another hunting "etiquette" question.

[pointysticks]

i went hog hunting this past saturday. (if i didnt have fruit trees to prune, i would have hunted sunday as well)

i was planning on hitting a new area. to get to this area, you have to slip/slide down this STEEP leafy mountain. it is so steep. if you want to sit down to take a break, you have to hammer out a ditch for your heel to hold on to something. needless to say, getting down to the wallows in pitch darkness would have been foolish, so we decided on a late start. my buddy was to get to my house at 5am. i wanted to drop in safely, and find a easier way out that we could mark and use next time to get in.

i set my alarm for 4:20. this should give me plenty of time to heat up breakfast, make coffee, load my truck.. at 4:17, my cell phone beeps..i got a text message. i checked it and it said.."i'm here..i'm outside".

seriously? my house was entirely dark. it was clear i was not yet awake. the dude beat my alarm clock!!

what would you do? he said traffic was light and he got to my house fast..duh!! it is 4 am!! the only traffic at this hour is on the other side of the planet.

i've done the same thing, but i parked quietly and took a nap to wait until the agreed time comes around..you?

next sat, i might try to do it solo. i was annoyed all day. hahaa.

[pointysticks]

oh, the wallows were bone dry and very very un-visited. bummer.

[Indian Summer]

Hmmm. I wouldn't have been too upset. I might have sent a reply that said man you're sure way early give me a minute to wake up and I'll be down.

The first thing that comes to my mind is... that beats the hell right out of a text at 5:10 that says "sorry can't make it" The second is that he sounds like an enthusiastic partner so I wouldn't run him off that's for sure. I'd just politely say something like "uh.... what were you thinking man. That was earlier than early. Next time if you get here that quick how about chilling out in the drive until our designated time or until you see a light come on" and then I'd laugh.

Sounds like a guy with elk hunt partner potential! He could be making breakfast while you contemplate crawling out of the sleeping bag right!

[bnsafe]

sounds like a gung ho partner to me. I personally wouldn't be upset at all.

[Swede]

I agree with I.S. and bnsafe.

[Still Hunter]

I'm a lone hunter, so nobody would be waiting outside.

If I was silly enough to be in that situation. I'd send him back a message saying i'd be out at 5am.

The only thing worse than being late, is being early.

[BrentLaBere]

5 minutes early is 5 minutes late!
Just tell him next time if he is that early to stop for breakfast.

[flystrait]

This is the first time I have heard anybody being upset by someone that was early. Its usually the late ones or the guys that cancel at the last minute. I would not be upset at all, it sounds like you found yourself a good one to hunt with. Earger, energetic, and responsible are just a few attributes I would read into his being so early.

[Still Hunter]

Being on time is an asset. It takes planning and consideration.

[easeup]

Hmmm. I wouldn't have been too upset. I might have sent a reply that said man you're sure way early give me a minute to wake up and I'll be down.

The first thing that comes to my mind is... that beats the hell right out of a text at 5:10 that says "sorry can't make it" The second is that he sounds like an enthusiastic partner so I wouldn't run him off that's for sure. I'd just politely say something like "uh.... what were you thinking man. That was earlier than early. Next time if you get here that quick how about chilling out in the drive until our designated time or until you see a light come on" and then I'd laugh.

Sounds like a guy with elk hunt partner potential! He could be making breakfast while you contemplate crawling out of the sleeping bag right!

x2!!!
he could be a real good find for you I think. yeh it was a little early, but if he was prepared and enthusiastic; he is a good buddy.

[Buglemaster]

Sounds like a keeper to me as well. I've had a few less than enthusiastic hunting buddies over the years, & learned to enjoy the ones who have as much desire & drive as I do. Nothing fries me more than having a buddy show up late for the date. Hell, I could have slept in also...

[Lefty]

Too funny, for me anyway
Ive had some middle of the night calls, Each time I was awake and thinking along the same lines as the request,.. hmmm come to think of it most of them were "You want to go to SD now and -------?" all different guys all different requests all Lets go to South Dakota.


Early is fine in my book

[Madison COunty]

Sounds like a great hunting partner to me! I tell my employees if your on time your late. I always try to show up to my appointments at least 5 minutes early.

I like the comment that he could be cooking breakfast in elk camp while you are getting up. He sounds like a real go getter. Sleep is overrated, you can sleep all you want when your dead.

[pointysticks]

okay..i see everyone's point.

time is a strange thing..if someone is late, i interpret that as. "she thinks her time is more important than my time".

if she is early..doesnt it kinda mean the same thing? in her enthusiasm, we are now on her schedule. right?

hypothetically, what if you planned some "wife time" before the long day away hunting..you know, to clear your head, and connect with the wife?
dude knocking on the window 45 minutes early..still okay?

i am NEVER late. i wear it like a badge of honor. if i am expecting to run behind schedule, it is because of something beyond my control, and i will call to adjust. i am never early either..dinner party..set for 6:30, i wont show up at 5:47 and see the host setting up the dinner table and pushing the cat litter box into the back room..i'll go and walk around somewhere..
now if he gets up a elk camp and has coffee ready..that is something different..i may hug the guy. well, maybe not. high five for sure.

[bnsafe]

not sure how long you been married cliff, but wife time isn't a concern in my house at 430 am .

[pointysticks]

not sure how long you been married cliff, but wife time isn't a concern in my house at 430 am .

hahah..i cant stop laughing..

and i dont appreciate the coffee mist on my monitor..dude!!

