How to hunt with horses?

[Chase0109]

Hi,


I have quite a few questions on horseback hunting and I figured I would ask to experienced horseback hunters here to help me figure some things out. This is my first Post on Rokslide, but I have read most of the stock threads on here. Since this is my first post I will give a little background on myself.


I am 36 years old and in pretty good shape. I live in Texas at 1800’ elevation. I have been hunting since I was 12 years old. I lived my entire life in Minnesota until I moved to Texas in the spring of 2018. No one in my immediate family hunts so I had to teach myself how to hunt. I did a lot deer hunting in my teenage years with both shotgun and bow. I killed quite a few deer, but never a mature buck. Mostly hunted for the experience and meat. I was born into the reptile industry and have kept everything under the sun reptile wise over the years. I started handling raptors when I was 8 years old. I became a licensed falconer and trapped my first red tail hawk at 15. Once I started falconry my big game hunting took a back seat, and eventually went away. I haven’t shot a bow since I was 20. I focused all my time and energy on falconry and my specialty is hunting jackrabbits off the fist with golden eagles. I have caught jacks rabbits with my eagle in 10 states so far. 3 years ago I decided to start getting back into big game hunting. I killed a doe in Minnesota with my muzzleloader. I love spring turkey hunting and have taken 10 or so gobblers in 4 states over the years. A couple friends are big into bow hunting elk and gave me the bug to look into elk hunting the rut that because I love turkey hunting so much.


I train hawks, falcons, eagles for passion and sport (falconry) and also for a career. I fly falcons to solve nuisance bird problems for clients around the country. I currently have 15 falcons, and 4 eagles I work with and train. I have always enjoyed the relationship with a good hunting partner/working animal. I have been flying my wild trapped male golden eagle for 11 years now. In December 2016 I decided to take the plunge and get a hunting dog. I wanted a dual purpose pointing dog I could gun hunt over for birds (pheasant/quail) and also use to flush jacks while hunting with my eagle. I bought a started GWP and she has turned out amazing. I never go out without her in the field with Dexter. She is a great working dog and I wouldn’t trade her for anything.


So that brings us to horses. I rode a little back in HS, did some 4H showing, ect. No formal training, just getting on and figuring it out. But I haven’t tacked up a horse since then. I rode maybe once a year on trail rides, ect. In Minnesota horses were not an option in the city. When we moved to Texas we bought a house with 30 acres and that opened a lot of possibilities. I decided I wanted to get back into horses and hunting with them. Both for big game and to hunt off them with my eagle for jack rabbits. I called a local horse trainer and started taking lessons a few days a week. Learning all the basics of riding again, how to tack up, ect. I did tons of online research, and lots of phone calls to a very experienced roping friend. Then in May of 2019 I bought my first horse “Blue”. He is a great horse for me. 15 year old QH gelding. 16H and was used for roping and pleasure riding most of his life. He has a great one hand neck rein, moves very well off leg pressure, smooth gaits, and a good personality. I bought a second horse “Whiskey” for my wife (and my pack horse) in late July 2019. He is also a 15 year old QH gelding. 15.2H and was a roping horse. He also has a great one hand neck rein, moves very well off leg pressure, great stop. He is pretty good, but not quite as personable as my horse. More spooky, but manageable. Especially since he takes cues from my horse. Like most Texas horses neither has ever been to the mountains before me. I spent July, August, early September riding them for fitness and training Whiskey to pack. I won’t bore anyone with more details. In September of 2019 I took them to WY on my first elk hunt in the mountains. Story of the trip below in next post.


Now for the actual question. I have been trying to research HOW people actually hunt off horses? I get a lot of very high level overview articles about riding to a hunting area to set up camp. That I have figured out. What I am trying to understand is how do you experienced horse hunters hunt off your horses?


I was hoping for more first hand experience on my September hunt. But since I killed a bull the first night I only got one morning of experience hunting. We killed the bull on the first stop we made in the evening. It was an amazing experience, but I was hoping to get more learning time on that trip. I did put 50 miles on my horses in the mountains on the entire trip. But only 1 day of actual hunting. What we did for hunting was saddle the horses before first light and rode out of camp just as it was getting light enough to see without a flashlight. For clarification where we camped was 5 miles from the trailhead, and .5 miles off the main trail. We took game trails and picked our own route through the Wind River Range country. Not on a main trail or anything. We rode until we hit areas that had elk trails and our sound would carry. Then dismount, bugle, wait for a response. If nothing get back on and keep riding to the next area that looked good to call.


Is that a normal tactic? Do you guys stick to elk trails for riding, our just pick your own route? Do you ride main trails calling? Just trying to get a feel for how to actually hunt from horses.


