Deboning Elk in the Feld:

Drop the Weight of the Bones!

Deboning elk in the field is not as difficult as it sounds. The circumstances might make it more difficult, like a very rough slant or minimal level space to work on. At the same time, because of their huge body size, those negative circumstances might make deboning it necessary, just to get started hauling it out.

Deboning can save you from having to carry out quite a few unnecessary pounds of bone. The meat alone will weigh anywhere from 120 to 200 pounds or more, depending on the size of the cow, calf or bull.

Save yourself some energy and cool your meat down faster, if you have to pack it out on your back. It might even be worth deboning elk when you use a cart or sled. Why struggle on a long, arduous haul with unnecessary weight, when you can spend 30 minutes to an hour deboning before struggling with pushing, pulling or carrying your meat to the truck?

Recent Articles

  1. HECS Hunting Suit Blocks Your Energy Field

    HECS Baselayer
    Ever been busted by game animals when you thought you were concealed? Maybe they sensed your energy field! A HECS Stealthscreen hunting suit keeps them from confirming what they see.

    Read More

If I have an elk already skinned and quartered on the ground, I’m most likely to go ahead and debone the elk meat.

I’ll haul it out whole only if I can get the elk on a cart or sled, and with reasonable effort and speed get it somewhere fast to be processed, without compromising the meat with time and temperature.

If warm weather forces a need to cool it down fast, but I have a cart, I might quarter it, but forgo deboning the elk. Then I will use the cart to haul out quarters on the bone. But, if I have to pack it out on my back, I’m NOTcarrying the weight of bones!

Keep Type of Cuts Separate

After your elk has been skinned, quarter it as described on our quartering elk page, then begin deboning it in no particular order. The front legs have less quality meat than the back, so keep it all separate in some way. That way you can tell what you have when you get it home for cutting and wrapping. 

Here's a hint: The "prime rib" is the section on the backstrap (loin) between the 4th and 12th ribs.  We are careful to cut that, or mark it for cutting later. It's our favorite cut! No connective tissue and not tough, if you don't overcook it. (See the Hunter's Meat Map.)

Related topics available:
Moving a Whole Elk
Caping An Elk for a Shoulder Mount
Field Dressing Elk
Gutless Field Dressing
Skinning Elk
Quartering Elk in the Field
Game Meat Processing: Bill's True Story
Elk Hunting With Horses
Getting Elk Meat Home Easier
Cooling Big Game in the Field

Use a Very Clean Knife for Deboning Elk or Deer

Start with a very clean knife for deboning elk meat. On each of the four legs, slice lengthwise along and down to the leg bone. With your other hand, separate the sliced mass of meat, so you can see the bone. Use short strokes with the tip of your knife at the bone to cut the meat free.

Leave the meat in large pieces to make it easier to pack and carry. Small pieces of meat in a bag will keep changing shape to make handling more difficult.

As you cut away meat, place it on a clean surface, like a clean vinyl table cloth, tarp, or on the skin side of the hide. You should place it directly into a game bag to help keep it clean.

To cool the bagged meat faster, hang it from a tree limb, until you’re ready to haul it out. If we have more than one person working and back packs will be used, we often send one person packing meat as soon as a large enough load is available.

Backstrap

You will find a nice long strip of meat on either side of the spine (the back strap, or loin) that goes all the way down the spine on each side. With your knife, separate these two strips of meat from the spine with short cuts as you move all the way down from shoulder to the elk’s “waist” area. Mark your prime rib: from the 4th-12th rib of the loin.

There are pictures on the Quartering page.

Filets and Smaller Pieces

The smaller, but tender fillets are on both sides beneath the spine, between the last ribs and butt. You might have to cut the ends to pull them free, but they are nice and tender and easily pulled out by hand.

Cut off anything that looks edible remaining above the ribs and neck area. Some people cut the meat from between the ribs and “flank” area. These cuts will produce smaller pieces and can be bagged tightly together.

There’s not a lot of meat on the ribs and they don’t taste like good, fatty beef ribs. We prefer to leave them.

Some people sprinkle pepper on the outside of the meat to keep flies off. We don’t. Unless there are a lot of flies, quality game bags keep them off the meat.

Cool it Quickly, Keep it Clean

Once you get your meat to your vehicle, cool it down as fast as possible. The ultimate goal is to get it down to about 40 degrees as soon as possible. The well accepted “ideal” guideline is to get it down to 70 degrees in two hours and 40 degrees in four more hours. Ice chests with ice will obviously be the best choice up arriving at your rig with your meat.

I am a food safety instructor (ServSafe). I have not always met the ideal goal above, but have never lost any elk or deer meat. (Those guidelines are for foods in general from a cooked state.) However, I am very careful to avoid contaminating the meat while field dressing, quartering and deboning elk or other game. I make great effort to cool it down fast.

