Responsibility of getting meat out and processed before spoilage...

[kikinhorse]

I was showing pictures of a nice little 5x5 I took in archery season this year, when a man came up with pictures of three real nice bulls taken by young hunters in thier first year in archery. As we talked he was bragging about the size when he slipped and told me they killed all of them miles in and took three days to get them out. Then he proceeded to tell me only half of one bull was able to get proccesed because of spoilage and bot eggs. Made my stomach sick.

 

[EricB]

I agree. if I'm by myself and weather is warm , I hunt accordingly. Just to say you killed one and only was able to salvage part of it don't fly with me.

 

[Fullabull]

completely agree, that guy should have sat them young guys down and explained what ethics are and what hunting is really all about. To many people do not understand what hunting does for true conservation and how most hunters truly care about and respect the animals they hunt!

 

[Bullhunter]

I agree, If its too hot out and i know they meat will spoil i dont hunt too far from my vehicle that way i can get the meat out of there.  In reality its nice to have horns but you cant eat the horns.  The meat is where its at for me and thats all that matters.  The horns are just a bonus.

 

[planebow]

That is one reason that the horns are the last to come out with me. I like to get the meat out and into coolers as quick as possable.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I will probably get flamed for this, but in my opinion it was the guys tag and he can do as he pleases. I don't agree with it, and I do everything in my power to get all of the meat out without any spoilage (100% so far), but its his money, his tag, his conscience.

 

[buckykm1]

Ya, that really grinds me too. all for a set of horns  .
I am 60 years old, I hunt from a base camp, and I always keep in mind where I am, if I can't get it out and back to camp without the meat spoiling, I won't shoot it.

Kevin

 

[Fullabull]

Whether the tag and money are his to spend is whole different issue than what is right and wrong. The basic idea behind hunting is to provide meat for your family by harvesting game, not killing for horns. I can only hope they learned and think about it the next time they hike back so far in that kind of weather or learn how to take better care of the meat that stays behind while they pack it all out!

 

[nclonghunter]

Backpack Hunter, that is an interesting position you take. It almost makes an argument to go in deep and shoot a good bull, then tear up your tag and hike out. You would have bragging rights for taking a big bull if that's what you want to do.
It bothers me to leave any part, even the smaller parts that I know can be ground into burger, but a long pack out just doesn't always make it possible. Those young men most likely had more energy and determination than they had knowledge. An old saying is "Youth is wasted on the young". Hopefully they gained much knowledge other than killing and will not make that mistake twice. If they do, then there is no excuse.

 

[no limits do what it take]

I think it's law in Montana that the head comes out last

 

[zach.chittenden]

As a responsible ethical hunters its extremely important to hunt within your means of physical capabilities. I've been lost in the moment and found myself pursuing game further than planned but also felt comfortable with the ability to pack game out. I think its important to only hunt where you know you can timely pull your game out of the hills.

 

[DropT9]

I have helped to pack out more than a dozen elk. Never once was anything left. I hunted with 5 other people and we would split into 3 groups. If one of the groups got a kill the rest would stop hunting and help pack out the elk that was down. Even if we tagged out we stayed to help the others.

 

[Jeremiah Johnson]

This all comes back to respecting the animal, ethics and doing what is right. We all have to know our limits and what the weather/temps and our abilities will allow us to get out of the mountains without spoilage. Agreed it is his tag and money, but you may also have to suffer the consequences if caught by F&G with wanton waste.

 

[patch1010]

I would have had a hard time packing my elk out by my self. Brad Dean was a champ at packing, and encouraging me. If it hadn't of been for Brad, I may not have even seen let alone shot the bull I did. Brad had the foresight to line up some packers to pack us out if needed. Sure it would have cost to have them packed out, but we planned on that in the first place. If you are going to kill a game animal, be willing to do what ever it takes to get it out with out waste. Animals are not toys, they are living beings that we kill.

 

[PassThru]

It is always atopic of consideration.  I have to be in the best shape physically and mentally to get the job done once I drop the string or pull the trigger.  There is no good excuse for leaving meat behind.  In Montana a hunter has to bring the meat out before the trophy.   

 

[Trailblazer]

Hopefully they learned a lesson....we all get them once in awhile.  Lot of variables out there and a hunter needs to take them all in before pulling the trigger or letting the arrow loose. 

