In our case, it just wouldn' t be elk camp without some appropriate libation -- but its got to be controlled and kept within reason and it depends on your crowd, your set up, and the " pace" of your hunt!

CROWD: I avoid inviting people who I know their personality changes when they drink -- getting either crazy or mean or debilitated -- elk hunting is too special of a time to have to put up with any of those. We have a couple of Mormon guys in our camp and they are true to their beliefs - it is a " live and let live" arrangement and no one goes out of their way to " rub their face in it" by getting loud, rowdy, or obnoxous, so I' d say everyone stays pretty well behaved or I don' t think they' d keep coming back (Great hunters and hard workers).

SET UP: We " truck camp" right off the forest service road in a plosh wall tent camp set up (no RV' s) so we don' t have to handle packing way back in. This by its nature allows us a bit more latitude in terms of alcohol vs. weight, packing, and labor fatigue.

PACE: If you are an iron man elk hunter and everything is a " forced march" from arriving 2 days before the season and packing WAY back in to hunting hard morning noon and night for a week while fighting a losing battle to sleep deprivation, then there is hardly a place for alcohol beyond " medicinal use" . I imagine that would be like maybe a BJ hunt or someone who backpacks way back in and is essentially a " human horse" .

LIBATION - EKM Camp Style:

PRE-HUNT: We are in camp 12 days or so for a 5 day hunt (1-2 setup, 5 scout, 5 hunt) -- so alcohol' s role in our stay is a little more " liberal" . During the scouting days, we don' t get out of camp before 900am after a big and leisurely breakfast. We get back in camp by 400pm prepare a gourmet meal and enjoy our stock of liquor and cigars which culminates on Wednesday (before the Saturday hunt) with banquet night for those groups (many out of state) that keep coming back to the same area year after year. We throw a big feed and catch up on the last year -- THEN THAT' S IT -- usually in bed by 1100PM. Thursday and Friday are low key and the camp is dark by 8:00PM Friday for a 130AM to 200AM wake up call Saturday.

HUNT: Maybe one beer each before bed AFTER one' s chores are done -- two beers would be damn near terminal, some substitute hot chocolate and schnapps. Our Morman guys go for hot herb tea -- no problem.

POST HUNT: As we start killing elk our group splits in two: those that got elk and now are on the " packing and butchering" side and then there are those who are still on the hunting side. For those still hunting, alcohol use is nil because as the days roll on they are fighting sleep deprivation and fatigue.

BUTCHERING: We usually spend one to two and a half days butchering our elk in camp depending on our luck. We break into teams of three, elevate a table, break out the knives and the beer and the coffee and cut elk all day. Everyone stays in limits and it is one of my favorite parts of the whole elk hunt process -- libation, good friends, great country, " war stories" and the fruit of our harvest -- that wonderful elk meat being crafted into gourmet elk cuts. No one has gotten " really" cut yet -- nicked yes, CUT no.

So that is what works for us.

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM