Does anyone....

Cowgirl, I voted "NO"...but not because I WOULDN'T. I'd lvoe to use 'em...if I owned one. As it is I just depend on my two good feet.

I wish more folks did use 'em vice ATVs though!

i also voted no, but i 'm in the same boat- i have used them in the past quit a bit, and their great! but right now i haven't for about 3-4 yrs so i had to say no. hopefully in the future i will have a place to keep a couple head with a mule or two. i love the good ol' days having a pack string, going way into somewhere and hunting like mad then using the mules to retreive the animal.

I said no too, but I can think of many a time, a horse would have been useful.

i voted yes...do mules count? I can't imagine hunting some of the areas we've hunted without a four legged backpack.

Yes,

Our elk live in no mans land.
Our favorite elk hunting country is about 10,000 ft elevation. have to travel about 8 miles of steep rugged country.

Couldnt live with out them!

"AGCHAWK" wrote:Cowgirl, I voted "NO"...but not because I WOULDN'T. I'd lvoe to use 'em...if I owned one. As it is I just depend on my two good feet.

I wish more folks did use 'em vice ATVs though!

I like ATV's too! We don't have them though, but when we went hunting in Wyoming, we used them and I forgot how nice it was not to have to hike...

It's yes for me. Used my brothers horses when we went to Colorado to hunt elk.

Now that I'm married I've went from no horses to three now. (???)

They are sure nice to have when you need them. The rest of the time they are just work.

I voted thinking about it. The wife wants one bad, and it would make life easier when hunting, but the rest of the time it would just be one more set of chores. I think I'm going to lease some horses this year.

Horses are nice for packing

I voted yes, even though I don't own any horses right now, but my Father does! I grew up hiking up the trail holding onto the horses tail!

Good way to get your teeth kicked out! :))

"NONYA" wrote:Good way to get your teeth kicked out! :))

all the better to.... never mind :-$ it's a great way to get up the trail! has anyone else done this?

No but I always thought it would be fun to get back into the deep dark stuff and hunt from a drop camp on horse back!

I have used horses and love them other than they break everything including yourself. What the deal has been for me is it is so hard and a big hassle to haul horses from here to the mountains period. Got to give them time to adapt, have to haul a lot of gear ,and pens, have to buy certified feed, have to have good water source, and trying to rent is expensive and you don't know what you will get.

Now, recently I have used these boys. they can't haul as much and you can't ride them but you can rent three for about the price of one horse, they don't have near the water demand, and will eat about anything.

http://www.hunt101.com/img/393470.JPG" alt="" />

Yeah, but then you have to be around Llamas. Who needs that?

Sounds like your making a lot more effort out them than I ever have. We can pack everything we need for them that they're not already wearing in one box unless we have to pack alfalfa pellets in during late season hunts. The water issue is usually the biggest.

anyone ever use pack goats???? people who have usually talk highly of them. it would be an interestin try for sure. i think i would hide when i new a real pack string with mules was comeing to avoid looking like a dork

I have always wanted to hunt using horses. You can truly get back in the wilderness and never see another hunter.

As luck may have it, I've been invited to hunt in the Yellowstone wilderness in '08. Talked with a buddy of my inlaws and he's been doing it since he was in highschool, and he just turned 65. I'm guessing it's been a few years for him then.

I just need to show up with my gear and tag and I'll be good to go.

If the job prospect works out for next year I should be getting a place that I can get horses. Been looking at the costs and benefits, I'm thinking the benefits outweigh the cost.

dahlmer,

You are right the Llamas are strange beast. I was sitting waiting on one of my hunting buddies with my string of Llamas and if you have never seen them spit it is a thing to behold. Scared the crud out of me when one of them got a little t'd off and spit it was like an air cannon of green goo shot all over the head of the other Llama.

I have to admit if one ever did that to me I might come back with one less Llama and pay the $2000 replacement cost.

They are some climbing muthers.

