Knife or saw for cutting moose quarter in half??

brown4christ

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 27, 2015
Messages
164
Ok. I need some help. I did a DIY Alaskan moose hunt in 2017 and was able to bone it out for packing. I'm going again this year and taking my son. This time we have to take meat out on the bone in the area we are hunting. I hear guys say they cut the quarters in half in the field for transport. We're doing a DIY again and weight is an issue. I would appreciate advise as to what saw or knife you used to successfully cut moose quarters in half. Thanks!
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Messages
3,158
I'm just really curious about what someone meant by 'cutting moose quarters in half'. Here's a skinned moose quarter on a tarp:

IxRUEjbl.jpg


You can clearly see the head of the femur. The femur runs down the quarter about 16-20 inches and terminates. So a choice to cut the quarter into 'halves', and leaving bone in each piece seems almost illogical. You'd be choosing between separating it at the lower joint versus cross-cutting directly through all that thick, beautiful meat to reach the mid-shaft of the femur and then saw through it. But maybe I'm missing something.

Bone-in requirements are a hassle for guys who must backpack a kill to their airstrip or raft. No big deal with horses or atv. I've handled plenty of moose quarters and those suckers are no fun to pick up. I can pack one on my back but need some help getting loaded and standing up.

You can separate any joint on a moose using a good knife, simply by cutting tendons and ligaments. If I had to cut through a femur I'd have some type of saw with durable blade and fairly fine teeth. I've seen a carpenter's saw used.
 

wytx

WKR
Joined
Feb 2, 2017
Messages
2,057
Location
Wyoming
A knife will not cut a femur bone on a moose if that is what you mean. You need a saw to cut through the bone, otherwise Kevin is right on.
 

JFKinYK

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Aug 28, 2013
Messages
236
The pic above is technically a moose leg. In the butcher industry a hind quarter includes the flank, loin and round. It's basically 1/4 of the entire animal (hence the name) and looks something like the link below.

I don't know if your bone in regs mean only leg bones or all bones. If taking true hindquarters then cutting them in half can be beneficial. With only knife work it's possible but takes some knowledge to cut between vertebrae and rib without killing your knife edge. A saw or axe makes the work easier.

http://www.fleisch-teilstuecke.at/typo3temp/pics/a791f77e57.jpg
 

Merc

FNG
Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
97
Location
Anchorage
I think Kevin has got it about right, only logical way would be to separate the upper and lower legs and you can do that with a knife. I'm heading out on my own couple of Alaska hunts this fall, and will be solo so I may be trying this myself if the opportunity presents itself.
 
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