diamond hitch
Well-known member
Many have requested stories so here is one.
2017 was a favorable year as an early snow made huntiing favorable for horses and a real pain for hikers. I was hunting with my long term hunting partner and my son. We had been successful with our A tags in pulling elk out of various rat holes and adverse environments through the season. It was time for a relaxed horse trip in the open country. We rode in from the highway about 4-5 miles and worked our way through the fir patches and rock outcrops until we could see an open hillside above us that had 14 head of elk that were eating their way across the park. They were about 300 yds away and I instructed my son to sneak up there and kill a fat cow (we were hunting B tags). We tied up our horses and waited for the shot. Finally it came and the herd looked up and went back to eating. Now we were confused. In another few minutes there was another shot and the elk lokked up and then walked into a patch of trees. After a minute or so they walked back out looking confused and nervous.
Something finally made up their mind for them and they charged across the hillside kind of towards us. With a crash through the trees and the normal rackets that accompanies charging elk they appeared on the hill above us at about 100 yds. For some reason they must have thought the horses were another herd of elk because they turned and charged us. My partner was clean out of tags so I pulled my rifle out of the boot to defend us from the herd. They stopped about 30 ft from us in the middle of the horses and then ran up the hill and then stopped at about 50 ft. I shot a dry cow and she slide back down the hill to my feet. The four raghorn bulls just couldn't believe any of this and just stod looking at us until I yelled at them.
I gutted my cow and followed my son's tracks to where he was finishing gutting his cow. We pulled her down the hill to a pair of trees, strung her up and quartered her. We brought the horses down and loaded them and started out. I stopped and cut enough trees to brush up my cow so she would be protected from the birds and coyotes until we could get back the next day. We made it back the next day at about 9:00 and quartered her and loaded her on the ponies.
I have had a number of these self defense hunts over the years and still can't explain them . When I used to hunt antelope on horses it was an every day occurence. Kind of gets your heart pumping each time.
2017 was a favorable year as an early snow made huntiing favorable for horses and a real pain for hikers. I was hunting with my long term hunting partner and my son. We had been successful with our A tags in pulling elk out of various rat holes and adverse environments through the season. It was time for a relaxed horse trip in the open country. We rode in from the highway about 4-5 miles and worked our way through the fir patches and rock outcrops until we could see an open hillside above us that had 14 head of elk that were eating their way across the park. They were about 300 yds away and I instructed my son to sneak up there and kill a fat cow (we were hunting B tags). We tied up our horses and waited for the shot. Finally it came and the herd looked up and went back to eating. Now we were confused. In another few minutes there was another shot and the elk lokked up and then walked into a patch of trees. After a minute or so they walked back out looking confused and nervous.
Something finally made up their mind for them and they charged across the hillside kind of towards us. With a crash through the trees and the normal rackets that accompanies charging elk they appeared on the hill above us at about 100 yds. For some reason they must have thought the horses were another herd of elk because they turned and charged us. My partner was clean out of tags so I pulled my rifle out of the boot to defend us from the herd. They stopped about 30 ft from us in the middle of the horses and then ran up the hill and then stopped at about 50 ft. I shot a dry cow and she slide back down the hill to my feet. The four raghorn bulls just couldn't believe any of this and just stod looking at us until I yelled at them.
I gutted my cow and followed my son's tracks to where he was finishing gutting his cow. We pulled her down the hill to a pair of trees, strung her up and quartered her. We brought the horses down and loaded them and started out. I stopped and cut enough trees to brush up my cow so she would be protected from the birds and coyotes until we could get back the next day. We made it back the next day at about 9:00 and quartered her and loaded her on the ponies.
I have had a number of these self defense hunts over the years and still can't explain them . When I used to hunt antelope on horses it was an every day occurence. Kind of gets your heart pumping each time.
