trophy_killer
Active member
That will be a blast if and when I get to come down to hunt with you!!
Elkhunter
New member
Some of my most enjoyable days of hunting have been with the horse. He is my hunting companion and friend.
A-con
New member
I never liked horses much, seemed like every time I got on one I was eather bucked off, bitten or closelined.
Then I got to ride a good horse, and that was a whole different game. They take you father than you could ever hike on your own, pack your elk out in 1/10 the time and work, and provide LOTS of entertainment ( if you have a sense of humor. I still laugh when I think about Ransom going wild when he backed into that elk antler.
Come on Mark, I could pack at least two cans of Vienna sausages.
Then I got to ride a good horse, and that was a whole different game. They take you father than you could ever hike on your own, pack your elk out in 1/10 the time and work, and provide LOTS of entertainment ( if you have a sense of humor. I still laugh when I think about Ransom going wild when he backed into that elk antler.
Come on Mark, I could pack at least two cans of Vienna sausages.
Elkhunter, love the pics. I too hunt with horses, mainly for packing out of canyons. It is a whole lot easier to ride down towing a horse and ride out with the elk on the other horses back. I have this one horse, Roany, that is dead calm, put a hundred kids on him, crawl under him, over him, whatever you want to do. Pack an entire elk on him, take the lead rope off and he will meet you in camp with an entire load of elk. Needless to say, he is a great horse, He has rolled over twice when the entire load shifted coming up a very steep hill where he had to jump and lunge. The elk shifted to one side and pulled him over. When the load is under his belly he just stands there and lets you unhook everything and reload. He is very calm and gentle to say the least, but..... in the Gila we killed a big bull, tied 2 horses to a telephone size tree, now granted a fire had been through the place and the tree was scorched. We loaded the front quarters of the elk on one horse and when we went to put the hindquarters on ol Roany, for some reason he went crazy, I believe it was the hoof of the elk up towards his head. Anyway, he spooked and got the other horse to spook and they jerked the tree down. When the tree fell, they spooked some more, since they were tied to the tree. They took off running and I couldnt get out of the way, I was running as fast as I could and that tree ran up the back of my legs and knocked me down, then the tree went up my ass and over my head. My entire backside was black from the fire blackend tree. The horses, went about 50 yards and decided they couldn't pull the tree any farther. I laid there while my buddy laughed his ass off after he figured out I was alright. I was one sore dude. We have laughed about that for hours. Horses, I wouldnt go elk huntin without one. That was the exception to the rule, but if something happens, get out of the way and dont try to stop them. As for the cost of maintaining a horse, the initial cost was the worst for me. They eat grass off the pasture all year and my feed cost is nothing. Vet bill about $50 a year. But, look at it this way,it is still a lot cheaper to go buy beef at the store, whether you have a horse or not. No license, no gas, no tag , no gun, reloading, camping gear, and no fun. If price was considered, all you would do is sit home.
IndyJay
New member
While I don't have nearly the elk hunting experience that most have on this board, I have hunted elk with and without horses. I feel like in my limited experience, the horses increased my odds to get into elk. As DS mentioned, they can get you way back real early and allow you to expend your energy where it's needed, not just on the hike "in"...
I understand and can agree with most of the arguements for and against but in my opinion, horses add a lot to an elk hunt, not only in terms of sharing workload but also in terms of the overall experience and romance of being in the mountains...
<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1">[ 03-29-2003 18:41: Message edited by: IndyJay ]</font>
I understand and can agree with most of the arguements for and against but in my opinion, horses add a lot to an elk hunt, not only in terms of sharing workload but also in terms of the overall experience and romance of being in the mountains...
<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1">[ 03-29-2003 18:41: Message edited by: IndyJay ]</font>
Elkhunter
New member
Great story Steve
Glad you survived the tree. That horse sounds a lot like mine.
overall experience and romance of being in the mountains... Very good Indy.
overall experience and romance of being in the mountains... Very good Indy.
Ithaca 37
New member
I've hunted with horses, mules and donkeys hundreds of times. Most of the time (about 99%) they're a pain in my ass. When you really need one they're invaluable. And you're a lot better off with a good mule or a donkey in lots of situations. In fact , I'd take a good mule 100% of the time over a horse. I've packed 30-50 miles a day with 18 horses in the train through real rugged country in British Columbia two or three days in a row and that particular bunch of horses were terrific overall---only a couple of exceptions. I've probably brought out over 150 elk and deer and bighorns on horses, mules and donkeys---so I've seen some incredible rodeos and it's a miracle nobody got killed a few times. It's also a miracle I didn't shoot a few of the horses. I was real tempted!
Most people who like horses for hunting are horse lovers who would have horses even if they didn't hunt, so they're pretty biased. I prefer to avoid them as much as possible. A good one can be great, but there aren't many good ones---except the ones that are dead!
If you're serious about needing transportation to hunt, get a good mule. They're tougher, smarter, stronger, more reliable, need less care, safer and eat less.
Good mules are hard to find.
Most people who like horses for hunting are horse lovers who would have horses even if they didn't hunt, so they're pretty biased. I prefer to avoid them as much as possible. A good one can be great, but there aren't many good ones---except the ones that are dead!
If you're serious about needing transportation to hunt, get a good mule. They're tougher, smarter, stronger, more reliable, need less care, safer and eat less.
