wild horses

Here in Wyoming we got 2 types of wild horses. The ones in the Pyror mountains are true spainiard blood. The ones in the McCullough Peaks are quarter horses released many many years ago.

To control the herd they do round-ups and sell the horses for nothing and make an amazing animal.
 
Invasive specie. I'm not sure how many they are rounding up on the Red Desert but the numbers in my opinion have increased in the last 20 years.
 
In Nevada they are like rats. Few years ago my son was hunting elk. We were spotting a few water springs against the mountain. We saw over 20 horses, with 4 stallions guarding the outskirts of the water hole. We need to open a season on them. I've never ate horse, but, I would give it a try, just to get rid of allot of them.
 
+1 mntman. I would be happy to spend a week in NV thinning the herds. Every time I hunt there, I see an increase in the numbers of wild horses.
 
They've ruined more than one of my archery antelope hunts west of here (Cedar City) by guarding waterholes or chasing off the does before the bucks come in. And they've taken over and/or ruined a lot of big game habitat. A LOT of BLM money, manpower, habitat and land is wasted trying to keep them all alive. The current system isn't working and they need to be controled, if not eliminated, by hunting/shooting them, whether by the public or government sharp shooters.

But, if you think that too many emotions/politics, rather than biology, drive big game policies, wait 'til a serious effort to allow the hunting/shooting of mustangs gets started. Even many of my adament hunting buddies and neighbors oppose or would oppose the idea. I occasionally jokingly bring it up when I talk about my antelope hunts, but I've learned that if they think I'm serious, the conversation becomes an argument. No, not a calm debate, a shouting match. ("That's like shooting and eating your dog/wife/brother/kid". "They used to hang horse thieves". "What would the pioneers/frontiersmen have done without horses". etc.) Somewhere along the line, we're going to be forced to deal with them and it's going to get messy!
 
That really surprises me that they are defended by hunters. The amount of damage they do to the environment is severe where they occur in large numbers. We had a big horse slaughter house that exported meat to France near me till that was shut down. We really need a wildlife organization to push to change the laws on feral horses and eliminate a lot of them. Probably too hot of a topic for most of them to mess with.
 
>+1 mntman. I would be happy
>to spend a week in
>NV thinning the herds. Every
>time I hunt there, I
>see an increase in the
>numbers of wild horses.

My folks served with U.S. Govt in early 1950s in (West) Germany and horse meat was in the grocery stores next to pork, etc. Probably is fine eating once you get past the mindset that a horse is a pet. Now, asking for sweet corn on the cob in Germany would raise eyebrows...Germans felt corn was only good for livestock food.
 
Why doesn't someone propose like what we do in Wyoming. round up and do an auction. They go for as low as 50 bucks and the buckskins go up to $400.
 
I wish I had seen as many deer as I did horses when we hunted 2b in tha Carson NF in NM two years ago. The suckers were all over the place and that was just a small section of the unit. Most of them looked real nice and healthy and would have probably been great to have been rounded up, broken, and used on ranches or whatever.
 
Round-ups are held all over the west,nfh.Not only are they necessary to keep herd numbers down,by law BLM must conduct them.They also conduct adoptions,although effectiveness of that program has diminished greatly.

In the areas around Rock Springs,horses can be seen north,south,east,and west of town.Round-ups are scheduled for this summer in many areas where horse numbers are out of hand.

Horses will not only keep big game species from getting a drink,they also destroy natural springs by stomping them flat;rendering them into nothing more than a spread-out mud hole,full of lots of hoof-sized pudlles rather than a nice semi-clean pond.Our local organization is in the process of fencing some of these to keep horses and livestock from getting inside.Springs will rejuvenate naturally from being stomped out given time.The horses will have to go elsewhere for their drink.

TOPGUN-Were they horses or burros in NM?
 
TOPGUN-Were they horses or burros in NM?


Definitely not burros!

53032011_trip_133.jpg


47832011_trip_129.jpg
 
don't they call horse meat "beef" in England? Thought there was a big story about that a few months ago.

sorry i couldn't help myself
 
>what happens if you whack a
>couple here and there?


Might depend on how fast you can turn them into ALPO ha ha ha LOL

GBA
 
If the BLM stops rounding them up like they are and let them control them selves as per the article says, imagine how many there will become then and the amount of damage done. How low will native species numbers go then???

Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"


Let me guess, you drive a 1 ton with oak trees for smoke stacks, 12" lift kit and 40" tires to pull a single place lawn mower trailer?
 
The adoption center as they call it is in Elm Creek. 50 miles from me the last time I was past it the corrals were full, I think the number of people that want them has decreased. In my opinion the more horses the less wildlife.
 
My father in law used to have a mustang that he captured from the open range (back when you could do that yourself) and it was the best mountain/hunting horse he ever owned. The problem with the adopting of one of these horses is the number or rules and standards that a person has to agree to before they can adopt. Remember, it is a government agency handling the adoption. It is probably easier to adopt a child than one of these horses.
 
From what I have been told most states do not protect the horse as the Wild Horse and Burro Act made them the BLM their caretaker's and the enforcement to protect falls upon the feds. I believe they are an invasive species and should be treated as such. As a comparison look at the Russian boar running wild and hold long ago that species was introduced.

I want a shoulder mount of some crazy mustang above my fireplace.

"Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."
 
A shoulder mount of a mustang? Really? In my 12 years spent in Nevada I had numerous run-ins with wild horses. I agree there is an issue, but gunning them down at will? Hardly sporting. Jeezus, guess I'm over the killing part of killing stuff. mtmuley
 
LAST EDITED ON Jun-08-13 AT 07:03AM (MST)[p]Ah heck my point is just as you imply. A horse mount is just not right and ugly not much of a trophy IMO. Be more of a shoot than a hunt. But when they start getting hunted and them critters just might get more elusive. I'd still shoot one as the coyotes gotta eat too and this just might improve the native deer herd.

"Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."
 
I've also noticed an increase in wild horses while hunting in CO. In the past 4 years Ive first saw a few. Then lately I started seeing them everywhere. The 300 was going to thin out a herd if it had ruined my elk hunt.

Goat
 
Wish they would just get rid of them in many places, or allow actual hunting. If they just let them go it will ruin the west.
 
hell lets eat them, ive ate horse . wasnt bad,,,,, not as good as kitty , but better than bear,,,,
 
I don't like the "wild horses either but. I can show any of you hose hoof prints that hang from a small cave here in southern Idaho. So if the government says the Canadian grey wolf was "reintroduced". Why was the "REINTRODUCTION" of wild horses not the same? And if the government is now allowing the hunting of wolves why not hunt horses? I would hunt one. Ron
 
Of all the wildlife and livestock that roam our hills, I could never shoot a horse... I just couldn't...

"Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!" 2 Ne. 28: 24
 
> Of all the wildlife and
>livestock that roam our hills,
>I could never shoot a
>horse... I just couldn't...
>
>"Therefore, wo be unto him that
>is at ease in Zion!"
>2 Ne. 28: 24

Because?
 
I agree, we need to get rid of them. They waste too much of our tax money. There is the occassional mustang that these mustang lovers buy/train to make a decent horse but lets get real with that scenario. If you take a nice QH or one of many other breeds and put the same time into them you will end up with a much better animal. Most these mustang loving nuts that fight to protect them aren't real horsemen anyway. Most people that really know and are involved in horses would never own one of these mutty looking, biting, kicking, laying down on side hills while your riding them, POS. You couldn't pay me any amount of money to own one. These people fight to save these animals and claim they make great saddle horse. True, a few might but most end up sucking hay money out of people for years and never get used. Most are pretty inbred as well.

My grandmother told me stories of how the army would bring thoroughbred stallions around to all the towns and leave them for the people to run with the mustang herds. They would ride out and shoot every stallion in the herds then release the thoroughbred stallions. Each year the towns people would round up the herds and the army would come back and buy the yearlings and two year olds. I'm betting this is one thing that initially contributed to the large number of mustangs out there. Its just been too many years since these heards had anything decent crosed in to them. "just some food for thought".

Either way, they don't make good domesticated usable horses and they waste our tax money.
 
> Of all the wildlife and
>livestock that roam our hills,
>I could never shoot a
>horse... I just couldn't...
>
>"Therefore, wo be unto him that
>is at ease in Zion!"
>2 Ne. 28: 24


Just think of them as zebras without the stripes... Maybe make a good rug???
 
elkfromabove- I've never looked at a horse and thought they were an animal to be hunted... Of course I've only been around domesticated horses, they are simply majestic and beautiful, and I think they are meant to be like "partners" or something with us... I think they are meant to be domesticated.

And I've seen some wild horses, and I thought it was amazing. I just didn't see them as a game animal, or a trophy, and definitely not as a source of meat... That's all.

If hunting them is necessary, then I'm not gonna fight it or anything, I just don't think I would do it.

"Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!" 2 Ne. 28: 24
 
I was in Nevada hunting desert sheep in 2007 and I joked with the F&G officer about whacking a couple of the wild horses. I quickly said "but I don't want to get in trouble".
He went on to explain how much the F&G hate them too and he said "Oh, you won't get in any trouble with us.... it's the Federal game agents who you'd need to watch for"
Interesting comment.
Thanks for the article Mtnman
Zeke
 
> elkfromabove- I've never looked at
>a horse and thought they
>were an animal to be
>hunted... Of course I've only
>been around domesticated horses, they
>are simply majestic and beautiful,
>and I think they are
>meant to be like "partners"
>or something with us... I
>think they are meant to
>be domesticated.
>
> And I've seen some wild
>horses, and I thought it
>was amazing. I just didn't
>see them as a game
>animal, or a trophy, and
>definitely not as a source
>of meat... That's all.
>
> If hunting them is necessary,
>then I'm not gonna fight
>it or anything, I just
>don't think I would do
>it.
>
>"Therefore, wo be unto him that
>is at ease in Zion!"
>2 Ne. 28: 24

Therein lies the delema, an emotional attachment that is difficult to explain and doesn't make biological sense when you do. At least you wouldn't fight the logical solution as my hunting friends would.

Any time a domesticated animal becomes feral, it posses a problem, sometimes a big problem, ie; cats, dogs, pigs, pigeons, goats, sheep, camels, and cattle. Horses and donkeys are no different!
 
As a horse owner and hunter I wanted to weigh-in on feral horses. Yes, they may be a part of our cultural heritage; yes, horses in general are lovable animals; yes, horses are beasts of burden to aid humans; BUT, most folks who know, raise and train horses will tell you mustangs do not make good mounts unless obtained very young and trained with an additional measure of patience. There are mustangs which have made exceptional mounts but those were trained for the most part by expert trainers. The vast majority of horse owners are not expert trainers (evidenced by the number of folks who send their horses to a prof. trainer). Mustangs or any other feral animal such a burros and pigs cause lots of damage to the environment and often at the expense of native wildlife. The best way to control feral horse numbers is to shoot/kill/butcher as many older mares and stallions as possible. Younger animals can be rounded up and adopted out for those bound and determined to make a "good horse" out of them. I would have a difficult time doing the shooting myself but I could do it.
 

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