Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Helping pack out a stranger's elk

We were having a discussion about this on another thread. I didn't want to sidetrack that one so I started a new thread to continue that discussion and get others' take on this.

rost495 posted this:



Followed by this:



Personally I don't agree, but how about it, for those that have packed out elk on their backs, do y'all think it's being lazy and greedy if you don't stop and spend half a day to help a stranger pack his elk out?

Not a friend or hunting buddy, a stranger. Just curious.

I'd help a guy with a load if I were on my way out already. Reality isn't though, as I get older and my kids do too, I have less and less time to hunt so my time in the field is pretty limited. Having said that, not sure I'd give up a whole day to help someone else out as described.

I've had a stranger help me and my son once. We were hunting in Yaak, Montana. (This is when I lived in Bigfork, Montana.) We had just come off the hill down to the logging road, when this fella came upon us. He asked if we needed any help. I said no, we can get it. There was a hind quarter left up there about 1/4 mile. Heck we were about 2 miles to the truck. This fella insisted on helping, so we went back up to get that last quarter. Heck of a nice guy.
When we made it out to my truck. I asked the fella, where is his truck? as I did not see any other. It was not far from us. I gave that guy a ride to his truck. When we arrived to his truck. I wrote him a note, (Gift of meat) to him for helping. I gave him the meat he hauled out. He didn't want to take it. But, I insisted.
I never saw that guy again. Heck,I don't remember his name. That was a long time ago. Say, about twenty-five years.

Yep, there are some good people still out there.

Even within our hunting party the first guy with an elk on the ground can't necessarily count on others to stop hunting to help him carry. Time afield is too valuable. Instead, guys will swing by his kill site on return trips to camp and carry as they are able. That generally extends to other hunters too. I think everyone is willing to pitch in it's just that no one is willing to drop everything to do it.

Many years go a young man (who still hunts with us today) asked me if he could join our group and offered to pack elk in return for an initiation to elk hunting. It's a good way for a novice to get a foot in the door.

edited to add - I did have a situation once where I had a bull down on a sunny slope partway down a canyon on a warm day. That one needed to be moved as quickly as possible and I had to make it clear to our guys that this particular one needed immediate help. I would do the same for a stranger if I knew that was his situation.

I usually elk hunt with two or three others. The shooter has the primary responsibility to get the animal out, while others continue hunting. Weather and other unforeseen events will some times allow others to help out. Once your tag is filled however, you are required to help others, until the last hunter is done. Two years ago we had two young guys tag out on the first day. They spent the rest of the week packing meat, and we're happy to do it. We all filled out and they packed parts of every elk.

Just last year, we had two real nice young men carry out two elk quarters for the wife and I. About 25 years ago, I helped an older(probably well into his 70's) gentleman recover a moose.... far too far from his truck. I'm glad that I was younger and tougher back then. That was a workout! memtb

I've told this before here. I'd shot a bull up on a steep hillside in snow. The pack job involved getting it down to the creek where there was a good trail and then about 3/4 of mile out. It wasn't a terrible job.
After dressing it, I took out the antlers on my 1st trip out to get my pack frame. When we got to the pickup, a couple guys stopped by to see the antlers. I told them what I was going to do to get the rest out.
Later, I got the quarters down to the creek by skidding them down in the snow. I got down with the last of it and found one of the guys standing there with 2 horses. He asked if he could 'borrow' my elk. The horses were 2 colts that had never packed meat and he wanted to get them some experience. I went deep into thought for 1.5 seconds and said 'OK!!'. It was a big clear area just right for a rodeo should one occur. However, he held the horses heads while I loaded the panniers. No problems at all. We were back to the pickup in less than 1/2 hour. I was more than glad to help him with his training dilemma.

On the other side, I've never had the occasion to help a stranger with a complete pack job but several times I've helped strangers load elk or hang them in trees. I figure it all comes around sooner or later.

Excellent stories of the kindness of strangers and consistent with what I've seen and done in the backcountry.

But my question to those who've been helped by strangers is, if they hadn't offered their help would you have considered them lazy and greedy?

I was confronted with this situation in 1991 and it worked out very well near Rifle, CO. I helped a hunter pack a portion of his elk out. The next day, the same fellow happened to be out in the field; I think he was going to accompany someone else in his hunting party. He came across me with a downed bull and helped pack out.

I have done this a few times in Colorado over the years, helping older hunters get their meat down off the mountain. It never bothered me, as I hunt for a lot of reasons that don't require me to kill something on every outing. I was rewarded once when another hunter helped me get a load down, a chore that took all afternoon.

Now that I am in my 70s, my assistance is pretty much confined to carrying incidentals, and usually only if I am already headed in the same direction. It just depends on whether I can be really useful and not just one more thing to complicate the operation.

No, I would never consider them lazy or greedy. No expectations.
I just do the best I can and live the consequences of my decisions.
I don't even expect those who say they will come out and help me load my game. People have their own lives to live, and don't wait for a call from me or a knock on the door. That would be dumb.