In general, I am totally in Greenhorns camp on this one...But it was pretty nice to have that guy show up and pull my cow out on the hunt in Wy. this last season...I have never hunted with horses and have never really had a need, maybe some day...Those are all great stories guy's and great pics Bill!!!
Elkhunter
New member
I would not have gone here if it were not for the horse. In the middle of the picture is a circle, that is where camp was, we were camped near the lake. We got on top and never broke a sweat or lost our breath.
quiensabe
New member
YOu guys are lucky, here in NM there is some places you can get shot at.we would use horses alot more but not any more!people are crazy when deer sesson starts, they shoot at any thing that moves.every one can get a tag over the counter, witch is ok ,but in one 6 mile strich of road coming to my ranch. you will see 20 to 30 camps, that you can see along the county road.
Elkhunter
New member
Sounds like a place to stay away from quiensabe. I have seen places like that up here also.
There are a lot of places like that in Washington state..
I would hike up to a place like that Bill..
Just to see what was on top. I tried to put this up last night, but the site was acting like it was over loaded, I don't think I was slamming it with that many posts..It must have been you doing it Bill...LOL!!!!
Couldn't have been me, Oh, wait, it was TK, he was posting way to much and overloaded the board, that's it, it was Greg that did it...
I would hike up to a place like that Bill..
Just to see what was on top. I tried to put this up last night, but the site was acting like it was over loaded, I don't think I was slamming it with that many posts..It must have been you doing it Bill...LOL!!!!
Couldn't have been me, Oh, wait, it was TK, he was posting way to much and overloaded the board, that's it, it was Greg that did it...
DaleT
New member
Sorry that I double posted earlier. I don't think that the horses are any more work. They are just different work. I look at it like this.
It takes about 45 minutes every morning and night, that I would be spending on the trail getting back to where I need to be. I am in real good shape, but I can't come anywhere close to keeping up with a horse. So it's either work huffing it up the trail or feeding, brushing and saddling the horse. The later is much easier on my body, and allows me to hunt longer.
It takes about 45 minutes every morning and night, that I would be spending on the trail getting back to where I need to be. I am in real good shape, but I can't come anywhere close to keeping up with a horse. So it's either work huffing it up the trail or feeding, brushing and saddling the horse. The later is much easier on my body, and allows me to hunt longer.
tmsander
New member
Four years ago I hunted with a group of friends, one of which had a string of horses and mules. I rode both, but must say I sure felt more at ease on those steep slippery slopes on the mule!
I enjoyed the hunt greatly, but we had a guy in camp that wasn't hunting and spent all his time with the stock. I don't think I'd do it again unless the circumstances were similar. It sure was nice to have those critters hauling out my deer and elk, though!
I enjoyed the hunt greatly, but we had a guy in camp that wasn't hunting and spent all his time with the stock. I don't think I'd do it again unless the circumstances were similar. It sure was nice to have those critters hauling out my deer and elk, though!
D
Deerslayer
Guest
Elkchsr says....."In general, I am totally in Greenhorns camp on this one"
...better enjoy it Russ!.......it will probably be THE ONLY TIME you get to share camp with Greenhorn!
Ithaca......I will disagree with you on there not being many good horse around. There are a great many......but like dogs, cars trucks and women.......there are a good many that ain't worth a shit either. But I pride myself in keeping the best stock a man can own. I have put greenhorns on my horses and have yet to have a problem. It takes a lot of time and work to weed through and find the right horse, but it is possible. And by the way, I know more than one guy who has been kicked in the head and thrown down the mountain by a stubborn mule
I think Indy said it best. There is just something about being on a steed's back at 10,000 feet that gets the blood going.
Even ol' Greenhorn will break down and use them on rare occasion. Some of the best elk pix I have ever seen are some he shared with me of he and a couple of buddys pulling a pack team loaded with antlers out of the backcountry.......that is a pic I am still trying to duplicate
...better enjoy it Russ!.......it will probably be THE ONLY TIME you get to share camp with Greenhorn!
Ithaca......I will disagree with you on there not being many good horse around. There are a great many......but like dogs, cars trucks and women.......there are a good many that ain't worth a shit either. But I pride myself in keeping the best stock a man can own. I have put greenhorns on my horses and have yet to have a problem. It takes a lot of time and work to weed through and find the right horse, but it is possible. And by the way, I know more than one guy who has been kicked in the head and thrown down the mountain by a stubborn mule
I think Indy said it best. There is just something about being on a steed's back at 10,000 feet that gets the blood going.
Even ol' Greenhorn will break down and use them on rare occasion. Some of the best elk pix I have ever seen are some he shared with me of he and a couple of buddys pulling a pack team loaded with antlers out of the backcountry.......that is a pic I am still trying to duplicate
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> better enjoy it Russ!.......it will probably be THE ONLY TIME you get to share camp with Greenhorn! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
That's a silly comment Mark, I have never hinted at wanting to be in Greenhorns camp, I don't think I would want the stump breaking that he likes to subject his new initiates to!!!
That's a silly comment Mark, I have never hinted at wanting to be in Greenhorns camp, I don't think I would want the stump breaking that he likes to subject his new initiates to!!!
Elkhunter
New member
Russ, you go right ahead and hike up there. I will gladly watch you from the back of my horse.
When we get on top, we will see who is more winded and tired.
And should we both get an elk, we will see who is more winded and tired when we get back to camp.
Elkhunter
New member
Yeah me too. A tired ass from sitting in the saddle.
