Backcountry hunt with horses

[jcor]

I am heading to northern nm in October for the first rifle hunt, as of now I have horses lined up to pack us in and out. This will be my first backcountry hunt, what should I be prepared for food pack weight and water pack weight?

 

[cshire]

your outfitter should be telling you your weight limits and any other restrictions - like cooler sizes, long items, rifle or bow cases they need, etc.

 

[jcor]

This is a diy hunt, im renting horses to pack camp in and hopefully an elk out. I've been in contact with the owner, just checking what everyone else sees fit for living on a mountain for a week.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Unless you're going into a bone dry area (in which case, how are you going to water your horses?), you shouldn't need to pack in any water. Get a purifier of some sort (filter, ultraviolet light, chemical) and find a natural source for your drinking and cooking water.

Full weight of my gear for a 8-9 day backpack hunt during archery elk season is 60-70 lbs. I could get that down to 40-50 lbs if I skipped some luxury items and invested in more ultralight gear.

I've used pack horses on a few hunts and have been advised to keep the weight on the animals at or below 150 lbs. That seems a bit conservative to me, but I'm no horse expert.

 

[Bbell12]

Are you very experienced with horses and packing?

My brother and I take horses up to S CO every year and have a fair amount of experience with packing animals; would be happy to help in any way.


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[CamoPirate]

Full weight of my gear for a 8-9 day backpack hunt during archery elk season is 60-70 lbs. I could get that down to 40-50 lbs if I skipped some luxury items and invested in more ultralight gear.

Is this including food? If so, I'm curious how that breaks down. I can't seem to keep my pack light, but then again I've been investing in tags instead of gear.

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

Are you keeping horses in camp
With you? How many do you have? Have you packed before? There’s a lot more that goes into horses than most people think.... it’s not just throw ur gear in panniers and start riding.

150 lbs per horse packing is average, dead weight packs a heck of a lot different than live weight. Even packs, 3 lbs difference can ruin ur day.


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[jcor]

This is my first time with horses for packing. The horses will only be for transportation in and out of the forest so we wont have to worry about them for the hunt. Also the owner will be leading us up and packing the horses.

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

O well then that’s easy ask him your weight limits, he’s spike camping you into an area with the horses. The outfitter should tell you what he wants, should weigh everything out and lash it down etc. so then you can make your weights match that, most guys don’t need 150lbs of gear for a week but I’ve also been proved wrong several times for that one.


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[deerkiller]

Unless you're going into a bone dry area (in which case, how are you going to water your horses?), you shouldn't need to pack in any water. Get a purifier of some sort (filter, ultraviolet light, chemical) and find a natural source for your drinking and cooking water.

Full weight of my gear for a 8-9 day backpack hunt during archery elk season is 60-70 lbs. I could get that down to 40-50 lbs if I skipped some luxury items and invested in more ultralight gear.

I've used pack horses on a few hunts and have been advised to keep the weight on the animals at or below 150 lbs. That seems a bit conservative to me, but I'm no horse expert.

150 lbs for a horse is correct - "packed" weight it much different than "rider" weight, even at that you'll want to watch carefully for rubs - did you ask the renter if these horses are "seasoned" hunting horses ?

 

[deerkiller]

Are you keeping horses in camp
With you? How many do you have? Have you packed before? There’s a lot more that goes into horses than most people think.... it’s not just throw ur gear in panniers and start riding.

150 lbs per horse packing is average, dead weight packs a heck of a lot different than live weight. Even packs, 3 lbs difference can ruin ur day.


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EXACTLY what he is saying ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

150 lbs for a horse is correct - "packed" weight it much different than "rider" weight, even at that you'll want to watch carefully for rubs - did you ask the renter if these horses are "seasoned" hunting horses ?