Edit to add....I have offered and been taken up on my offer to help a stranger pack game out. But as someone else already mentioned, if there's folks already helping them, I might be considered more a hindrance than a help, being an old bird and all. So I take it into consideration before asking. I've helped carry out gear and guns while others did the hauling.

Thought I'd weigh in on this one.

One of the best lessons my dad taught my brother and I was exactly this-- We were hunting in deep snow (near zero temp, 8-12" of snow), it was challenging to even get to the spot. We were late and the elk had already moved back up the mountain. We noticed an elderly man with bloody pants-- my dad being perpetually friendly-- he asked the old man if he had any luck.

The man replied that he shot a bull at first light. It was down in a gulley. My dad didn't hesitate and said, "Let's go. My boys will help you get it out."

I was 13, my brother was 9. The old man was in his 70's and was hunting with his wife.

Off we went, my dad, us boys, and the old man. Between the 4 of us, we battled that bull (whole) sliding, pulling, and slipping all the way up to the road. His wife supervised us from the front seat, and she backed the truck up and met us on the road.

The old man asked my dad if could reward us. My dad said - that it wasn't necessary. The lesson was the reward, and he meant it. It actually was pretty common for my dad to tell anyone in need, "the boys will help" whether it was around the neighborhood or in the store parking lot, or in the woods.

Still the old man insisted on getting our address, and taking a picture of us with the bull.

A month or so went by, and a little package arrived in the mail. It was right after Christmas. As my brother and I opened it up, we discovered 2 beautiful necklaces- each had an ivory tooth on a pendant from that bull. In the box was also a picture of us with the bull.

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My father passed away this fall. The picture of us with that bull, was part of the slide show during my dad's memorial service. I thought of my dad and the lesson he shared with us. One reason of many, why he was such a great father.
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Packing out that bull many years ago, I never forgot the story, and I still help whenever I see a person in need.

It doesn't mean I haven't passed on helping a few people. My general rule is if they are kindred spirits, (not run of the mill azzhats) when I approach them I gauge the need and their attitude. Bad attitude, means I say congrats and wish them well. Good attitude means I ask more details including finding out their plan for getting the elk off the mountain. If they need help, and I'm capable, then I help.

Usually I end up helping. Did it this year on a guy with a buck- he was hunting solo.

And I too have been helped. Including this year. Landowner across the fence from the public land I was on, ferried some elk quarters up the ridge to the corner boundary. It saved me at least an hour.

I don't even carry my own elk on my back.
I have at times packed out other's elk.

This year I met a fellow that was hunting with his two teenagers. The one youngster had a bull tag,his sister didn't. I stopped them on the trail as they were back packing in and told them I would pack the boys elk out if he tagged one,but not the adults.

Another time a fellow with his boy killed a buck muley pretty far from the truck and talked to the local outfitter about packing it out.His fee was $300 and I doubt this guy could afford $100. I told them to show up at my camp at 5AM and they could walk my one mule in and pack out the deer.Charge as one bag of cookies for the mule. I was sitting in camp as they came out and the kid had grin on his face that went from ear to ear. Probably would not have been there otherwise.

My problem is guys want to hire me to pack their entire elk out. I try to explain that in CO that is illegal as I am not a registered outfitter and it is a big fine for me. About 1/2 don't believe me. I won't do it for nothing as that waste a whole day for me and I have considerable dollars tied up in stock,tack, and equipment to do it. However, f I am heading out for the day and have empty panniers,I will stop and pack some of it out for them.

Except for the people I am hunting with,in 50 years of hunting,I have never had anyone offer to help me.

Heck no.
I always try to remember that a typical hunter I meet likely has a lot more invested in his hunt than I do. Lots of them have waited for years, drove across the country, and so on.

Nope. I am the type of person that will help anyone,but don't expect it to me.

A couple years ago my partner and I were driving back to camp after dark when we spotted a herd of elk along the road in 6" of new snow. The next morning we sneaked in and shot 2 cows within 1/4 mile of the road. As I was driving through the sagebrush to get them, a couple young guys stopped on the road and followed me over to help us load them. Since we were both closer to 70 than 60, we were glad for the help although the work wasn't any big deal.

I don't expect help from anyone except members of my party. Nor would it occur to me to consider other people lazy and/or greedy for not offering to do so. I WOULD consider it selfish on my part to expect such help.

Looking back I can only think of one case where others helped me pack my elk out but that was in return for me helping to pack out one of theirs.

This year I hunted elk with Daughter #1, a rather petite lady, and later in the week with Dave, my long time hunting buddy who had stated last year he "couldn't do it any more" due to diabetes-related physical conditions. As a result we hunted only where we could pack it out ourselves (i.e. close to the road) or where we knew we could hire a pack service (i.e. Iles Mountain).

We knew where there were elk on public land but there was no point hunting it if we couldn't get the elk out. Other people have more important things to do than help pack out our elk. If we shoot it it is our problem.

Good Karma helping others. If it's early and I'm heading out - I'll make sure the hunter has things under control then hunt. I will help on the way back for sure.

I shoot them on the assumption that I have to get them out by myself.

I expect others to do the same.

Packed meat for other people lots of times. Never a stranger though.