Hunting partner says "don't worry about the food i will bring the food"

[Bobbygun]

You don't carry a sidearm... out in the woods... with critters... both 4 and 2 legged?

You got me there! I always have my .38 Special Airweight on my hip while bowunting. I've never used it for signal shots though.

Turn your radio on, making a bunch of noise in the middle of your hunt just to see if you need to go help?

Radios/GPS are on "vibrate" setting. We take them off of "mute" when needed. In fact, the opposite problem is usually what happens. I could have saved my son a long walk a couple of years ago if he hadn't missed feeling the Rino's vibration when I was calling him to tell him I had a bull down. I was still able to poll his location and head him off, so it worked out okay. Heck, he's young. The extra walk probably didn't hurt him much.

Did everyone remember to turn their radio on?

Oh, so you've hunted with my buddy Bruce before? If I had a dollar for every time I told him, "You know, those things are a lot more helpful/useful when you turn them on." He's 78 years-old, so we're not really counting on him to carry that much of the load. But it is nice to have an extra set of hands for quartering and de-boning. Even worse, he has a bad ticker, so it's nice to be able to "poll" his location when he doesn't show up on time. The "poll" function only works when the unit is actually turned on.

 

[Spitpatch]

You don't carry a sidearm... out in the woods... with critters... both 4 and 2 legged?

We have radios for specific uses, like if someone is tracking a wounded animal and you have no idea where you might wind up or if you might have to overnight it out of camp, but trying for general use it was a ClusterF and the general consensus was to scrap them. Radio's going off when people were in the middle of a hunt, batteries not fairing well in the cold temps and people prematurely ending their hunt unnecessarily.

We do solo hunts in the morning hours, but we talk before heading out so everyone pretty much knows where everyone else is headed and what their plan is. If you hear a shot from that general area... what do you do? Turn your radio on, making a bunch of noise in the middle of your hunt just to see if you need to go help? What if it wasn't anyone in your party or, it is, but they don't have meat down yet? You're making noise for no reason. Did everyone remember to turn their radio on? Did they already miss a call? How long do they wait before turning it back off and resuming their own hunt? What if they don't bother to turn it on to check if they hear a shot in an area they don't think we have people in... because... they jumped a herd and ended up looping/tracking it a few miles trying to get a shot?

A signal shot removes all doubt, is always reliable, and avoids any unnecessary frustration or interruptions to the others. When the signal shot is heard... meat's on the ground. Come now!

Worst case. As long as you know where they started you simply cut their trail and track to the kill.

I've run up and down the Blue Mountains for over 50 years with only a pointed stick in my hand. Never packed a handgun, even when it became legal. Killed most of the Bears I saw. Never skeered except when I became "directionally challenged" at night a couple times.

We've never had a lot of use for radios, though they are in camp and some fanny packs. I hate having anything electronic with me that can make noise inadvertently. Therefore radio usage has to be planned ahead for. Mine is on a vehicle in Montana. Nearly useless in the steep country we elk hunt in The Blues.

 

[Koda]

Signal shots have never proven reliable communication for us. Ammo isnt cheap and reserved for the hunt or self defense.

Nowadays we just sent text messages, cell reception has improved greatly, but its still spotty coverage. Weve been using gmrs radios for years and have a strict radio silence rule, only call if you fill a tag or need help, or arent back after dark. We also have a rule, if my partner has one down and im literally stalking... i turn it off. Partner knows my silence means "im a little busy right now". Otherwise we respond to help pack it out.

 

[Tlock]

Our camp I do the shopping and the cooking. We eat prime rib, ribs , shrimp, steaks and whole chickens. No one is going hungry with us

 

[Knobgoblin]

Poor camp etiquette has got more than one person removed from the invite list. Good hunting partners are hard to find and camp etiquette is a good metric to judge a persons character.

Don't be Stanley.

 

[Bobbygun]

Our camp I do the shopping and the cooking. We eat prime rib, ribs , shrimp, steaks and whole chickens. No one is going hungry with us

Oh man, I'd never make it out of camp! Actually, that would be perfect to just tag along when I didn't have a tag. But then I suppose that would just be a camping trip - and nothing wrong with that either.

I've got a buddy that doesn't hunt and is an excellent cook. We've invited him along several times, but it just hasn't worked out so far. Maybe someday.

