to answer the first question
when i pack in to hunt i pack everything on my back and alcohol is far from making the list beer is to heavy and everclear just isnt very good straight

when i dont have time to pack in 1 or 2 days then i enjoy a beer or two after dinner and to bs round the fire

i guess maybee if i had a couple extra horses it wouldnt be bad but then id have to spend time taken care of them and im not there to babysit im there to enjoy the elk and deer before those wolves eatem all up

I think what' s most important is that, besides that BrushChimp fella, we' re all in agreement about moderation. Even txhunter' s camp is understanding of alcohol, and even the most liberal camp has very little alcohol in it.

I would say to BC, that not wanting to drink before we hit the woods is not a sign that we can' t ' hold our liquor.' I can drink with the best of them... but when it comes to hunting, it' s just so much more important and powerful than anything alcohol can give me, that the alcohol is an annoyance more than anything else.

Bottom line, when I' m hunting, everything about me is focused on that. Anything going into my body had better be fuel to get me deeper, faster, quieter, stronger into the woods. Beer doesn' t help with any of the above, therefore it is definitely out.

I am one of the hard core hunters in our group, we also have a couple that are more on the social side. I enjoy a glass of red wine or a beer when preparing the meal, than it is my usual 2 glasses of water while palying some cards and hit the rack. The rule in camp is simple you don' t go hunting if you are drunk or hung over and their is no second wake up call. If you don' t get up with the rest you are left in camp that day. We have never had an issue. The party sort to speak comes on the final evening, as their are a number of groups from all over that have been hunting the same area, we have a game feast, play some cards and enjoy stories of the weeks events and past years. It is great end to a long week and most of us are so bagged from hunting hard all week that it ends pretty early for a shin dig!

Getting drunk in camp while hunting is unacceptable and I see no need to do so. I also see no harm if the room is available to pack a few drinks for the evening after the hunt, as long as the whole group knows the score and can limit themselves appropriately.

Man all this talk is getting me an itch to go hunting. Is there anything better than staring into an open fire, feeling the heat on your face and the cold on your neck at the same time. All the while listening and laughing at the same story told by the same guy year after year? And I' mmore in the same boat as Skeeter now a days, water is usually my preferred beverage.MAn can' t wait

Me and two others brought alcohol on a spring brown bear hunt a few years back, and let me tell you, I' ll never do that again. We didn' t ride into camp until 5 a.m. on four-wheelers, some 25-30 miles from the nearest road. We had camp setup by around 7 a.m. and being so tired from riding all night (in the dark, through lots and lots wet, deep snow and overflowing creeks), I was exhausted. Instead of catching a few hours of zzzz' s I ended up with my cousin and good friend, drinking. I ended up waking up the FOLLOWING afternoon, day 2 on my 5-day bear hunt, hung-over and feeling like ****. I spent the next two days just basking in the hot sun, getting a tan, and trying to feel better. I ended up hunting for a few hours on the last day of the hunt. None of us got a bear. I' ll never bring alcohol in such large quanities again. Heck, I just bring my water purifier now. Keep the booze in town.

I don' t have a camp or belong to a hunting group like these other guys/gals but I can say that anyone that brings up the social drinking at deer camp (ie we get drunk all night and go hunting in the morning) has no room in my hunting world at all. I use to drink like a fish but would never put a weapon in my hands after a night out (or in). My friends included would not even ask if I want to go with them if they wanted to drink! Alcohol and guns DO NOT MIX, and I would cancel a trip if I found that the outfitter didn' t mind mixing the two! Just my opinion!!

121553: Thanks for the clarification. I have no problem with you being in the same woods as me. From your posts I am sure that you don' t handle firearms after alcohol consumption.

But to clarify. No, we don not allow alcohol in camp at any time. That is a hard and fast rule in our camp. We just don' t want there to be any chance that someone could drink a little too much. I also took 5 kids under 18 years old hunting this past year. Don' t want any of them to get the idea that drinking around firearms is ok. I realize that responsible adults can handle it, but can all 15 year olds? Anyway, that is our personal opinion that applies to our hunting ranch. To each his own.

One thing we found out through the years that made us change to this policy is that our core hunters may never abuse drinking, but we do allow some guests, and they are not always as responsible. We just take that temptation out of the equation and we have just as much fun. Again, that is what works for us and we are all happy with the results.

Good hunting.

txhunter58,
You are right about guest hunters..... they are unknown and unpredictable -- some talk the " right" game but problems can crop up in the course of " living with them" for 12 days.

#1 -- Gotta make sure alcohol use standards are maintained and not abused, and

#2 -- My pet peeve, is that a lot of these folks think you, your equipment, and your core group of hunters constitutes an outfitting service and hence they feel they can arrive late and run away early without helping with the set up or the pack up..... in the mean time they expect to be waited on. It' s a pain when they " slip one by you" and " land in your midst" and by then you' ve found out too late. [:@]

Now, after learning the hard way, if one of my crew wants to bring someone along, I make sure we have both of them over for a lengthy summer barbque and serve alcohol then. This lets me see if personalities undergo any " alcohol change" PLUS I can make sure everyone is reading off of the same page -- that elk hunting is very rewarding and fun BUT hard work runs through it all and everyone is expected to participate and NO " cherry picking" the schedule.
Sorry about the side track, I feel better now though.

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

I guess running a hunting camp and inviting guests is a lot like inviting friends out on your boat for a day of fishing...Once you pull back at the dock everyone disappears and your left cleaning up your gear and the boat...

Hey EKM, I live in Utah so you can' t throw a rock without hitting a Mormon. As far as I know they can' t drink tea either. In fact I' m dead sure about it, maybe you can give them a little harrassing this fall.