On paper, hard-core backcountry hunting sounds glorious. You hike into the most remote terrain in the country, mindful of every pound and ounce of your gear. You hunt and kill a hard-won trophy animal. And, once back in cell service, you bask in the social-media glow of your accomplishment.
But there’s one detail missing from the common narrative of backcountry hunting success: the hard reality of getting the animal you killed from remote basin to trailhead. And that aspect of the hunt is just as gear- and labor-intensive as your efforts to reach the animal in the first place.
As a confirmed meat hunter, I’ve encountered this problem more times than I care to recall. I hope you are in the same meat-hauling situation