 

[WillametteWill]

Having three Eagle Scout sons, I've watched boys learn how to plan for, set up, prepare, and clean up after meals. This is just one of the many things they learned in scouting (and hopefully from all the camping we did as well). Organization and understanding of shared duties are necessities as a group.

Elk or moose hunts... conditions are too extreme so we never have women or children along, but other hunts we do. The children help out, but women... it's vacation time for them.

The elk chili on the stove last night was from my wife, she might take exception to that 'extreme' part. Of course, I could also brag about the time that her and some scouts recused a Marine in the backcountry...but another time.

 

[Bobbygun]

Don't be Stanley.

"This is this."

Oh man. The main reason I keep the party small. Only on a couple of rare occasions have I risked letting someone bring another to our hunting camp that I haven't personally vetted. One worked out fine, the other, not so much. The buddy that invited him along apologized profusely and hasn't brought any outsiders since. The funny thing is, he drove my buddy nuts, much worse than he bothered me.

 

[Tlock]

Having three Eagle Scout sons, I've watched boys learn how to plan for, set up, prepare, and clean up after meals. This is just one of the many things they learned in scouting (and hopefully from all the camping we did as well). Organization and understanding of shared duties are necessities as a group.

The elk chili on the stove last night was from my wife, she might take exception to that 'extreme' part. Of course, I could also brag about the time that her and some scouts recused a Marine in the backcountry...but another time.

The boy scouts are definitely not what they used to be!

 

[RVTECH]

I enjoy group camping/hunting with good, sociable people but I prefer independence with all of them as well.

Nothing worse in a camp than a cling-on that has no sense of purpose and is 'out of place'.

 

[Yarome]

Oh, so you've hunted with my buddy Bruce before? If I had a dollar for every time I told him, "You know, those things are a lot more helpful/useful when you turn them on."

My posts in this thread have been centered mainly in relation to Elk, Moose, etc hunts. Weather and temps are extreme and clothing is very thick.... and not easy to dig into your layers. Batteries don't fair very well in the cold. It's not something you can keep next to your body 24/7 to keep it warm, 10 days is a long time to be running radios turned on all day, battery packs don't fair well either and we're kind of old school. NO generators allowed. Vehicles aren't running for long periods to keep them charged and there is also times that radios get forgotten in the truck.

Chuck into there too that too many "mishaps" with accidental radio activations and people breaking protocol to use them when they really shouldn't be... it only takes a couple times and folks start shutting off their radios anyway. "We never needed them before and don't NEED them now" mentality.

All things considered.... more trouble than their worth and we have too many "Bruces". I admit, we're all pretty anti technology when in the wilds, too. No personal electronics, music makers or GPS units in camp.

All the adults are very experienced with traditional means of navigation and how do you teach your children those skills packing around a pocket full of electronics(?) Or how to cope and what to do when they eventually DO get themselves a bit lost?

Cellular.... Our Elk grounds (blue mountains)... you can sometimes get 1 bar at an intersection about 9 miles back toward the main road if you use a directional panel antenna. IOW, you can "sometimes'' send/receive a text message, but may take a few attempts. Very deep valleys, high peaks and plateaus.

Moose? Forget about it!! It's better than a half days ride on horseback to get to camp from the staging cabin that's a good 25 miles from a small lakeside settlement. Of course, it's a good 2hrs drive on a gravel road just to get to the settlement.

 

[Alexx1401]

I will second the Mountain House. Have been VERY impressed with their stuff. It would be very easy to pack along, very easy to cook up. For food that's good for years in storage it impresses hell out of me. Damn stuff is actually good.

 

[Yarome]

Oh man. The main reason I keep the party small. Only on a couple of rare occasions have I risked letting someone bring another to our hunting camp that I haven't personally vetted. One worked out fine, the other, not so much. The buddy that invited him along apologized profusely and hasn't brought any outsiders since. The funny thing is, he drove my buddy nuts, much worse than he bothered me.

Deer, antelope, etc... those are more individualized hunt camps for us and invites aren't uncommon. Fairly mild weather conditions... you can get away with a lot, and for the most part it hasn't gone too poorly. It is well understood though that they will be held to the same rules as everyone else, the person that invited them is solely responsible for them and are expected to stick like glue to em. If they come ill equipped and the person that invited them is ill prepared to take care of them.. there is no sympathy. They always have the option to jump in their vehicle and go home.