[Indian Summer]

not sure how long you been married cliff, but wife time isn't a concern in my house at 430 am .

bwaaahaaahaaahahaha. spit.... choke... me too Pointy. Coffee down my lungs!

[elkmtngear]

Cliff, I have never met this guy, but I like him already

i was planning on hitting a new area. to get to this area, you have to slip/slide down this STEEP leafy mountain. it is so steep. if you want to sit down to take a break, you have to hammer out a ditch for your heel to hold on to something.

Hmmm, what could a guy use to help get down there without killing himself?

[Indian Summer]

Hmmm, what could a guy use to help get down there without killing himself?

Those things work as parachutes too Jeff?

[bnsafe]

cant believe yall are laughing at my pain, lol.

[Still Hunter]

I'd like to add that I never hunt down. As hard as you think it is to get down to an area. It will be murder getting back up with the meat.

I always hunt up, or at least level, so getting the meat out is easier.

[pointysticks]

still..
i'm guessing you didnt really read my post.

[ctdad]

I wondered if that was meant for another discussion?

[Still Hunter]

still..
i'm guessing you didnt really read my post.

I read it. You wanted to find an easier way out of it. You haven't though, or at least you didn't mention it.

My post was in general. I never hunt downhill if it means getting the meat back uphill. I see too many guys do that, and they didn't think about it until they were taking out the meat. I was trying to save those from discovering it the hard way. Sometimes you have to pass up a good shot, because of the difficulty of getting out the meat safely. Safely meaning keeping it fresh and edible.

[Indian Summer]

I was trying to save those from discovering it the hard way. Sometimes you have to pass up a good shot, because of the difficulty of getting out the meat safely. Safely meaning keeping it fresh and edible.

What! Why would you even be hunting somewhere that you wouldn't shoot something given an opportunity. That doesn't make sense. Why did you go there in the first place?

I've seen guys point to hell holes and say "if you killed one down there you'd have to eat it on the spot!" I say well then so be it... if that's a place nobody else has the kahunas to hunt then that's where I'm going. I kill my bulls wherever they live and think about the work once they are dead. If a road or trailhead is up high then the only way to hunt is down. Oh well right. I've killed them pretty close to the gates of Hell and never had any regrets.

Does this hold true for rabbits to Stillhunter? I'm about to head out with the beagles so you got me thinking about my options.

[Still Hunter]

Not sure how you hunt, I do a lot of tracking. Sometimes that takes me to spots that I don't want to shoot an elk. Of course I hope they keep going out of those areas, but if they don't. I pass on shooting them.

I'm surprised this has never happened to you. Don't you ever track an elk?

[pointysticks]

What! Why would you even be hunting somewhere that you wouldn't shoot something given an opportunity. That doesn't make sense. Why did you go there in the first place?

i agree. i am not a great hunter. finding animals is not easy for me. i dont have access to game-rich lands. get up close next to one? yeesh..so difficult.

if/when i get out there, i dont have the luxury of hunting where it is easy. for me..my main priority is to deliver a fatal arrow..what i do with the animal once it is down..is the next problem..not the immediate one. hehe.

my very first animal i shot..i learned this. it was a NM mule deer. rifle hunt. i scaled a cliff to get up to a high spot. well, not that is not true..i saw "Brown"animals up high..my cheapo binos only allowed me to see that they were indeed animals..and brown. so my brother and i being young and dumb..climbed. we got to the top of the highest mountain to find..bighorn sheep!! yup..BROWN bighorns..what a waste of energy! the sheep looked at us and meandered away. right next to use was the second highest peak. and wouldnt you know it..there was a shooter buck. a big FORK! i had no rangefinder..but i estimated 400 yards..i laid down. shooting jackrabbits a lot..that deer looked HUGE. i asked my brother.."you sure?" he said..yea, we can get to him!! BOOM! -----> WHAAAP! the deer toppled over

we had to climb off a cliff..thru the nastiest valley and climb up more cliffs to get to that animal. again,..being young and dumb..and not knowing any better..we dragged that animal down to the next valley..DRAGGED IT!! what idiots.. took us hours. one point i had to push it off a small cliff..and climb down to find it. hahah..once we got it to the valley..we walked all the way back..the rancher found us walking..out of water, about to die. haha. he said he watched us climb the mountain. he bet $ for us that we would make it. he won money on us.. he gave me a ride to my jeep. i put it in 4x4 and drove to the animal.

best hunt of my life. it got me hooked.

now i know how to bone out an animal. smarter.

[Still Hunter]

Hunting smarter is what it's about.

You want to carry the meat uphill? Be my guest.

[Indian Summer]

Not sure how you hunt, I do a lot of tracking. Sometimes that takes me to spots that I don't want to shoot an elk. Of course I hope they keep going out of those areas, but if they don't. I pass on shooting them.

I'm surprised this has never happened to you. Don't you ever track an elk?

Heck yeah I track elk and heck yeah that's happened. We can't expect to pick and choose where we catch up to and kill elk. I call it fate... and meat on the table. The way I look at it is I play the hand that's dealt to me. I could lose a bunch more sleep, walk another 100 miles all over hells half acre up and down and all around looking for another one.... or punch my tag and start packing. As the saying goes... when opportunity knocks it's time to answer the door. If I can get my fat arse down there I can get it out and I don't own a freighter pack for nothing.

You have to realize Still Hunter.... I'm still young and dumb. But I haven't bought beef since the 90s either.

[Still Hunter]

I'm old and dumb, and haven't bought beef since the 50's.

Your turn.