
 
I got the best of all packs IMO, I have a Jim Shockey by Blacks Creek pack, has the bag and a external frame, first trip I can get a load out, get back too camp, remove the bag, go get the rest, come back and put the bag right back on, it has small posts on each side with metal holes in the bag and you put a metal rod through the posts, takes 30 seconds too convert, I've had it for 5 years I believe, awesome pack
Matt

http://www.camofire.com/forum/hunting-deals/blacks-creek-jim-shockey-yukon-frame-pack-2
 
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I have used frame packs in the past, and they work great for hauling, but I don't like hunting with them very much. I can load my MR Longbow or Crewcab with as much meat/bone as I can possibly carry and it is as comfortable as a heavy load gets. Also, they are much more convienient to hunt with.

If you are working in a budget, a frame pack is a good option, and I would go that way before I went with a less expensive internal frame. I would try and find a used one rather than a new one, technology on these hasn't changed much. However, if you have the resources and think you will get enough use out of it, a high quality internal frame will probably be a better overall option to hunt out of.
 
I'll vote for a good external frame for pack-outs (if the MR packs are out of budget).

Seeing the old Jansport's bring back memories for me. My Dad still has them and I packed out too many elk with them. One word of advice though, don't put half an elk on one. And I mean half an elk (bone-in, hide on, front and rear quarters, ribs still on the front). Literally split down the back bone, then split from the last hanging rib. We did take off the legs to save weight though :)

Day-hunting with a smaller pack and leaving the big pack frame in the truck works fine. If you are packing camp in as well, you can always leave the 'bags' at camp and just haul meat.

Once you have determined that backpacking meat is so much fun that you can't live without doing it, then upgrading to MR (or a backpack geared to this type of activity) is worth while.
 
I prefer a pack you can hunt out of and pack meat with. Mine's an internal frame and I've only packed out quarters with bone in them twice. Neither time was by choice.

There are packs out there that can do this without breaking the bank, but the most often mentioned hunting packs probably do it better. These "other" packs often do not come in camo or from "hunting stores".

My reasoning is that I want to minimize the number of trips. I'm fat and lazy...
 
Still have my Cabelas Alaskan pack and frame, packed a few elk out with it and although not the most comfy of packs it really isnt that bad for a man with only $100 to spend on a frame. I will not lie, its louder than you would ever want so this pack caused me to waste energy going back to the truck (without meat) on many first trips just to retrieve my hauler. Solution,

only one simple choice here.....go in light, come out heavy....Eberlestock J34. Learn to debone an elk/deer and simple pack out the meat, no need to waste energy packing bone (or gutting for that matter) that you wont do a thing with. MR packs are nice if you have $6-800 (wish I did), but my Eberlestock has performed flawlessly for half the price.

I would strongly resist the urge to hunt with a day pack and only get your frame pack once you kill. A simple all in one is a golden ticket. Get a pack that collapses down tightly and expands when you need it, saves so much time and effort. I always have my complete deboning kit along with two heavy duty game bags on my at all times (get the other two bags once I reach the truck on the first trip out).

Long story short....work smarter, not harder and learn to muscle the added weight upfront as it really pays off in the long run. My last elk I shot took me four trips to get it all out, 21 miles round trips...so its easy to see why I dont leave the truck without my needed gear to get the party started.

If there were two things I would never go the cheap route on are boots and packs, they are worth the price to play. Good luck!
 
My first real elk hunt as an adult was in 2008. I had a $40 backpack that I was happy with at the time. I was very lucky to shoot a bull and we went back to the truck for the pack frames and hauled him out. I thought this was a great way to do it.

I upgraded to an Eberlestock J34 pack in 2010. I hauled out several bulls with it. I thought it was great, saved a trip back to the truck and hauled perfectly fine.

I upgraded to a Stone Glacier pack last year. I hauled out the biggest bull of my life with it. I think it is great, a big step up from the Eberlestock on hauling heavy loads and weighs less than half what the Eberlestock does empty. I don't have any plans on upgrading anytime soon.

My only complaint on the Stone Glacier is that it doesn't come in camo! ;)

My 2 cents.

Edit - I thought I could do it, but I couldn't resist posting up pictures of my packout last year!

packout_shadow.jpg


weigh_in.jpg


scale.jpg
 
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It is high end price wise but check out the Paradox pack. It has some of the best characteristics of the external frame hauler but then much of the comfort of an internal framed pack. It is ultralight and very, very versatile from daypack to all you can carry.

HD
 
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