Hunting: Elk/Deer; while vandwelling?

[SoulRaven]

Isn't it funny how all of us tend to respond based on what we think we see?  Should make us all more careful in life, and less polarized, knowing just how often we can get it wrong.


Vagabound

very true , VAGABOUND!  

Sorry!  

 

[TrainChaser]

Gojo: "South Texas, do you have traps? Have you ever hunted a feral hog. They're very smart, best way is trapping."

I read something many, many years ago about a guy (I'm thinking TX) who wanted to catch some feral hogs. He started with putting corn out in a clearing. The hogs were suspicious, but they finally started to eat it. After a bit, he put up a very sturdy log "wall" on one side of the corn that he kept dumping. After a while, he joined another one to it at a right angle. Dumped corn. Joined another wall to that one. Dumped corn. Put up a forth wall with a gap in it. Dumped corn inside. Installed a drop-down 'gate'. Dumped corn. When the hogs were eating inside, he dropped the gate. I think that's called 'shooting hogs in a barrel'. Very clever.

 

[SoulRaven]

What I'm thinking as a potential solution is this:



Item 1: If I go hunting right now, and if I'm successful in bringing home a deer or elk, I would bring the quartered meat back to a butcher who would process it.

Item 2: When I'm full-timing, I will still have friends and family here in Colorado. I will leave my truck and trailer at one of their places, take my Jeep (which will stay long term at one of my friend's house), drive my Jeep to my favorite hunting spot. Proceed to Item 1... in addition , my friends have big freezers as well. I also intend to still donate to Salvation Army or one of the Native American reservations as well.

I'm thinking this will be what I do if I want to take a multi-day backpacking trip as well. That is , leave my truck and trailer at a friend's house, park my Jeep at the best trailhead I can, and hike from there.

Again, I'm a total novice at this full-time vandweller stuff, so a lot of what I'm talking about is what I THINK I will do.

 

[TrainChaser]

How do you get the elk from where you shoot it to your jeep? The only time I was near an elk, it looked like it was as big as a horse.

 

[SoulRaven]

How do  you get the elk from where you shoot it to your jeep?  The only time I was near an elk, it looked like it was as big as a horse.

A lot of hunters use ATV or horses.  But a lot of hunters, "quarter" into manageable pieces and hike them out.  I only hunt where motorized vehicles are prohibited.  And it is a workout , in the truest sense.  I have not yet had that "pleasure"... folks that hunt by themselves make many trips back and forth.   I've heard of as many as seven... and in one spot that I know of , that means a 1100 feet elevation gain and drop on every trip for the next "quarter" of meat. 

Proper treatment of the meat, until you have gotten it to the truck , is to cover it with cotton mesh and hang it from a tree... the most important factor is to keep it off of the ground. I've yet to hear of there being a problem with the meat spoiling until you get it to the meat processor. Of course, the idea is to have something like a few Yeti coolers back at the camp site.

 

[SoulRaven]

One additional fact regarding packing out meat and using horses... I've haven't ridden one since I was 9... or I would use them as pack animals. Also, I don't own any , so I would have to "rent" them