rbullom

Here's another trick for packing:

Skip the paniers. Place a poncho or some other item over the saddle to protect it from the blood stain. Take a good bone saw, split the elk down the back bone, (yes it take a while). Cut a slit just below the back bone (spine) between the 4th and 5th rib about 6 inched long. With two or three guys lift the half up with the hide side out. Drape it over the saddle and place the saddle horn into the slit you cut between the ribs. The meat side is toward the saddle, (thus the need to use a poncho or some other item to protect the saddle).The spine will be in the front of the horn and the ribs will be over the saddle. I've had the place a pad in fron of the saddle to protect the horse from the sharp backbone that was cut. NO TIE DOWN NEEDED! It will ride just like a man in the saddle. The hide protects the meat on the outside as you travel. I've packed several elk over the years this way and only had one slip due to the rap on the horn. We started leaving the paniers in camp after a few years because we found this to work so well. It does take a horse that will stand still and willing to pack.

Never tried the blindfold idea. I have had #$%^ scattered all over after a horse blow up during game pack load. Not fun gathering stuff back up and chasing horses.

Painted Horse

I bought horses 12 years ago because I became more successful with my elk hunts and after packing a couple out on my back decided there had to be a better way.

I've never had any problems with any of my horses packing wild game. I have heard lots of horror stories and usually worried every time I took a new horse in. But it's never been a problem.

I bone out most of my elk. No need to haul out bones. I can usually get all the meat on one horse that way.

I've been sheep hunting this year. But my hunting buddy came and borrowed my horses. He doesn't own horses, but has been with me on several occassion when we hauled elk out. He even took a young 3 year old filly that I've started this year. He said She did great. I often tie the horses close by while I bone out the elk. By time I'm done boning out the animal, they are past any concerns of the smell of wild game. It's a lot easier to get a load balanced if I just haul boned out meat and not have legs etc getting hung up in passing tree branches. I find the horses object less if everything is balanced and nothing is catching.

My pet peeve is hunters who shoot something way past their capabilities and then come beg me to haul it out. It is not uncommon to have hunters come trolling past camp and see our horse and come ask us to pack out their elk. I like to help people out, but this is one place I put my foot down. I spend a lot of money to feed and care for my horses all year. I spend the money on trucks/trailers and fuel to haul the horses to the mountains. All so that I can go hunting. I've got 3 maybe 4 days to hunt. Usually just a weekend and back to work. It's unfair to ask me to spend my day packing out somebody elses elk instead of hunting. Even if I have the time, my horses also get tired. If I spend the time packing out their elk, that's one less trip into the back country my horses will make before the poop out on me.

I applaud your willingness to rent horses rather than borrow/beg them. If you feel unsafe about riding an unknown horse. Just lead it in. You are going to lead it out when packed anyway.

Here the Sorrel horse is packing out a cow elk and the grey horse is hauling out my camp.

Champlain Islander

Great picture....good looking horses.

ironranger

EKM, good information and thank you for posting it. I'll definitely save this for future reference. Wish I had more experience elk hunting in order to answer your questions about how far and where to draw the line. Thus far, I've been lucky as my first two bulls were pretty close to roads and then the 3rd one this year during archery we only had to pack about 1.5 miles. Also packed a cow about 2.5 miles but we had enough to do it in one trip so no spoilage. I've rented horses from Sombero twice before but just used them to pack in gear and didn't ride them. Figured I'd start there. Man, what a learning experience. One horse didn't want to cross even a trickle of a stream without tugging on his halter and both of them the first year didn't like moving water period. They also didn't want to be out of sight of each other. I learned that sudden movements are not a good thing around horses nor is the shine off of a gun barrel in the sun. They are unpredictable and I learned that I had to be ready for anything. Never got to use one to pack an animal so I don't have that appreciation to fall back on!! They definitely would be worth it when you are so far back in that packing it out on your back wouldn't be feasible.

forestcure

great story and excellent pointers. thanks.

elkslayer338

Yes indeed to use a horse or not to use a horse is not a question to me I have always had astring of them in camp and let me tell you I personally would not go on the Elk hunt without them. the pack and trail horse add so much to the experience of the huntas well as animportant member of camp . We get up and feed and saddle then we eat and ready for the hunt, Your horse first. In the 28 years of pack In's I have experienced quite a few Horses some bad some real bad and some that showed me a thing or two " Smart "But if they know what you expect and respond to you they are invaluable for the hunt. Just one thing that deal about not tying your horseoff because they might brake the halter or rope not a good Idea always tie them off short and if they pull you must brake them of this immediately for more on how to correct this check my clip on the topic of loading http://www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=174712763

Great post and well written
Elkslayer


Danno" High teck Redneck "07 6x6 packed out to the freezer

Painted Horse

I agree, I enjoy having my horses with me in camp.
Allof the bad horses that I have experience have been somebody elses horses. Where they borrowed a horse to come hunting etc.
These other horses just don't have the trust in you as a handler since they probably are not handled much prior to the hunt. My horses get rode 2-3 times a week in the mountains all summer. They are legged up for hunting season. So you are not worried about giving them a heart attact or having the poop out on you. They have spent many a night highlined or hobbled and know what to expect. We've covered them with rain sheets or blanketswhen the weather was bad on camp outs. So putting a pannier on is a big deal. I tie the horses close by while I butcher the game animal. As I stand up to stretch occassionally, I usually stick my hands over the nose. So by time I load the meat, the smell is a non-issue.

When I'm back country alone, my horses become my watchdogs and companions. I usually bring 4 horses and let my friends and hunting buddies ride them. A couple of my horses being rode by a friend and his son.


They've spent many a cold night at camp




And frequently been turned out in high mountain meadows to graze. Here we stretched a hot wire around a meadow.


And sometime when there are not too many we just let them graze loose as long as they stay close.

Power

Great story and great advice. I'm not a horse guy but my wife is and we do use them for our elk hunts on occasion. Lucky for us most of our hauls out are only amile or less so we can "pack by back" if needed or if the horse won't.

I emailed a link to this page to my wife, I'm sure she'll get a kick out of it.

Oh, and congrats on getting your elk! Pics?

BareBack Jack

Good post EKM.
My threshold for packing elk is I never go down hill,this eliminates holes,blowdowns and rat traps where you can lose a horse to broken legs.Ifyou kill a elk in there I bring the elk to the horse where you can have room to load and incase stop a rodeo.

My ratio horse to grunt is 10/20 and 5/20 and always up hill.I can walk 20 miles a day pretty easy.If I'm pack framing it its 4 trips of 5 in and 4 trips of 5 out.It takes two days to complete with out breaking your back.I have done this twice and it's gruling on the legs.
I have packed more with horses than on my back cause it's easier.Ride in 10 and walk out 10 repeat and your done in a day.

The only time I have hunted with multiple tags was on private property where we invited to hunt some problem elk.There were 6 of us with 2 tags apice.1 bull and 1 cow,end of the day we had 12 elk and two pick-ups.We were alowed to drive to them after they were down,the farthest drag was about a 100 yds.I think that was thesimplest elkhunt I had ever done.

BBJ

MTdream

Love packing, takes some time and mistakes as others have mentioned, but would not trade the gelding I ride for a new truck...he is worth is weight in gold even at todays gold prices...