idahoshoer
New member
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2009
- Messages
- 42
My trip to the “BOB”,
Awesome country, if anyone did not know I am a former horseshoer from Salmon Idaho who has packed into the Frank Church many times along with guiding for elk, mt. Lion and bear in Nevada & California . I’ve done this stuff many times. I’m now 50 years old and did not feel confident doing it alone like I did in my younger days. Last March when it came time to put up the $660.00 for tags everyone pussed out except “Mike”, he had no experience with horses but was a good guy and had hunted deer in Nevada a lot and a trip like this was his dream. So here it was, 6 horses myself and a novice (I’ll call him “the dude”) First day we had trouble, we had packed our manties at home all 75-100 pounds, but with only 2 of us we would tie on 1 side and because he was so damn slow by the time we got on the other side the saddle was slipping, it was 80-90 degrees so I said lets go in light, no wall tent, no wood stove, ect, “if it gets cold we’ll come back and get it”.
OK, we’re loaded (3rd day) I have him ride around the trailhead with the stock everything is good, I swing on my horse comes unglued bucks me off, as I hit the ground I see him going back in the air, he comes back to earth with a hoof to my head, picture if you will a hoof mark from behind my ear across my ear lobe down my jaw line to a bruise across my throat. And the other foot grazing my ribs. It hurt but looked much worse than it was.
Now we’re past that, we’re loaded, mounted heading up the trail 12 miles to go, we come across guys coming out with 2, 300+bulls, see another 320 bull (but we are not in our unit yet) life is good. Mike is leading, so I can watch the string. Mike is mad cause the horse does not speak English or have a “easy” button, I rebuke Mike, tell him his attitude is transferring to the horses and making them nervous. Then a pack slips under a horses belly. Before I can get there he starts bucking, he bucks himself of the trail and down the side of the mountain. Looked bad but he came to a stop and I unloaded him and he was ok, no injuries at all. Mike is a mess, tears like a little girl, “ I saw you almost die, then this horse almost dies. I don’t want to be next”. My god what a puss. He says “take me home, I can’t do this”. What could I do? I’m sore, I can’t do this alone, I have no other choice but to end the hunt. I’m home now, another year wasted, I’ll go back next year with a new pardner, and try again. Looking back, it was so hot if we had killed anything it would have spoiled before we got it out. Awesome country, not too many people, no sign of Griz, I will go back without a “dude”, I just need to find a good pard.
Awesome country, if anyone did not know I am a former horseshoer from Salmon Idaho who has packed into the Frank Church many times along with guiding for elk, mt. Lion and bear in Nevada & California . I’ve done this stuff many times. I’m now 50 years old and did not feel confident doing it alone like I did in my younger days. Last March when it came time to put up the $660.00 for tags everyone pussed out except “Mike”, he had no experience with horses but was a good guy and had hunted deer in Nevada a lot and a trip like this was his dream. So here it was, 6 horses myself and a novice (I’ll call him “the dude”) First day we had trouble, we had packed our manties at home all 75-100 pounds, but with only 2 of us we would tie on 1 side and because he was so damn slow by the time we got on the other side the saddle was slipping, it was 80-90 degrees so I said lets go in light, no wall tent, no wood stove, ect, “if it gets cold we’ll come back and get it”.
OK, we’re loaded (3rd day) I have him ride around the trailhead with the stock everything is good, I swing on my horse comes unglued bucks me off, as I hit the ground I see him going back in the air, he comes back to earth with a hoof to my head, picture if you will a hoof mark from behind my ear across my ear lobe down my jaw line to a bruise across my throat. And the other foot grazing my ribs. It hurt but looked much worse than it was.
Now we’re past that, we’re loaded, mounted heading up the trail 12 miles to go, we come across guys coming out with 2, 300+bulls, see another 320 bull (but we are not in our unit yet) life is good. Mike is leading, so I can watch the string. Mike is mad cause the horse does not speak English or have a “easy” button, I rebuke Mike, tell him his attitude is transferring to the horses and making them nervous. Then a pack slips under a horses belly. Before I can get there he starts bucking, he bucks himself of the trail and down the side of the mountain. Looked bad but he came to a stop and I unloaded him and he was ok, no injuries at all. Mike is a mess, tears like a little girl, “ I saw you almost die, then this horse almost dies. I don’t want to be next”. My god what a puss. He says “take me home, I can’t do this”. What could I do? I’m sore, I can’t do this alone, I have no other choice but to end the hunt. I’m home now, another year wasted, I’ll go back next year with a new pardner, and try again. Looking back, it was so hot if we had killed anything it would have spoiled before we got it out. Awesome country, not too many people, no sign of Griz, I will go back without a “dude”, I just need to find a good pard.
