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Helping Your Partner

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Helping Your Partner

Postby Swede » 01 17, 2023 •  [Post 1]

After six fruitless days on a ten-day hunt, I tell you in camp to shoot my elk if you get a chance. I will do the same for you, if I get the opportunity. What is your response and how do you justify your position on this?
I think I know how everyone will respond but be prepared. I am going to try to get you to see it differently, just for fun.
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Re: Helping Your Partner

Postby Jhg » 01 17, 2023 •  [Post 2]

I have had this exact scenario presented to me. I suppose it makes sense from a efficiency standpoint. As long as you are not taking into account the game laws that specifically state you cannot engage in this sort of thing.

When I look into the mirror I want to feel good about the person looking back at me. I don't want to lie to myself or to others about much of anything, let alone the elk I am claiming was my harvest. I have failings enough without adding dishonesty to the pile.

I will share some of the meat from my elk if we hunted together. I hope you would do the same. But I won't shoot an elk for you and don't ever presume its ok to shoot one for me.
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Re: Helping Your Partner

Postby Swede » 01 17, 2023 •  [Post 3]

But friend we have hunted together for years. This hunt has taken up two weeks of my 3-week allowance and has cost me over $1,500 already. My wife is not going to kill me if I come back without an elk. There are plenty of elk out there and I just need one. If it will help you to feel better, I will put an arow/bullet in it as soon as we get close enough. :twisted:
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Re: Helping Your Partner

Postby saddlesore » 01 17, 2023 •  [Post 4]

I won't shoot some one else's elk, but I have taken more than a few that they didn't want. In Colorado you can put your tag on an elk that had already been tagged and it voids both tag. So if two hunters were hunting together and one kills an elk, it is perfectly legal for both to put their tag on it. In years when I had two elk tags, I usually gave the 2nd tagged elk to hunting buddy that didn't score. Personally I see nothing wrong with it, morally and ethically. It is illegal in CO,so I don't do it. I think one of the eastern states permits two hunters to hunt one moose.
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Re: Helping Your Partner

Postby 7mmfan » 01 17, 2023 •  [Post 5]

I've been here. I can remember a few years when our group drew antlerless tags on WA that the discussion was had. I was young and trigger happy. It never came to fruition and as I've aged I now see why Dad wasn't enthusiastic about it. I wouldn't want to shoot for anyone and I certainly won't have anyone shoot for me.
I hunt therefore I am. I fish therefore I lie.
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Re: Helping Your Partner

Postby Tigger » 01 18, 2023 •  [Post 6]

We have party hunting here for deer.

I would never shoot another person's elk and want nobody to shoot mine.

But how about this situation. Your son, daughter, granddaughter, or grandson filled his/her tag with a boring hunt on a little cow. An epic hunt on a giant bull was taking place and the little one had a chance at the herd bull. Would you let him/her fill your tag with the herd bull?
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Re: Helping Your Partner

Postby saddlesore » 01 18, 2023 •  [Post 7]

[quote="Tigger"]We have party hunting here for deer.

I would never shoot another person's elk and want nobody to shoot mine.

But how about this situation. Your son, daughter, granddaughter, or grandson filled his/her tag with a boring hunt on a little cow. An epic hunt on a giant bull was taking place and the little one had a chance at the herd bull. Would you let him/her fill your tag with the herd bull?[/quote

I would not. They need to learn once they pull the trigger on one,the hunt is over. They will remember that lesson longer than the bull they shot
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Re: Helping Your Partner

Postby Swede » 01 18, 2023 •  [Post 8]

Here is my take on the subject:
Hunting is a sport. Getting your own deer or elk is the essence of success. We should not expect to succeed every time we go out hunting or playing any challenging sport. You are not successful if someone illegally kills your elk. You are a cheat. Anyone that takes two weeks off work and pays $1,000 or more to go on a hunt is a fool if they think that is an economical way to fill their freezer. If you need the food that bad, don't go hunting.
Yesterday, I was reading on another thread here about a hunter that started being successful elk hunting in Montana after the second year out. I assume he hunts hard in a very good area. It took me a lot longer to be successful on any regular basis. My hat is off to anyone that can do that, especially without a mentor/guide. I suspect I am coming into a time of life when it is going to be more challenging for me to continue to succeed at getting elk. This whole elk hunting thing is a challenging sport. At age 75 now I still hope to go on hunting for another 30+ years, but if I run a little short, I will remember it was fun and there is a time to leave it to my son and grandchildren.
I also want to stay on the forum here to aggravate you jerks. :D
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Re: Helping Your Partner

Postby saddlesore » 01 18, 2023 •  [Post 9]

My take of it is if you have to try to find a legal bull and it takes a week+ to do it, that is hunting. If you have a late season migration hunt here in Colorado where you find 200-300 elk out in a field along a road and shoot one, that is killing to fill the freezer. I have done both. In fact, one late hunt, I shot two as I had two tags.
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