field dressing moose by yourself

lonedave

WKR
Joined
Sep 7, 2014
Messages
363
Location
West Richland, WA
The only moose I've taken was solo and about a mile from the road. Gutless, lots of rope, lantern with spare fuel, and plenty of game bags, I think I used seven. My saw was only used to cut the rack from the skull. Mine was a Shiras, so you'll be looking at more meat and larger rack, I'd guess. Have fun!
 

Maverick1

WKR
Joined
Jun 1, 2013
Messages
1,563
Has anyone used Nite Ize CamJamxt camlocks for paracord?

I pack paracord and a few chainlinks for making a block and tackle for holding legs on elk. I'm wondering if that camjam would be a faster/easier solution.

Yes. Works well. (There are two cam jams. One is plastic, other aluminum; make sure to get the aluminum version; it has a higher weight rating/capacity and works great with Paracord).

I have also used a couple of harken pulleys to create a system, which works much better than the chain links setup, IME. (Suggest trying each setup with 150 pounds of sandbags and decide which system works best for you).
 
Joined
Feb 2, 2020
Messages
2,055
Yes. Works well. (There are two cam jams. One is plastic, other aluminum; make sure to get the aluminum version; it has a higher weight rating/capacity and works great with Paracord).

I have also used a couple of harken pulleys to create a system, which works much better than the chain links setup, IME. (Suggest trying each setup with 150 pounds of sandbags and decide which system works best for you).

Thanks for the tip. I'll look up those harken pulleys
 

Maverick1

WKR
Joined
Jun 1, 2013
Messages
1,563

Some information on the pulleys I use. For just over 3 oz, worth it for moose hind quarters. (Heavy sandbags, too!)
 
Joined
Dec 23, 2017
Messages
637
Location
Southwestern Alaska
Have a hunt coming up for a tag I drew and my friend (s) who were scheduled to help pack may have to back out due work reasons. The good news is it's on a military base just north of anchorage with lots of road and trail access so the pack out even if solo should be very do able. Main concern is taking care of the animal... im a big strong guy but obviously moose are giant.

Anyone have any tips or tricks for completing the task solo? Maybe some gear? Heard Come alongs come up before?

Thanks in advance

I’m just north of that base just north of Anchorage. If you need someone to assist, send me a PM. I’m a school teacher and weekends are free.
Good luck if you can’t find anyone else to help.
 

AK_Hobie

FNG
Joined
Apr 23, 2019
Messages
16
Location
Kenai, Alaska
For me it depends on when I harvest it. I have done five of 3 to 4 browtiners by myself and only used the gutless method on one. I feel one of the most important things I can do to ensure top quality meat is to cool it down as fast as I can. If I harvest it in the evening, as I did on four of them, I’ll gut it and prop it open to cool. It’s more difficult to butcher the next day when it’s stiff but I feel more comfortable butchering it by myself in the daylight verses with a headlamp. The other positive result from getting the guts out is that the bears want those first and would drag them off or bury them close to the kill. I haven’t lost any meat yet and have always felt that if I left the guts in until the next day that I’m more likely to lose it. To repeat what others have said, take your time and use mechanical advantage to help move it around. Remember that where the head is pointed determines how much effort it will take to manipulate the body into the positions you want.
 

SliverShooter

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jul 30, 2018
Messages
205
Location
Bozeman, Montana
Great advise, I also used the gutless method with excellent results on my moose. However, I left the legs full length to provide a longer lever when rolling the moose over to get the second side.
 

AkRyan

WKR
Joined
Jan 15, 2021
Messages
643
I've done 3 moose solo out of the 10 or so I have harvested. The easiest way i have found is to not gut them till you have all the legs off and neck/back strap. Then I remove the rib cage on top, flip animal and remove the othe rib cage and tenders,heart,liver etc etc. Takes me about 3-4hrs solo to finish a mid sized moose 700-900lbs. Packing it out is the part that really sucks solo!
 
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