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Pack animals??

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Thanks Scott, Your pictures and valuable information are really getting me excited. Im sold on the goats and I am actually looking forward to making my own sawbucks and Panniers too.

 

As I put my little herd together and make or acquire my equipment I will post them up. Hope to get some field photos to post up as well.

 

Thanks again Scott, those photos will never get old.

 

GBA

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It sounds to me like goats would be the way to go for you, however either borrow or rent a horse for your 70 year old hunting companion. That way he doesn't have to walk in and can save his energy for the hunt. Personally I'd stay away from mules. Too many good horses out there to mess with a mule...IMO.

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Well I got back from my hunt... although I didn't fill my tag, it was still lots of fun and the goats were great to have along. One of them it was his first trip ever and did surprisingly well, never used a lead rope or anything and was always right there. We went through some rough thick steep country and only a couple of times did I have to help them. It was fun knowing that in a couple of places where we hunted that if we would have got something that it wasn't going to be a big deal to get it packed out. Great companions on the trail. There was one point that we spooked a couple of deer and were about 125 yards away... when they got out in the open and looked back at us they seemed to settle down and started to feed a little bit before they crested the ridge they were on... too bad they were only does.post-8703-0-34730900-1351692281_thumb.jpgpost-8703-0-41130700-1351692313_thumb.jpgpost-8703-0-68908000-1351692344_thumb.jpgpost-8703-0-78236400-1351692374_thumb.jpg

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Southernxpress, I’m not sure how I missed this thread yesterday but I am really impressed with your post and pictures. Sorry to hear you weren’t successful, I was rooting for you. Thanks for sharing the post and the pics. Awesome. I just packed into my area to retrieve my game camera 5.2 miles one way. I humped in nearly a 60 pound pack, a lot of it for convenience some of it to stash for a future hunt in December and most of it to keep myself in packing shape. I kept thinking about how your hunt was going and how well the goats were working out for you. Glad to hear it went pretty smooth.

 

PM sent

 

GBA

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Now that is one heck of a cool idea - goats. What kind of goats are those and where can I get one - and how much?

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Well... I got lucky and made it out hunting one more day.. I did see a buck at 870 yards for just a couple of seconds before he dropped into some trees and slipped away from me. Anyways it was still good to get out and I figured I would post a few more pics for you guys some are from the last day that I made it back out too.post-8703-0-51963200-1352167223_thumb.jpgpost-8703-0-34680600-1352167196_thumb.jpgpost-8703-0-58613600-1352167178_thumb.jpgpost-8703-0-57909800-1352167160_thumb.jpgpost-8703-0-00410800-1352166714_thumb.jpg

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I happen to bump into southernxpress and his goats that evening, at Jakes Corner...headin' home. He took the time to talk for a while and shared some photos. Nice guy, and very cool goats. The black one was very friendly and loved the attention. It sure peaked my interest....I'm not getting any younger.

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Thats pretty cool. When I was up in Montana 2 years ago, I saw an archery elk hunter at the trailhead with 2 Llammas(sic), he used a regular chevy van to transport them. He would get them to climb in the back and lay down.

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Not sure if this has been mentioned but if you plan on using the animal to pack out a kill, it's definitely best if you spend some time at home training the animal to get used to dead things on their backs. We've spent the last week working with our horses to get them used to the idea of dead elk parts/cape around them and on them. There was a lot of snorting and 3 not happy horses, but after a week 2 of 3 are adjusted.

 

The real test will come if our friend is successful on his late elk hunt :o)

 

PS-If I'd seen any of you out in the field with your pack goats before I may have thought somebody had spiked my water...LOL....

 

GBAZ- If your dad ever needs a horse in future years, they are here if you need them.

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