Wanton Waste
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: Stryker
06-Sep-20
So was up hunting in the Big Horns today and ran into this. All they had done was pulled hind quarters with a lot of meat left on carcass and one back strap. They pulled fronts of but left all of the meat behind to go to waste. Did not recover the tenderloins and it had not been gutted. Also recovered the broken shaft minus the broad head. The local warden now has all that information and pics. Took UTM coordinates of kill site. It looked like it had been killed that evening.
From: Medicinemann
06-Sep-20
Why on earth would someone NOT recover the tenderloins?!!! SMH
From: JohnMC
06-Sep-20
You sure they are not coming back for a second load? Does not sound like the best way to do it. But from what you posted that a possibility. Or maybe it days old?
From: Stryker
06-Sep-20
I can’t get pics to go for some reason but when I found it it was laying in the sun covered in blow flies. Don’t think anybody was coming back. I checked everyone in the parking area when I got out. And I could pretty well tell it was killed the evening before. I’ve broke down a lot of elk and I don’t care if I’m doing it in the dark I will get the meat at least hung in a tree for shade not leave it in the sun. It was around 75 degrees up on the hill today.
From: spike78
06-Sep-20
For once I agree with JohnMC, sounds like they took half then coming back for the other half. Why would anyone leave a back strap?
From: butcherboy
06-Sep-20
Trust me, people do it all the time and much worse.
From: Scar Finga
06-Sep-20
What a shame!!! I once recovered a bull elk on a sheer cliff, we did everything we could to salvage all the meat, but some of it we just couldn't save! we tried and did our very best! We actually had to tie our selves to trees and the same with the bull! I believe we got 90- 95% of all the meat!!! But it took us over 4 hours to break it down. We did our very best! Wanton Waste, is Wanton Waste!!! WE also had to to scale a 600 foot near vertical rock face to get out! less than a quarter of a mile to the nearest trail, and that took us 4 hours! Oh, and I had 4 other guys helping me get it all out!
I think my point is some people just don't care once they have the rack!
Very sad!
From: Stryker
06-Sep-20
So to clarify something that I did not mention is not only was it laying out in the sun they did not dress the elk out so all of the body heat was still on the parts that were left behind. I saw Butcherboys pictures and am pretty sure that is what’s going happen to this animal whether anyone went back or not.
From: Bowsage
06-Sep-20
Some turkey hunters , similar thing, If you breast turkeys you will not hunt my land !
From: bowbender77
06-Sep-20
Maybe they should check with HUNT MASTERS ;>)
From: Dale06
06-Sep-20
I shot (rifle) a dall sheep in the NWT, the guide cut the meat out between the ribs. They are required to give GPS coordinates of sheep kills. The fish and game people can inspect the kill site to cheek for wasted meat.
From: M.Pauls
06-Sep-20
Anyone thinking of doing this in MB, please text me location and I’ll come clean up the rest
From: Scar Finga
06-Sep-20
M.Pauls...
That's the way I feel! And so many people would strip that bull down to the bones and enjoy every bite!!! I know I would!!! Definitely the heart as well! But not the liver for me! It's the only thing I don't enjoy! The tongue is awesome as well!!
From: jordanathome
06-Sep-20
I dunno what happened but it is basic hunting knowledge and etiquette that you break down the ENTIRE animal first. Get that meat off the carcass and cooling, in shade. THEN you can take the head off and worry about the cape. And the meat comes out first, cape and head last. Folks who take what they want and leave the rest are not hunters. They are criminals. This is not difficult and it is not grey area.
From: Ucsdryder
06-Sep-20
Maybe he found it later and it was already spoiled? He took what he could salvage?
From: writer
06-Sep-20
Ucs...don’t be bringing positive possibilities to a vitchfest.??
From: Scar Finga
06-Sep-20
Doesn't really sound that way... But I wasn't there!
From: Matt
06-Sep-20
"Maybe he found it later and it was already spoiled? He took what he could salvage?"
In my experience elk usually sour in the hind quarters and on the side on the ground. In this instance they took both hind quarters and left the fronts which are less likely to spoil but also less good to eat. I hate the guys who assume the worst and seem to show up on many threads, but in this case I am not buying it.
From: Stryker
06-Sep-20
They did take the time to remove the teeth.
From: jordanathome
06-Sep-20
John, I hope you are right and it was just an unfortunate situation where they found the elk late and took what they could salvage. That was not the picture painted by the OP as I read it. Nothing worse than having a partner lose an elk despite hours and hours of effort to locate it only to find it too late, stinking and rotten. Been there, don't want to do that ever again.
From: 8point
07-Sep-20
Found a bull carcass in Co that I thought was a situation of wanton waste. I placed a call to CDW and was told all you are required to take were the front and rear quarters, and the back straps, however, the young cow that was stashed at the edge of the same meadow with just the hindquarters missing was a different story.
From: LKH
07-Sep-20
While it's legal in MT leaving the 30-40# of neck meat is waste. For those who haven't tried it, the neck meat off a big bull is some of the best tasting burger on the elk.