Remember that fresh meat, from a freshly killed animal, starts out very clean and bacteria free. Once a bullet, dirty knife or dirty hands, etc. touch it bacteria begin to multiply that start the process of making your hard earned elk meat unfit to eat.

In case deboning elk in the field becomes necessary, one idea is to carry large ice chests with frozen jugs of water in them. I often carry buckets of cold water with lids on them. When I get my meat to the truck, I start dropping the meat, bags and all, into the cool water. The water overflows and I put the lids back on them.

It will take quite a few buckets if you kill a large elk. As soon as possible, remove the meat from the water and let it air dry a bit, then transfer it to colder conditions.

If deboning elk is not necessary, you'll need to act quickly to cool the whole carcass down.

The decision about deboning elk or not in the field depends on how far you are from your truck, of course.

Read a more thorough discussion about Cooling Big Game in the Field here. 

Click here for our elk recipes page.

I’ll close this page with this photo. In 2007, we only had to cart this cow about thirty yards to the road. The ramp was just a few dozen yards down the road. This was on public access private land (Block Management). It’s so rare for it to be this easy! Frankly, I’m glad it is rare. It just didn’t seem right somehow.




Please subscribe to or our Quick Elk Hunting Tips and Updates newsletter or to an RSS feed (see left column for both) to be alerted whenever new information is added to the site.

We'd appreciate it if you would "Like" us on Facebook, or share this site with others.

Use Google Custom Search to search this site:

Custom Search


Return to Elk Down page, from Deboning Elk page.

Return to Home Page


New! Comments

Leave a comment in the box below.

Shop Our Store

Elk Tips Outdoor Gear Logo

406-431-0876

Newsletter Opt-in:
"I just get so excited talking about elk.." ~Tristan, CO



Search This Site Here:

Hunting Gear Reviews

ASAT Camo
ElkNut Outdoor Prod.
Bugling Bull Game Calls
HECS Stealthscreen
Montana Decoy
StringSling Bow Sling
Skull Hookers
Safari Sling Rifle Sling
Clip-Shot Mini Camera Mount

ASAT Camo

Free U.S. Shipping


Bugling Bull
Game Calls


ElkNut Productions

Free Shipping on
ElkNut Products Here


HECS Stealthscreen:
A New Type of Concealment!

HECS Stealthscreen

$199.99,
Including U.S. Shipping


Montana Decoy Elk/Deer
Available Here!

Montana Decoy

$59-$109.99 Free Shipping!


The StringSling:
Best Bow Sling Design!

String Sling Bow Sling

$29.95, Including U.S. Shipping


Clip-Shot: 1 oz. Camera Mount

$21.85 Free U.S. Shipping


Skull Hookers

Skull hooker

$34.99 & 59.99 Free U.S. Shipping!


The Safari Sling:
Best Rifle Sling Design!

Safari Sling Best Rifle Sling Available

$27.99 Free US Shipping


Share your elk hunting pictures and stories on our Facebook Page!

Go to Forums


Forum Topic Discussions:


How often should I use my cow call?, I am new to the sport of bow hunting elk and my question is how often should I use my cow calls?

295 yard kill with a Kimber Montana 325 WSM, by Don from Dallas: My ELk did not even twitch once. He was dead when he hit the ground.

325 WSM is worth considering, Palmer Lake,CO: I believe that the .325 WSM is the ultimate elk caliber...

30-30 for Elk? : I have a 30 30 with 170 grain round nose bullet. Will this work to shoot an elk ?

(More comments about Best Elk Rifle below)

Submissions

Unique Elk Talk by Idaho Steve (Hailey, Id ), In the middle of the night, a herd of elk came traveling through the drainage and right past my tent...

Smelly Elk Areas? by Jimmy (New Mexico), I've come across many areas that just stink of elk, literally. I have heard two somewhat contradictory stories...

DIY Gear List Must Have's! by Craig (Florida) "Here are some of the items I use on my DIY hunts in the CO backcountry..."

Elk and Deer Hunting and Mountain Bikes, by Skip Shepherd (Tucson, AZ)~ At 67 I am thinking a lot about investing in a mountain bike to get back into remote areas...


Solo archery hunting -- tips for calling/set up?, by Idaho Steve (Hailey, ID )~ I hunt by myself a lot...I'd love to hear your thoughts on strategic set-ups when solo hunting and calling.

Non- Lead Bullets for Elk?, by Dave, Elk Hunting Tips.Net (Garrison, MT)~ What do you ballistics guys think about the use of non-lead bullets for elk? According to this story...

Rage Broadheads by Chris, ...my buddy gave me a rage practice tip and when I shot it you could not pick out the broadhead from the field points. I was sold...

Recent Submissions:

Finally filled the freezer..., Colorado Rockies~ "I was bummed when I got to the property and no elk, nor any hoof prints in the snow. ...I pulled each of the elk into shade then started gutting..."


