Backcountry hunt with horses

[deerkiller]

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.

I just don't think a hunt would be as much fun when you have to measure every single thing, including what your dinner portions are and how many gulps of water you've allowed yourself ? Heck, I can eat 8 lbs of food in 2 days if I'm hungry and working hard ? It's fun to anticipate and compete on here to see who "wins" the "lightest pack in" and all but this is also the REAL world and CHIT HAPPENS, all sorts of it ...

 

[cshire]

That's the advantages of horses or mules - you can take a little bigger tent or thicker sleeping pad, a little more real food vs. freeze dried, real coffee for the mornings, etc.

And of course packing out meat in fewer, easier trips would be worth it even without the luxuries noted above.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

I just don't think a hunt would be as much fun when you have to measure every single thing, including what your dinner portions are and how many gulps of water you've allowed yourself ?

Sure, a backpack hunt is going to be by necessity less comfortable than one with pack horses. I've gone with and without horses and both ways have their pros and cons.

Heck, I can eat 8 lbs of food in 2 days if I'm hungry and working hard ?

Different strokes for different folks. The food amount I listed keeps me going without feeling excessively hungry. My daily exertion on these hunts is fairly high; I'm typically covering somewhere between 2 miles with 1000' net elevation gain and 8 mi/2000'. I'm a small guy (5'8" 130 lbs), so that probably helps me get by on a lower food intake than some.

It's fun to anticipate and compete on here to see who "wins" the "lightest pack in" and all but this is also the REAL world and CHIT HAPPENS, all sorts of it ...

I didn't join this conversation to compete on pack weight. I responded to the vague initial question with an anecdotal data point to give an example of what's possible weight-wise on the light (and necessarily austere) end of the week-in-the-backcountry spectrum then responded to a follow-up question with a detailed gear list. When I have horses, my gear list looks much different: "real" (not freeze-dried) food, more food, larger tent, wood stove (depending on time of year), etc.

 

[deerkiller]

Sure, a backpack hunt is going to be by necessity less comfortable than one with pack horses. I've gone with and without horses and both ways have their pros and cons.


Different strokes for different folks. The food amount I listed keeps me going without feeling excessively hungry. My daily exertion on these hunts is fairly high; I'm typically covering somewhere between 2 miles with 1000' net elevation gain and 8 mi/2000'. I'm a small guy (5'8" 130 lbs), so that probably helps me get by on a lower food intake than some.


I didn't join this conversation to compete on pack weight. I responded to the vague initial question with an anecdotal data point to give an example of what's possible weight-wise on the light (and necessarily austere) end of the week-in-the-backcountry spectrum then responded to a follow-up question with a detailed gear list. When I have horses, my gear list looks much different: "real" (not freeze-dried) food, more food, larger tent, wood stove (depending on time of year), etc.

you are sure right there, different caloric needs for different folks - I was thinking that a hunt of any kind is no time to be concerned with calorie worries (as in dieting), unless they're medical of course - I'm 5'11" @ 210 and my calorie intake varies widely and I can't even begin to say why, might be the day or two AFTER a packing day that I get ravenous - also, ya gotta keep an eye on that "freeze dried food", makers try but it's almost always lacking in nutrition somewhere, even for only a week
Horses are nice, mules are much better for packing (some will say for riding too, I have stories) I'll take a drop camp any day I can over humping it in on my back PLUS I'm too long in the tooth which makes it that much worse - A "good" outfitter can be a total blessing and a "wannabe" can make an otherwise good hunt "memorable", go with the licensed outfitter with references is "my" advice

 

[jcor]

Thanks for all the pointers and suggestions. I’m learning from every post so don’t be bashful, I need as many do’s and dont’s possible.

 

[deerkiller]

Thanks for all the pointers and suggestions. I’m learning from every post so don’t be bashful, I need as many do’s and dont’s possible.

be watchful of mules from BEHIND, they're deadly accurate and have memories like the storied elephants - mules are "smarter" than horses (and I LOVE horses)

 

[Tobe_B]

Typically 120 pounds is what we pack on our horses. 150 gets a little excessive for most. Ask your outfitter what is recommenced. Are they supplying any equipment at your destination or do you have to supply all gear? Every outfitter is different and this will have different needs.

