Pack horse experience or drop camp...

[iccyman001]

For all of your guys who hunt with horses or who use guides with horses, this is directed to you. Is it worth trying once in my life or am I over playing it in my head?

When I see pictures I just think it looks so awesome to watch people pack in miles with horses and come out with big racks on the horses backs.
Don't get me wrong, I love the self satisfaction of carrying my elk out in my pack, but as someone who hasn't used horses before.... the idea has always excited me.

So to go back to my original statement, is this something worth trying once? Or am I just playing it up in my head....

If the general feedback was good I was considering changing up my apps one year and putting in for something a bit more off the beaten path. Maybe a Colin Neblett archery elk hunt, Colin Neblett deer hunt, 45, a gila unit, etc....

Next question...... do I fork over the coin for a guide with horses just to get the experience or do I just find someone with horses and pay them to come hangout for a while? I personally don't feel I need the guide for the hunting assistance, but I also don't know many people who would pack some horses out there for me to just hang out.

I know it's early, but it's just something I've often wondered about.....

Thank you for any feedback!

 

[264mag]

>For all of your guys who
>hunt with horses or who
>use guides with horses, this
>is directed to you. Is
>it worth trying once in
>my life or am I
>over playing it in my
>head?
>
>When I see pictures I just
>think it looks so awesome
>to watch people pack in
>miles with horses and come
>out with big racks on
>the horses backs.
>Don't get me wrong, I love
>the self satisfaction of carrying
>my elk out in my
>pack, but as someone who
>hasn't used horses before.... the
>idea has always excited me.
>
>
>So to go back to my
>original statement, is this something
>worth trying once? Or am
>I just playing it up
>in my head....
>
>If the general feedback was good
>I was considering changing up
>my apps one year and
>putting in for something a
>bit more off the beaten
>path. Maybe a Colin Neblett
>archery elk hunt, Colin Neblett
>deer hunt, 45, a gila
>unit, etc....
>
>Next question...... do I fork over
>the coin for a guide
>with horses just to get
>the experience or do I
>just find someone with horses
>and pay them to come
>hangout for a while?
>I personally don't feel I
>need the guide for the
>hunting assistance, but I also
>don't know many people who
>would pack some horses out
>there for me to just
>hang out.
>
>I know it's early, but it's
>just something I've often wondered
>about.....
>
>Thank you for any feedback!
I'd say do it if you never have ,I have done one in 16b archery but it ended to quickly 7:30 am opening morning of the opener.

 

[iccyman001]

> I'd say do
>it if you never have
>,I have done one in
>16b archery but it ended
>to quickly 7:30 am opening
>morning of the opener.


Sounds like you had a good trip then, ha ha.

 

[BUGLEnmIN]

>> I'd say do
>>it if you never have
>>,I have done one in
>>16b archery but it ended
>>to quickly 7:30 am opening
>>morning of the opener.
>
>
>Sounds like you had a good
>trip then, ha ha.


Icy for a second there I thought our mm friendship was over !!! Hahaha .. I will never have it any other way! Pay for a drop camp . You don't need a guide . Getting away from the people, the sounds of the ATV warriors roaring through the woods. It's a refreshing experience . Even if it's not a hunt,just a pack trip in the woods or a fishing trip on horseback is great. Just something about a mule loaded with horns and near that brings me that feeling of satisfaction!

 

[cosmic_cowboy]

I agree its well worth it... some reasons listed above, but its practical also when hunting some places. Colin Niblett is a waste of time without horses you will climb that mountain once or maybe twice then wish you had a horse.4 of us drew it back in 1999 ? for deer went 3 outa 4... 2 very nice Bucks and a big forkie The only guy that didn't have a horse went home with tag soup.
Jack

 

[iccyman001]

>Icy for a second there I
>thought our mm friendship was
>over !!! Hahaha ..
>I will never have it
>any other way! Pay for
>a drop camp . You
>don't need a guide .
>Getting away from the people,
>the sounds of the ATV
>warriors roaring through the woods.
>It's a refreshing experience .
>Even if it's not a
>hunt,just a pack trip in
>the woods or a fishing
>trip on horseback is great.
>Just something about a mule
>loaded with horns and near
>that brings me that feeling
>of satisfaction!
>

>
>

>
>

Honestly I always see your pictures and that's what gets me so fired up wanting to try this out. It looks like such an amazing time and an experience that I feel that I need to try at least once. I feel like I need that iconic picture of a big ol rack of mine coming out on the back of a horse.
I'll have to do a drop camp sometime here soon!

