changing the subject...horses

[naturegirl]

does anyone hunt elk with horses? if so can u share the good, the bad, the ugly?

 

we've acquired horses since our last elk hunt and are thinking about giving it a whirl. we are taking them up this weekend for some high country trail riding. we've been told that elk do not get spooked by horses. im guessing the horses will get spooked by the elk at least at first. just curious if anyone has any experience with hunting with horses.

[azbighornhunter]

I use horses for Elk hunting all the time. I personally think they add a whole new element to the pleasure of hunting. To travel quietly and without much restriction into Elk habitat on a horse/mule, with bugling bulls surrounding you is amazing.

 

With the horses/mules, you can access country that is further back than folks on foot and still feel fresh enough to hunt.

 

I actually prefer mules over horses for my backcountry hunts. I can elaborate on that more if you wish later.

 

To my surprise, many times I can ride my horses right up to a herd of Elk (within 40-50 yards) and they'll put up with it fine. However, if I get off, and try to walk, they'll scatter. I don't know why they put up with my horses/mules but they do. Especially in the spring when I'm riding around looking for sheds.

 

My horses and mules live with Elk in the pasture at night so they aren't affected by Elk at all. You may have to sit tight the first few encounters with Elk.

 

An absolute bonus, is when I harvest an Elk, my four legged friends can pack out the meat for me. I have many photos of large bulls packed on my trusty steeds. Last fall, I packed a 384 bull that my sister got on my horse. If you get interested in packing, I have some tricks that would definitely help a lot.

 

I do have extra pack gear for horses that I'm interested in selling. Specifically, pack saddles, and packboxes if you're interested.

 

One word of caution however, make sure to have some hunter orange on your horses when you're riding around. Unfortunately, some people are not as careful as they should be when they shoot.

 

The biggest downfall of horses/mules is the feed bill. As long as you have that handled, you should be happy! Welcome to the club!

[Alpinebullwinkle]

I have a slightly different perspective on elk hunting with horses. They are more valuable for the November hunts but slow me down and are a pain in the butt mostly on the September hunts. Of course it is always great to have a horse when your bull no longer has any air in him, particularly now that I am older. When I was younger and still somewhat today in my older age horses still slow me down. My style in September is hunting 3-4 different areas daily looking for a cow in heat for lots of action trophy hunting. Horses definitely are not helpful in that situation and would slow me down. I do recognize the value of horses in November to get into some of the remote areas they usually are in that time of the year. Then again I used to get to areas faster than horses because I could take the shortcuts while the horses generally had to take the longer routes on established trails. Having said that I still welcome bumping into you on your horses when my bull is down and without the air in him!

[azslim]

horses eat money and $hit work unless you have cows to chase, but they are nice to have around to haul you in and the game out

 

there can be a pretty good rodeo the first time you pack game on a horse, the blood smell is what I was told. My great-grandfather would soak a gunny sack in blood, then wipe it in the horses' nose and stand back, once the horse settled down you could load him. Usually only had to do that on the first time.

[azbighornhunter]

I have used the blood in the nose trick on every pack animal I use. The first time is a rodeo. After that it's usually not a problem. A safety trick for the blood on the nose is to tie a 1" diameter soft cotton rope loop loosely around their neck near their shoulders. Then use the rest of the rope to tie a loop around a hind foot to tie it up and forward slightly. It's like a parking brake. They're standing on three legs and can't kick. If the're prone to explosion, I'll hobble the front legs too. I'll wipe their nose with some blood and wait for them to calm down. Once they're relaxed, I'll untie them and give them some petting and love.

 

I also hang a fresh piece of hide on the corral fence, near their feeder and water trough, whenever I harvest an animal so they get used to it. Sometimes they refuse to eat or drink for half a day, but always get over it.

 

Also, when I'm starting a new pack animal, I'll pack them at home with some bells and noise makers tied inside the packboxes, and turn them loose in the corral for a few hours. They go crazy for a while but eventually calm down. Once again, lots of petting and love after they've calmed down.

 

All of these tricks have proven to create a "bomb proof" horse or mule for me.

 

There's a good book called "Horses, Hitches, and Rocky Trails" that has some good illustrations of the ties that I'm talking about. FYI

[200"mulie]

I thought llamas were the way to go?

 

Llamas travel quietly as their padded hoof creates no loud hoof strike and their only vocalizing is occasional soft humming. They are non-reactive around meat and the smell of blood and they can efficiently carry meat from rough, remote kill sites. One hunter can easily load multiple llamas and subsequently handle them packing in a string. Ease of handling and quiet demeanor allow hunters to scout and hunt with llamas in tow without scaring or spooking their quarry. The llamas' acute vision, hearing, and sense of smell can be valuable assets in spotting or locating game for observant hunters employing them in their hunt.

[azbighornhunter]

I have a slightly different perspective on elk hunting with horses. They are more valuable for the November hunts but slow me down and are a pain in the butt mostly on the September hunts. Of course it is always great to have a horse when your bull no longer has any air in him, particularly now that I am older. When I was younger and still somewhat today in my older age horses still slow me down. My style in September is hunting 3-4 different areas daily looking for a cow in heat for lots of action trophy hunting. Horses definitely are not helpful in that situation and would slow me down. I do recognize the value of horses in November to get into some of the remote areas they usually are in that time of the year. Then again I used to get to areas faster than horses because I could take the shortcuts while the horses generally had to take the longer routes on established trails. Having said that I still welcome bumping into you on your horses when my bull is down and without the air in him!

 

I agree with you. In Arizona especially, the early Elk hunts will usually have a collection of bulls herding cows around some sort of rutting area, like a big meadow with a water source. Most of those areas have nearby road access and many times it winds up being a "run and gun" situation where you're competing with vehicles, atv's and folks on foot literally running to get into position. I find that usually, the first guy there gets the big bull. A hunt like that can be exciting to compete in, but is not very conducive to horses.

 

I usually only use them for packing on the early Elk hunts, but it is fun to use them for scouting. As I said, it's an amazing experience to ride them among bugling bulls.

 

For the late hunts horses are much better to get into the "hidey holes" where bulls go to disappear and fatten up for winter. Horses are best in locations where roads are not pletiful.

 

I have used them for both riding and packing on Coues Whitetail, Late Elk, Moose, Stone Sheep, Buffalo, Mule Deer, and Desert Sheep hunts. It's a lot of fun to track mule deer horseback. I don't have a lot of experience with it but so far it has been fun. Also, they're great for Mountain Lion hunting.

[Stray Horse]

I enjoy them too. Sometimes we have a small problem here and there like one spooks or gets lazy. I have 2 for sale!

[naturegirl]

lots of great information! thx to all!! now let's get some draw results sooner !

[200"mulie]

I thought llamas were the way to go?

 

Llamas travel quietly as their padded hoof creates no loud hoof strike and their only vocalizing is occasional soft humming. They are non-reactive around meat and the smell of blood and they can efficiently carry meat from rough, remote kill sites. One hunter can easily load multiple llamas and subsequently handle them packing in a string. Ease of handling and quiet demeanor allow hunters to scout and hunt with llamas in tow without scaring or spooking their quarry. The llamas' acute vision, hearing, and sense of smell can be valuable assets in spotting or locating game for observant hunters employing them in their hunt.

 

http://www.llamapack.com/text/hunting.html