How many will sit in camp all day drinking and playing cards? I agree that 7's too many. I've been on group hunts like that and in the end, nobody gets any serious hunting done.
Seven is a lot of folks in a tented camp on public land. Definitely have ground rules for how you're going to manage firearms while not hunting.
I'd also make sure that you all agree on how much booze will be in camp and how it gets consumed. Also bear in mind that Colorado is quite a bit higher than Alabama, and that alcohol hits you sooner and harder in thin air. The last thing you want on a stalk is some guy who smells like a tavern and pukes because he got sideways the night before.
I used to hunt with three other guys. The first day we all hunted. Every other day, two of them were in camp with sore feet and hangovers. I'd be up and gone long before first light and not back until long after dark, but the two party guys expected that any deer we killed would be split evenly among all four of us. I'd have been willing to share if they had put in effort every day and legitimately gotten skunked, but that just pissed me off. On the bright side, they kept the camp clean and hot chow was waiting when I got back at the end of the day.
Okie John
