Leaving elk quarters overnight

[cnelk]

A quick tip I use when I leave elk meat in the woods overnight.

I killed my elk right before dark this year. By the time I punched my tag and got ready to quarter him up, it was dark. It took me about 45 mins to complete.

I layed the meat across some logs to cool and then I put my hoodie near the meat to keep any critters away until morning when I returned.

I’ve done this many times over the years and have never had a problem with anything getting into the meat.

As always- your mileage may vary, but it’s worth a try.

 

[cnelk]

Its better if you have a tree with branches, but still leave a sweaty Tshirt near the meat.

 

[Rob5589]

Any reason why you didn't place the quarters in game bags then hang them?

 

[RockyMountainHunter]

I have also had pretty good success leaving an article of clothing like this ...I suspect it is scent related. Usually take a leak near the kill too....figure it can't hurt. Have seen crows defeat this though....

 

[cnelk]

Any reason why you didn't place the quarters in game bags then hang them?

Yeah. Branches were a bit scarce to hang quarters. Plus, it had been a long day already and I’d be back first thing in the morning

 

[Jardo]

i always have parachord and bags in my pack. quarters get hung to allow the meat to cool. the faster the meat cools, the better the taste. having air circulation is key to quick cool down. i also never lave the skin on. that’s what makes meat taste gamey.

your method seems to work for you but i prefer to not take a chance. elk meat is a delicacy at my house and i’d never get over losing any to a pest.


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[cnelk]

^^^ The point of the thread was about leaving a piece of clothing near the meat.

 

[HighUintas]

So the scent works to deter black bears and coyotes? I always figured it would work with a grizzly more than a black bear, because they don't really want to be near humans. I figured black bear and coyote get enough human interaction that they'd be able to tell if there was an actual human nearby or not and would still be somewhat likely to slip in even with clothing there.

 

[Marble]

We have left clothes and passed all over for years. Never had a big animal get into an elk. Birds are another story.

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[Next Ridge]

Simple and easy tip, thanks! This is certainly better than our usual strategy - spread them out a little and hope...ha

 

[5MilesBack]

I've never had a bear or coyote get on the meat overnight even without leaving any garments around. I'm sure I leave enough scent already without a whole lot of need for that.......but it doesn't hurt anything either so do whatever you think is best. I also pee around the base of the tree or where I've laid the quarters/meat.

Three years ago my buddy had a rifle bear tag and told me that if my daughter got her bull to cover the carcass with limbs etc to help cover the scent a little until he could get up there. The funny thing was, we saw a big pile of fresh bear scat that evening on our way in probably only a couple hundred yards from where she eventually killed her bull. My buddy finally gets up there after a couple days and after 5 days of watching and sitting on that carcass he calls me and says "what the heck kind of scent did you leave on the carcass.......there hasn't been a bear or coyote on it all week". He shot a bear the next day on it.

 

[mlgc20]

Thanks for the tip. Wish I had read this before Monday. My daughter shot a beautiful cow on Monday evening. We got it processed and into game bags. And we got the front quarters back to camp. We hung the two hind quarters and went back for them before sunrise. But, I was laying awake in the tent worrying about the meat all night. It was untouched when we got back. But, I will still use this tip next time. Thanks.

 

[Rckymtnshooter]

My son and I bugled in a grizzly bear to 35 yards before we saw it. Bear was good and turned and ran after a few yells.

600 yards and 20 minutes later we bugle in a 6 point bull that my son shot. Quartered the bull and packed all quarters about 300 yards from the carcass. We both went out with a quarter and my son was also packing the head and horns. We left the other two quarters laying on a log with his brand new Sitka jacket laying over them. Our intent was to return the same day for the quarters. My son took a tumble on the first trip down and messed his knee up. Decided to come back in the morning. We felt confident that with the carcass having the most attractive g scent and his jacket on the quarters we should be good.

Back at first life and both quarters and the Sitka jacket were gone. Very thick brush area and decided it was a bad idea to go searching. Decided there to hang quarters in future even if we plan on returning. Can't help but think it was the same grizzly we bugle in.

 

[spike camp]

I personally don’t believe, hanging a jacket, peeing or any other measures...will stop a predator from eating on the meat.

 

[Bighorner]

A few years ago I had to leave the quarters overnight and set up a mini lean to with a heavey duty space blanket to keep the rain off. When I returned in the morning a light breeze was flapping the ends of the blanket. It occured to me that the movement and the sound would be a pretty good deterrent in the future. It was around 37 degrees and raining so there was a zero chance ruining meat with a space blanket 18" off the meat surface.

 

[rayporter]

pine martens have stolen from me a few times, even with me sitting 25 feet away and throwing sticks.

 

[SaltySailor]

My son and I bugled in a grizzly bear to 35 yards before we saw it. Bear was good and turned and ran after a few yells.

600 yards and 20 minutes later we bugle in a 6 point bull that my son shot. Quartered the bull and packed all quarters about 300 yards from the carcass. We both went out with a quarter and my son was also packing the head and horns. We left the other two quarters laying on a log with his brand new Sitka jacket laying over them. Our intent was to return the same day for the quarters. My son took a tumble on the first trip down and messed his knee up. Decided to come back in the morning. We felt confident that with the carcass having the most attractive g scent and his jacket on the quarters we should be good.

Back at first life and both quarters and the Sitka jacket were gone. Very thick brush area and decided it was a bad idea to go searching. Decided there to hang quarters in future even if we plan on returning. Can't help but think it was the same grizzly we bugle in.

^This

I shot a moose years ago right off a wheeler trail about 20 mins from camp. Four guys on four wheelers made short work of breaking it down and hauling it off to the meat pole. I got back to camp and realized I had left my beloved hoody on the ground near the kill, so I jumped on the wheeler after hanging the meat and drinking a beer and zipped back to retrieve. Maybe one hour had passed since we all left the kill site. My hoody was right on the ground where I had left it, and the carcass was halfway buried under moss..... That made the ol' heart race a beat or two extra as I whipped my rifle back out and did a quick glance around my surroundings. Never saw the bear, but I know now, if a bear decides it wants your crap and you aren't there - its gonna take it.

 

[ganngus]

Here is a question I have... How do you keep bees off of quarters?????

 

[wapitibob]

I've never had a bee do anything to an elk quarter.

 

[HighUintas]

Yes if a bear wants something it will have it!


Last year, as I quartered up my bull at 1AM, I was in the zone. I'm in Utah.... We're not known for having a lot of bears so I wasn't so worried about it. Cougars on the other hand had my wheels spinning a bit.

Anyway, I thought I heard a strange noise, so I turn around and it was a black bear. It took me about an hour to get that sucker scared off. I was convinced he would have walked up beside me and started chowing down had I not scared him off.