TL;DR: A full elk quartered bone-in takes 5 bags: 4 quarter bags for the front shoulders and hindquarters, plus a fifth for backstraps and trim meat. Boned-out, plan for 4 to 6 bags depending on how tightly you pack. Deer takes 2 to 4 bags. Our 5-piece set includes a bonus bag specifically because the backstraps and trim fill a whole bag on their own.
The Short Answer by Method
- Elk, bone-in: 5 bags (4 quarters + 1 for backstraps/trim)
- Elk, boned-out: 5 to 6 bags (depends on packing efficiency)
- Deer, bone-in: 2 to 4 bags
- Deer, boned-out: 2 to 3 bags
The right count matters before you leave the trailhead. Discovering you're one bag short when you're six miles in with a dead elk is not a problem you want to solve in the field. This guide explains the reasoning behind each count so you can make the call for your specific hunt.
Understanding the Quarters
An elk has four main quarters: two front shoulders and two hindquarters (sometimes called haunches or hind legs). Those four pieces are the bulk of the animal. Most hunters use one bag per quarter, which means four bags minimum just to get the quarters covered.
What a lot of first-time elk hunters don't account for is everything else. The two backstraps run the length of the spine and are some of the best meat on the animal. Neck meat, rib meat, and any trim you salvage from around the spine and pelvis add up to a meaningful amount of food. All of that needs to go somewhere. That's where the fifth bag earns its place.
Some hunters divide the hind quarter into the top round, bottom round, and sirloin before bagging. If you're doing a full boning job in the field, you may want more than five bags to keep cuts organized. But for a standard bone-in quarter job, four plus one for trim and straps covers most elk hunters reliably.
Bone-In vs Boned-Out: Why It Changes Your Bag Count
The bone-in vs boned-out debate never dies in elk hunting circles, and the bag count is one reason it matters.
Bone-in means you quarter the elk and leave the bones in the bag. The bags need to be bigger to accommodate the full leg and shoulder joint. You'll end up packing more weight (bone is heavy), but the process is faster in the field, especially solo. You need fewer bags because the four quarter bags handle the four main pieces, and one extra covers the rest.
Boned-out means you remove all the meat from the bone before bagging. This reduces pack weight significantly, which matters when you have miles to cover. The trade-off is a longer, messier field job and more bags. Boneless meat doesn't stack and pack as cleanly as a bone-in quarter. Experienced backcountry hunters often end up using 5 to 6 bags on a full boned-out elk to keep cuts separated and manageable.
The bag count difference between the two methods is usually 1 to 2 bags. If you're on a road hunt with a truck close, bone-in is faster. If you're three miles in and every pound counts, boned-out makes the pack-out more survivable.
The Gutless Method and Bag Count
You'll hear the gutless method discussed constantly on hunting forums, and it sometimes causes confusion about bag counts. The gutless method is about how you access the quarters, not how many bags you need.
With the gutless method, you skin the elk on the ground, remove the top two quarters and backstraps without rolling the animal or opening the gut cavity, then flip and repeat. It's faster, cleaner in warm temperatures, and the standard approach for backcountry hunts. The bag count is the same as any other quartering approach: 5 bags for bone-in, 5 to 6 for boned-out. The gutless method doesn't change the count, it just changes your process for getting to the quarters.
How Many Bags for a Deer?
A deer is a much smaller animal, and the bag requirements are proportionally lower. Most hunters quarter a deer with the same four-quarter approach (two fronts, two hinds), but a deer's shoulder fits in a bag that would dwarf it, and both front shoulders from a deer can share a bag on many sets.
For a bone-in deer, 2 to 4 bags covers the animal. Two if you consolidate front quarters, four if you keep each piece separate. Boned-out deer fits in 2 to 3 bags. The backstraps from a deer are smaller and usually fit alongside trim in a single bag.
If you're hunting elk in the early season and then deer in October with the same set of bags, our 5-piece handles both species without needing a second purchase. The quarter bags have enough room for deer quarters individually, or you can combine front quarters to leave a bag free for extra storage.
What Comes in a 5-Piece Set
Our 5-piece game bag set includes four quarter bags sized for bone-in elk quarters, one bonus bag for backstraps and trim meat, and a carrying pouch so the full set packs compact in your gear. The set is built from 40D diamond ripstop nylon, which is durable enough for multiple seasons and washes clean for reuse.
The bonus bag is the piece most first-timers underestimate. Until you've pulled the backstraps off a bull and realized they fill a bag by themselves, it's easy to think four bags should cover everything. They don't, and having the bonus bag in the set means you're not improvising with a garbage bag or cramming meat into an already-full quarter bag.
If you're hunting with a partner and each of you brings a set, ten bags gives you comfortable coverage for an elk with room to keep specific cuts organized separately. Guides running multiple hunters in a camp often keep two to three sets on hand for exactly this reason.
Other Bag Count Factors Worth Knowing
A few situations push you toward bringing an extra bag regardless of method:
Warm weather (archery season). In September temperatures above 50°F, some hunters split the hindquarter into separate cuts to increase surface area and speed cooling. More cuts means more bags. If you're hunting archery in warm country, an extra bag is cheap insurance.
Solo pack-out with a heavy frame. When you're carrying everything at once, keeping quarters separated also means you can load your pack more efficiently. An extra bag lets you optimize the load distribution rather than working around how the bags fell.
Multi-day camp hunts. If the elk dies at last light and you have a long pack-out starting the next morning, you want the meat in bags and hung or cooled immediately. Having one extra bag in camp for overflow is a simple hedge.
Ready to Order?
Now that you know the count, the next question is usually which set to buy. Our comparison of Caribou Gear, Argali, and Lone Trail game bags covers the main options side by side, with honest trade-offs and a clear recommendation guide for each type of hunter.
If you're ready now, our 5-piece 40D ripstop set is in stock at $70 and includes the bonus bag and carrying pouch. Elk season runs August through January depending on your state and tag. Order early enough that your gear arrives before your hunt, not the week after.