Hunting season and your DCSB Taco

I hope to get a nice spike or maybe a good bull, last couple years I got lucky and drew an either sex elk tag so I got my first elk ever (cow) with my rifle and last year I got another cow with my bow.

 

An aluminum hitch haul from Harbor Freight... My dad and I both have 3rd gen 4Runners that we hunt out of most of the time around here (we have a diesel side x side too, but it's about the same width as the 4Runner), they are the ticket in most cases, as they keep the blood out of the bed. The photo below is one I killed last year. We still hunt, so it's not like the walking involved with the spot and stalk folks out west.

For those wondering, when your adreniline's pumping, it makes dragging a 200# animal by the horns easy.

 

Just Google and YouTube Gutless method and some other quick searches.
But basically laying on its side you skin each leg down to the socket. We'll the front legs don't have sockets so they come off easy. The rear you have to find the ball and pop it out.
Then start mid rib cage and skin to the spine and cut the back strap off.
Skin the neck up and cut that off. Roll over and repeat.
Leave the head for last cause that's what you use to roll it. In Oregon we have to have eyes and ears attached or the sex organs. So we usually cut it off as close to skull as we can.
Then if your in a real shit whole packout. Lay the quarters out and follow the mussel lines and cut the bone out. It helps if you have some small game bags as it's a little harder to tie on w no bone. I'm gonna be using the carnivore bags by caribou this yr.
Honestly unless it's really close or bad weather I'm never packing bone again. Except for what's on the head lol.

 

One more, notice I had tundra then. I decided to go back to the tacoma

 

Lookin good buddy nice bird

 

You turkey hunting folks are speaking my language! (Note Avatar) There is nothing that I like better. I turkey hunt almost every day for 7 weeks during the spring. Been all over turkey hunting, but need to get back out west this spring.

 

For elk just quarter in the field. Even a 400 inch bull will fit in a Tacoma. Around here most of huntesr and also guides run Tacomas due to their small size and lockers. Never once seen a bull cut up that would not fit. Now why anyone would ever load an elk whole in a truck is a mystery to me? Even if I could get a bull whole to my truck I can not picture how I would lift it in.

 

I am very happy with my mid-size truck when it comes to hunting. I can get to a lot of spots I couldn't with a full-size truck and still plenty of space to haul game out.

 

That's about the only way I can picture it working. I did see a guy once with a small ATV winch mounted to his headache rack. The problem is I have only seen one elk killed that I could back my truck up to. And I still just quartered it up on the spot.

 

Y'all are doing it well with your Tacoma. I couldn't imagine taking my Tacoma with 2-3 buddies into the woods hunting for a few days. If you buy a truck cause you need a truck you just shirt change yourself getting a sb.

 

I hunt alone 99% of the time. Turkey hunting is, IMO, a one man game.
Here's my hunting rig...

 

You guys get those meat bees like we get here? Yellow Jackets swarming when you're trying to field dress the damn elk. Can hardly get at them without getting your ass ate up. My buddy in Colorado says it's the same there

 

Not normally. Only seen them once here.

 

I've got two guys I hunt with religiously. My king bed diesel 4 door gets loaded up fast. 3 bows and cases, 3 hunting boxes and 3 tree stands. Then add 3 deer makes for full bed

 

In my full size truck I attached a chain between the two bed tie downs (closest to the cab). Kept a sheet of plywood in the bed. Slide the plywood out the back to make a ramp. Then I could hook my come along to the chain stretched across the back width of the truck, snatch on the game and winch it into the bed.

My friend and I loaded a few whole hogs that way too. Works great.

 

Generally I hunt alone. But I could load up the dually if needed. My taco is like my version of a comfortable, street legal UTV.

 

I'd just buy a knife. Much easier...

 

I too have a short bed.During bow season we sleep in our trucks I bought a tent to hang over the back so I can sleep in it gives me 80 inches. I have been involved with about 30 elk over the years. The only elk we got out whole were a couple of cows during youth hunts Or once with my brother the rest have been Qtered and packed out so the short bed is fine. I too hunt the north coast We have used s bike rack for antelope and it works to get them off the ground for skinning not perfect but cheap