Be Honest - How do people carry out meat and large weight

I bone it out. Last trip I carried 40kg all up and my boy carried 45 plus the rifle. I like to keep pushing myself. Last walkout took 3.5 hours. I wouldn't want to carry that sort of weight for too much longer though.

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Originally Posted by Happy Jack

I'm about to start on the long road to lighter gear for this very reason, its going to be expensive and take a lot of time but has to happen, I'm only 62Kg so big weights are a thing of the past.

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Similar situation, under 70kg. In the last 2 years, and knowing because of age that this will be my last round of outdoor gear purchases, I've gone through the process of replacing all the major items in my kit. The target was to halve the weight of everything (including the rifle). It's do-able for almost all items without sacrificing functionality. As for the additional weight of meat for the walk out, it certainly helps that the reds in the southern Ruahines are on the small side. Typical weight for boned back legs and steaks rarely tops 15kg. I keep to under 30kg for the walk out. The end result is that I'm still going in regularly, while every one of my hunting mates from our twenties have given it away.

My method, Lots of clean pillow cases for meat bags and a day pack big enough to pack it all in to.

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Originally Posted by Gamehunter

Put a dollar on the deerAttachment 272918

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NZFP swanni

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Originally Posted by erniec

NZFP swanni

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You got it

That was the only time I carried a deer tied to pack frame. I'd shot the deer the night before and a guy offered to give me a hand to get it out using his frame pack.
I normally pikaued deer (carried legs tied, neck up) and set deer are a bit tough to bend.
That pack near broke my back because as every step is a stop in forward motion the weight of the deer keeps going and near breaks your back at the kidneys.

Definitely bone it out, then I carry a dry bag and can clip it on the side of my pack after cooling it and avoiding mess

Thread: "Be Honest - How do people carry out meat and large weight"

By cradling my rifle in crossed arms and settling into a grinding plod, one step after the other .... there's no easy way.... to be honest.

Young, fit, strong, perhaps a touch of stupid…

Just thinking back to some of the carries I did many years back.

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Originally Posted by Trout

I drive to my results,you think smarter when you get older.

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Haha brilliant


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Originally Posted by Trout

Yep bigger foot print,distribute the load weight a little.

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Does it seriously make a difference taking walking poles in regards to carrying out heavier meat hauls on foot?


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Originally Posted by Grendel

All my hunting I do is on Doc land and normally requires a decent walk back to the truck. I'm Pretty selective about the animal I kill, looking for good condition, younger hinds where possible for the best quality eating. I put the backstraps and any offal and boned out shoulder meat (usually supplemental dog tucker) in a pillowcase once cooled and try keep the back legs together when possible to sling over my shoulders/back to sit on my day pack (unless I bought the 75L tatonka then they can go in my pack) find carrying the extra couple kg of bone and skin pays off as the meat stays protected from the elements and hangs much better (normally hang for 10 days)


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Great advice.


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Originally Posted by Mrfants

I am enjoying being involved with hunting - it has taught me a lot in the last 18 months.

I have asked several people how they carry out meat, especially on multi day trips. How to store it (esp in summer) and retrieve as much as they can. Basically the logistics of carrying all kit for say 3 days and then how to get all the meat out.

When I initially spoke to people I know, they kept telling about huge quantities of meat they would recover. It transpired that was via quad bikes or side by sides, or utes where available (Nothing wrong with that).Or that they had friends along who werent shooting, but helped carry the meat. I also discovered that in some cases only prime cuts were boned and carried out, hence being able to shoot and take out meat from several animals.

On my first multi day hunt we each carried our kit plus aprox 25-30kg of meat. That was a 3-4 hour trek out.

On some NZ hunting videos Ive seen hunters walk out (at least on camera) carrying their kit and meat totalling 45-50 kgs.

I know there are differences in fitness, age, strength etc - but what is the average walk out weight of meat that people carry? And what is the weight of peoples kit incl firearm, ammo, binos etc?

I certainly learned one thing very quickly - I don't want to carry bones out :)

Fyi My backpack/tent/all kit for three nights incl firearm, ammo etc weighed around 16-17 kg total. I was told this was light?

Interested to hear peoples stories re this. Especially around kit weight and meat weight and distance/time travelled on foot and any other logistics or advice (I hunt ion foot on DOC land mainly).