 

[TooFarEast]

I feel that it is the responsibility of the hunter to make every effort possible to make sure the meat is taken care for.
With that said, it seems like most of you are relying upon yourselves to pack the meat out.  How about a different scenario ... I live 1800 miles from my hunting area.  I am taking a week off work to fly out to place I have never been to and planning on backpacking as far and deep as possible to kill an elk (OTC tag).  I know fully well that I may have to venture further than I can physically pack out an elk by myself (in a reasonable amount of time).  However, I have lined up an outfitter for horsepacking services if needed.  This is someone who I have talked to over the phone, but never met.  They are the only licensed outfitter for the wilderness area and they will have several other clients the same week.  What if I kill an elk too far in and am relying on someone I never met to come and pack me out?  What ifthey don't come, or are too busy to get to me?  Maybe I am just paranoid, but I am hunting mostly for the meat so I don't want to loose it.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

Backpack Hunter, that is an interesting position you take. It almost makes an argument to go in deep and shoot a good bull, then tear up your tag and hike out. You would have bragging rights for taking a big bull if that's what you want to do.
It bothers me to leave any part, even the smaller parts that I know can be ground into burger, but a long pack out just doesn't always make it possible. Those young men most likely had more energy and determination than they had knowledge. An old saying is "Youth is wasted on the young". Hopefully they gained much knowledge other than killing and will not make that mistake twice. If they do, then there is no excuse.

Just want to clarify, I am not making the argument to just shoot something and let it lay.
I'm just not going to get up in arms, or bent out of shape if someone does.
I view it as their decision, and quite frankly their loss. Not only a loss of delicious elk meat (or whatever animal they shot), but also a loss of a quality hunting experience.

I guess it should probably be noted that there are quite a few states that have wanton waste laws too.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I know fully well that I may have to venture further than I can physically pack out an elk by myself (in a reasonable amount of time).  However, I have lined up an outfitter for horsepacking services if needed.  This is someone who I have talked to over the phone, but never met.  They are the only licensed outfitter for the wilderness area and they will have several other clients the same week.  What if I kill an elk too far in and am relying on someone I never met to come and pack me out?  What if they don't come, or are too busy to get to me?  Maybe I am just paranoid, but I am hunting mostly for the meat so I don't want to loose it.

You may want to find a backup to your outfitter, or resign yourself to only hunt where you are confident you can get your kill out within your allotted time, and without spoilage.

There have been at least two times when I have lined up a packer and they were unable to help once I had one down. Had to get on the phone with my backup to the backups backup once.

 

[yrovikle]

Marc Smith talked about a similar situation last weekend at the Denver Sportsman Expo.  And although we can judge and say how wrong it is...this is my view on it.  It all starts with 'You dont know what you dont know'...
This is what I mean.  Most young hunters are raised by media...video games, television, and the internet.  My generation didnt have the internet when I was pre-teen and coming of age in the woods.  Television didnt have channels dedicated just to hunting and fishing and video games were no where to the caliber of what they are today.  Our society condenses things down to just the highlights..who wants to watch a Youtube video or a 30 minute hunting show that is just hiking for 6-8 miles back into the wilderness...while we do it its a part of the hunt but it doesnt make for good media and instant gratification.
So kids think, we can hike way back to where no one else is and we can all shoot elk.  And then reality hits...oh crap, I am 3,000 feet in evelation from where I started and 5 miles back on trails that even horses cant get to.  yeah I am in the steep and deep thick stuff and the elk are all over the place, but now what do I do...'heck, I am not going back to Alabama or North Carolina or Georgia without these cool horns...' and thats what happens, they start out with 100lbs of elk meat on their back and then after 3 miles they stash half the load and get to the trailhead and realize that they need to get to town to get ice to get bigger coolers, etc, etc, etc.
Bottom line:  I dont think the in-experienced western hunter is doing this to be irresponsible, I think they just didnt really REALLY realize what they were getting into.  And yeah we can talk about it on here and warn them of the seriouness of it all, but we are a small voice agaisnt egos, excitement and immaturity (regardless of age). 
Thank GOD more of them are not as succesful when they come out west or start hunting, experince in the elk woods is the only real way for them to learn what they dont know!