Hey John! I've been writing and re-writing a reply to you to cover what I think will be helpful, but at the moment what seems salient is this:
Have you ever butchered a deer?
The process of quartering an animal to pack it out if the wilderness is something best learned by doing. Knowing what knife to use (I'm partial to Havalon knives), how to use it, and how not to make mistakes (like puncturing the guts trying to get the end of the backstrap, if you're using the gutless method) Find some folks in your area and offer to help them pack and butcher, deer, elk, antelope, they're all very similar except in body size. And body size, that brings me to my second question.
What is your plan once the elk is on the ground?
If you're hunting public land, you're going to be miles from roads in order to be successful. People do occasionally luck into animals right out of the trailhead, but luck isn't something you should ever plan on. An elk is not twice as big as a deer. An elk is not three times as big as a deer. An adult elk is four to five times bigger than a deer - and that fact means that you will need to break the animal down into quarters, backstraps, neck and rib meat, and pack it out in multiple loads. A single elk quarter can weigh as much as an entire quartered deer. That fact means that one of two things need to happen: you need to be able to hike for a certain number of miles with about 80-100lbs on your back four or five times in succession (this can take days) or you need to have friends who are willing to help you do so at a moments notice. Or a friend with horses or pack animals.
Other than flavor, what are your objections to hunting deer?
It's my opinion that deer and antelope are a more manageable way to acquire the skills for finding, hunting, killing, and processing an ungulate than starting off with elk. Don't get me wrong, the elk bug has bit me hard - I understand the fascination. But I wouldn't knock deer meat either. Chances are, if you've eaten deer and didn't like it, it's because it was processed by some doofus who thinks letting an animal rot in their garage for two weeks is "aging" the meat. I could feed you some whitetail and mule deer steaks that are sweeter and milder than beef, no gamey funk at all. The secret is cooling and processing everything quickly, and if it needs to age, it ages in the freezer.
I sent you a PM with my phone number, feel free to call and chat if you want my insight. Or post em here if you think other people could gain from the knowledge.
