Asking strangers for help hauling meat

[mad_angler]

We were headed into a steep CO unit in 2019 and there was a guy at the trailhead offering to show people where he saw some other bulls in exchange for helping him pack his several miles. We declined but he managed to get 2 guys on board.

We got slammed by a gnarly hail / electrical storm when they would’ve been on the trail. Always made me wonder what a raw deal / nightmare that turned into. Point being I saw him half-begging at that TH and it always reminds me how you can get past your limits if you’re not careful.

I have often wondered about this...

If someone just asked me to help, I probably would. I haven't elk hunted a lot and I wouldn't mind some experience carrying meat.

And I have often wondered if folks would help me if I asked. And I've wondered what those folks would want in return.


What experiences have you had asking for help or being asked to help?

 

[JJ1179]

If someone asked me and it was within a reasonable distance, I would help not expecting anything in return. I’d do it in good measure as a pay it forward kind of thing in hopes that someday someone would help me if I was in need.

One year I was hunting Colorado with some friends. We were all gathered around a bull that one of us had shot and talking about getting it quartered up and getting it out the 2 miles with the other two cows we had down. All of a sudden, a warden popped up out of nowhere and started asking for our licenses and checking everything out. Once he knew we were legit, I asked if he wanted to help pack out some meat since we were headed back the same way, and he said yes. He put a hind quarter on his pack and carried it out for us.

Really goes to show that not all game wardens are bad and they do care about hunters. I’ll never forget him doing that!

 

[Weldor]

We had an outfitter help load out back in 1990, deep snow bad news. He was great, his clients even helped. We did some beer drinking back at the truck in 20 degree weather, beer was cheap payment.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Zero chance I help if someone asks. Not saying I wouldn’t offer depending on the situation but that’s not something you ask for, that’s something you take someone up on if offered.

Get your own effing meat off the mountain or don’t go.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

If somebody offered to help me, I would politely decline and there is no way I'm asking anybody for help. I'm just too stubborn and I'm the kind of person that needs to get myself out of a mess I created. If a complete stranger asked me to help pack out at a trailhead i would consider depending on situation. Actions have consequences, if you can't get your meat out of an area with the resources you have, you have zero business hunting back there and some people need to learn that. Don't get me wrong I have helped a handful of strangers pack out, but that's me coming across them on my way to truck or something and they seem like good genuine people and I offer.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I’d have to be just about dead before I asked a stranger for help but that might just be a character flaw….
I’ve packed meat for a few strangers but they didn’t ask, it was just right place right time and I offered to take a load out.

 

[graniteghost]

I’d been watching a younger buck that I decided not to take when another guy dumped him right in front of me. I was less than 100 yds and he couldn’t see me due to the curve of the hill. I waited till he got up to the buck to approach him and congratulate him.

Upon getting up to him I realized he was all alone, he was slightly older, and we were about 3 miles in. Felt like I should offer to help him pack it out which he graciously accepted, and then I learned that he intended to drag the entire deer out 3 miles. Took us at least 4-5 hours and my back gets sore thinking about it

Made me way more cautious about volunteering myself for help, however he’d been hunting the area for a while and gave me some good tips about it

 

[Winnie]

Circumstances play a role. If the elk ran up and over a mountain and died in a hellhole on the other side and the weather is getting warmer than anyone expected and the guy is 92 years old and has a sprained ankle.....that is a completely different situation than a guy who shot one in a meadow up the mountain and just wants help hauling it downhill in cool weather.

 

[Weldor]

Some good deeds turn into good information. I live at 6000 ft so giving directions has become a habit for guys looking for a shorter pack out. Most appreciate it, and are genuine.

 

[Jbehredt]

Never been asked but have helped a couple times. Know a guy who had to phone a friend to pack out his entire buck after he stabbed himself in the groin field dressing it.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

I had 3 guys offer to help me, in succession, in 2024. I'm still immensely grateful and in contact with all of them.

