"the Meat Co-Op"

[BRTreedogs]

@WeiserBucks usually packs my meat.

I had to pack my own this year while he was on his own hunt.

And I’m highly offended.

 

[WeiserBucks]

@WeiserBucks usually packs my meat.

I had to pack my own this year while he was on his own hunt.

And I’m highly offended.

I'll do my best to not let you down again.

 

[Wyobohunter]

BTW @mtwarden

I haven’t posted in a while; it’s great to see you’re still out there showing us what it’s all about!

 

[mtwarden]

^ welcome back!

 

[Pony Soldier]

I split meat in my younger years and found myself short on meat and way too long on "friends".

I got horses, limited my "friends" to my hunting partners. ( A very small number.) I have a lot more hunting days. This isn't a sport to me but a meat gathering endeaver just like putting up my hay and getting my winter's wood.

 

[Michigander]

I struggle to get through all the meat I obtain by myself. I sure as heck don't need any of somebody elses. A bit different around here than out west with limited tags though. If a guy wanted he could kill 12 deer a year here.

 

[Speaks]

At my deer camp we do an equal split of all meat. Setting any fairness aside it prevents any potential squabbles or hard feelings. I try and get my own during archery season so I am already set.

 

[Stoneage]

There was a thread a couple years back about what was a person's expectations if they hauled meat for someone else. Lots of discussion and a lot of different ways. I mentioned my buddy and I who spend a fair amount of time hunting together, agreed that we would split any elk (if both of us are packing it out) 50:50 and have been doing so for several years.

Well fast forward a few years and now there are sometime three guys (and once this year—four guys) and we came to the same agreement. My buddy this year dubbed it the "meat co-op"

I have to say, It's been working out pretty darn well. I for one am completely at peace with never packing out a whole elk again (but obviously would if I had to)

A couple of the guys in the "co-op" drew cow tags which greatly increases the odds of harvesting an elk. I didn't harvest an elk this year, but got to help pack out meat (one packout was 6 miles one way) and thus have elk meat in the freezer.

While we don't hunt together all the time, probably just the opposite, we are all willing to be "on standby" if at all possible. Knowing there is a better than fair chance that you don't have to pack an entire elk out, is pretty darn comforting.

Anyways, I'm hoping we can keep this rolling for many more years to come!

Elk or Moose hunts 6 Miles in, Trigger Finger stays straight unless Horses available. Cheers

 

[Oregon]

My camps are fairly big. 4-7 tags both deer and elk.
We have a zero spilt mentality. It is the person who shot the critters meat. Elk pack outs are done by others if they have time. I wouldn’t expect anyone to give up any time out of a 5 day season to pack. Deer usually come out just fine with max 2 trips.
With that said, no one at my camp has ever packed an elk by themselves. People find time to grab a quarter. Guess that why we’re all still friends going on 30 years.
I hunted with a new buddy this year. Spent close to 10 days of my time trying to find him a good buck worthy of 23 preference points. He connected and after he butchered it he called me and asked if I was home to bring half my deer by.
Told him “no thanks” “that’s your deer”. I just enjoyed helping.

 

[mtwarden]

5 day season

 

[Oregon]

5 day season

Yep. 5 day rocky mtn bull.
4 day coastal rosy hunt.
Obviously there are a few longer. Not many though

 

[robby denning]

There was a thread a couple years back about what was a person's expectations if they hauled meat for someone else. Lots of discussion and a lot of different ways. I mentioned my buddy and I who spend a fair amount of time hunting together, agreed that we would split any elk (if both of us are packing it out) 50:50 and have been doing so for several years.

Well fast forward a few years and now there are sometime three guys (and once this year—four guys) and we came to the same agreement. My buddy this year dubbed it the "meat co-op"

I have to say, It's been working out pretty darn well. I for one am completely at peace with never packing out a whole elk again (but obviously would if I had to)

A couple of the guys in the "co-op" drew cow tags which greatly increases the odds of harvesting an elk. I didn't harvest an elk this year, but got to help pack out meat (one packout was 6 miles one way) and thus have elk meat in the freezer.

