LAST EDITED ON Oct-02-11 AT 07:19PM (MST)[p]I would strongly caution you against packing in with stock. Your camp could become so plush that you might find that you lack the desire to go out and acutally hunt or you find yourself having so much fun that you simply forget to go hunting, (or you have a headache as you find that all of your hunting was for your animals and not trying to fill your tag).
Actually, they are great. I've had both horses and mules. My horse was simply an amazing trail animal. He would pack and ride. We hunted elk in Idaho over in the Bitterroot Wilderness. I used him to skid trees into camp for firewood. I would ride him out into the river and fish off of him. One time one of our party went off the trail with a Honda 90 and I used the horse to drag it back up to the trail. Shooting never bothered him, I could rest off of his back and shoot with my .270. He would swim across any body of water. He didn't like to get his back wet so I was always high and dry. I would just kick my feet out of the stirrups and give him free rein. Our 'lil henny swam with just her nose above water so anything that was on her back got a bath. If we got caught out in the dark, I would give him free rein and tell him to go home. He would look left, then right, give a little snort, line out a course and start walking. If there were low limbs over a trail (if we were even on a trail) he would step around them so I wouldn't get brushed off. Eventually he would stop and there would be the tent. I always gave him an extra hatfull of sweetfeed for a job well done. Only problem with Blackjack was that he liked to do a little crow-hopping in the morning. The minute your leg would cross over that saddle he would launch. After about 8 or 10 jumps, we both would be awake and ready to ride. After that he would ride to hell and back.
As far a packing goes, pigs can be tied to the skirts across the back of the saddle and you can ride. I always tied deer over my riding saddle and walked on foot. A spike elk can be first halved, then cut a slit between the last two ribs and "button-holed" over the saddlehorn and will take two trips or two animals. I always packed big bulls out using a basket hitch on my riding saddle, ride in and pack out. Paniers and mantees work great for packing meat with a sawbuck or decker. Before you buy one, take some hamburger or a steak with you and see how they react to blood. Had a friend with a mule that did NOT like blood. Tied a shirt over her eyes and parked her in between two windfalls to load her. The shirt came off, dropped the rope and she took off like a shot. Must have been a good knot because they found her next to the tent with the meat still on waiting to be unloaded. As for my equipment, I have paniers and a top pack for the sawbuck. It came from Walker's Pack Saddlery and Outdoor Supply in Wallowa, Wa. Good Folks there.
Had a few wrecks that I had to sort out. Those times stay with you forever. Both times that I broke my nose were the result of the animals. Fortunatly they never rolled over any of the guns. If I was walking and someone else was leading, I would tie a short piece of rope to a britchen and hang on for all I was worth. Gave me fresh legs for the next morning. Good times.
I think that packing is a little different then just riding just like hunting is a little different then just shooting. A good little book to have is "Horses, Hitches, and Rocky Trails" by Joe Back. Actually, every hunter should have a copy as it is a pretty good read. Not real long, but a lot of good info on the art of packing.
For what it's worth, I've noticed that the animals seem to do better in pairs in the back country. They are usually very social and the last thing you want if for one of them taking off to the trailhead because they get homesick. If you do have a wanderer, tie a bell around their neck. The bell can serve other useful purposes such as an early warning device for bear intrusions or as an alarm clock if tied loosely around the wrist of the eldest member of the hunting party which will wake everyone up when they make an early morning trip to "check the stars".
My Uncle had a molly that he found in Bishop. She was a real jewell. He wouldn't take any amount of money for her. She would pack and ride. Her ride was really smooth. Blood didn't bother her but she did have a thing for "black" objects. Stumps in the dark, deep shadows, etc. He figured she had a bad experience with a bear when she was young. But what a mule! They will be telling stories about her for generations to come.
Mules seem to have a sixth sense about them. One year my Dad shot a nice muley in Idaho. He decided to pack it out to the vehicles (half a day's ride). He loaded the deer on the henny and rode the molly. The trail made a couple of switches across a wide rock and talus slope that was pretty steep. He got to a point in the middle of the slope and both animals just stopped. He gave them a little nudge but they locked legs and refused to go. He gave them a little breather, then tried to get them started but it was still a no-go. Out of ideas, he gave them lose rein and let the lead rope drop. (My Dad was also a very patient man). The mules lowered their heads like they were smelling for something. Then his mount bunched up and jumped off of the trail up the high side onto a small boulder and then forward and across and then back down onto the trail. Dad was clinging onto the horn for dear life. It was a looong way down. The pack mule did about the same, then calmly waited for Dad to grab her lead rope like nothing had just happened. Then they continued on without a hitch. He spent the night at the camper, then loaded up some supplies and rode out the next afternoon for spike camp. When he got to where they had the indcident the previous day, he discovered that the trail had slid out for about a ten foot section. There was no way that any of them would have survived a wreck on that one. They would have bought a ticket to astoria.
Another time some years later my Grandpa had a stroke. It was on his left side and left him very debilatated. But he refused to leave the ranch so my Grandma took care of him. He enjoyed walking the ranch and no doubt reliving old memories. One time though he didn't come back for a while. Grandma was worried and gave me a call. I dropped everything to go look for him. I went up to Grandma's house first to start tracking which direction Grandpa might have headed out for. As I was just leaving, I spotted the mule... and Grandpa. He was covered in grass and leaves, a real mess. Apparently he had fallen and couldn't get up. The mule came alongside of him and lowered her head so he could grab a handful of mane, then she headed for the house with Grandpa still hanging on. All I can say is there is a lot of things out there that we really don't know much about.
But I guess your question was about getting a mule. If you can find a good one, hang on to them because they are worth their weight in gold. If you get a bad one, don't shoot it until you get home because you may find out that you are obligated to pack it out (lol). Good luck!
That's me on the horse (Blackjack) and another MM'er earning an ironbutt award riding sawbuck on the mule a few years ago. We just finished packing out his bull about 18 miles and are headed back to camp from the trailhead.
Note: The 50' hemp rope is a pack rope for my riding saddle and the cinch tied to the skirt is a lash-cinch for tying a diamond hitch. My britchen is a home-made job out of a piece of harvester belt. The sawbuck on the mule is from a local saddle shop but the britchen and breastcollar came from a saddle shop in Grangeville, Id.