Wounded Veteran Elk hunts, by Joshua FL), I am a disabled veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and have always dreamed of hunting elk. I am posting this to see if anyone would know of any elk hunts free to disabled vets....

First Elk with a Bow, by Ryan H. (Colorado), ...Finally after many years of hunting with a bow "I got er did"!

First Elk!, by Tater (Sheridan, Arkansas) I took the advice I received from this website and was successful…I wanted to Thank You and Your Forum and the folks that share on here for the knowledge and information that helped me find an elk I was quite happy with.


Questions

Any success in Unit 14?, by: Dave (MI), "I'm planning on doing a DIY in Unit 14 for 2012..."


Share Elk Hunting Secrets


Bugle in Herd bulls, by Swiltbank (Az) The key to calling in a herd bull is to get into his bedding grounds and threaten his herd. Start off sounding like…


Best Big Game Rifle?

Best Rifle Caliber?, by Buglemup (Superior, MT), "I've been reading what people have been writing about rifle calibers and here is what 16 years of guiding elk has taught me."

7mm Remington Magnum, by Dean (Helena, MT. USA) I use my Liberty Ruger M77, 7mm Rem. Mag. for antelope, deer, elk... Comment: "What do you guys think about the idea of hunting elk with a 270? I also know a guy who kills elk with a 243."


338 Marlin Express, "Light, fast shooting, hard hitting, manageable recoil, and for a lever gun - very accurate."


Guns I like for Elk, by Mountain Walker (Kootenays east B.C. Canada),"I think the gun you shoot Elk with should be one you shoot a lot with... "


.35 Remington, by Bill Smith "...my .35 Rem appears to have dropped a medium deer flawlessly, but I now have serious doubts as to its capability to take an elk."


Arizona Elk Hunting

Where to hunt in Az unit 3B?, by Cliffjumper (Tucson, Az) ~ I got a late bull muzzle loader hunt in Arizona unit 3b. Does anyone know how to hunt bulls in the late season?...

First time elk hunter hunting Arizona unit 6A , by Rob Marchio (Omaha, Ne)~ I'm a first time elk hunter hunting Arizona's unit 6A. I'm planning on staying in the Pine Grove campground...


Elk Hunting Colorado

Help needed for 1st DIY Hunt w/Son, by Patrick (Parker, CO), "I was looking for some advice on my 1st DIY hunt for 2014 in CO with my 13 yr old son. I have countless hrs going over stats, topo maps & Google Earth"

Elk Hunting Colorado in 2013, By William (Midland, TX) "I am planning an elk hunt next year in Colorado and I wanted to know if hunting Gunnison National Forest..."

Unit 60 Elk 4th Rifle Season Nov 13-17 Either Sex 2013, By Chester "...Any general advice about the unit would be appreciated!"


Idaho Elk Hunting


Elk Hunting Idaho Unit 8 8A 11, This is my first year seriously trying to track down some elk. Is there anyone that has hunted in any of these units and can give me some friendly advice? Mitchell, Moscow Idaho

Elk Hunting Pocatello by Cameron (Pocatello) Where is the best place to elk hunt around Pocatello, Idaho? I'm a student at ISU and I'm looking for somewhere around here to hunt next season.

How is the elk hunting in unit 30A in Idaho?, by Terry (Richland Center, WI) Has anyone archery elk hunted in unit 30A in Idaho? What can you tell me about the area?


Elk Hunting In Montana

Hunting in Western Montana, by Mike A. (Alabama)

I did not draw a tag for Missouri breaks where I have hunted in the past. Having to start over and try western Montana.


New Mexico Elk Hunting

New Mexico Unit 49, by Silas (Los Alamos, NM)

If anyone has tips on areas to start scouting, I'd really appreciate it.

First Elk Hunt First Elk Hunt, by Big "R" (NM)

I finally got drawn for a late elk hunt in Unit 28, north of Road 506 and south of the boundary line of the Lincoln National Forest...


Elk Hunting Nevada

Cow elk in Nevada's unit 222:

"Any good places known in unit 222?"

Northeast Nevada Early Elk hunt, by John (Carson City,NV)

"Any suggestions on what areas I may see some signs of elk?"


Questions from Novice Hunters

Retired USMC MSgt Needs Advice, by Ken Wing USMCRET (Bealeton, Va)


Big Game Recipes

Popcorn VenisonPopcorn Venison with Maple Syrup?

Elk or Venison Steaks Grilled to Perfection Here's how to turn them into steakhouse steaks!

Spice-Crusted Grilled Venison Roast Recipe This Spice-Crusted, Grilled Venison Roast recipe works great for any red meat roasts, including elk, deer or beef roast...

Corned Elk Recipe You can easily make corned venison and elk, moose or corned beef from these instructions...