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

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).

Bone it out.

Slowly

Mature stag, four legs boned out, plus the back steaks. Pack was definitely 40kg plus, with a bit of kit having to be strapped to the outside.


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Originally Posted by MSL

Mature stag, four legs boned out, plus the back steaks. Pack was definitely 40kg plus, with a bit of kit having to be strapped to the outside.


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No gutting needed ?

I hardly gut an animal anymore. No need unless you really want the eye fillets.

It’s been posted here before somewhere, my preference is to remove both back legs, leaving the skin intact between them across the rump.
So many upsides:
- very little meat exposed to flys leaves & dirt
- it’s lighter to carry as you’re not carrying the pelvic bone
- it’s quite comfortable sitting on your shoulders, just soft meat, no bones
- clean to carry you don’t have blood running down your neck like you tend to carrying hindquarters intact
- cools faster than a whole hindquarter

Originally Posted by Lauries Hut

I hardly gut an animal anymore. No need unless you really want the eye fillets.

Easy enough to get the eye fillets out without gutting mate.

Once back straps are removed, find the short ribs, carefully cut in under those the ease the eye fillets out.

I find i can usually do it mostly with my hands so no chance of nicking the gut bag with the knife



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Originally Posted by kukuwai

Easy enough to get the eye fillets out without gutting mate.

Once back straps are removed, find the short ribs, carefully cut in under those the ease the eye fillets out.

I find i can usually do it mostly with my hands so no chance of nicking the gut bag with the knife



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Never knew that, will give it a go.

Originally Posted by Lauries Hut

I hardly gut an animal anymore. No need unless you really want the eye fillets.

It’s been posted here before somewhere, my preference is to remove both back legs, leaving the skin intact between them across the rump.
So many upsides:
- very little meat exposed to flys leaves & dirt
- it’s lighter to carry as you’re not carrying the pelvic bone
- it’s quite comfortable sitting on your shoulders, just soft meat, no bones
- clean to carry you don’t have blood running down your neck like you tend to carrying hindquarters intact
- cools faster than a whole hindquarter

That sounds like a good system. I assume you leave the bones in the legs ?


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Originally Posted by oneipete

No gutting needed ?

I don't shoot many deer and I don't bother with gutting. front legs are toast usually.

cut the back steaks off leaving the skin attached to the rear legs

use a machete to hack through the spine and remove the rear legs. or you can muck around with the ball joints and remove them from the body.

tie up into a backpack.

reach in and cut the eye fillets out.

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.

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.

Savage!

Originally Posted by Yesmate

Savage!

That's a real maximum though, Would not be often It gets that heavy.

Bone it out, slowly, shoot the small ones, and bring a friend.

if meat hunting its back steaks only if walking,if iron horse is close back legs will come with if mince is required, In the roar its timber only,heart will be eaten that night the rest is kicked straight into the nearest hole.