Trucks loaded with elk and deer is a Montana tradition. The other day I watched a wood trailer loaded with several does heading to the meat shop. Another 4×4 truck rolled by with a 4-wheeler in the back and a huge bull elk head and rack.

Not everyone loves the sight of dead critters in the backs of hunter’s trucks, cars, or meatpoles. They sure look better there than on the side of the road ruined from a vehicle strike. To each his own. Not everyone likes Christmas, Halloween, or other holidays.

Hunting is hard work. Displaying their harvest is an act of pride. There was a time when the hunter was a huge part of the community. Their harvest fed the whole settlement. Coming home with a critter over a pack mule was a beautiful sight. Hunting has been around a long time. Many of the newer cultural displays can be way more offensive. We all have a choice to look away and celebrate our own heritage culture, and beliefs. If others want their customs respected, reciprocate.

Critters on display also says other things about that harvest. If an entire bull or cow elk is in the back of a truck, the hunt was often a Rich Lazy Man Hunt. What I mean is that the whole elk came from a ranch where the elk were loaded with farm equipment. They are often feeding in a crop or on a hay bale. Not very sporting or fair. This is the kind of hunting a Rich Lazy Man does.

Now I know that with enough Beefy hunters, you can drag and load a whole elk into a truck. This loaded truck will normally be dirty, old, and well used. The Rich Lazy Man’s truck will be new, clean, and showing off that they are a Rich Lazy Man Hunter, not a real hunter that has to work hard for their meat.

Any real elk hunter knows how much work goes into the harvest. 6-7 hundred-pound bags of meat need to be backpacked or hauled out of the mountains. There may be snow, rain, wind, and a lot of sweat and muscle. They probably butcher their own critter as well. This meat will nourish their bodies and spirits.

After that much work, the hunter is proud of the effort. The meat will be enjoyed by family and friends. Nothing will be wasted. If they want to show it off in the back of their old, dirty, well used trucks for a few days, do it.

You earned the Bragging Rights!

Montana Grant

For more Montana Grant, see him cruising around at www.montanagrantfishing.com.