As far as the discussion on food weights. I’m 6’3” and way right at 200 pounds. When I’m at home I usually eat healthy portions, I also work a more strenuous job than most. However when I’m on the mountain my calorie intake and water intake actually decrease. So some of us get by on much less food while hunting. I pack very little and eat even less when I’m hunting, even when I’m taking horses in.


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[BigAntlerGetter]

Typically 120 pounds is what we pack on our horses. 150 gets a little excessive for most. Ask your outfitter what is recommenced. Are they supplying any equipment at your destination or do you have to supply all gear? Every outfitter is different and this will have different needs.

As far as the discussion on food weights. I’m 6’3” and way right at 200 pounds. When I’m at home I usually eat healthy portions, I also work a more strenuous job than most. However when I’m on the mountain my calorie intake and water intake actually decrease. So some of us get by on much less food while hunting. I pack very little and eat even less when I’m hunting, even when I’m taking horses in.


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Yes as stated 150 lbs can be excessive, I have big stout mules that I can pack 250 on at times, usually packing salt blocks for the cattleman’s association across the mountain, but they typically only have 250 on for about 30 min then drop 50 and by about half way through the day they are down to 100. We do this twice a month. So sometimes I will allow a little more weight in a pack for a spike camp (clients own gear) because I don’t want to make the guy pay for 3 mules with 325 lbs of gear. Pack horses on the other hand I’ll drop to about 125 depending on their side, have some draft cross horses that will pack with the mules but regular quarter horses need a little less. Distance is also an issue. If you’re going 10 miles the mountains in you might wanna cut back it weights, packing across Kansas you prolly could up your weights.

But as stated the outfitter should have that knowledge.

When it comes to me hunting, I’ll pack a mule and ride my horse, simple tarp for shelter, some freeze dried meals and plenty of snacks, then I pack extra clothes, Gatorade’s, my big sporting scope, and a few luxury items. My food intake is low regardless year round, little snack at lunch and dinner, generally I don’t have time to eat on the trails all summer, and hunting season is the same way. I survive on 1 meal a day usually, and minimal water at times. I’ve been that way for a lot of years. 6’0 130lbs, except during hunting season when I’m going full bore for 3 months I’ll drop to 115 regardless of how much I eat at that point.


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[Mashthegas]

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.

I have packed horses for a round 35 years and use 150 as a rule but a horse can realistically pack 20% of it's body weight. I prefer to figure around 15%. Alot of it is dictated by how rough the country is. A little common sense will go a long way. Good luck!

 

[deerkiller]

Yes as stated 150 lbs can be excessive, I have big stout mules that I can pack 250 on at times, usually packing salt blocks for the cattleman’s association across the mountain, but they typically only have 250 on for about 30 min then drop 50 and by about half way through the day they are down to 100. We do this twice a month. So sometimes I will allow a little more weight in a pack for a spike camp (clients own gear) because I don’t want to make the guy pay for 3 mules with 325 lbs of gear. Pack horses on the other hand I’ll drop to about 125 depending on their side, have some draft cross horses that will pack with the mules but regular quarter horses need a little less. Distance is also an issue. If you’re going 10 miles the mountains in you might wanna cut back it weights, packing across Kansas you prolly could up your weights.

But as stated the outfitter should have that knowledge.

When it comes to me hunting, I’ll pack a mule and ride my horse, simple tarp for shelter, some freeze dried meals and plenty of snacks, then I pack extra clothes, Gatorade’s, my big sporting scope, and a few luxury items. My food intake is low regardless year round, little snack at lunch and dinner, generally I don’t have time to eat on the trails all summer, and hunting season is the same way. I survive on 1 meal a day usually, and minimal water at times. I’ve been that way for a lot of years. 6’0 130lbs, except during hunting season when I’m going full bore for 3 months I’ll drop to 115 regardless of how much I eat at that point.


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B A G - Watch that ! I know that cowboyin' a different and tough way to go but a person's got to have some reserves because you know better than most that CHIT happens - I had a close friend, cowboy through and through, best horseman I've ever known, he'd go all day on a bag of potato chips and laugh about it, one of those "you could use him as a whip" dudes - He got in a wreck, one hand took the worst of it, he couldn't come back from it …… just be aware that we are not bullet proof for that long in our visit here, gotta face that at some point or pay the price (and I'm not talkin' turnin' pussy, just being smarter as we get older)
OK, I'm off the box now ….. it just worries me mostly because we NEED cowboys and nobody's seeing that anymore