Only once have we ever asked that a person leave due to repeated unsafe firearm handling. Some have chosen to end their trip short of their own accord, but for the most part it's been a good experience for all involved.

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

I've got a off roading trip coming up. I enjoy eating well on the trail, and love cooking outside. I tell people what I'm cooking on the trip and ask if they want in or not.

I'm not leaving it up to someone else to take care of my food unless I really trust them.

 

[Bobbygun]

My posts in this thread have been centered mainly in relation to Elk, Moose, etc hunts. Weather and temps are extreme and clothing is very thick.... and not easy to dig into your layers.

Totally different hunt/environment. We're chasing elk in late August/early September. Sometimes I leave camp before light in the morning wearing a quick dry short sleeved tee shirt.

We love the Rino GPS units, even though Bruce and I use pay-as-you-go Tracfones (his is even a flip phone). We're not big technology buffs. The Rinos are the exception. It gives Bruce's wife great comfort that I can poll his location and go get him if necessary, given his age and health status. It was also comforting for me when my son was younger. Keeping track of him was easy. It's also helpful for not crowding the other guys and accidentally screwing up their hunts.

 

[357 MAX]

thank you all for responding. good advice here. i have been hunting for 60+ years and learned a lot along the way. i dont care for large group hunts. i cant abide DRUNKS. i have drank a lot of beer over the years ( 4 years in the navy) but now only drink about a six pack a year. the worst partners don't know how to follow a plan. i have been stranded by 2 different people because they did not stick to the plan.( same area different hunts) i watched from about 1000 yards away on an open hillside in plain sight, as they left the meeting area because they thought i changed my plans. they wasted precious gas and time by not staying put. nothing is more frustrating than that. i now bring my own food and supplys and let everybody else bring their own.

 

[Bobbygun]

wasted precious gas and time by not staying put. nothing is more frustrating than that

Definitely frustrating! Another plus for the Rino GPS. We don't waste a lot of time waiting on people or rounding them up. In the old days we spent hours driving roads wondering where/when our buddies we finally make it out of the woods.

 

[357 MAX]

in my favorite elk hunting spot my plan was have my partner drop me off at the top of the mountain and hunt down from there. the 3rd time i hunted there i had my always dependable brother along he stuck to the plan. long story short i harvested a nice cow

 

[Mark W.]

Interesting my son (he's 40) and I are planning a 9 day trip into SE Oregon a LONG ways from a 7-11 (like 80 miles or more to the closest store) And for the last couple weeks we have been talking about food. We are planning each meal right down to how much salt and olive oil etc it will take to prepare the meal. We will be taking just that exactly what we need. PLUS 3 days of emergency stay alive food. We will be doing 4) dinners in the bush Steak, A Korean Ramen chicken dish, A Shrimp Stir fry, and A Octoberfest Sausage Hot dog type meal. Breakfasts will include a Summer Sausage cheeze and Egg Omlet, A Biscuits and gravy, a Pancake and fruit, And an Instant Oatmeal. Lunches will be PBand J and Cold cut sandwiches. With at least a couple being Subway Subs premade and without condiments.
And we are hoping to catch at least one meal be it breakfast or dinner fishing (but making sure we are covered if skunked).

Snacks will include Dried Apples and Bananas, Lil Debbie brownies, sliced Apples, various types of snack sized chips, pudding and yogart cups,

And of course we are both bringing our own drinks and travel bars.

Its all about the planning. For us one of the great enjoyments to camping and adventuring is having good food to eat.

 

[Bobbygun]

And we are hoping to catch at least one meal be it breakfast or dinner fishing (but making sure we are covered if skunked).

My father-in-law and I made our third backpacking/fishing trip into the Eagle Cap Wilderness with the intention of supplementing our Mountain House freeze dried meals with fresh-caught brook trout. On the first two trips, we caught a fish about every other cast with just about any fly. This trip started off just like that. First cast - voila! - fish on. He wasn't particularly big, so I tossed him back. That was the last/only fish landed the entire trip. Absolutely shocking. We didn't starve but did lose a few pounds on the adventure.