There's alot of money out there

@BigHornRam there was a guy from your neck of the woods who raised beautiful red mules. He did a lot of contract packing for the Forest Service in the Flathead. I ran into him a few different times around Big Prairie in the 2005-2006 period.

They weren’t Jake Clark expensive, but as I recall he quoted me $2500-3000 for green two year olds. That was beyond my budget at the time, but man were they nice animals.

Edit: it always made me laugh because he was one of the grumpiest @%#€ers I’ve ever met. I figured if a guy could be that sour running a homegrown pack string of beautiful mules through the White River country, he had to be absolutely unbearable at home.
 
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My best friend had two mules, named Bill and Hillary. We had no idea how old they were when he got them, he picked up both and pack saddles for somewheres around a grand as I recall. Bill and Hillary had the unfortunate experience of being in the pack string that went off the wrong side of a switchback on the Stoddard Creek Trail. Hillary came out of it with a steak knife stuck in her shoulder, and Bill had a shiner that looked like he went 10 rounds with Mike Tyson.
My friend had a mule named Rosie. I named her Rosie O'Donnell cause she was a worthless B****.
 
My friend had a mule named Rosie. I named her Rosie O'Donnell cause she was a worthless B****.
Not a mule, but my friend who worked for Smoke had a mare named Lena. Her nickname was the Hell Bitch. My black horse in the earlier pictures must have been proud cut, as he was one of the most alpha dominant geldings I’ve ever seen.

We did a trip across the Bob, and I was riding the big buckskin in the above photos. He was green and I wanted a lot of miles on him, so the black horse, CJ got to go in the pack string with Lena.

If I had a dollar for every bite, kick and squeal between CJ and the Hell Bitch on that trip, I could buy a Jake Clark mule.
 
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These guys are from my neck of the woods.


 
Outfitters supply and outfitters pack station are the 2 best places to get canvas manties, you can get them I'm 7x7 or 7x8. As far as rope, most outfits now use New England Multi Line II. 3/8" for your mantie ropes and lash ropes, and 1/2"for your sling ropes.
I am originally from Columbia Falls but have never been in that store. I seem to recall moving to Idaho about the time Outfitter Supply opened. Then eastern Montana. Didn't they formerly make wagons and buggies? I switched to poly rope that resembles hemp and it worked well but was even harder to find. I don't care for nylon. Won't hold a knot when dry and won't not hold one when wet. Also a pain in the ass to back braid or splice. Smoke said to stretch the stuff between a truck hitch and tree but I never could seem to be bothered with all the fuss.
 
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