HuntMT16
Member
*So I am a bit long winded this morning. If you want to skip the rambling and get strait to my thought on a new forum category, just skip the the last paragraph.*
Back in the springs, I was bear hunting with a new friends when I was invited to his elk camp this year. A backcountry hunt done on horseback. Camp was far from any road and was constructed of a wall tent with pine trees used as the frame, no water except for the nearby creek, all our cooking was done on the wood stove that heated the tent, a single lantern to light camp and no cell phones. Everything there was packed in by either horse or mules. It was a somewhat primitive camp, but that's why I enjoyed it so much. The hunt was cut short thanks to some really nasty weather, work schedules and life in general but it was very enjoyable. The first morning my friend killed a bull. The first afternoon and second morning were lost to weather. The third day was spent breaking camp and riding out. Dispite the short hunt we all had opportunities in what ended up being one morning and one short afternoon. The best part was after my friend killed , the horses carried the weight of the elk, which was much easier for me than carrying the elk on my back like I am accustomed to doing (Like many of you all here.)
After elk camp it was back to the normal grind of the Montana general rifle season up hiking up and down mountains on foot, carrying heavy packs that got much heavier after a kill. It was a good year so I carried several critters out on my back. The pack outs seemed a little rougher this year than in the past and I am not sure why. But what I do know is that a month after season ended, the aches and noises my body makes after hunting season is sticking around longer than normal. Now, I don't consider myself old at 34, but I also don't consider my body to be the same of an average 34 year old either. Between military service, hard physical work, car crashes, years of hunting hard, I've abused my body. My dad always told me to take care of my body and not to abuse it like I have. In what is all too often the case, as I get older I get wiser and realize I should have taken my father's advice more seriously.
I typically find myself this time of the year looking at different hunting equipment and sorting through what I want to upgrade before hunting season starts again. Typically spring bear is my testing grounds for new equipment. While I had planned on buying a new backpack after season ended, I am leaning away from that. The normal search for backpacks, clothes, optics, boots, etc has been replace with me looking at horses, rifle scabbards, pack saddles, and so on. Maybe because I had such a good time at elk camp, maybe because it was such a successful hunt, maybe I am just trying to slow the abuse of my body to ensure I can still get up into the mountains 20 years from now, maybe a little bit of everything but I am fixated on everything to do with hunting off of horseback.
All of this made me wonder if there are very many guys here that use livestock for hunting. If there are enough maybe someone could sweet talk Bigfin into a new forum category of hunting with livestock. Not just horses and mules, but include llamas, goats and anything else. I know other forum websites have this category, but unfortunately a lot of those other forums have some questionable people, morals and ethics so I would like to see the topic here, where the vast majority of members are true sportsmen (and women) that respect both nature and animals.
Back in the springs, I was bear hunting with a new friends when I was invited to his elk camp this year. A backcountry hunt done on horseback. Camp was far from any road and was constructed of a wall tent with pine trees used as the frame, no water except for the nearby creek, all our cooking was done on the wood stove that heated the tent, a single lantern to light camp and no cell phones. Everything there was packed in by either horse or mules. It was a somewhat primitive camp, but that's why I enjoyed it so much. The hunt was cut short thanks to some really nasty weather, work schedules and life in general but it was very enjoyable. The first morning my friend killed a bull. The first afternoon and second morning were lost to weather. The third day was spent breaking camp and riding out. Dispite the short hunt we all had opportunities in what ended up being one morning and one short afternoon. The best part was after my friend killed , the horses carried the weight of the elk, which was much easier for me than carrying the elk on my back like I am accustomed to doing (Like many of you all here.)
After elk camp it was back to the normal grind of the Montana general rifle season up hiking up and down mountains on foot, carrying heavy packs that got much heavier after a kill. It was a good year so I carried several critters out on my back. The pack outs seemed a little rougher this year than in the past and I am not sure why. But what I do know is that a month after season ended, the aches and noises my body makes after hunting season is sticking around longer than normal. Now, I don't consider myself old at 34, but I also don't consider my body to be the same of an average 34 year old either. Between military service, hard physical work, car crashes, years of hunting hard, I've abused my body. My dad always told me to take care of my body and not to abuse it like I have. In what is all too often the case, as I get older I get wiser and realize I should have taken my father's advice more seriously.
I typically find myself this time of the year looking at different hunting equipment and sorting through what I want to upgrade before hunting season starts again. Typically spring bear is my testing grounds for new equipment. While I had planned on buying a new backpack after season ended, I am leaning away from that. The normal search for backpacks, clothes, optics, boots, etc has been replace with me looking at horses, rifle scabbards, pack saddles, and so on. Maybe because I had such a good time at elk camp, maybe because it was such a successful hunt, maybe I am just trying to slow the abuse of my body to ensure I can still get up into the mountains 20 years from now, maybe a little bit of everything but I am fixated on everything to do with hunting off of horseback.
All of this made me wonder if there are very many guys here that use livestock for hunting. If there are enough maybe someone could sweet talk Bigfin into a new forum category of hunting with livestock. Not just horses and mules, but include llamas, goats and anything else. I know other forum websites have this category, but unfortunately a lot of those other forums have some questionable people, morals and ethics so I would like to see the topic here, where the vast majority of members are true sportsmen (and women) that respect both nature and animals.