I have no problem hunting on foot. But what I want from a hunt is to cover country on my horses and make plays/stalks on foot after locating a bull. Not looking to pack in and leave my horses in camp and walk a ton of miles each day. I enjoy the partner relationship with working animals. And feeling like my horses were partners in the hunt is the type of experience I am looking for. I did a solo hunt in early November with my cow tag. Had to stay out of the wilderness. Ate the tag but learned a lot about my hunting style and what I like/dislike. When I’m solo, as will usually be the case, I ride my horse and pony my pack horse when we go. My personal horse is the dominate one of the 2. They are buddy sour and it make life much quieter and easier if I take them both where ever I go. When I get to areas I want to check out I tie them up and scout on foot. But they are never too far away when I want to get back on and cover more country.


As I told my good friend who is a bow hunting elk nut “you guys who hunt elk on foot are crazy LOL”. Personally, if I couldn’t use my horses I wouldn’t chase elk. No way I am packing an elk 5 miles off the mountain on my back.


I have a lot more questions on stock. But just figured I would start with this. Thanks in advance for the opportunity to learn from you guys!


Thanks,


Chase

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

Get to camp set it up, ride ur horse to a location near where you’d like to hunt get off and hunt. It’s near impossible to hunt off a horse, by the time you see something get off get ur gun tie ur horses and then get in position elk are usually gone (USUALLY). Have shot elk from within 5 feet of my horse but it’s rare.

It’s not gonna be like Jeremiah Johnson. Use your horse as a tool to get away from camp and closer to an area where elk may be. Ur still gonna have to hike to get to elk. Once you harvest go get ur horses and pack it out. Horses are a tool for hunting not the answer to being successful. They save your energy to get closer to a spot so once ur there you can spend more energy getting to the actual elk.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Chase0109]

Story of first elk hunt with horses. I'm sure most of the experienced horse guys will laugh at me. But it was my first mountain hunt with horses, and I'm learning everything from scratch. I've learned a ton, but have a ton more learning to do.

Part 1

September has been a busy month so far. On September 1st I married an amazing woman and we had a wonderful ceremony with friends and family. Not only is she perfect for me, but she also puts up with everything I have thrown at her so far (figuratively NOT literally). She understands my passion for adventure and hunting. Which is why just 10 days after our wedding she wished me luck as I loaded my truck up to leave on a 2-week elk hunt in Wyoming. She held down the fort and took care of all the birds and dogs so I could go chase elk in the mountains. I don’t think I could have made a better pick


This is a recap of my 1st elk hunt. It is a long story with quite a few pics.


When deciding any hunt I first plan on the type of hunting experience I want. I wanted to do a total DIY elk hunt, off my own horses, in a wilderness area. This trip was many months in the making. From buying horses and putting in the time to get them in shape to picking a unit and hunt style. Many hundreds of hours went into this trip before I ever left home.


I applied and drew not 1, but 2 elk tags in Wyoming. A either sex tag and a cow only tag. I applied for a specific unit with lots of designated wilderness. Meaning no motorized vehicles or bicycles allowed. Foot and horse traffic only. I picked this unit based on the type of hunting experience I wanted.

I wanted to go in on horseback and not hear ATV’s buzzing around. Just quiet and wilderness. The down side to Wilderness in Wyoming is they have a special law that says a non-resident can not hunt big game in wilderness areas UNLESS they are guided by an outfitter or non-paid resident guide. I asked my buddy Mark (1 year WY Resident) if he would get a guide permit and come hunting with me in the wilderness. Mark was gracious enough to join me and that is the only reason I was able to hunt in the wilderness like I wanted to. Huge thanks to Mark for accompanying me on this hunt and letting me crash at his place!


I had an awesome hunt with a good friend and learned far more than I thought I would. It was an adventure from beginning to end! This spring I decided to make a concentrated effort to focus on hunting more big game going forward. I have been so immersed in eagle falconry that I haven’t done much big game hunting in 15 years. I still love flying my eagles and will continue to hunt hard with them. But life is too short not to add other hunting pursuits in. To that end I decided I wanted to hunt off horseback for big game and with the eagles. So I spent lots of time researching, reading, and asking questions about horses. I bought my first horse “BLUE” in May. After summer abatement work I bought a second horse “WHISKEY” for my wife Suzy in early August. Both of them are 15 year old Quarter horses and have been ranch and roping horses their entire life. I rode them both almost daily all of August and early September. I taught Whiskey to carry panniers and a top pack. He would carry my gear and horse food in, and hopefully my elk out. Whiskey was quite unsure about the giant orange thing strapped to him at first. But did accept it and did quite well as I added more and more weight each time.


