Anybody actually weight their quarters?

Beendare

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I've packed out 8 moose quarters in my lifetime....but the most recent was just about 20 years ago! Both of those trips were remote Canadian deals and I didn't pack them far...one moose was only 50 yds from the river. I'm guessing they were appx 120- 140# [56" bull and a 52" bull both Canadians...but I was much younger and stronger then- grin

Have any of you guys been in a position to actually weight yours?

I just booked a drop hunt in AK...and need to plan accordingly.....
 
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Beendare......No scale, but they weigh a lot as you know, especially with bone-in! My buddy and I stood each other up when we had an Alaskan hind quarter each in a pack........and I was half as old as I am now! After the second Alaskan bull I swore off hunting them and now only hunt the smaller Canadian moose (actually because I live in Canada now). At least we can debone and pack old man size loads here.
 

cnelk

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Beendare

I weighed my moose meat when I took it in to get processed.

Here are some close estimates as I recall

There was ~525 total pounds [incl bone]

185lbs - 2 Front shoulders w/ neck meat
220lbs - 2 hind quarters
120lbs - 2 rib sections

Antlers & head was prob another 80+lbs




 

VernAK

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Unless a moose is very close to a boat or ATV, we no longer pack those huge pieces.....too many injuries that can ruin your hunts forever.

I've weighed several boned out Alaskan bulls [60" +] and the meat only was right near 600 pounds. We try to bag at 40-50 pounds to prevent back injuries especially when loading into a Cub etc. Even this old guy can get to his feet with a bag of meat and alone I can hang it.

I suspect most are not packing quarters but rather rear hams. Still very heavy!
 

cnelk

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^^^^^ Yep ^^^^^

No way was I packing an entire hind quarter thru moose country wearing hip boots.

Cut them in smaller pieces and live to hunt another day
 
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Beendare

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A fresh bull moose cape will bow your legs also!
Yeah...I bet.Thanks for the info guys....it looks like we dodged a bullet and can bone in our unit.....

I don't want to curse the hunt...but I would just beetle the skull for a euro mount.... so another 100# of cape is not in the cards.

Edit; I think what I was worried about mostly is seeing one over a mile out...and then having to think about how to get him out. I've never worried about that on my hunts...even though it has saddled me with some PITA packouts.
 
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RCA Dog

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The moose we shot in northern BC last season yielded 403 lbs of total meat, from 583 lbs hanging weight. We did not have to pack him at all, thank god. He was an average sized bull.
 
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I haven't had the emotional pain of weighing and seeing the weight of the moose meat I've packed. There have been a couple moose where I/we bagged the entire de-boned hind quarters and shoulders in one bag...meaning 4 quarters in 4 bags. The load-out was just brutal and I simply will never do that again. I've had some back problems myself and I now keep my loads below 80 pounds estimated. I'm able to probably walk off with 125 if necessary but why do it? As far as my butchering, I take the entire quarter off the carcass (after skinning) and then I de-bone the entire quarter. I end up with one huge, clean chunk of meat. I then decide where to cut and separate a hind into 2 pieces for 2 bags. Front shoulders are done the same but the cut-down usually becomes a 1/3-2/3 deal. The 2/3 piece goes in its own bag (x 2). The two 1/3 shoulder pieces go in one bag together along with shanks or whatever to make correct weight.

I don't know about the stories I hear where a guy kills a bull 2 miles from camp and it gets backpacked in. I killed a bull 3/4 mile by gps from camp. No way to pack out in a straight line around the brush, through the tussocks and across the 7 various water crossing required. It was pure misery at times...most times...and I learned a lesson about shooting a moose without real regard for what lies between it and it's destination. I was at that job for 3 days and was ready for a bullet a couple times. The day I hauled out the last loads my pilot dropped in and asked me if I had everything out. I did. He said there was a really big silvertip on the carcass right then. I saw the bear a day later when I flew out. Sobering.

I wanna meet Vern before I take up the rocking chair.
 

Larry Bartlett

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Hind qtrs on a moose weigh between 95-120 lbs on high 40" to high 50" bulls. Shoulders are 75-90 lbs average. Big 60" and larger the weights can be 10-15% heavier. By Day 5 meat loses 8-12% in total weight due to drying and draining. So, a hind qtr that weighed 110-lbs fresh off the carcass will scale at roughly 100-lbs on day 5.

