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Sharing Elk Meat

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Sharing Elk Meat

Postby Swede » 05 06, 2023 •  [Post 1]

Two hunters leave home together on a hunt. They share all expenses equally and both contribute equally with camp chores. One hunter shoots a cow, but the other refuses to take one though he has opportunity. He wants only a trophy bull. When they arrive home how should they share the meat?
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Re: Sharing Elk Meat

Postby Lefty » 05 06, 2023 •  [Post 2]

Generally, that should be decided on before the hunt. But in our circles, big game is shared.

With Waterfoul and me, you keep what you kill, unless you want my birds I will gift them to you. And with foul ,,, if you think you shot it,,,its yours,,, I always made sure the guest killed the banded geese :D
OK story time. At one time I hunted geese with a fellow fairly regularly, He was a claimer. At that time there was a 4 bird limit, He always had his 4 geese before me :lol:
Mule deer you keep all your meat, lol: Generally I hunt alone or with my daughter, and Andrew. Depends on where the meat gets cut up. At one time I had the freezer space, Now they do.
Cow elk I may want some if our freezer is empty. But that hasn't happened for 25 years.
If I shoot a bull you can certainly keep 1/2, If three of us pack it out it will be split 3 ways.
Fishing: we use to keep our fish with the guys I fished with. When I fished Alaska a long time ago, the guys I went with salted all their fish. I took my reds and kings to town and had them steaked or filleted then froze,
Once back in Idaho, everyone thought the fish I had freshly frozen needed to be shared :o My wife wasn't too happy about sharing salmon, But all was good for me!

The three years we shot moose we had people lined up to give meat too.
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Re: Sharing Elk Meat

Postby Swede » 05 06, 2023 •  [Post 3]

No doubt there should have been a conversation before the hunt started, but what if there was no discussion about meat sharing until after you filled your tag and your buddy won't use his? Is your buddy taking advantage or should you just be pleased that you got an elk and got the job done?
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Re: Sharing Elk Meat

Postby Lefty » 05 06, 2023 •  [Post 4]

Swede wrote:No doubt there should have been a conversation before the hunt started, but what if there was no discussion about meat sharing until after you filled your tag and your buddy won't use his? Is your buddy taking advantage or should you just be pleased that you got an elk and got the job done?

Once at home and the partner has shared in everything elk: why wouldn't you share? *5 lbs of elk meat isn't anything to get excited about


the vast majority of those I've hunted with: no discussion is needed, we know each other's answer.
Now Ive had some in the past take advantage of me "my hunts" my location, my field, my decoys, my scouting,,,,, just a part of hunting with others,
Generally, there is plenty of meat to share

And I make sure newbies know all the ground rules. I've taken well over 100 newbies goose hunting,,
Dozens of people killed their first goose with me ,
dozens killed their first limit,


dozens killed their first banded goose,,,,, Well maybe not :lol: :lol: :lol: dang how did I mix those up,,,, :D
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Re: Sharing Elk Meat

Postby Swede » 05 06, 2023 •  [Post 5]

My question is completely hypothetical. It is intended to make a point. I share all of my game equally with my brother and he does not hunt. He may even leave camp and go home at times.

It is ok if you share equally with someone that is operating on a different level, but what if the situation were reversed. You choose to hold onto your tag while the other guy fills his on a cow?
Are you being fair demanding half an elk?
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Re: Sharing Elk Meat

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 05 07, 2023 •  [Post 6]

From my foxhole, if you’re assisting with the pack-out, you’re getting your share of the elk, deer meat whatever. Killing is the easier mission in many situations, the event becomes all too real when Barney Bull is down….down in the armpit of those no trail rut holes :?. It’s all good.
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Re: Sharing Elk Meat

Postby Swede » 05 07, 2023 •  [Post 7]

Just so I am clear on this; RJ is saying he would allow his hunting partner to keep the half elk he packs out ("your share") while he saves his tag for a big bull.
I have hunted with few hunting partners over the years but when I did we all were hunting cows or bulls. It was just a matter of luck who got elk and those that didn't. On that basis we shared equally.
I have had hunters come to camp and leave independent of my coming and going. We help each other, but it is always you tag and keep any critter you shoot. Coming to my camp and staying for a few days does not make you a partner. Helping me butcher and pack out gets you a backstrap or something similar. I think this thread makes it clear that we should be careful and clear about how we plan to share from the beginning.
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Re: Sharing Elk Meat

Postby 7mmfan » 05 08, 2023 •  [Post 8]

This is interesting to me. In all the years of hunting as a group, the 4 or 5 of us that hunt consistently together, have never shared meat. You either got one or you didn't. I have given meat to them as a thank you, usually a few packs of backstrap or hind quarter meat, but it's never been a "thing". Nobody has ever asked, and nobody expects it. I had a guy that I used to fish with that wanted half of the fish I caught during the day because he was too busy drinking beer to catch any. Don't fish with him anymore.
I hunt therefore I am. I fish therefore I lie.
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Re: Sharing Elk Meat