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Average walk out with legs and full pack (camp, rifle etc) would be in high 40's. I usually leave bone in - we like making stock from them at home + I find it is easier to keep the meat clean.

I've got a Kifaru Hoodlum pack - they carry weight really well.

Always take two walking poles - its mental how much they help, especially with larger steps down that eventually murk your knees, stabilisers etc.

That and just take a ton of breaks. Part of the story is having a good suffer at the end I reckon.

Cheers

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Originally Posted by Snoppernator

Great question. Sounds like you have your gear dialed at 17kg, well done. Hunters aren't trampers, we carry in bang sticks, optics and other stuff in the hope we are successful, so you've done well here. One thing you'll probably find, and I've noticed over time, is that you do get used to the pain and suffering, and are able with some fitness and training to carry out heavier loads. The down side being, you end up carrying too much, and spend a lot of time at the physio. I've learnt the hard way. Got myself in really good nick for the roar, super fit which helps. A quality backpack (a meat shelf is so worth it) and at least one trekking pole, and "quiet feet" (place each foot carefully) will help. On a 3 hour walk out I was carrying out a couple of boned out reds (backstraps, 3-4 legs per animal depending on shoulder, tenderloins, heart, off cuts for the pup) - probably 30-40kg all up. For the longer trips 4-6 hours plus, I try to limit myself to boned out back legs and back straps. It's just the reality of distance. Cord to hang the legs (skin on), quality game bags to keep the flies out, and hang everything in a sheltered, breezy spot. Even works in summer. Cut fern to hang over the game bag for additional protection. Another tip, flies go to bed after dark, so do your meat work under the torch.

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Thanks that’s great feedback and advice [emoji1696]


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Originally Posted by MB

Excellent gear list with weights here: https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....-usual-113567/

I use the gutless method for meat retrieval. Back steaks, back legs and sometimes shoulders. Complete boning out would be the next stage. Why carry out parts of the animal that are going to be discarded anyway?

Great to hear all the talk of soft cocks (from old men with broken backs).

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I’m using that gear list atm great effort by the OP.


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Originally Posted by matagouri

Yeah interesting question, and great reading folks comments..
When I was younger used to just throw meat unboned back legs plus backsteaks in with all my other gear and stagger out on multi day trips.

Age plus health catching up on me now so gotta be more careful. These days I bone everything out. I generally hunt mostly the same places on multi day trips,, so have built up good knowledge of where deer seem to favour. Have several airtight 20 litre containers in bush in strategic places which permanently hold food, gas cannisters sleeping bag plus tent etc all year round.

Im looking at a 5-6hr walkout so if I whack a deer over bone meat,, and to drop weight I just leave as much gear behind as I can in my sealed containers to lighten load (spare clothes, binoculars, food, etc). Can be a week to couple months before Im back in there again hunting, so when going back in with a light pack I just top my pack up with gas cannisters plus food to replenish stashed supplies....

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Excellent system you’ve got that’s brilliant. As long as people leave your gear alone.


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I hunt Whitetails, half the weight.

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Originally Posted by Mrfants

Does it seriously make a difference taking walking poles in regards to carrying out heavier meat hauls on foot?


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Yes.

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Originally Posted by 257weatherby

Bunch of soft cocks on here, I used to carry a saddle in and ride mine out. Those were the days, young people these days...........

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Harden up mate, I used to carry a saddle in, and let the animal ride on my back on the way out :p

As a young man I carried field dressed carcasses out on my back provided it wasn't too far or too knarly (maybe 5 k's in reasonable going). Nowadays I doubt if I could stand up with one, but I do carry plastic bags for boned meat.

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Originally Posted by JesseYoung

My method, Lots of clean pillow cases for meat bags and a day pack big enough to pack it all in to.

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100% the pillow cases- can even use one as a pillow stuffed with clothes :)

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Originally Posted by NIMROD

Thread: "Be Honest - How do people carry out meat and large weight"

By cradling my rifle in crossed arms and settling into a grinding plod, one step after the other .... there's no easy way.... to be honest.

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There's a point- during that grinding plod- who subconsciously sings the saaaaame fucken song in their heads? Something that by the time you get to ya vehicle, has been played 1958 times over?
For some unknown reason the track playing inside my brain is "Escape" the pina colada song by Rupert Holmes, great great song.

