Amateur Question About Backcountry Stock in Alaska

[Luke S]

I am a total newbie at horses and livestock. I helped out with them at summer camp a few times and my wife had goats for a bit. That is it. But...

My wife gets a lot of joy out of pets and farm animals in general. At various times she has raised rabbits, dwarf goats, turkeys, chickens and maybe a few other things. I of course like to hunt and like non-motorized units.

So we were discussing the idea of our next animal being something that could double as a hunting tool. Here are some ideas

Pack Goats
I looked over some of the threads but I don't think pack goats would help with a moose hunt. I don't think they could carry enough to be worth it. Also, I recall they can have problems going off trail. Sounds like a bad fit for Alaska.

A Mule/Pack Horse
Instead of a pack string, what about one that could carry a couple moose quarters? No one seems to do just one. Is there a reason why? This is probably too expensive but one would be the upper end for us.

Miniature Horse/Donkey
The basic question here is whether you could get something smaller then a mule or horse that would save money on feed but still be able to carry enough weight to help out.

llamas, Yaks?
Any crazy ideas I'm missing? There are yaks here and there in Alaska.

I'm not convinced any of these are a good idea. But I'm open to suggestions. None of our "farm" animals pay for themselves in Alaska. Its a hobby not a money saver. I don't think we want to pay for a horse. But if there is an option between pack goats and a horse we'd be interested.

 

[squirrel]

Llamas fit exactly the niche you describe, and they handle cold really well. It might be a good fit for you. For moose you are gonna need a few of 'em.

 

[rayporter]

equines are herd animals and singles tend to be unhappy and frequently unruly..

 

[BCSojourner]

Concur with Squirrel's response. Llamas are also the lowest maintenance and easiest to deal with in camp or on the trail. Check out some of Beau Baty's videos at Wilderness Ridge Trail Llamas. He has used all of the animals in your post and has a good video that compares them. They do struggle some in boggy areas under load but are great on terra firma.

 

[burrohiker]

+1 for donks/burros

Do everything a weekend warrior llama can do and are not outrageously priced. Advantage: Donkey

However the donkey and llama market in AK is probably pretty small. Let the AK guys chime in but a couple solid draft crosses for moose would be your best bet. Check out Backcountry BC and Beyond for cool content on moose packing with horses.