 

[iccyman001]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-22-18 AT 05:44PM (MST)[p]>I agree its well worth it...
>some reasons listed above, but
>its practical also when hunting
>some places. Colin Niblett is
>a waste of time without
>horses you will climb that
>mountain once or maybe twice
>then wish you had a
>horse.4 of us drew it
>back in 1999 ? for
>deer went 3 outa 4...
>2 very nice Bucks and
>a big forkie The only
>guy that didn't have a
>horse went home with tag
>soup.
>Jack


Jack,
I ate tag soup in Neblett for that exact reason. I climbed up behind the boy scout area every morning and would climb 4-5 miles before I even started hunting. Just to see some forkies or some does.....

I will never make that mistake again. I'd like to rehunt it, but starting off in there way deeper...

 

[RoughCountry]

Yes sir only way to go IMO. Do you ride horses at home ? A lot of outfitters have dude horses that will take you up the trail to camp then in the morning get up and go down a trail until you get to the hunting area then tie up and hunt on foot. That's not a bad way to go usually the horses have been up and down the trail so much they don't get to jacked up about much....that's a plus ! I own a dozen horses and we hunt off trail with them and that's a whole different story you really should know how to handle a horse if you're going to climb up the side of a steep mountain off trail in rough ,brushy, rocky country on horseback, remember elk live in some nasty places. One of the things that is most important is ...RIDE GOOD HORSES!!! .....not all horses are created equal. I'm around horses every day of the week and can't think of a better way to hunt elk.

 

[iccyman001]

>Yes sir only way to go
>IMO. Do you ride
>horses at home ?
>A lot of outfitters have
>dude horses that will take
>you up the trail to
>camp then in the morning
>get up and go down
>a trail until you get
>to the hunting area then
>tie up and hunt on
>foot. That's not a
>bad way to go usually
>the horses have been up
>and down the trail so
>much they don't get to
>jacked up about much....that's a
>plus ! I own a
>dozen horses and we hunt
>off trail with them and
>that's a whole different story
>you really should know how
>to handle a horse if
>you're going to climb up
>the side of a steep
>mountain off trail in rough
>,brushy, rocky country on horseback,
>remember elk live in some
>nasty places. One of the
>things that is most important
>is ...RIDE GOOD HORSES!!! .....not
>all horses are created equal.
>I'm around horses every day
>of the week and can't
>think of a better way
>to hunt elk.

Unfortunately I don't have horses and have never worked with them. I think that also fuels this want for a horse hunt. I want to pack my canvas tent back deep in some wilderness, and cook my food & coffee over an open fire.
All of my elk hunts are typically a club med type of hunt. I drag my travel trailer out to the mountains and go from there. Don't get me wrong I love every single bit of it, but something keeps drawing me towards wanting to do a hunt like this.

 

[Muleman]

Is it worth it, heck yeah it is. Hunting in wilderness areas packing in is a great experience but consider a few things.

Its twice as much work as a regular hunt. In a wilderness you can only hunt as far as you are capable of walking or riding in a day, you cant just pick up and move to the other side of the unit like you would in a truck.


With no pack experience you need to go with someone who is experienced, not just a guy with horses. Ol' frank and johns roping horses might be great at stretching out a calf or team roping but good pack and mountain stock are a different deal.

In your case I would recommend using an outfitter to do a drop camp. You want someone who knows what they are doing so you can spend your time enjoying hunting not having rodeos.

You also need someone who knows the country. A lot of NM wilderness lacks water since no improvements are allowed in wildernesses. Game can be in pockets and not spread-out evenly like you might think. Knowing where to go in a wilderness is just as important as having good stock to get you there. In a wilderness you can only hunt as far as you are capable of walking or riding in a day, you cant just pick up and move to the other side of the unit like you would in a truck.

 

[BUGLEnmIN]

All these are true stories ! It's an amazing experience! I'd surely give you a nudge in the direction of a drop camp!

 

[Reuben_Soady]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-23-18 AT 01:00PM (MST)[p]Definitely worth the effort/cost for such a special/unique/quintessential western hunting experience. I haven't heard of many folks renting a truck or camper trailer from Hertz to improve their hunting experience.