I researched everything I could on back country camping in grizzly country and horse care in the back country. It really seems tougher than it actually is from what you read. After a week of packing and going over meals and weighing panniers I hit the road for Wyoming on September 11th. It is a 17 hour drive to Mark’s house from here. And I was pulling a trailer with both horses and gear. I made it to Cheyenne the first night. Turned the horses out in pens at an overnight stable and slept in my truck. After a livestock brand inspection (another WY rule if bringing horses into the state) I got back on the road. I made it to Marks place that afternoon. I decided to rest the horses the next day let them adjust to the 8100’ elevation. Were at a whopping 1800’ here in Texas. The next day we did an 8 mile ride to scout the area outside the wilderness area where I could hunt without a guide.


Saturday my plan was to ride into the wilderness 12 miles from a southern trailhead and camp for 4 days and scout for elk then ride out to go back in with Mark the following day. I got horses tacked up and hit the trail. Trailhead is at 9000’. It wasn’t too bad for the first couple miles. But once we turned off the creek and started to climb it got pretty dicey. The previous parts of the trail were pretty rocky, but now it turned into steep boulder fields with huge rocks to climb. Being new to horses I wasn’t sure a horse could even climb up this trail with all the rock and boulders. I did see a couple other hoof prints on the trail so someone crazier than me had gone up at some point. I had one incident that could have ended very badly. I had Whiskey tied to Blue and was leading Blue by his lead rope. Whiskey tried to cut a sharp corner going through a boulder area and lost his footing. Pulling on Blue, Blue started to loose it and did a tight spin trying to get away from whatever was pulling him down. Thankfully I fell down a few feet up hill of him and just outside the radius of his body. It could have been very bad if I was in the way. I quickly learned no to tie the pack horse to the lead horse when leading from the ground (I never tie solid when packing in the saddle, 1 dally). I made it a few more miles to the first lake where I was going to stop to rest the horses. Blue was carrying me and 30lbs of gear and Whiskey had a 170lb in his panniers and top pack. About 50 yards from the bridge I heard the metallic clink no horse person wants to hear. Blue threw his rear left shoe. Now 7.5 mile in from the trail head I was second guessing my sanity on this trail. It was the worst terrain I could imagine to ride a horse up and now we were missing a shoe. My farrier told me if I ever throw a shoe and don’t have a hoof boot on hand to use a baby diaper and heavily tape it to the bare hoof. Try to preserve as much hoof as possible. So I wrapped the hoof and then used a bunch of gorilla tape to get it protected. I was hoping the trail would get easier after the first lake. Another half mile and it was just getting worse. I came to a very steep angled stretch of nothing but rock. At that point I had be realistic with myself that I had bitten off more than I could chew. My horses were tired, one missing a shoe, the terrain was just getting worse, and we were over 10,000’. I figured if I kept going I was either going to get one of the horses or myself killed. I threw in the towel and decided to go back to the trail head. If I pushed I could get back just after dark. The trail wasn’t wide enough for me to turn the horses around. So I tied Blue’s lead rope to his saddle horn. Backed up past Whiskey and coaxed him to turn around on his own. I knew Blue would figure out how to turn around and follow Whiskey. I walked them down the steep rock grades as I wasn’t going to go down with the ship if one of them lost their footing. When we got back to the creek I rode Blue out from there with Whiskey following. My horses are buddy sour. I hate it! But it does have one benefit. When going back to the truck you can tie the pack horses lead to himself and he will follow all the way back on his own. Afraid to be too far from the other horse.


I made is back by 8:30 pm called Mark to tell him I would be coming back to his place. Both horses had cuts on all 4 legs from the rock and boulder fields. But nothing too serious. Thankfully Mark’s best friend Lou lives just a few miles away and is a master horseman and Farrier. Lou got a new shoe on Blue the next day. We decided to go to plan B and go in on the North trailhead to the wilderness boundary to hunt. Lou was coming hunting with me and Mark and Lou is a very talented hunter as well as horseman. Lou has killed everything big game in Wyoming as well as guided elk hunters for 15 years in other units. Sunday-Wednesday I rested the horses and let them recover. I got to hang out with Mark, help him get a new rehab eagle, shoot some jacks for eagle food at night and get ready for our pack in on Thursday.


