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Ok, I've talked to a guy about renting horses for a packout in the event I get an elk.
He can get them to the trailhead the next morning. Saddled and ready to go panniers and tack included.
I'm wondering how many I am going to need. I'd like to keep it to two, as he gets $400 a head.
Can a horse handle a boned out elk in panniers? Or would I need 2 pack animals? Maybe use saddle pannier on one i rode in and lead them both out?
I've spent plenty of time in a saddle on rough ground and i can handle that. Never packed any meat before.
Any advice appreciated.
Entire bull with bone in. Cape as well
Idk why it isn't letting me post more pics
One horse one elk. You don't want to take one horse ever!
You better ask the horseman. Some limit the load pounds per horse to 150 in rough country, others push it higher. Also your not supposed to just load a pannier without tying it up correctly which gets the weight off the sides of the horse. This also can vary what a horse can carry.
spitlimb13 - I hope you know thats a mule and not a horse :)
Mules can haul bigger loads than a horse - but I too have packed out an entire bull elk on a horse
I wouldn't put four quarters and a head on mine. I'd bring two. I think among people who do this for a living, most would tell you to use two. Or take two trips.
I know! Idk why I can notoad my other pics. That's the only one it let's me load. We pack prob 5-10 bulls a year this way. This is my stock though, Franklin is right you better ask the owner .
At $400 a head I'd get one and make two trips in and out. That way it wouldn't overload the animal by trying to make it in one trip.
There's a horse with an entire bull ,bone in, and coming off some nasty country
That's one big friggin horse and no wonder he can haul it out in one load!
Top gun we've been raising our own line of quarter horses for 12 years now they're all tanks and great horses. Good ide for this guy making two trips though,being the horse isn't his.
Depending on your budget and how far you have to pack. I would rent one and make two trips. I would assume the horse or horses he rents to you will be meat savvy if he is willing to rent them and drop them off with the tack. Just make damm sure your loads are equally balanced or it will make for unpleasant packing experience.
A good horse won’t have trouble with a gutless method style elk plus antlers. I’d say you will have more issues if you don’t have experience packing panniers or handling a horse. Those loads have to be perfect.
Good advice Dirk, as that's what I did the two times I've rented horses and tack in Wyoming. Those are simple to use and even a novice should be able to load them up properly.
My wilderness camp is 14 miles in. If I have the ability to use two I will, if not it's all on one! Gotta know what your doing if your that far in. A few miles in decent country isn't to bad at all. Been doing this style hunting since I was able to ride a horse with my dad. Definitely even the load and I would suggest learning a box hitch.
Those of you recommending to run this on one load should put a disclaimer on your thoughts that heavy 1-bull-1-horse recommendations are for experienced horses and packers. The difficulty of the packer's job is related to the weight of a load in an exponential way. Anyone can put light loads on a horse and get them to ride well. Trying to pack heavy, awkward loads on a single horse is reasonable (up to about 20% of the weight of the horse) but it sure ain't easy -- for the horse or the person. The fact that an experienced team can do extraordinary loads on a once-a-year basis isn't crazy. But I have a feeling that's not the situation we're dealing with here, since the question was a pretty basic one: how many horses?
I'm definitely going to get 2. Just trying to stay away from 3.
Sounds like either lead them both on the way out, or make two trips. But I'm going to call him back and see what he thinks.
Might be a lot of fuss about nothing.....gotta get an elk first.
Split limb with all due respect that is animal abuse! Seriously. If that horse had leaf springs you would have blown them out! Just because something fits doesn’t mean it’s feasible.
A hind quarter with bine in is plenty for one pannier load. With bone out you could probably add the back straps.
But why would you when the fronts are so much lighter?
The first thing you need to do Pat is ask Chad for a horse that isn’t “herd bound” That means they will go solo. The majority of horses and mules will blow up if they don’t have a companion. But not all of them. So it’s important to ask. He has 1200 head most of which are well mannered so I’m sure he can take care of you.
Make two trips. One with the hinds. Get them on dry ice and return for everything else.
The rule with livestock is better safe than sorry. Not that you’ll get hurt but imagine a horse bucking the loads off and you standing there looking at pannier loads of meat while he is 3/4 of the way back to the trailhead without you. Instant dilemma.
Don’t try a game cart there. I packed a bull out on a one wheeler and almost didn’t live to tell about it and that’s with 2 guys.
