Determining Who Shoots First While Hunting With Partners

Don't flip a coin; have a pact and understanding with your hunting partner.

January 26, 2026 By Jim Zumbo

When I slowly eased around the trail, I saw my two pals kneeling, aiming into the underbrush below. Something had their keen attention. We had been moving at a snail’s pace, glassing every inch of cover that was a favorite hangout for bedded mule deer.

Finally, one of the hunters shot, and his buddy slapped him on the back. The buck was so well hidden, only one of the hunters had a shot through a small window in the brush. The bedded buck had them pegged, staring at them with ears alert. It was either a quick shot or nothing. There was no dispute about which hunter should shoot first.

If we hunt long enough, we’ll invariably be faced by scenarios where the first shot is debatable. Coin flips are common, or one may defer to the youngest hunter or one who is disabled, elderly or simply hoping to bag their first animal.

I’ve been involved in several coin flips. I lost most of them. One that comes to mind was a mountain caribou hunt in northern B.C.’s Spatsizi Park. Our party rode horseback for two days to reach the ice fields inhabited by caribou. Another hunter and I had tags, and when we spotted two herds a half-mile away in different directions we sized up the herd bulls in each group with a spotting scope. One of the bulls was a beauty. Our coin flip was in the other hunter’s favor. Fair enough. A couple hours later we had the two bulls down. Mine was a nice representative of the species; his easily qualified for the Boone and Crockett record book.

Cautionary Tales

My pal Kenny Smith, who was a top outfitter in Idaho’s Selway wilderness tells a humorous story about a hunt he had with two brothers as clients. Both were in their mid-20s. Kenny spotted a good bull elk well within range. The wind was right, and they managed to crawl behind a big log.

Who was taking the shot? They hadn’t discussed it before. They agreed on a coin flip, and the older brother won. But that didn’t sit well with the younger brother.

“That’s not fair,” he exclaimed. “All my life mom and dad always favored you. You got the best bikes, the best car, the best clothes, and I’m tired of it! I’m taking the first shot."

“No you aren’t,” the older brother said. “I won the toss fair and square.”

At that a fight broke out. Kenny couldn’t believe it.

“Knock it off, boys,” he said. “That bull is a quarter mile away by now. You guys screwed that hunt up big time.”

One of the biggest dilemmas is hiring on with an outfitter who offers one guide for two hunters. That’s often preferred because it’s typically less expensive than a one-on-one hunt. To determine who gets the first shot, the guide usually tells each hunter they get first shot every other day. If the two hunters are buddies, that plan works. But if they’re unacquainted, there could be trouble.

In a perfect world a bull will be positioned where the shooter can take a shot. But what if the elk is in heavy cover and about to disappear over a rise. The shooter can’t see it but the non-shooter has it dead to rights. He holds his fire and the bull disappears. Neither one of them gets a bull on the hunt.

I recall a Wyoming cow elk hunt with two buddies. I didn’t have a tag for that unit and went along as an observer. The strategy was to sit tight on a cold, snowy mountain, waiting for elk to leave their bedding grounds in the timber to a meadow below. While scouting we saw fresh elk tracks in the snow. It was the last day of a three-day hunt. There was 20 minutes of shooting light left when the elk appeared in a different place than we’d expected. I watched as my buddies crawled to the top of a rise where they could get a shot. They were 10 yards apart. One of the hunters spotted elk and had an easy shot, but the other couldn’t see them. He waited until they each had elk in their sights, but the wind switched and the cows quickly disappeared in the timber. Neither got a cow. Both were okay with the outcome.

While determining who gets the first shot might seem unimportant, it should be considered ahead of time to avoid any hard feelings.