"the Meat Co-Op"

[mtwarden]

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!

 

[InkedElkSlayer]

Wasn’t sure exactly what I was getting into when I clicked on that title…

Similar thought process as your crew. I have had the standing agreement for a long time of, “you pack it, it’s yours”.

My parents still hunt, but they’re closing in on 80. My dad worked in a butcher shop back in the day and he is quite proficient with a knife. So my dad will try to help us cut up some of our elk each year and he hasn’t had to worry about running out of blackstrap for quite a while. I would rather pack over butcher any day, so it’s a mutually good deal.

 

[mtwarden]

Wasn’t sure exactly what I was getting into when I clicked on that title…

"Similar thought process as your crew. I have had the standing agreement for a long time of, “you pack it, it’s yours”.

"My parents still hunt, but they’re closing in on 80. My dad worked in a butcher shop back in the day and he is quite proficient with a knife. So my dad will try to help us cut up some of our elk each year and he hasn’t had to worry about running out of blackstrap for quite a while. I would rather pack over butcher any day, so it’s a mutually good deal."

We need to get a butcher in on our the co-op!

 

[Nickofthewoods]

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.

 

[kwackkillncrew]

first moose i helped pack out i got burned really bad on. Probably packed out 70 pounds of meat and got 3 packages of burger and 2 steaks. I never helped them again. helped a few other buddies since then and if i end up getting atleast 1/3 of what i pack out i am happy with it, especially if i was just called in to help pack out, and didnt do any hunting.

 

[Corvus Corax]

As long as everyone knows what’s up going in this works out pretty well. I have a core group of friends that I hunt with, and we have a similar arrangement. It is a great feeling to go after an animal knowing that you can count on some help if needed.

 

[sniper20]

first moose i helped pack out i got burned really bad on. Probably packed out 70 pounds of meat and got 3 packages of burger and 2 steaks. I never helped them again. helped a few other buddies since then and if i end up getting atleast 1/3 of what i pack out i am happy with it, especially if i was just called in to help pack out, and didnt do any hunting.

Was it a friend that you helped pack out the first time? I have never packed out an elk before (hoping to next year if the chance arises), but for friends, I would be happy to pack it out with nothing in return.

I love the fact that people are willing to share what they get, but I guess I look at things differently. If I am helping a friend, that's what friends are for. Now on the same token, when I call and need some help, I would expect the phone to be answered. But when it's not returned... not answering either. But I also freely offer up meat as well, as do my friends I help.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

first moose i helped pack out i got burned really bad on

So, the way it sounds the only reason you agreed to help pack out meat was because in return you were going to receive some of it ?

 

[NRA4LIFE]

We've had a similar agreement at my place in MO. All who were there helped drag out and butcher all the deer. Everybody goes home with some meat. But, there were many years where we killed so many deer, one person could not possibly take it all home. Recently, I have put extra effort in for my dad to be able to take a deer home as it has been just him and I and he has been there just to be in the woods.

 

[mtwarden]

I think it goes much better when everyone knows up front what's going to happen.

I also think the folks you choose for your own "co-op", need to be somewhat vetted ahead of time—no one likes surprises (well I take that back, I like the surprises my wife comes up with on my birthday )

 

[waspocrew]

Everyone is different and I agree, it'd help to know expectations before going in. When I've helped pack out meat for friends or family, I never did it with the expectation that I was going to get any meat. I like getting outdoors and helping out.

One of my first years hunting in Utah, a friend of mine secured permission for us to hunt on private land. I shot a buck, my friend did not. I happily gave him half the meat since he was the reason we had some private land to hunt in the first place.

 

[taskswap]

We keep things flexible because our group is always changing but usually our rule has been "half what you carry" and "packouts happen after legal shooting hours." That credits the shooter/tag holder with half the meat no matter what, gives others in the group plenty of incentive to pack a load or two, and it works whether you have one partner or 4. Pack out a quarter, get half. Make two trips, get a full quarter.

We're all (mostly) generous guys and we're always doing things like giving a front quarter to a camp host (one year we had a guy who hurt his leg and couldn't hunt but did everything else to support the group - cooking, camp chores, etc - obviously we took care of him!) But that way it's up to the shooter, and we don't have to agonize over 12 different "what if" scenarios before we get out there.

 

[kwackkillncrew]

So, the way it sounds the only reason you agreed to help pack out meat was because in return you were going to receive some of it ?

His dad ended up shooting one. We were supposed to go out duck hunting the next morning and he asked if i wanted to help pack in the morning instead of duck hunting. I figured i would be getting some meat out of the deal. I would never call a buddy up to help pack out something i shot and not make it worth the effort.

 

[william schmaltz]

Ours is more on the back end. By the time a person gets home in September with a moose it’s already been dead for a week and highs typically get into the mid 50s so there is no time to waste. With two small kids, me and my wife can hardly get one moose done over a weekend. We invite at least another family over and my brother. About a half a moose is plenty for us to supplement the other wild game we like to hunt every year and the other half is split between helpers. Everyone wins. This year we did two moose from game bags to freezers in 1.5 days and all helpers ended up with plenty of meat.

 

[loganwayne]

I've helped pack out a deer that I knew I wouldn't get any of. And wouldn't expect it. But on the flip side I knew those guys would be there if I needed help. If I went out west with buddies all the guys I would go with/take would be under the same understanding that ALL the meat from the trip was a collective and we all would split it up at the end of the trip. Did it on an upland this year, no one complained that they shot 6 birds but only got 5 to take home. (They kept the fans from their kills)

 

[kswaterfowl]

I helped a buddy and his brother pack out elk this year. I have never been elk hunting in my life, but I love the mountains and will take any excuse I can to be out in them. I was calling coyotes with my buddy and he mentioned about him and his brothers getting older. I am 20+ years younger than most of them, so I was more than happy to volunteer to help them out.. I never expected a thing in return, because I am more than grateful for the experience. And now I can't wait to get back out there and do it again.

 

[2-Stix]

My cousin and I hunt this way. Our wall tent splits. My uncle and his best friend in a different wall tent...they split what they take.

 

[IDVortex]

Most guys I've hunted in the past with have done this. I have no problem doing it. A good friend of mine in Montana, we hunt together and we'd both do the same.

But, also, if i got invited to go on a hunt, id be more than happy to go and just be a pack mule even if I didn't get any meat. If anyone I knew were to draw a OIL tag, id be offering to go for nothing in return for the experience. Id rather enjoy a good friendship and experience and not care who gets the meat.

 

[gonhunting247]

It's always nice to get an offer, but mostly unless they just didn't want the meat.; I'd pack just to help out!

 

[Wyobohunter]

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!

On the rare occasion I hunt with others, that’s how we roll. If my buddy fills his tag, we both pack and split the meat.