While we don't hunt together all the time, probably just the opposite, we are all willing to be "on standby" if at all possible. Knowing there is a better than fair chance that you don't have to pack an entire elk out, is pretty darn comforting.

Anyways, I'm hoping we can keep this rolling for many more years to come!

sounds like a fantastic way to hunt and not have to quit hunting because it's too far.

If I guy helped me pack out an animal, it's half his for sure (except the antlers, not the antlers!)

 

[mtwarden]

sounds like a fantastic way to hunt and not have to quit hunting because it's too far.

If I guy helped me pack out an animal, it's half his for sure (except the antlers, not the antlers!)

yeah not the antlers


It's really worked out for us; I'm sure it's not for everyone, but we sure like it

 

[OMF]

Interesting thread. Can all you altruistic guys that just like to help send me your contact info for next year in case I need any help packing out my meat? (There's a lot of meat packing jokes here but I'll refrain.)

 

[Wyobohunter]

Interesting thread. Can all you altruistic guys that just like to help send me your contact info for next year in case I need any help packing out my meat? (There's a lot of meat packing jokes here but I'll refrain.)

Want to go camping?

 

[OMF]

I usually solo camp so I'll pass. BUTT, there seems to be quite a few guys on the thread that really like to pack meat so you have some options.

 

[DanetheBoss]

Good for you if you have 4 similar hunting partners who are all willing to do that and are happy with the results! I actually try not to do this anymore especially if I wasn't a part of the hunt and field butchering process. Some people's standard of meat care seems to be lower and their meat is either covered in dirt and pine needles or maybe they didn't skin it right away or who knows what else. Second reason is I've shared meat from one of my own kills only to find out the other person still has their portion in the freezer 7 years later which offends me on a deep level. Anymore if someone helps me pack out I'll just give them a few well packaged backstrap steaks after the fact and tell them to call me next time they need help packing something out.

I think this is where I land on the subject as well.

 

[highcountrymuley]

I helped my brother get his first bull elk and pack it out. He gave me a strap and a rear quarter. I thought it was fair. I would have been bummed not to get any meat bc I had no tags that season. I refrained from calling a friend last year on mid sized cow elk cuz I did not want to have to give him alot! The packout was a 2 mile trip up and down quite a bit. Finished quartering at 1030am and made it back to car with last load at 7pm. Lots of snow and ice and a dicey hip made me go slow. It is delicious though and after a dry spell of a few years I'm happy with my decision.

Good idea to talk meat packing expectations before the hunt with involved partners.

 

[intunegp]

Agree with the sentiment that there can't really be problems when everyone knows what the plan is going into a hunt.

I used to hunt with a group of 8-10 guys, and all meat was split evenly no matter what. Our best year I think we had three cows, two bulls, and three bucks between eight or nine of us. Our worst we brought home a single deer. In addition to rarely feeling like I got the amount of meat that should result from a successful elk hunt, processing was always a pain point. When I started hunting with them they were grinding everything, backstraps and tenderloins included. Additionally, in that most successful year, I think I ended up with 40+ pounds of summer sausage and beer sticks. All very tasty, but not so good that I'd want that much of it. I eventually got enough of the group to agree that we should at least steak the backstraps, even if we each only got a couple pounds of steak, but they still to this day turn an absurd amount of meat into sausage.

The meat split and the way it was processed was probably the largest contributing factor in me deciding to break away from that group and start hunting with my dad only. The other part was that being the youngest of the 8-10, I often pulled far more than my fair share of weight around camp. Collecting and splitting wood, digging fire pits, making sure water tanks stayed full, loading and unloading trucks and trailers, pitching tents, etc. I still do all that, but now it is for me and pops, not me and pops and eight other guys.

We still split up meat, and quite often he ends up with more than me because his freezer feeds four and mine feeds two, but I feel I yield a more appropriate amount for the amount of work I put into a hunt no matter how it goes, and it is processed exactly how I want it to be.

 

[doc holiday13]

I'd say it would seem fair to split the meat amongst packers unless one of them specificallly did not want any