I've been to Gila Wilderness (16B/22) without horses and I've been to VV (55A) with horses. At VV, we camped in one of the official campgrounds and hauled the horses to trailhead twice a day.

The ponies provide mobility to get away from camp. Maybe "the camp" is functionally the road like we had in VV, where my buddy's elk was taken 4 miles from the road. I sure wouldn't want to hike that with a quarter on my back.

Otherwise, if you use horses to set up a basecamp back in the wilderness, then you still get to use the horses to hunt six miles this way or six miles that way. There certainly are elk within a couple miles of the wilderness trailheads, but that's not why I want to hunt wilderness.

As long as nobody gets hurt, even Franks and John's calf ropin rodeo would be fun if you don't get to hang around livestock enough.

I think that finding the right outfitter to fit with your desires will be the challenge. Obviously you'll discuss what you want with prospective outfitters. I bet you can find an outfitter that will partner with you, let you call the shots, and just be there to help instead of being a hunting guide.

 

[RoughCountry]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-23-18 AT 03:24PM (MST)[p]If me or one of my friends or family have drawn a tag this is what a typical day consist of ..... Get up early about 4 or 4:15 am and feed the horses ( we have a camp right next to the wilderness) go inside and throw down coffee and make a quick breakfast, pack a big lunch with enough food to hold me over all day and night if I don't make it back to camp that night. Go saddle the horses and head out about an hour before sunup . Head to where we plan to hunt or until we hear some bugles if it is bow or muzz season. We hunt all morning then maybe around noon we will tie up and take a break until about 2:30. or so and take off. We hunt right up to dark then head back to camp. Once back we take all the tack off the horses hay and grain them make sure they have water then go inside and eat, hit the sack hopefully before 10 pm get up about 4. 4:15 and do it again. Some times you have a pretty long ride in the dark but once you hit a trail back it's not to bad with a head light. It can be a ton of work but I love every day of it and think about it all year !! Find a good outfitter that has been hunting with horses a long time and it will be a great experience.

 

[iccyman001]

Thank you all so much for this very detailed and fantastic feedback.
Reading about your experiences added about 15 gallons of fuel to the fire to do this.

I've got some WY points that I need to burn here soon and what I am thinking is killing two birds with one stone. I may use them to draw a better WY wilderness hunt. I need a guide to hunt wilderness areas as a non-resident and then I would get to use horses. Sounds like a win win to me.....

I'd say I could try to change up my NM apps, but I am pretty stuck on a few units and it would be really hard for me to try something new. Who knows though... maybe I will find someone who is silly enough to go find some hoss of a buck in one of the Rio Arriba County units (you know which ones ) or Colin neblett and do it with horses...

 

[Ltsheets]

Ltsheets ?likes? this thread hahaha

 

[BUGLEnmIN]

>Ltsheets ?likes? this thread hahaha


Hahaha??

 

[Phantom Hunter]

Would not hunt elk without my horses. We too, camp beside wilderness areas or areas with no motorized trails. Saddle up and head out 1-2 hours before daylight and return 1-2 hours after dark. Horses feed and water come before ours. If we make a kill it will be a late night walking out leading a horse loaded with elk quarters but it sure beats multiple trips with elk meat on my old back. Find an outfitter to help you or do a drop camp with a packer to assist. You will love it. Might want to find a stable nearby to get some saddle time before hunt, you will not get as sore that way.

 

[vinihunt]

https://www.wildoutdoorsnm.com/

 

[joesikora]

Hey iccyman001, I think the whole horse back thing is cool but it wears off quick! Wears your butt clean off! LOL!

Do you draw this year? If not I'm sure BUGLEnmIN could find you a tag!

Joe

"Sometimes you do things wrong for so long you
think their right" - 2001
"I can't argue with honesty" - 2005
-Joe E Sikora

 

[iccyman001]

>https://www.wildoutdoorsnm.com/


Thanks for the link!

 

[iccyman001]

>Hey iccyman001, I think the whole
>horse back thing is cool
>but it wears off quick!
>Wears your butt clean off!
>LOL!
>
>Do you draw this year? If
>not I'm sure BUGLEnmIN could
>find you a tag!
>
>Joe
>
>"Sometimes you do things wrong for
>so long you
>think their right" - 2001
>"I can't argue with honesty" -
>2005
>-Joe E Sikora



Hey Joe!

I drew a tag! Going to be another great year for sure.