I don’t carry much these days. Used to carry whole deer out when younger but that’s a good way to hurt oneself these day's, especially if it’s thick. Once was a pig hunter so carrying a boar out to weigh it was mandatory, otherwise you couldn’t skite about how good it was. Nowadays all I take is the backsteaks, and the whole backend over the shoulders if it’s a good eater. There’s that many deer round these days and we need to shoot more so just take the good stuff, and blow another one over.

No idea on weight of meat since I always forget to weigh it once I'm home. Recently it has been boned out rear legs above the knee joint, backstraps from butt to base of neck, and tenderloins. Plus when I'm having a good hunt, the antlers. If you don't want the whole skull, capping the antlers off the skull with a folding saw really helps drop unwanted weight.

Meat is bagged in pillow cases, usually with a garbage bag to avoid leakage. If it's garbage bagged then it can be cooled faster by submerging in a cold creek or pond to cool it off as fast as possible, or misted with water and hung for some evaporative cooling, though that doesn't work as well.

Recently hunted with some people who use multiple dry bags for their gear, then amalgamate their gear into one dry bag and use the other for meat, which cuts the weight of the pillow cases and garbage bags, and works out lighter in total weight.

Total gear weight for a 5 day hunt (with a second person to split the stove/tent weight) was 18kg including all clothes (including the ones I was wearing), food, rifle, binos, ammo, 3L water, boots etc etc.
When I went out alone for a two day hunt that was either 20 or 22kg with 4L water.
Meat weight was on top of this on the way out, minus the food I'd already eaten.

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Originally Posted by whanahuia

My kit for a week weighs about 11kg minus food- which is eaten before trip out. I bone out all meat before cary out, and will carry a reasonable max of 35-40 kg of meat. So all up around 50kg. I weigh about 85kg. Rifle becomes a walking stick.

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@whanahuia I'd be interested in knowing your gear list and weights - 11kg sounds a lot nicer than 18-22.

@canross I added this too Ryan Songhurst thread some time back.
https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....28/index5.html

Thanks! That's given me some things to think about with my gear load.

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Originally Posted by Trout

I drive to my results,you think smarter when you get older.

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Spot on mate.

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Originally Posted by canross

Thanks! That's given me some things to think about with my gear load.

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For me, I always tend towards too much spare clothing. I usually find I have a couple of garments unworn, even on a 10 day trip. I really try cut down too the essentials now. I had to replace most of my gear due to wear about 7 years ago, and so took the opportunity to buy the best lightweight equipment I could afford. It made a huge difference and one of the biggest was replacing my 4.5kg Macpac pack, with the new lightweight one. 3kg is a big gain.

Not so much now but have carried in decent day pack with carry pack on multi day trips and then doing the pack shuttling on the way out carry one pack a ways drop it go back for the other and repeat makes for long walk outs but strangely satisfying

You know you've had a hard and heavy carry out when you've dropped that deer at the truck and you sort of levitate or feel you can fly.

Almost orgasmic.

Then you pick your pack up out of the truck when you get home and think. How the hel did I carry that.?:D

Boned out in good quality meat bags. Definitely not plastic bags.

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Originally Posted by RUMPY

First rule is don't measure yourself against Tasman from nz wild adventures on YouTube. Your pack and gear is a nice lightweight kit at that weight. Really depends on how far you have to walk and how many days you are out for. I don't carry anything more than about 35kg total. No use stuffing your back or knee over an animal that is already dead. If you carry as much as you safely can that's all that matters. If it's a day hunt and you can do more than one trip it's easier to get more meat out. Don't stress about what others think.

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Agreed, Tasman is insanely good at packing weight.

My pack is about 14kg in Summer at its lightest, 18kg on average, 21kg for a five day, roar trip. That includes rifle. I've packed out with a total weight of 40-50kg, 4-6 hours of hiking a few times, but prefer to keep it lighter than that, with only one de-boned hind of meat. I weigh my pack so I'm confident on those numbers.

