How do you determine who is shooter each day ?

[Huntnnw]

I hunt solo or with my wife either way its coming home with me. No way I am paying to hunt outta state fees, fuel and work vacation time to go on a week long hunt with buddies where you might be a shooter on a couple days. I go with a friend and I hunt solo or until someone fills a tag and can call.

 

[Fullfan]

Very easy decision, my son is always the shooter. Until his tag is filled, then I'm up. If you don't have kids, guess you would not understand.

 

[newbie247]

What ways do you pick who is shooter on a archery elk hunt within a group of hunters? Switch everyday? Shooter stays shooter till he has a shot or opportunity? Rookie goes first? Draw straws?

First eyes gets first shot.

 

[Idaboy]

We want each other to shoot one so badly that we often have to ro sham bo to get one of us to "be the shooter".... But yes we both plan on opportunities to come up regardless of whose designated shooter/caller

 

[NickforElk]

I have a super arbitrary and non-scientific way of getting to the shooter(person) or animal to be harvested. Which is along the lines of choose your own adventure. If we split up, you glass/see it, it's yours, unless you are super generous or want to pass then you might reach out to the group to see if another (likely) less experienced or less accomplished party member wants it. If glassing in a group whoever spots it has first right of refusal, but my group is pretty generous guys and will usually defer to a hunter that hasn't gotten one of that species. Youth hunters always pull rank in my opinion. For me hunting alone, a mature representation of the species is what I am looking for and if I don't see one, will go with tag soup no regrets. Maybe the freezer is getting low, and the promise of meat pulls the trigger on a more juvenile animal early in the hunt. I've harvested a less mature animal on the last day than I passed up the opening morning and been happy about trading the additional days hunting and the less mature animal for the solid opening morning opportunity. I've shot what most would consider a lessor animal on opening morning because I liked a way antlers or some feature looked.

 

[rideold]

If I'm not solo I'm with my teenage son so he gets first shot..... he's starting to argue that point now so I feel like I've taught him well to be generous.

 

[T-Rex]

Me and my hunting partner always try to put the other guy first somehow it just works out. I'll actually text him now and tell him that I flipped a coin and it shows that he's up first on whatever tag we happen to draw this year.

If I'm hunting with my family, (kids, dad, uncle) they are always up first.

 

[Stubborn_bowhunter]

Rock, paper, scissors.

 

[Sliverslinger]

I usually just walk in front while locating elk and then send my partner up as I enjoy being the caller at this stage. I’ll get em if they swing or come in from behind. I’ll be the shooter on days when I’m solo which is 70% of the time so might as well try to get us both one. We don’t do spot it shot it on elk because we hunt western Washington and locate bugles are the name of the game.

 

[Mojave]

Here is how we do it in Africa. I think it works well everywhere else. 3 rules!

1. If someone is a trophy hunter, and someone else is a cull hunter. It doesn't matter, you shoot the first animal to come out. The cull hunter isn't allowed to upgrade, and the trophy hunter is not allowed to downgrade.

2. If I have an elk tag and you have a deer tag. The first animal found belongs to the person that has the tag.

3. If nothing above applies we draw straws. Every person switches off for half a day. If someone turns an animal down, the next guy can shoot it. I am mornings, you are evenings. More than 2 guys break the day into thirds, rotate the day the next day.

We used to do the whoever sees it gets it thing, I don't think this is fair or equitable, especially involving kids or people who have not hunted a lot.

Hunters should hunt alone. If they have a problem in a group setting with someone else.

 

[InGodsCountry]

The original post seems to imply more than 2 hunters. If you can split up into groups of 2 or 3, do that. I find more than that many in a party drastically lowers success rate.

Exactly this.