Sounds like an Outfitters is bringing him him and dropping his gear so I think he was more asking about just weights


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[deerkiller]

This is my first time with horses for packing. The horses will only be for transportation in and out of the forest so we wont have to worry about them for the hunt. Also the owner will be leading us up and packing the horses.

this sounds more like a "drop camp", done dozens in Oregon B.C. - if you are planning in keeping the horses in camp with you once in you are in for a babysitting lesson you'll remember, some love it and some hate it, I'm an "old cowboy" and stand firmly in the middle on that but it'll be a better "hunt" if he stays with you or takes the horses out and then back in to pack you out

 

[jcor]

The horse owner will take horses out after dropping us. The horses are well seasoned for the mountains as well as elk hunting.

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

The horse owner will take horses out after dropping us. The horses are well seasoned for the mountains as well as elk hunting.

I have to ask is this an outfitter, or a random guy ur paying to use his horses?


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[deerkiller]

The horse owner will take horses out after dropping us. The horses are well seasoned for the mountains as well as elk hunting.

sounds more and more like an "outfitter" drop camp - I'll let others who know more about NM rules and procedures comment now …. FYI, in Oregon outfitters are licensed and pay the forest service for camp leases, are required to carry insurance and so on, so you should have a predetermined camp BUT IF it's public land anyone else can camp pretty much right next to you if they choose - have you studied your chosen area with these things in mind and have you either asked this horse guy if he's an outfitter or actually talked with licensed outfitter(s) ? Just like a licensed contractor of any type there are "things", often IMPORTANT THINGS, that you may or may not get with a "horse guy" that you would get with an "outfitter" for a bit more money (and relative safety maybe …..)

 

[jcor]

The horses are from a stable specializing in horse back riding and packing. I will only use them to pack camp in and out. There will be 3 horses one for me my wife and camp.

 

[tntrker]

Sounds like a great time, Hope you get the hunt of a lifetime with your wife there as well!

 

[deerkiller]

The horses are from a stable specializing in horse back riding and packing. I will only use them to pack camp in and out. There will be 3 horses one for me my wife and camp.

I too hope you have a wonderful time and hunt !

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Is this including food? If so, I'm curious how that breaks down. I can't seem to keep my pack light, but then again I've been investing in tags instead of gear.

Yes, that's everything, including food, the clothes I'm wearing, and water for the hike in.

Attached is my full gear list from last year's opening week archery elk hunt in Colorado. Total weight was 65 lbs (6 lbs worn clothing/boots + 59 lbs in backpack or carried in hand).
• Clothing (including boots) = 11.0 lbs
• Miscellaneous tools/accessories = 10.8 lbs
• Tent, sleeping bag & pad = 9.6 lbs
• Bow & other hunting-specific gear = 9.2 lbs
• Food = 8.3 lbs
• Backpack, dry bags, stuff sacks = 7.4 lbs
• Water storage/purification & 1 qt to drink during hike in = 4.4 lbs
• First aid, medicinal, hygiene items = 2.4 lbs
• Cooking gear = 2.0 lbs

Based on a quick scan of that list, I could easily eliminate ≈9 lbs of non-essential or unused items:
• Pistol, holster, ammo = 2.8 lbs (reassuring to have in black bear country but not necessary)
• Redundant/unnecessary clothing = 2.6 lbs (including gaiters which I didn't use because they made my legs too hot)
• Hatchet = 1.3 lbs (nice to have around camp for driving stakes & cutting firewood but definitely not necessary)
• Solar panel = 1.1 lbs (not needed, pre-charged power bank was sufficient to keep GPS/phone batteries topped off)
• Misc luxury items = 1.0 lbs (coffee, coffee mug, lemonade powder, bathing wipes)

Gear swaps that could reduce weight:
• Bivy sack/tarp instead of tent ≈ 2 lbs
• 10-20°F down sleeping bag instead of 0°F synthetic ≈ 2 lbs
• Lighter 100L backpack (e.g., Stone Glacier, Exo) or lower volume pack ≈ 1-2 lbs
• Thinner foam sleeping pad instead of insulated inflatable pad ≈ 0.5 lbs
• Steripen instead of Katydyn pump filter ≈ 0.5 lbs

If I made all those eliminations/swaps, I would be at 50 lbs all-in. A little more refinement and I could probably get into the 40's.