Sitka Gear Turkey Tool Belt

By Horse or By Foot !!

Actually I was wondering what makes a man want to go 10 miles deep at 11000ft
:D
 
HELL.. I only hunt at 8000 ft .. I must be doing something wrong :confused: ... :rolleyes:

Roumor has it there are some elk back in them hills. Seems like the ones getting elk usually hike over a ridge or two. Some think that 10-15 miles back in is the only way to go. I would like to this I hunt SMARTER, not harder... we're discovering AWSOME elk "ZONES" that harbor decent elk no more then 2 miles back in. Some have um closer.

After this season and Next season, We should have it about figured out. I'll still tell the 10 mile story though :eek:
 
To answer the original question.....I have hunted both ways, but if I'm in just for a day or so.........usually by foot, then fetch the horses for the pack out. But if I'm in for 3 days to a week, then the horses are the way to go. We packed out 3 elk last year in rough terrain in less than 3 hours combined.......horses can take a little time before daylight and the first hour after dark to take care of them........but they sure payout in spades most of the time for me.

I generally hunt about 3 hours from home, and that is more like 5 when pulling the horses up and over the range, so that is why I go on foot if its a short hunt.........well.... that and the extra $100 in gas it takes to pull them there and back!! :eek: ..........but there is truely nothing I like better than being high in the back country on a big surefooted horse...........really makes you feel alive! :cool: DS
 
The reason I know it was 8 miles in Montana was that after I walked out, I drove a 4x4 back in to haul meat out - and I clocked it on the odometer to see if it was as far as I thought it was. I had actually thought it was about 5 miles, not 8. 2 miles was steep and the rest was flat meadows or foothills. Only a little of it was "Moosie" country. It took me about 4 hours to walk out. 2 MPH is not a very fast walk...when I was a kid and doing a lot of backpacking, it could take all day to go 8 or 10 miles going from 7,000 to 12,000 feet in the Sierras. All summer, I worked at a Scout camp at 6500 feet and would hike into the San Gorgonio wilderness area every weekend.

The "best" I ever did was to leave camp at 7 PM Friday night, hike to the peak of San Gorgonio (over 12,000 feet) and back to camp by 7 AM. 27 miles and up almost 6000 feet and back down. I lost count of how many times I puked. Determination is a big factor. Speed isn't everything. ;)

Even though I am not a good horseman, riding beats puking. :D
 
Flipper, where I hunt used to be only about 3 miles in. The road was washed out some years ago and the FS never fixed iot. So the jaunt in now is a wee bit farther, but that is where I hunt. I use the horse to carry my ass up there. Once I am on op, he is tied up all day and I am on foot. He is worht his weight in gold when I have one down. We set up camp at the end of the road. Like DS said, it costs a lot of time. For me to leave my house, go get the horse and trailer and drive to where I am going and throw on the saddle, is 2 hrs. By setting up camp where we do, it saves me 4 hours a day.
 
...........but you'll get those couple of hours back when the pack out begins Elky! ;)
DS
 
by foot...always. all horses and mules are possessed by satan himself. They try to kill me.

like moosie, i have found many and bagged a few nice idaho bulls within a few miles of vehicle access.

I did have the good fortune of having my biggest bull packed out by horses. That was pretty cool compared to boning and packing. when it comes to me riding those critters, i won't.
 
Sounds personal T-bone.......maybe you should take some of them "horse whispering" classes ;) ...........
DS
 
Never hunted with horses or do I own one, so my favorite way is with two feet and a lot of ground... :D
 
My horse experience is limited. My father-in-law has a dozen or so horses. All are thorobreds and very spirited.

My father-in-law's idea of a good horse is to have a rodeo first then go for a ride. They are dangerous in the hills. He had 2 rifle broken in one year by them throwing him then them falling and rolling over his rifle.

I'm sure there are good mountain/pack horses and mules out there, but I havn't used them. I've heard about pack goats. They carry 50 pounds and are much lower maintenance. For now, I'll stick to my two legs and a pack frame.

T Bone
 
I agree on the packsheep.

That, or a limp-wristed fairy outdoorsy poofta mechanical engineer type usualy found wearing a two-too at the local Yoga center.

That's why I usually take WeakEnd Warrior... because he really likes to pack my meat. And unfortunatly the sheep are deathly afraid of him. He's not known for doing things the easy way.

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1">[ 07-09-2002 22:46: Message edited by: Greenhorn ]</font>
 
LMAO :D :D

After using my horse for the past 4 years, it is hard to imagine a horse not being the best thing going. My horse is to elk like a bird dog is to pheasants
 
I've alway's wanted to use one. But not able to find the space to park one yet..Maybe after this fall and if I can get into a new good place with some room...Then I can have it all...LOL.... :D :D :D
 
Goats......ok, so they can pack some weight...but you would look like an idiot riding one in on a summer scouting trip or joining in the local parade down main street! :eek: :D ...if I'm gonna feed it all year, I at least want to be able to enjoy pleasure riding as a side bar....
DS
 
It costs me $100 a month for a place to pasture my horse and trailer year round. I have to do nothing. So for $1200 a year, I make sure he earns his keep.
 
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