Unless you have an ATV or something like it, and you're in a place where you can legally take the ATV off trail, you have to haul tehhe elk out 1/4 at a time. This varies slightly if you do the gutless method and are just hauling out de-boned meat.

I carry both the gauze type and canvas type of game bags with me. Actually, I have them wrapped up in a pack strapped to my ATV. If I harvest an animal I'll field dress it and open the cavity up nice and wide to allow the carcass to cool, cut out the head & cape and haul those out. Once those are out and I'm back @ my ATV, I grab the pack and head back to start to the carcass. from there I'll quarter it up into game bags and start hauling 1/4 out at a time. I have hunting partners too and we keep in tough with each other via radio. They will each help me haul out the rest of the animal (For their effort it's a tradition in our camp to buy anyone who helps a steak dinner).

For the deer I harvested 2 years ago, I was actually able to just ride my ATV in to the animal, load it onto the back of my ATV, strap it on nice and tight and ride back to camp. Because it was so hot that season I immediately loaded the deer into my truck and took it to a processor in town so avoid any heat damage to the meat.

Don't let anyone kid you. Everything up to the harvest is easy compared to getting the game/meat back to camp.