Estimating weights going IN vs coming Out - Afognak Elk Hunt

[PRSHunter]

Does anyone have input on the above weight guestimates for an 8 day late-September Afognak Elk hunt with 4 hunters?

Here are a few of my assumptions:

• Hunters average weight is 200lbs (we have a blend of in-shape military, some lady hunters, and all of us are under 200lbs)
• Limit each hunter to 100lbs each of gear
• Black tail deer meet quartered and possibly de-boned, maybe antlers, each tag filled weighs 100lbs. I could be off here
• I, as the main Elk draw tag holder, likely won't also pursue black tail
• I, as the main Elk draw tag holder, if successful, will have bull elk antlers + skull, plus 5 or 6 game bags full of meat, estimated around 350-400lbs of de-boned weight. I could be off here

We are taking Sea Hawk air in, and we are charged by the weight for each trip in/out, so I wanted to provide Sea Hawk air with close guestimates so they can spit out a proposed invoice for me

 

[DanimalW]

You’ll be under 200 lbs on your way out

 

[PRSHunter]

Oh, I suppose one could remove some food weight over 8 days lol. Maybe minus 15-20lbs per hunter of food weight, and hopefully 4-5 rifle rounds expended. Plus each hunter will likely lose a couple pounds from working their asses off.

 

[PRSHunter]

You’ll be under 200 lbs on your way out

You bet! My last haul-road Caribou hunt I lost 11 pounds in 6 days from hunting.

 

[DanimalW]

You bet! My last haul-road Caribou hunt I lost 11 pounds in 6 days from hunting.

In all seriousness, I’m not much help because I’ve never done a fly in trip. Kind of depends what kind of food and how much you’re bringing. If you’re bringing any kind of flasks those will probably go back empty. Maybe jet boil fuel. A 100 lbs might be a conservative estimate for black tail, but again, just an inexperienced guess.

Sounds like a blast though. Good luck!

 

[PRSHunter]

I've never

In all seriousness, I’m not much help because I’ve never done a fly in trip. Kind of depends what kind of food and how much you’re bringing. If you’re bringing any kind of flasks those will probably go back empty. Maybe jet boil fuel. A 100 lbs might be a conservative estimate for black tail, but again, just an inexperienced guess.

Sounds like a blast though. Good luck!

Thanks!

And yeah, each hunter will probably have 10-11 days worth of food for this 8 day hunt. We can get our daily food weights pretty low given the calories ingested.

Flasks - definitely forgot about those. A celebratory snip it likely in order once the elk is down on the ground.

I've never hunted black tail deer, but I've definitely hunted white tail and been around plenty of mule deer while elk hunting back in the lower 48. I keep reading how thick-bodied black tail deer can get, despite their smaller antler size, but the majority are smaller and are as common as squirrels lol. I've also only hunted Rocky mountain "American Elk" before, never Roosevelt Elk on Afognak. I hear these things are tanks. Huge bodies, thick antlers, so I could use some help with these weight guestimates for an average size bull.

 

[tuffcrk14]

Think about a bear fence so what meat you can’t haul out that day can “in theory” be safe from bears getting it over night. The herd bull we shot on afognak was closer to processing a horse. Biggest bodied elk I’d ever laid eyes/hands on. The spike bull we also got in addition to the herd bull was in the size range of a Rocky Mountain satellite bull. My back still hurts thinking about that trip, but what an adventure Afognak brings.


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[PRSHunter]

Think about a bear fence so what meat you can’t haul out that day can “in theory” be safe from bears getting it over night. The herd bull we shot on afognak was closer to processing a horse. Biggest bodied elk I’d ever laid eyes/hands on. The spike bull we also got in addition to the herd bull was in the size range of a Rocky Mountain satellite bull. My back still hurts thinking about that trip, but what an adventure Afognak brings.


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My pilot recommended 2 bear fences. 1 for the campsite. 1 for the kill site. Definitely will be doing both

 

[-bowfreak-]

This seems like an awesome adventure. I watched the bowhunt Corey Jacobsen did there and it was super cool. It seems like you are packing out something the equivalent of a A/Y Moose instead of an elk. Sounds fun and miserable at the same time.

 

[Catchfish]

I would think you are probably a little high on the deer estimate, if that is boned out 45-60 lbs of trimmed meat is about all I get from a deer I believe.

 

[PRSHunter]

I would think you are probably a little high on the deer estimate, if that is boned out 45-60 lbs of trimmed meat is about all I get from a deer I believe.

Is that taking into account antlers and hide too?

 

[Catchfish]

Full skull and antlers not hide.

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

I got 400lbs of boned out meat on a 43” Alaskan moose this year.

For your reference. I think your meat estimate for the deer is high. But that’s not from personal experience.

 

[PRSHunter]

Update: After speaking with an ADF&G biologist today at Kodiak, I was able to get additional sources that 500 estimate is close enough to get in the ballpark for SeaHawk air. 70lbs neck, 65lb front quarters, 90lb rear quarters, plus all the trimmings and tenderloins and back straps, hide and skull+antlers. That was on a 1350lb live animal. Kinda nuts how big these things are.

 

[PRSHunter]

I forgot to ask about deer weight, but if I over-estimate a bit on possible deer harvested, maybe we'll have a bit left over for a lucky fox, or ducks, or multiple deer if 1 hunter is lucky.

 

[PRSHunter]

This seems like an awesome adventure. I watched the bowhunt Corey Jacobsen did there and it was super cool. It seems like you are packing out something the equivalent of a A/Y Moose instead of an elk. Sounds fun and miserable at the same time.

I've been trying to find this bow hunt. Is it on YouTube somewhere?

 

[Antares]

I forgot to ask about deer weight, but if I over-estimate a bit on possible deer harvested, maybe we'll have a bit left over for a lucky fox, or ducks, or multiple deer if 1 hunter is lucky.

You are overestimating the deer by a good bit. A big, big buck is about 75 pounds boned out. Small bucks and does will be closer to 50 pounds.

 

[PRSHunter]

You are overestimating the deer by a good bit. A big, big buck is about 75 pounds boned out. Small bucks and does will be closer to 50 pounds.

I've come to learn this, as you say. I'm also including hide and antlers in the weight, for what that's worth.

 

[wildwilderness]

I have never heard of an air taxi on Kodiak charging by the weight. It’s always been by the flight with the price per air time based on which airplane (beaver vs 185)

 

[-bowfreak-]

Here is the link to the Afognak elk hunt.

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