Splitting elk meat

[brockel]

Was talking to a buddy tonight about the last elk hunt I went on to just be a set of eyes and a pack mule. He was shocked that I didn’t bring any of the meat home with me. He said in their camp all the meat is split up evenly between the camp. He said last year they split a cow between 6 guys.

Made me think that the next time someone asks me to go on an elk hunting trip with them I’d better ask that question up front.

I’d never expect my hunting partner to give me half his elk just as he would never expect it from me. Sure we share the tenderloin in camp and bring some left over steaks from the following year with us but that’s as far as we go. I mean if he wanted to give me some I wouldn’t turn him down but I’m sure not expecting it because of helping pack it out.

How about you guys what are your “camp rules”?

 

[rwc101]

I've never shot an elk, but for deer it goes:

If everyone got one, everybody keeps their own.
If one person shot one, give out a roast or two and everyone shares a meal of backstrap in camp.

The rules are unspoken but have always been followed.

 

[KipCarson]

Giving a roast or a few steaks seems reasonably fair as a thankful gesture for someone’s help makes sense but an even split among the whole camp doesn’t necessarily seem fair. Maybe one guy is a better hunter, is it his job to carry the weight of filling the weak links freezers?!

The exception in my mind would be guys who hunt together as a team and rotate responsibilities, like one day you’re the shooter or caller, and maybe someone else trying to video it. If it is truly a group hunt, sure split it up, but I wouldn’t give away most of an elk just because I was sharing a camp.

 

[BrentD]

We always split up elk unless everyone has one.

 

[KipCarson]

Giving a roast or a few steaks seems reasonably fair as a thankful gesture for someone’s help makes sense but an even split among the whole camp doesn’t necessarily seem fair. Maybe one guy is a better hunter, is it his job to carry the weight of filling the weak links freezers?!

The exception in my mind would be guys who hunt together as a team and rotate responsibilities, like one day you’re the shooter or caller, and maybe someone else trying to video it. If it is truly a group hunt, sure split it up, but I wouldn’t give away most of an elk just because I was sharing a camp.

To add to my first post, I assume availability would come into play here, how easy are elk to come by, if you kill multiple elk every year and always have a freezer full it makes more sense to liberally split it, I give away multiple whitetails every year but I’m able to kill 6-10 every season. For me however, giving away elk meat would be like passing out gold bars lol!

 

[noharleyyet]

Discuss beforehand and confirm the usual split unwrittens.

 

[BrentD]

FWIW, we split up meat like an NFL draft. Shooter going first. After it was all butchered, we just did rounds of choose a package until it was gone. Everyone was always happy. Sorta forgotten what elk tastes like now.

 

[mountain monster]

I will help hunt and or pack others elk, however I do not want there elk meat( I'm strange that way).
If I shoot one and someone helps me I have no problem giving them a fair share.

 

[brockel]

I’m surprised on the amount of people that split the game up. I guess growing up in a non hunting family I never learned these camp rules.

 

[cahunter805]

Between me and my hunting buddies we split up into groups when we hunt. We usually help pack out everyone’s kills also. We don’t normally split anything up. The shooter takes the meat. Many times bags of jerky and steaks for the BBQ are brought to camp to share though.
I wouldn’t expect any meat from helping on a pack out.

 

[ida homer]

I think it’s more common for guys that come out from the Midwest to split stuff 50/50. Everyone invested a lot of time and money.

Our group doesn’t usually split meat, because we’re able to go every weekend and its likely someone will tag another one later.

 

[madtom]

Ive never split an elk with anyone. Might be because resident cow tags are cheap and easy enough to fill that anyone who kinda tries a little will shoot their own.

 

[Hunting Wife]

Where I’m from, if you carry it out you are entitled to part of it. Or you can opt to foregoing meat for your beverage of choice. No one goes home empty handed when it’s a team effort to get an animal back to the truck.

 

[brockel]

I think it’s more common for guys that come out from the Midwest to split stuff 50/50. Everyone invested a lot of time and money.

Our group doesn’t usually split meat, because we’re able to go every weekend and its likely someone will tag another one later.

That makes sense to me. Makes the better half a little happier when you invest all that money to come out and actually bring a little home

 

[BrentD]

I think it’s more common for guys that come out from the Midwest to split stuff 50/50. Everyone invested a lot of time and money.

Our group doesn’t usually split meat, because we’re able to go every weekend and its likely someone will tag another one later.

exactly. But sometimes I split up a bunch of local birds with local guys, just because. But definitely on a long range elk hunt, now with rapidly vanishing probability of getting another tag in even a few years, absolutely we split. It's not about the meat. It is about the experience.

 

[cahunter805]

Where I’m from, if you carry it out you are entitled to part of it. Or you can opt to foregoing meat for your beverage of choice. No one goes home empty handed when it’s a team effort to get an animal back to the truck.

Beverages of choice should always be included for help packing out!
For my local CA hunt the cooler is always iced down and waiting at the truck with a few cold ones. Especially since it’s 90-100 most of the season!

 

[mthillrunner]

I live in MT. Only had help on one of my elk packing it out. I’ve helped pack quite a few out. I only hunt with a couple different people. Whoever shot it gets it. We’ve never split one up, don’t recall ever having a conversation even. That’s just how we’ve done it. I’ve gotten calls from folks I don’t hunt with to help pack one out, always been happy to do so, never gotten more than a beer & a thank you, which I’m fine with. I could easily see how I may feel different if it took 1000 mile drive one way to get an elk though.

 

[Bullshot]

I never really gave it that much thought, beyond backstraps and generally unlimited meat meals in camp. The usual offer of a package or two of meat may come later at home. Things like jerky always get shared when out and about if they are available. But splitting it up evenly as a routine matter...no. The way I have experienced it, usually if someone comes along just to hang out or help out, the licenced hunter has probably ended up paying the majority of the expenses, supplying most of the gear, probably used their vehicle, and did probably 99% of the planning. If everyone is licenced, they usually are not that interested in your meat haul and expect themselves to be successful of go home maybe a bit hungry, which is what I feel which keeps me motivated to hunt hard. If anyone ever ASKED me for some extra meat, I would give it.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

I've never hunted with anyone who expects meat to be shared. We keep what we kill. Guess we're selfish, haha. But, I have given meat away to other people, both to hunters and non hunters.

 

[huntin24/7]

I’ve never expected a lot in return for helping pack out. Maybe a meal of backstraps and a package or 2 of burger. We always share our elk with family and friends, so between that and having 5 mouths in the house, I’d have a hard time splitting half an elk.