 

[Poser]

I'm extremely unlikely to ask for help from a stranger -the situation would have to be dire for that to happen + I'm almost always prepared to deal with difficult packouts, but I'm not going to say "never."
I'd be willing to help a stranger depending on what else I have going on. If its 4 PM on a Sunday and I'm heading home to unpack, eat dinner and chill a bit before work in the morning as opposed to being out in the thick of it until 1 AM, I'd be prone to pass. If its midday on a Saturday, I'd be open to giving up my Saturday evening hunting plans to help a guy out, depending on the guy. If he seems cool, over his head, inexperienced or just in desperate need of some help, sure. Out of shape, entitled boomer with a maga hat? I'd probably pass.

 

[Beendare]

This thread reminds me of my buddies favorite saying, "No good deed goes unpunished" grin

I've offered twice but only one guy took me (us) up on it. It wasn't a bad pack.

I would think twice in cases where it would take a day and seriously cut into the time I have to hunt. For a long time when I was deep into running my construction business, Time was my most precious commodity.

 

[khart_6882]

When I was 19 and working for an outfitter I had to lead a hurt horse back out to the trailhead to meet the outfitter’s wife. I took a different route back to camp and was walking an old road that was gated off when I saw a bicycle with a little trailer behind it parked in the road.
I looked down the hill, which was nearly vertical, and could see a dead moose and someone messing around with it about 500 yards down the ravine. On closer inspection I saw it was and old ass man and a little kid. Against my better judgment I headed down the hill to them.
The guy had to have been in his 70’s and was chain smoking camel filters while he attempted to wrestle a bull moose, the kid was maybe 10. No cell service in there and this was well before sat messengers, it was like 70° out and I don’t know what his plan was.
He was a nice guy and the kid was very excited about the moose. He never directly asked me to help him but he was fully aware that he couldn’t do it on his own. I helped him quarter and then packed that whole frickin moose back up to the road for him, besides 1 small sack of scrap meat.
When I took off up the hill ahead of him with my last load he said “Look in the saddle bags of my bicycle and you’ll find something in there to repay you for your troubles.”
Being a starving 19 year old guide I was thinking of a couple crisp $100 bills waiting for me. I unloaded the last of the meat and unzipped the saddle bag to find 3 70° Keystone Ice tallboys!!!
I mean, I still drank them but I don’t think they were worth my effort

 

[Coveyleader]

Call me overcautious on areas I hunt, and where elk die, but inviting strangers to pack your elk just about guarantees you will see them in there next year. I go out of my way to not let people know I'm packing meat out.

Some of the areas I hunt lay out like the old goat and sheep kill locations. I've had elk just about drop on top, within yards of previous dead elk. My response is always, "no, I'm good. Thanks!"

 

[UncleBone]

I have asked strangers once. It was my first elk, 5 miles in and I was solo. There was a camp of 6 or 8 guys that had horses and were hunting for like 2 or 3 hours a day. I asked kind of in a joking way if they wanted to use a horse to help me. One guy agreed and asked for a pin to know where to come meet me. He didn't come. However a guy I had met before opening day that was hunting am adjacent unit told me if I got one he would. I left a note on his truck and he showed up 3 hours later ready to go. I could have done it by myself, but it would have taken a whole extra day. Super grateful for his help, gave him about 20 lbs of meat plus half a backstrap after I got it all processed a few days later.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Kinda case by case situation. That said, you're a big boy...

 

[cksea]

Not unreasonable to ask. Especially if they are going to hiking out that same way at the end of the day

 

[Ross]

I always have a long list of people prior to season. There was a time I never thought about it, just did it or called my brother. I walked up on guy who had just spined a rag horn. It was flopping around and I directed him to it, He came up, looked at it flopping with the arrow sticking out of its back. Started talking about, yeah he is small did not have much time to hunt. Told him to shut up and finish that bull properly, as he just watched it. He then had the nerve to ask me where are you going, aren’t you going to help. Told him to foff, it is his bull and he better be prepared when alone to handle it. I can see helping someone in need, but not someone who is unprepared.