Hunting with Partners - Who Get's the First Shot?

[flyingvmt]

Who is taking their truck....?

 

[Tikka06]

I have only had to deal with this once, hunting antelope in Wyoming. I was hunting with my cousin and we hadn’t thought to sort it out beforehand. When we spotted the first buck we were actually willing to put a tag on, he deferred to me because I had done the majority of the homework and planning to get us there. I shot the buck and he tagged out the next day. It still seems fare looking back on it. Next time we will sort it out beforehand.

 

[Mason326]

We split the meat, whoever hasn't shot one yet/before or has the energy to go chase after them haha. Everyone helps pack out.

 

[farmerboy1381]

Well if I don’t want to cook the animal myself my wife always does, and since she is normally my hunting partner the decision is easy.

 

[Jape]

Lots of ways to do it, but often there is context that can/should be taken into account. For example, if I have been invited by others I always choose to be last shooter, or if I am going with those who have never gotten an elk I will let them shoot first so they can experience that and be successful. If I am going with like-minded hunters into a new area, we flip a coin.

 

[mtmuley]

Same

If I do hunt with someone, we rarely, if ever hunt step for step together. mtmuley

 

[Straight Arrow]

The person who spotted it gets the right of first refusal. My hunting circle isn't large, everyone is on the same page. Just make sure your group is aligned ahead of time.

My team has more of a problem with being too generous with animals. Our fights go more like this "you shoot it", "no, you should really shoot that" instead of "hey that's my shot". We've bungled a couple opportunities because of this.

Spotter gets first right of refusal was what I thought was universal protocol in Montana, until one subzero early morning I stopped by a campfire on a ridge to warm my hands at the invitation of one of the hunters I knew gathered around the fire. I spotted a bull coming down off the mountain toward us, pointed him out and set up on a tree limb for a shot when he was a bit closer. Suddenly the back of the head of one of the hunters filled my scope, as he ran toward the elk, firing as he moved. He even reloaded on the run. Meanwhile, my acquaintance asked if he could shoot, to which I agreed since I was so rattled I could not even spit! He hit the elk and it went down. The first idiot I almost shot hurried to the dying bull and finished it off, proclaiming a trophy kill. As I approached him, chastising him soundly and profanely, this nimrod asked for assistance in moving and dressing out his (?) elk. I extended the mono-digital salute, turned on my heel and hiked away, most of the group following, with the exception of the nimrod's apologetic buddy. The point is that communications are so very critical, especially if with others with whom you have not had prior hunting experiences.

 

[thusby]

I'm generally happy to guide for most of my hunting partners. It almost goes without saying that my buddy gets to tag out first. I get a lot of joy out of helping people put one on the ground. After that it is my turn and I usually make them pay the price with some long hikes and early mornings the rest of the hunt.

 

[bullbugle307]

If you did all the scouting and prep, you absolutely should get the first right to shoot or defer to your partner. This is how me and my hunting partner do it. It's understood between us, but verbalize it if you feel like you need to.

We had an example of this last year and we handled it accordingly and with no hard feelings. I took him to one of my spots in a general deer unit. As we were leaving the truck, he told me I was first shot (just to verbalize what we already knew without telling). I told him Id more than likely defer to him unless it was bigger than any deer Id ever shot, and I didn't expect to see anything that big in that spot. (He had never killed a decent mulie, I had killed a few).

We got to the spot I wanted to glass and before I could even pull out the optics I spotted a very nice deer with the naked eye who happened to be bedded with his antlers skylined. I told him straight up, I'm gonna go try and kill that buck. We made a stalk and got to within 240 with the buck asleep, but we realized he was right on the edge of public and private, and we weren't sure if he was on or off. I could see a fence behind him, but I figured it was a fence of convenience and didn't represent the actual border. After an hour or so, the buck stood up and got behind some rocks, we repositioned, and we saw another wire fence we couldn't see from the first position and realized we were right and he was about 40 yrds on private. He eventually walked the fence line, hit the corner, and turned up the other fence line and out of our lives. Add him to the list of biggest bucks Ive ever seen while hunting that was just on the wrong side of the fence.

We came back the next week, and each passed on several smaller bucks. It was the last day of the season. I told him, if you get a shot a buck you want to kill, take it. I don't care how big it is, it's the last day of the season. We were on our last spot, glassing to the west with the wind in our face, and didn't have much time left. It didn't look good. All of a sudden, I looked to my right and saw a 5x5 sneaking through the rocks that had come from directly down wind of us. I didn't expect that. I whispered, there's a shooter buck in the rocks! He had us pegged too. As I was trying to get my rifle out of my rifle bearer, I saw my partner out of the corner of my eye get his out, chamber a round, drop to one knee, and proceed to drop the buck. I hadn't even got my rifle off my pack, but I was ecstatic for him.