I appreciate the " all due respect ", but I've been doing this for almost 30 years . I own nothing but high quality, high dollar animals, and if you notice in the picture they're VERY WELL CONDITIONED AND TAKEN CARE OF. So forgive me if the words animal abuse piss me off! How many elk a year do you pack out in Pennsylvania? You lived on a ranch raised them ,trained them ,used them your whole life? If you did great ,if not I think it's safe to say the experience is in my lap. The difference between me and the o.p. is I know these animals and what they can do as where he does not. Those packs didn't even have to be re-tied once, and that horse wasn't even sore the next day. As stated above definitely don't try it if you don't have the experience ,and as you stated mule power the last thing you want is wreck out there. Loading a bull on an animal with a packsaddle is lighter than the 300lb guy I took last week in a ranch saddle ,full tack, rifle and saddle bags any day.
Easy boys. Just trying to get a feel for what's realistic.
Game cart? Joe, you're nuts. Ha ha. If I get one there I'll just carry out on my back. It's mostly down hill.
It's a couple other spots I'm concerned about. Lots of uphill and farther away from truck.
Sorry patdel, didn't wanna get off track . I think you're definitely being smart about your hunt . I find so many bulls wasted every year in the back country because people don't have a plan for extraction? $400 a head is a smoking deal too.
There are standards. 80 lbs per side is the norm though in a pinch 100 isn’t out of the question. If you have so much awesome stock why would you make a single animal pack an entire bull WITH bone in AND the cape? Doesn’t look like that critter has any draft in it which would make a bit of a difference. Pat you might want to ask Chad for a draft horse. In the area you’ll be in you could probably pack a deboned bull in one trip on some of his bigger ones. He has some monsters.
The majority of horsemen wouldn’t let a 300 pound man mount their horses. I’ve done most of my packing in Montana and Wyoming although the bulls in Pa are larger than most.
Joe, I'm planning on getting two if it comes to that. I'll ride one and lead the other and make two trips. I'm short. Wouldn't want to try climbing on a draft horse. Or fall off.
Thank you.
Southern Utah Archery Elk Hunt thirteen years ago.
At $400 per head I would hire a packer. Around here you can get a bull packed out of some nasty, nasty country for $600.
Where you at jdee? I've tried that. Outfitters dont want to commit. I dont blame them. They've got paying customers to take care of.
I asked this guy if he would do it, and he said he cant. Forest service won't let him.
I think you need an outfitter license and special permits in Wyoming, but I'm not sure.
I haven't had any luck in Colorado either. I did meet a girl with horses at a bar in Steamboat who said she would do it, but I didn't manage to kill one there. Other than I haven't had much luck asking around about packers.
She wasn't really a packer, just a local with stock who liked doing shit like that.
When you meet a girl in a bar in Steamboat, start out slow, ask her back to your tent first save the conspiracy to commit felonies for the next night...
It was her idea squirrel. Only catch was it had to be on the weekend. She had a job. And beautiful surgically enhanced assets.
Sure mule. Sounds like you are a regular ol tow doy!
Squirrel people can pack or even guide as a favor as long is there is no type of compensation involved. Providing services for any type of payment is what requires a permit.
I hunted with Mule Power Joe in MT 2012. He runs a good outfit.
We've rented horses from Sombrero for CO hunts. Not all horses will pack and some won't tolerate blood. I ended riding the draft horse I called Big Foot for that reason.
Hard to tell what you will get - In 1996 the horse wrangler dropped the horses and tack at the trailhead, said they will all pack and headed out before we could get more info.
^^^spoken like a true cowboy.
Patdel I'm in NM. Yea getting someone to commit can be a problem.
My dad on his Utah LE Bull tag, he was 80 back then and he is 88 now.
He loves his horses!
Good luck, Robb
We boned the meat off and thought we could make it the 8 miles off the mountain on the old--Closed to Motor Vehicles Roads--
But after about 5 miles, the 20 year old mare was acting up so I put the head/cape on my packout frame for the last 3 miles.
Good luck, Robb
I would rent 2 and 2 sets of pannier bags with the pack saddles . Brush up on some knots and bring some vicks vapor rub to put in there noses just before you get to the animal. Try not letting those big horns your going to get poke the horse or you will have a story to tell on here.
I would rent 2 and 2 sets of pannier bags with the pack saddles . Brush up on some knots and bring some vicks vapor rub to put in there noses just before you get to the animal. Try not letting those big horns your going to get poke the horse or you will have a story to tell on here.
