Quick and efficient field dressing extracts the highest-quality meat from your kill. The process is often more intimidating with elk than with deer, though, due to elk’s larger size.
My name is John Dudley. I’m an Olympic archer and bowhunter who pursues big game every season. Let me teach you how to field dress an elk from top to bottom, just like the pros do. I’ll use the gutting method here, but the gutless method is great if you want a faster result.
Throughout this process, I’ll be using Montana Knife Company’s Triumph Hunter XL. It’s an all-purpose elk processing knife that skins, guts, and debones any big game.
Step 1: Skinning
Before you learn how to field dress an elk, you’ll have to learn how to skin an elk.
Start by positioning your kill on its back. You may find it helpful to prop the elk against a tree or log to keep it from rolling over. Rocks and large sticks can also help if you have no trees nearby.
I can’t overemphasize the importance of careful knife use. Always cut away from your body, and keep a first-aid kit with you on every hunt.
It’s also a good idea to prep a clean, contaminant-free area to section out your meat before you begin. Use a tarp to keep your meat and tools out of the dirt.
I usually have buddies around who can hold the legs of the elk apart to make skinning easy. If you don’t have someone to help, bring some rope with you. You can use it to tie your elk’s legs to trees, holding them apart. In the absence of trees, bring tent stakes to use as anchors.
Start by cutting north from the anus with your elk skinning knife. Cut all the way up the center line of the belly until you reach the sternum. Be sure to leave proof of sex on at least one-quarter of the animal if your area’s hunting laws require it.
Once you’ve finished the center line, use gentle knife strokes to separate the hide from the meat. Continue the skinning process along each front leg, following the bone. Make a circle cut around each knee and cut the hide off at that point.
For the rear legs, start at the knee and cut a line up the center all the way to the genitals. Once you’ve finished the legs, fully remove the hide. I recommend rolling the hide (skin side in, fur side out) as you cut it away — this keeps it clean and pristine. Cut the hide down to the spine on both sides of the elk.
If you plan to keep the head as a trophy, take extra care while cutting around the neck.
Step 2: Quartering
Now it’s time to learn how to quarter an elk. During this step, unroll the hide to create a clean working surface.
We’ll start at the hind end by cutting down to the pelvic bone between the hind legs. Avoid cutting into the abdominal muscles.
Next, with one hind leg pulled away from the elk, slice along the pelvic bone. Keep cutting until you find the hip socket, and carefully cut around the ball joint. Keep the knife flat against the pelvis as you cut — follow its contour.
Continue to cut the hind quarter away from the pelvis, remembering that you’ll need to double back. Once the quarter is free, remove it and place it on the tarp you prepared earlier.
Next, return to the front of the animal. Slice along the ribcage on the front quarter, following it until you sever the leg from the body. You’ll want to cut between the ribcage and the shoulder blade.
Repeat the same process for the other two quarters. Slice the remaining hide off the spine as you turn the animal over.
Step 3: Backstraps
To remove the backstraps, dive in with your knife on one side of the spine around the shoulder area.
Cut down along the spine until you reach the pelvis. If necessary, extend the cut up the neck to remove any remaining meat, then cut along the ribcage to free the meat. Repeat on the other side to remove the other backstrap.
Step 4: Tenderloins
The safest way to access the elk’s tenderloins is to gut the animal first.
Carefully cut through the muscle of the elk’s belly. Start at the sternum when you’re ready to cut into the abdominal cavity. This minimizes the chances that you’ll poke the intestines or stomach.
Cut until you have enough space to fit your hand inside the abdomen. Then, use one hand to slice south through the rest while using your free hand to push the guts out of the way.
Once you’ve cut through the ribcage and removed the guts, you can access the tenderloin easily. It’ll be adjacent to the ribs and spine. Use your knife to cut along the spine, using the bones as your guide.
Step 5: Ribs
If you’re a fan of a good rib roast, now’s the time to claim your prize. Use your knife or a saw to remove the ribs where they connect with the spine.
Take extra care during this process — ensure your fingers are safely out of the way.
Bonus Step: Packing It Out
Field dressing your elk trophy is only half the battle. Elk are large game animals with hundreds of pounds of meat for you to carry home and enjoy. Carrying all that meat back can be a chore if your camp isn’t nearby and you don’t have a vehicle close.
If you hunt with a few friends, like I do, it’s easy to divide the weight of the spoils between multiple people. However, you may have to make multiple trips if you’re alone.
One way to reduce weight is by boning out your elk. While this will extend the amount of time you spend field dressing, it may reduce the number of trips you take.
As soon as you finish field dressing your elk, take steps to dry and cool the meat. High-quality game bags and a pack made for packing out meat really help. The sooner you get your meat to a cool, dry place, the fresher it’ll taste.
Protecting Your Harvest (And Yourself)
If you need to take multiple trips back to camp, tie your meat up a tree in game bags.
The smell of a fresh kill attracts nearby bears and other predators. You don’t want to compete with those animals to retrieve the rest of your kill. Speed is the name of the game in bear country.
Speaking of bear country, keeping bear spray within arm’s reach is always a good idea when you’re out on the hunt. Stay aware of your surroundings as much as possible, especially with a fresh kill. Your life is more important than any trophy — you can always try again next season if you’re still alive.
Finally, if you do need to take multiple trips, pack out your meat first and your trophy second. Retrieving as much meat as possible is part and parcel of honoring the animal that provided you with sustenance.
And now you’ve learned how to field dress an elk. Ensure you have a cooler handy to keep the meat fresh while you head home. If you’ve wondered how to butcher an elk, I hope this post scratched that itch.
Happy hunting.
with John Dudley, Decorated Professional Archer and Founder of Nock On Archery