Weight you can carry in and out is a very personal thing, and comparison is a bad idea in terms of total weights. What is good to compare though is how people are setting up their gear, how they carry it, etc. I've learnt a lot from observing others. I never ask them their pack weight though. I've also found the pack itself makes a very big difference. I've used Tatonka, Macpac, Osprey's and finally after years have moved to a Stone Glacier, and it makes 50kg feel like 35kg did in the Osprey. It's designed to carry weight and does it well.

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Originally Posted by Chur Bay

Then you pick your pack up out of the truck when you get home and think. How the hel did I carry that.?:D

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Or someone else picks it up and gos oof! what the hell??

I think Pig hunting teaches you how to carry weight. It's a strange sport and really only hunting where boning out on the spot just isn't really done. Part of the culture and story behind catching a big boar is the carry too.


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Originally Posted by whanahuia

I think Pig hunting teaches you how to carry weight. It's a strange sport and really only hunting where boning out on the spot just isn't really done. Part of the culture and story behind catching a big boar is the carry too.
https://i.postimg.cc/52YBDZ0Z/temp-Image5p-Ajx-Z.avif

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Yeh but most i know can't carry shit by their mid 30s and have replacement knees by 40. The amount of my mates i grew up with that pig hunt that have had joint issues (hips, knees, ankles etc) is exceptionally high and thats in the central north island no way it would work int he country i hunt down south (above treeline). They all seem to regret it now just for the glory so they can weigh it and compare.

Personally I find it all situational and doing dumb stuff is the way to find out. I usually take backsteaks and a few rump cuts areas dependent if I'm in the tops. If I'm near a riverbed with a flat walk I'll grab signifcantly more. Its descending elevation I avoid. Even pack training I use water in bladders for weight and then dump it at the top to save my knees and joints.

My exception is in the states where full meat recovery is required. Then it becomes a function of how many trips vs how much weight at a time.

Here's an entire mule deer after I offloading the hunting gear to my partner. Was enough to be unpleasant descending a few thousand feet but we had glassed up 2 bears in the catchment and didn't want to lose the meat. Its easy to forget how dense meat is.

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Good to see the walking poles in use !

A must have with a heavy load I reckon.

Saves the knees and great for keeping balance [emoji106]

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Originally Posted by Stocky

Yeh but most i know can't carry shit by their mid 30s and have replacement knees by 40. The amount of my mates i grew up with that pig hunt that have had joint issues (hips, knees, ankles etc) is exceptionally high and thats in the central north island no way it would work int he country i hunt down south (above treeline). They all seem to regret it now just for the glory so they can weigh it and compare.

Personally I find it all situational and doing dumb stuff is the way to find out. I usually take backsteaks and a few rump cuts areas dependent if I'm in the tops. If I'm near a riverbed with a flat walk I'll grab signifcantly more. Its descending elevation I avoid. Even pack training I use water in bladders for weight and then dump it at the top to save my knees and joints.

My exception is in the states where full meat recovery is required. Then it becomes a function of how many trips vs how much weight at a time.

Here's an entire mule deer after I offloading the hunting gear to my partner. Was enough to be unpleasant descending a few thousand feet but we had glassed up 2 bears in the catchment and didn't want to lose the meat. Its easy to forget how dense meat is.

Attachment 273117

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Actually I think the worst thing I did for my body, was the redbands. I can't hardly wear them now. Any prolonged period in therm now, sees my knees start too hurt.

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Originally Posted by whanahuia

I think Pig hunting teaches you how to carry weight. It's a strange sport and really only hunting where boning out on the spot just isn't really done. Part of the culture and story behind catching a big boar is the carry too.


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I would shoot him before I let him ride me

As @NIMROD said there’s no easy way. I use a Tatonka bison and find it comfortable for heavy loads. My biggest in recent times was 3 boned out hind quarters and 6 backstraps in a meat bag in the centre of the pack. Rifle strapped to the side and a walking stick as a third leg. Had a 6 hour grind with that. Plenty of water and some music from the iPhone to take my mind off the pain and drudgery:)

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Originally Posted by whanahuia

I think Pig hunting teaches you how to carry weight. It's a strange sport and really only hunting where boning out on the spot just isn't really done. Part of the culture and story behind catching a big boar is the carry too.


https://i.postimg.cc/52YBDZ0Z/temp-Image5p-Ajx-Z.avif

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Always wonder what those big boars taste like? Do the boys eat them after they’ve finished driving around town with it on the back of the ute?