Waste Not, Want Not- What do you leave behind and Why?

[JSonn]

The old philosophy goes that if you waste nothing you will want no more in which you have taken. So when you have an animal down, and you need to do a DIY pack out, what parts of the animal are worth leaving behind and why?

 

[littlebuf]

i dont leave any thing.cape i guess if im not mounting it,but i take all the meat,heart and liver out.you killed it,you pack it.thats how it is.other wise dont pull the trigger

 

[mattstanton]

I leave the cape if I'm not mounting it but that is it. I don't take elk heart and liver but I do on a deer.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I take all of the meat, and if a bull the antlers. Leave all of the organs, hide, and other bones.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Leave everything but the meat, head, cape, and antlers.

 

[Hoyts n Mulies]

I only take the meat and skull. I've not shot anything I want mounted yet so no need for capes. Dad taught me the gutless method about 15 years ago and I've never looked back.

 

[bearguide]

i bone out all the meat and take it plus the cape if possible/ you can get money for the cape from your local taxidermist if you do a good job of caping and take care of it.

 

[RosinBag]

I personally take useable meat and antlers. I take what the law requires most of the time. I don't agree with Littlebuf at all about "i take all the meat,heart and liver out.you killed it,you pack it.thats how it is.other wise dont pull the trigger" Where do you draw the line??? I only take cape and skulls on coyotes, foxes, bobcats and wouldn't take any bear meat out if the law didn't require it. If you feel that way about elk and deer, wouldn't you have to feel that way about all animals you shoot. I don't eat the organs, so I am not packing them out and I am not breaking any laws by not taking them in the states I have hunted.

 

[BuckSnort]

I only take the heart and liver if there is someone at camp or home that wants them...Usually not.

 

[littlebuf]

I personally take useable meat and antlers. I take what the law requires most of the time. I don't agree with Littlebuf at all about "i take all the meat,heart and liver out.you killed it,you pack it.thats how it is.other wise dont pull the trigger" Where do you draw the line??? I only take cape and skulls on coyotes, foxes, bobcats and wouldn't take any bear meat out if the law didn't require it. If you feel that way about elk and deer, wouldn't you have to feel that way about all animals you shoot. I don't eat the organs, so I am not packing them out and I am not breaking any laws by not taking them in the states I have hunted.

i take the heart and liver because thats what i like to eat.but theres no excuse for not taking the meat from a game animal,bear included.at least in the lower 48 where i (and many states F&G) consider black bear very edible.if your to far back to pack out a animal you kill then your out of your league and should head back to the logging roads.obviously varmint hunting doesn't apply,didn't think i would have to spell that out...

 

[RosinBag]

So Littlbuf, so I understand you right, you are now changing your first post to say that if one doesn't like the heart and liver it is ok not to take it. Predators you can just kill to kill. But game animals all edible meat has to come out because "that is how it is." Bears are "predators," but a game animal, so if it is not required by law to pack the meat out, do you? What about a Brown Bear? I thought there were some states that neck meat is not required to be brought out, but neck meat makes for some tasty stew.

I personally don't like eating bear, but I pack it out because the law requires that of me. Once out, it gets donated and someone else, who does like it can enjoy it.

I would say we should agree to disagree on how our moral compasses on the subject of packing game out. I would hope you have not left one section of rib meat or portion of neck meat in the past or present or that would seem very hypocritical of you.

I will follow the law in the state I am hunting in and if I want to leave what others determine to be edible meat, I will if legal, it is my decision and I can live with that. If I want to take more than what is required, I will and can live with that also. To each his own as long as you are not breaking the rules.

I don't think you know me well enough to determine what league I am in. As far as logging roads go, never really been around those, but I do know several very successful hunters that hunt closed logging roads all the time. I think the league they are in is just fine.

I would be very hesitant about throwing stones at anyone on a new forum when you don't have any idea of who they are, the life they have lived and what they do day in and day out.

 

[Rick Seymour]

My dad and his partners would bring out heart and liver long ago. Then they would have a feast of liver and onions at the old school house converted to a cabin. I on the other hand have brought it out once for a friend that said he liked it. I honestly gag on liver and such no matter how its cooked, fried, breaded etc.. I am down the line like Bitterroot - meat-head-cape-antlers

 

[Matt Cashell]

Bloodshot meat stays too. You're welcome, pine martens.

 

[Aron Snyder]

I'll just go ahead and say that RosinBag is one of the toughest backcountry hunters on the mountain today and has been doing this for a long time. He hunts solo for 10 days at a time in some very rough country and is very successful at what he does.

As far as the question; when I'm a long way in I take what is legally required and when I'm closer I may take a little more. No organs come out with me and if I'm several miles in and neck meat isn't required to be taken I will leave most of that as well. It just depends on the area, state and distance on that particular hunt.

 

[goodgrouper]

I knew this one would touch a nerve with some folks. I usually take all the meat plus the liver. I must admit I have never tried heart before, but the fresh liver and onions my grandfather always made in elk camp is one of my favorite meals ever. Elk camp is the ONLY place I eat liver though. If we're on foot the bones will stay but I almost always have horses along and the quarters come out bone-in, easier to haul that way I think. I usually take the cape too, I've gotten as much as $125.00 from local taxidermists.

 

[Aron Snyder]

I'm hoping that we can all get along on this thread! As long as people do what's legally required of them in the state they are hunting I don't think we need to argue.

 

[wyelkhunter]

I bring out what is legally required plus head and antlers. We don't eat liver or heart so that stays. As far as bear here we only bring out what is required (no meat).

 

[les welch]

Good group discussion and debate is great. Anything that crosses the line will be dumped.

I take all meat I can, and antlers. Cape if within 4 miles, or if I will use it. If you follow the rules, I'm fine with whatever YOU choose to do,

 

[Lawnboi]

I take all the edible meat, and to me that usually dosnt include the neck (depending on the size of the animal) or the rib meat (depending on the size as well). Organs stay as well as i dont like to eat them.

The cape is going to stay as well unless its a real dandy, euro mounts take up much less room!

I am all for you guys who take every stitch of meat, but i just dont see why some get thier undies in a bundle over leaving some stuff like the neck meat, rib meat, that to me would just get trimmed into nothing (by me atleast, im very picky with my meat). The beauty of nature, is that it uses EVERYTHING, even if we dont.... waste is the wrong word. I do keep it legal though!

I would never leave meat in the woods though. I would get all i could out

 

[JSonn]

I am hoping that we all do what is legally required of us as hunters in accordance to the law. With that said, anything else is at your own personal discretion.

However, I do feel strongly about this subject. Especially in the regards of hunters killing an animal and wasting organ meat because they do not like the taste, or do not want to do the deed of field dressing and would rather take the easy way out using the gutless method.

I will always try to take the organs, heart, liver, kidneys, spleen. And if it turns bad in the 90 degree sun then I will leave it on the mountain to feed the wildlife or enrich the soil. - But the key is I will try.

I just don't understand how a hunter would not atleast try to honor an animal by using its bounty to the best of their ability, espeically since it offers such emence sustenance and nourishment.