Postby Swede » 05 08, 2023 •  [Post 9]

I have helped hunters pack out elk several times. I do not remember ever being offered any meat. I did not expect any either. They usually offer to help me when I fill my tag, but they are gone when the time comes. That is because they go home when their hunt is over. They are not my partner, but we are friends.
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Re: Sharing Elk Meat

Postby Lefty » 05 08, 2023 •  [Post 10]

WapitiTalk1 wrote:From my foxhole, if you’re assisting with the pack-out, you’re getting your share of the elk, deer meat whatever. Killing is the easier mission in many situations, the event becomes all too real when Barney Bull is down….down in the armpit of those no trail rut holes :?. It’s all good.


yep

Swede wrote:I have helped hunters pack out elk several times. I do not remember ever being offered any meat. I did not expect any either. They usually offer to help me when I fill my tag, but they are gone when the time comes. That is because they go home when their hunt is over. They are not my partner, but we are friends.


So you do know where you stand in that situation!



Swede wrote: half elk he packs out ("your share") while he saves his tag for a big bull. .

It seems like that is your hang up. So agree before hand on the split or dont hunt with them.

Hundreds and hundreds of geese have been shot in "my fields, my pit, my gear, my equpment,my effortsl, often etc,,, Yep and my rules, my conditions, my decision ,, Only one person has ever balked,,,

Swede wrote: Coming to my camp
clear about how we plan to share from the beginning.


yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Swede you're making this too complicated. We're both old enough or all of us are old enough: I can give away half of an elk pretty easy and don't need to worry about the reasons
or how much effort someone puts into "my hunt." If they want 1/2 the meat I figure,,,, well they want the meat!! Good for them.
The worst part about getting an elk,, packaging the meat when your too tired to move, so 1/2 would be fine.
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Re: Sharing Elk Meat

Postby Swede » 05 08, 2023 •  [Post 11]

I guess I feel that the guy that wants to save his tag for the big one and expects me to share my cow about the same as I would about the guy that stays up until 3:00AM and sleeps in until noon. I don't think they should expect half an elk for just helping pack out. I would blame myself for not being clear what the rules will be, but some things I do not expect from any elk hunter.
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Re: Sharing Elk Meat

Postby Lefty » 05 08, 2023 •  [Post 12]

Swede wrote: about the same as I would about the guy that stays up until 3:00AM and sleeps in until noon.


Ive never hunted with one of those type!!!
The simple fact that they arent dead tired and sound asleep as soon as practical
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Re: Sharing Elk Meat

Postby Indian Summer » 05 08, 2023 •  [Post 13]

We each keep what we shoot although if a guy gets skunked we’ll give him some. And I can tell you exactly why.

It simply stems back to deer hunting. Some guys would shoot their deer in archery season and of course process it and get it in the freezer. Other guys were still hunting and once they killed their deer, they would do the same. We all killed deer, so it never crossed our minds to share. When it came to elk hunting, my brother lives in the Bitterroot valley in Montana. He would be hunting before I got there, and if need be still hunting after I left. He didn’t have any expenses. I didn’t really care about mine. Back then it was either sex elk hunting on a general license too. Even Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder punched their tags every year. Lol , So we never really got into a situation where there was a shortage of elk. And just like Swede said, some guys shoot the first elk they can, and others stick it out to the bitter end sometimes not punching a tag. That would be me. To each his own. I never eat an entire elk in a year so if I get skunked I’m still good for awhile. If not I give last year’s elk to non hunting friends when I get back.

Honestly though I think every situation is different. If two guys go on guided hunts with an outfitter, I would say, just split the meat, regardless of who kills what.
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Re: Sharing Elk Meat

Postby saddlesore » 05 09, 2023 •  [Post 14]

If there are more than two hunters in camp and they all hunt hard, my rule is I keep the best half of elk I kill and everyone else shares equally in the other half. First day in camp any new hunters gets that told to them. If some one else kills and elk, it is up to them what they do with it. Other than that, giving away elk or any game animal to someone that doesn't hunt or hunt hard,is like going down to the supermarket, buying meat then giving it away.

I have packed friends into the back country when I didn't have a tag , help them get their elk and packed it out and never expected anything back for them.' If you are not happy what your hunting partners do with their meat, you need to go solo.
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Re: Sharing Elk Meat

Postby Swede » 05 09, 2023 •  [Post 15]

Welcome back Saddlesore. You are appreciated here more than you know. I think your take on sharing elk meat is very reasonable. The most important part is that you inform the others who hunt with you what that standard is.
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