If you started with 500-lbs of fresh meat, you'll have roughly 50-lbs less total weight on day 5 and beyond. Sounds like a lot, but i've done experiments that repeat the same results.
 

Kimbersig

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Hind qtrs on a moose weigh between 95-120 lbs on high 40" to high 50" bulls. Shoulders are 75-90 lbs average. Big 60" and larger the weights can be 10-15% heavier. By Day 5 meat loses 8-12% in total weight due to drying and draining. So, a hind qtr that weighed 110-lbs fresh off the carcass will scale at roughly 100-lbs on day 5.

If you started with 500-lbs of fresh meat, you'll have roughly 50-lbs less total weight on day 5 and beyond. Sounds like a lot, but i've done experiments that repeat the same results.

Cool info. thanks Larry!
 

stratofisher

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My bull was about 525lbs total weight when we got to the house. Moose is massive and a pain to pack. Was very thankful to be able to drive mine and my buddies Yamaha Rhinos up to the moose. Much easier to deal with that way. Hiking any distance in tundra territory is tough as I have hiked out two caribou that I made the mistake of shooting too far away from ATV access.
 

VernAK

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Good data Larry!
The two boned out, large bulls that I weighed [meat only] came in right at 600 pounds at Delta Meat and Sausage after 10 days hanging.
With your data, they should be 650+....maybe 675.
 
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Beendare

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It's amazing how a so-so non-shooter bull looks like a real trophy when standing on the airstrip or river bank.

Oh man thats funny.....and true!

This hunt has me thinking.......Backpacking across a flooded bog can't be much fun...if its even possible. I've packed caribou [or tried to!] across some of that muck and buried one leg to my crotch getting stuck so bad I had to drag my pack across sections. My usual elk strategy may come up lacking.

i'm bringing a long rope...block and tackle, and thinking about a small raft or some type of roll up plastic sled. I'm not sure on what to use for the sled....any ideas? I'm thinking something like this that maybe rolls up more compact...or inflates????
Cabela's Online Store - Quality Hunting, Fishing, Camping and Outdoor Gear

Its maybe going to sound crazy..but something like this
Cabela's Online Store - Quality Hunting, Fishing, Camping and Outdoor Gear
 
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It sure pays to know all you can about the actual area you'll be hunting....terrain, water obstacles like beaver ponds, sloughs, rivers and serious bogs. The 2 best sources of info on that are the pilot and the previous hunters who hunted that exact location. I don't believe there's a moose in Alaska that can't make it to a bad spot in 30 seconds or less, lol. The extreme majority of the bulls I've killed have gone to earth in 75 yards or less after one arrow. One bull took a shaft through both lungs broadside at 6 yards and then had the vitality to run about 300 yards and drop in a slough. Uggh. Great bull but I got tired of butchering in a watery swamp of blood and mud. Even though I am a bow-or-go-home guy, hunting a really wet area would be one reason I might think about a high-energy rifle for dropping a moose in a safer spot...if I had to backpack it out.





No real opinion on the sled or raft. I guess the reality is you could bring a Beaver full of recovery gear and not need any of it or still not have the right thing. I'm guessing the sleds would be a tug-move...tug-move deal. I don't think you'd be walking steadily and pulling 100 pounds very far. In a really watery location a small raft could be a lifesaver. I think your pilot holds the keys to this decision.
 

Larry Bartlett

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buy a sheet of UMHW in 1/16" thickness for a roll-away sled like i make for backcountry use. Several of my youtubes videos show this in action.
PR49 Long Way Down - YouTube


The inflatable concept will screw ya in the end if it get punctured with heavy loads...and it will.
 
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Beendare

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buy a sheet of UMHW in 1/16" thickness for a roll-away sled like i make for backcountry use. Several of my youtubes videos show this in action.
PR49 Long Way Down - YouTube


The inflatable concept will screw ya in the end if it get punctured with heavy loads...and it will.

I was thinking something like this...maybe wider so it floats over stuff a little easier. I looked at those things you pull behind the boat for tubing too fairly heavy duty but not appropriate for dry ground stuff.

So what do you think Larry? Clever idea.

...I watched your excellent vid but it looked like you guys were fighting it a bit.
 
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