Have you ever tried to field dress and cut up an animal as large as an elk?
Note that they were using horses, not a pick-up.
I have killed four elk and two moose in my 58 years on this planet and know the fun is over after you pull the trigger. The article states the original hunter was on foot when he bagged the critter, quartered it and hiked out with the head, planning to get help and returned on horseback the next day to retrieve the meat and that’s when the wolves showed up. I’m not criticizing these guys except maybe for not shooting enough members of the wolf pack - it’s just a long time to leave bloody food lying around with lots of carnivores trying to fatten themselves for winter.