My dad'd neighbor keeps a llama with his sheep. When he 1st put it in their my dad's mules freaked out. They didn't care for it at all. I've seen them spit and it is a nasty. If you could ride one I might be tempted to give it go.

i use horse over here on the cimmarron grasslands to scout for deer, and at the same time getsthem in really good shape, let alone gets their mind off the arena! dont think i would take them in the mountains, do have a couple ranch horses at the ranch i would take to the mountains!!
have two four wheelers, and a polaris ranger i am thinking about taking to colorado, with the family to ride and camp this summer. never taken atvs to the mountains hunting, yet!! just need to talk to cdow and find where they are legal! i jknow they are not in the wilderness areas! will take atvs when my kiddos go with me, when it is me and my buddies it is horsepower the original kind!!!
:thumb
diggerdave

Never used them but I would really like to. Would be a useful way of getting back into some good elk in the early bow season and not having to worry as much about spoilage. Also, an added benefit of having the horses is the possibility of escaping all these "hunters" on their ATV's. Nothing ruins a hunt for me as bad as hearing an ATV. I'm not bashing on them at all, just when people mis-use them in the woods it's bugs on me. There loud, smell bad, and scare off the game. I would much rather just walk.
~Dave

TRU DAT DAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY GET MISUSED WAY TO OFTEN! SO IT LOOKS BAD ON EVERYONE, I HAVE USED THEM FOR RETREIVING ANIMALS BUT MOSTLY JUST LEAVE THEM AT HOME.

Thank you everyone for replying!! :thumb They are great animals, if you get a good and bombproof one.. Thust me....NEVER GO ON A SPOOKY HORSE or they will knock your teeth out and you will sitting on the ground with a bruised hip.... :-k

Yes I have and use horses in Nevada not Colorado. Normally I'll do a lot of scouting with horses and I'll pack water to my campsite in advance before my hunt. But I camp up high and there is no water for livestock when you get real high so I normally will use a backpack during the actual hunting season. I also like to shed hunt with horses. fatrooster.

My dad and I use mule's when we hunt in colorado. We hunt on the flat tops and way back in there so we use mule's. And it's save a whole lot of work to pack them out of there using them :)

Pic of my dad and the mule's last year (2006)



Pic of me and mule in 2005

youngbuck91

question, your mules or do you rent them??
how do they compare to horses?

thanks, :thumb
diggerdave

we rent them...the guy actually doesn't rent them out, but he's a friend of my dads so he let us borrow them for a very small price. during summer we ride them or put wieght on them to condition them for the mountains.

mules eat less hay and grass then horses by a lot. mules are better for packing. and if trained properly you can ride them.

1 of ours was never trained to be ride on. it wasn't that bad. but when we took a picture when on mule it spooked and bucked my dad off. But the other mule was used to being ride on.

"diggerdave" wrote: how do they compare to horses?
diggerdave

The answer to that question is going to depend on what your experience with horses has been. Having used both regularly, I'll give you some generalities.

The biggest issue is going to start from basic anatomy. Mules have very little wither in comparison to a horse and a much flatter back. Generally speaking they are also not as wide from the shoulders all the way through the hips. This means your saddle is going to fit a lot differently on a mule vs. a horse. A crouper strap or britchen strap is a necessity on a mule. Without one you will likely find yourself headed over its head on a good downhill grade, they will also assist in controlling side to side action. I have found most mules are far less susceptable to saddle sores (on the wither) than horses assuming the saddle fits well. Being narrower generally translates to a more comfortable ride in my opinion...it feels a lot like doing the splits when going from a mule to a horse.

The other big issue is their stubborness, intelligence, whatever you want to call it. I don't know if they are smarter or just obstinate, but you will struggle to force a mule to do something it doesn't want to do...and once it has had a bad experience it may never forget it. So, it's best to be careful how you handle those situations. Generally, I have also found them to be more surefooted than horses but that's probably something that needs to be evaluated on a case by case basis. They are group animals as well and taking off from the rest of the "pack" can be a little exciting sometimes, but that too varies from animal to animal.

Other than that, I haven't seen a lot of differences between the two. I haven't found that they eat and more or less than a horse. Whether horse or mule your experience with one may not be indicative of the whole. Like a horse, you will often get what you pay for if you go cheap while you can pay a lot for one and not necessarily get a much better animal. There seems to be a lot of interest in them recently and I suggest buyer beware as some may just be capitalizing on the increasing market. If it helps, we don't own horses anymore and haven't for 5+ years, although I'm looking at getting one I can put my kids on.

I grew up with horses and I think they're the only way to go when hunting, if you've got 'em. They make for an easy pack in and out! I'd rather be on the back of a horse than on the seat of a four-wheeler. The ride is half the fun! Thanks for posting the poll!

When outfitting, we only use our horses for packing, it's a liability issue.
but when that big bull hits the ground, i'm sure glad to see one!!

I'm fortunate enough to hunt private land so I personally don't need horses,mules, or ATVs. I sure don't fault the hunters that do use them though.