On a big bull, the most likely area to sour is the shoulder area, even before the hinds.
From: Ucsdryder
07-Sep-20
Everyone has a different opinion and the “if its legal I’m ok with it” guys will jump on as soon as they get off the JJ thread but there is ZERO reason to leave any meat behind. Don’t tell me “I don’t enjoy the neck meat” or “I don’t enjoy the rib meat.” Do you enjoy burger? All of it tastes the same when you get it out of the grinder. If we are going to take an elks life, we owe to them to do it for the right reasons. Take all the meat and be beyond grateful that you have a freezer full of lean, anti-biotic free, hormone free, pesticide free, absolutely delicious elk meat! Rant over!
From: Scar Finga
07-Sep-20
^^^^ I Agree! ^^^^
From: butcherboy
07-Sep-20
I only took in about 6 elk today. They all did what was required by law but I personally would take a lot more.
From: GDx
07-Sep-20
i tend to not carry out anything that i will throw away anyway. i would rather the critters eat it than it end up at a garbage dump.
From: Ucsdryder
07-Sep-20
Barry, what don’t you like to eat? Anything I don’t enjoy would just go into the grind pile. Hard not to like burger!
From: deserthunter
07-Sep-20
I have helped recover a couple bulls found 2 days after being shot. 1 we might have saved half the meat. All towards the back of the body, Second bull only the antlers were salvaged. High heat ruined cape and all. Myself and my brother in law helped a couple game wardens post a oryx shot on white sands Stallion range. Bull was shot and the hunter slash poacher at this point drove up and ground checked him and drove off. We glassed him up about noon and contacted the wardens working the hunt. We got back to him that afternoon and the meat had already turned bad. Brother in law bought the head from them but the cape was already turning also. This was in Sept and it was in the 90s during the day.
From: Stryker
08-Sep-20
I’ll try again to send kill site photo.
From: Stryker
08-Sep-20
I know that a lot of the people who read the start of this post were leaning towards the person who shot this cow to do the right thing but in this case I don’t feel that happened. This is just one pic of kill site and all of the years I’ve archery hunted I’ve never seen an animal broke down like this. You can see that it looks like they were going to take the back strap but gave up. What I saw at the site is why I turned it into the game warden and let him make that judgement.
From: Shawn
08-Sep-20
Yup, that's terrible, poacher or not, take all you can. Looks to me they were just in a hurry to get what they could carry in one trip and the hell with the rest. That is a shame! Shawn
From: Ucsdryder
08-Sep-20
I still wonder if they started working on it and realized it was spoiled. Who would take a hind quarter and leave a backstraps that’s easily accessible.
From: Lost Arra
08-Sep-20
Probably found it at dark and couldn't remember if there were griz in the Big Horns
From: tobywon
08-Sep-20
I try not to pass judgement without knowing the story. I agree Ucsdryder. I have to think something may have happened that prevented getting the rest of the meat. They even cut into second backstrap along the spine to remove and just stopped. Who would just take one backstrap and leave the other there? Although every time I think of a reason, it doesn't really make sense. If a predator was in the area, the carcass would have showed signs of that. Maybe some sort of medical emergency where only one guy could carry meat out, but why not return to get the rest or if it was a true medical emergency all the meat would be left behind. We will never know I guess.
From: Stryker
08-Sep-20
There are no grizz in the Big Horns. As for what really happened I don’t know but that is why the Game and Fish have all of the info I gave them and they are the professionals at this so if I hear anything back I’ll be glad to update this post with their conclusion.
From: KHNC
08-Sep-20
his Havalon blade probably broke. The 4th one and last one he had. Thanks Karen, im sure the GW will sort it out. Dang shame for it to go to waste.
From: skookumjt
08-Sep-20
I don't believe this was intentional. No way someone just stops right in the middle of the backstrap and leaves. It would only take another 30 seconds to finish.
The hunter was interrupted by something or someone. Maybe it was poached and you or another hunter interrupted them. Medical issue. Something.
Definitely worth an investigation, however.
From: DonVathome
08-Sep-20
Where was it hit? Possible that by the time they found it meat was spoiled or they had enough time to get part out and the rest spoiled. Doesn't sound likely but you never know. Even hit properly they might not have found it quickly or thought it was gut shot.
My dad found 2 elk in WY years ago a bull and a cow (rifle bull season). Horns and back straps were cut off one the other no meat salvaged. He reported it. Another year a kid packed horns to trailhead and said he was coming back with horses. Several hot days later no one every came and there was no other TH nearby..............
I met a guy in Utah who spent time getting pics of bull and came out with horns. Next day he could not find bull, same the next day. In the 70's. Not cool he spent time getting pics and dragging elk uphill for better pics (his words). he tried to find it but could not. I was borderline reporting him - stupid but you can not fix stupid.
From: Mt. man
08-Sep-20
This is happening more than we want to believe with all the "I pack in 15 miles on my back" bivy bragging crowd. IMHO
