What seems funny in a way is how quickly it becomes after hunting with someone if for only a day or two, we know almost immediately if it could be a long term deal unlike a friendship or relationship where it often takes a lot of time to develop. I have found that I learn very quickly so many things about someone that either work for me or they don't.
You usually can tell almost immediately if that person is someone who will share in things from paying for the next tank of gas, food, labor around camp, or sharing in your success. I had a buddy get a great big non-typical buck in central Montana a few years ago and the guy he hunted with was jealous to the point of being a real PITA and ruining some of the moment for my friend! I really hate when guys won't help around camp, or just jump up when they see something that needs to be done, and are just flat out lazy.
I want someone who can have just as much fun working your butt off, not getting an animal, and freezing your tail off in the process, all while laughing and having a good time. Sometimes at our own expense. Some of my fondest memories of times I have had with friends packing game out of this awful places they have managed to get an animal in, doing it in the middle of the night, and in zero degree weather with 10 inches of snow on the ground.
Two years ago I got to take my son who even then was a pretty darn fine hunter, and a young friend of his hunting who had never had a chance to do that. Andy has always wanted to hunt, but his family just does not. I started shooting with him and my boy Jeff, and Andy was using my wife's 25-06 which was perfect for him. I knew it would work for elk and yet not beat him up shooting it and make him afraid of the rifle. We got lucky and got them both on a ranch just north of Missoula for 4 days elk hunting. As they were both 15, they could shoot either a cow or a legal brow tined bull. The ranch guy said if they saw a monster bull they could shoot it, so they weren't regulated to a cow or young bull. It was something special too in the fact that Andy has Cystic Fibrosis, so his number of hunting seasons might not be too awful many.
We started the first day and hunted and walked the ranch all day. Built a fire at lunch to warm up and have some food and tell a few lies and stories. Started hunting again, and at last light found some elk that came out to feed. My son made a great shot and got his first elk. We started the day before it got light, and after dressing the cow and putting her on my dad's Critter Cart (whole), we wheeled her out to the truck. It was midnight when we got home.
The next afternoon we found some elk again towards evening and had to make a mad dash to get into range for a shot. After several minutes of laying in the snow, Andy finally shot a big old cow. She ran about 40 yards and went down. By the time we dressed her it was well after dark, and again it was about midnight when we got home. Two of the best days I have ever had in the field and I never even pulled a trigger. In fact the best year I have ever had and I never got anything myself. It meant way more for me to help them than it did for me to do it myself. When you find someone like that, you have found a hunting partner, because he is the guy you will be able to get in touch with at the last minute and when he gets off work at 11:30 PM, he will drive 40 miles, walk 5 miles in the snowy cold night to get to you, and then help you pack your elk off the mountain. That is exactly what I did for a friend of mine, and I know he would do the same for me.