Moral of the story is, have good communication. Be understanding that if you didn't find the spot, maybe you shouldn't have first crack. If there's exceptions to that (such as the buck of a lifetime and whoever gets the first good shot takes it situation) make them known. If you can't communicate nuanced stuff with your hunting partner, it's probably going to be a short partnership anyways. And if, after all that, you have a situation where you can't decide, draw straws with grass. For us, it's never come to that and probably never will.

 

[buffybr]

Easy for me, I hunt solo. mtmuley

Most of my hunts are also solo also. On other hunts that I've done with friends, we usually go with whoever first spots the animal gets first shot.

A couple of years ago I did a Caribou hunt in Quebec. There were 12 hunters in camp and 4 guides. They put all of the hunters names in a hat and each guide drew 3 names.
While the 4 of us were crossing one of the lakes on the first morning, this question came up. One of the other hunters suggested that the oldest hunter would get the first shot. As I was the oldest hunter in camp, I didn't argue.

I was also one of the few hunters in camp that had previously shot a caribou (I had previously shot 4), so I was being picky and turned down a number of bulls until I saw this one. He turned out to be one of the biggest bulls taken all year from either of the outfitters two camps. (I may have posted this picture before, but give me some slack...I'm proud of him )

 

[JoltnJoe]

If we are hunting together and have equal opportunity to harvest said animal, first shot goes to the man who needs it the most. (i.e. the person he has never killed an elk or is suffering from a harvest drought). If both hunters are equally deserving of said animal then you defer to who has put in more legwork or has more invested.

 

[huntin24/7]

I hunt with a small circle of guys. Weve all helped each other out plenty hunting, fishing, and otherwise, so it's always been a non issue as far as who shoots first. A few years ago, one of my hunting buddies went out with another friend. They spotted an upper 160's muley. My good friend told the other guy who isnt a huge trophy hunter to take him. He declined, so my friend says if you arent going to take him, I am. My friend sets up for the shot, and as he just starts squeezing the trigger, Boom! The other friend changed his mind at the last minute, didnt say anything, rushed his shot, made a pisspoor shot on this buck, and my friend sent one flying too since he was so startled. So they start tracking this buck with the guy who hit it pretty much just wandering around looking. My friend follows the blood trail and kicks the deer up and hits him. After a bit more following it, he finishes it off. By now, the guy who originally hit it, doesnt want to tag it since my friend finished it off. So, my friend tags it, but thats not enough. Then the other guy is bragging in the store a few days later about this buck he shot that my friend finished off and tagged. What a mess. Lol

 

[Fullquiver]

Women and children first..

 

[BearFoot]

For the most part, whomever glasses it up.

This is how we roll.

 

[dawntoduskoutdoors]

Assuming you like each other and want success, you need to act like a team. Flip a coin or draw straws. My group goes off of opportunity. Flip a coin on the first day of the season winner gets first opportunity. If they pass then its the next guys turn. If that guy misses its the next and so on.

 

[Khunter]

Some of you guys are complicated. It is the guy who buys the Hostess Donettes for the trip there that gets the first shot.

 

[Khunter]

Assuming you like each other and want success, you need to act like a team. Flip a coin or draw straws. My group goes off of opportunity. Flip a coin on the first day of the season winner gets first opportunity. If they pass then its the next guys turn. If that guy misses its the next and so on.

If there are more than 2 people actively hunting in close enough proximity to actually discuss who is gonna shoot a big game animal at that moment I am in the wrong hunting camp....

 

[BrianID]

I go by the spotter gets the shot. This is a good rule because it keeps both of you focused and looking for animals. I've hunting with guys that "get lazy" and are not keeping their eyes open for animals while walking or take extended breaks while glassing.
Just make sure you discuss it throughly with whoever you are hunting with before hand so you don't have any hard feelings. Discuss unusual situations, like first guy misses a really big buck or can't find a big bull in his scope that is alert and about to take off. Is the second guy allowed to shoot?

 

[PeteTheBeat]

Roshambo!

 

[brockel]

If I do end up hunting with someone else it’s usually who spots them first or who ends up in the better position to shoot. I’ll let them shoot first but they better not miss as I’m ready to touch one off.

If it’s someone that’s never killed an elk or my wife they always have first chance. I may wait a few more seconds after they shoot before I do to make sure they’ve made a good shot on theirs.

My buddies that I hunt with all agree that we don’t split the meat up but the other guy has to bring some elk steaks to the next years camp. Just the way we do things and it works.