Chase

 

[Chase0109]

Part 2

On Thursday about 1pm Mark and Lou hit the grocery store on the way to the trailhead. I had plenty of mountain house, almonds, jerky etc. already packed and was more than ready to go. We hit the trail with my 2 horses, Mark on his horse, and Lou taking 2 pack horses behind his mount. So, a total of 6 horses. We rode in 5 miles and set up base camp on one of the only little flat spots we could find next to a lake. Hobbled the horses to graze and worked on setting up camp. My horses have never been hobbled and were having a heck of a time trying to figure them out. Within a couple hours they learned from the other horses and were bunny hopping where ever they wanted with ease ☹


When Lou and Mark broke out food they had steaks, pork chops, potatoes, thick cut bacon, cookies, candy, and plenty of beer. Apparently, mountain house was not on the menu LOL. I think we ate better up there than I do at home. Mark cut plenty of fire wood. After a big dinner we all went to bed as it started to lightly snow. We awoke at 5:30am on Friday Sept 20, opening day of rifle elk season in my unit, to thunder/lightening snow and hail. We saddled the horses and hit the trail at 6:30 am. After 2 bugles with no responses we stopped to tie the horses up just below a granite ridge and see what we could see. Lou bugled and got an immediate response maybe 200 yards away. Visibility was very poor and me and Lou tried to cut the distance over the next rock formation. We saw a cow elk about 150 yards away walking off. But never saw a bull and they moved off. It was 10 am now and still snowing so we called it a morning and went back to camp to make breakfast. We hung out around the camp fire and letting the horses graze while it continued to snow/hail off and on all afternoon. At 4pm the weather broke and it looked to be clearing up we saddled up horses and headed off again. I left Blue tied at camp and took Whiskey for the evening hunt. I do not think Whiskey appreciated that. He was huffing and puffing pretty good trying to climb hills at 10,000’ through some of the nastiest terrain you would ever want to ride (to a newbie, Wind River Range). Tons of rock, dead blow downs all over, etc. We rode a big loop to get to a rock formation a little taller than the rest as a listening point. Hoping to hear a bugle and then work in on it. We got to the listening point and hadn’t been sitting for more than a minute when we heard a bugle. It sounded close. I went back down to the horses to get my rifle and returned to Mark and Lou. Lou gave a bugle and the bull responded. We all started working down the rock bluff to get closer. As we closed the distance Mark opted to hang back and let me and Lou keep working up. Lou bugled again and the bull responded. I could see we were running out of real estate and a rock cliff was rapidly approaching. Lou said they are a couple hundred feet below us under the cliff and told me to shoot soon as the bull became visible. I got set up on a granite formation. The bull came out and Lou was telling me to shoot. I could see the bull in my scope, but with the sharp angle my rifle barrel was pointing into the rock. I would have shot the boulder had I fired from there. I told Lou I needed to jump over 2 more outcroppings to get a better angle. The bull went back under the ledge. When the bull came out again, I put the cross hairs behind his left shoulder and pulled the trigger. It was a solid hit catching both lungs and liver with the solid copper bullet lodging just under the hide on the opposite side. The bull went 20 yards and fell down. We watched him for a minute or 2 as he turned his head from side to side. Lou wanted me to put another bullet in him for security but there were too many trees in the way. The bull tried to get up but fell over rolling into the open. I put one more into him just for safety sake and that ended all movement. I knew the bull was between 100-200 yards. I ranged him after the shot 166 yards adjusted for angle. We were 200’ above the elk on our cliff perch. After some congratulations Lou offered to go get the horses and ride around to meet us in the bottom. Me and Mark spent to next 20 minutes working our way across and down the rock face. It was 5:50pm when we took trophy photos. Lou showed up with the horses just as I finished removing the front and rear right side quarters. Lou jumped in to help with skinning the left side. Once all 4 quarters were removed and in game bags, Mark and Lou worked on hanging them in a tree to cool. I finished pulling backstraps, tenderloins, neck meat. We were all finished and heading back to camp by 7:30pm. It was a rough area and as darkness was setting in, we were really trying to get back to camp before total darkness. We had to jump a couple deadfalls and rock ledges with the horses. You could see sparks flying off the horse’s shoes against the rock as we went. The snow had started again. It was difficult, but really cool to be navigating such rough country with snow falling on us after harvesting a great bull in the mountains. An experience I will never forget!


We made it back to camp, took care of horses, had some dinner. Mark and Lou sacked out early. I stayed up another 2 hours sitting by the fire thinking about the amazing experience we have had so far and the success we had that evening.


I awoke Saturday at 5:30am to fresh snow and mid 20* temp. I got the fire going and started organizing gear. After breakfast we broke down camp, loaded up horses and rode back towards my bull. Lou is a very talented horseman. I learned so many things from him about mountain backcountry riding and horse care. While heading towards my elk Lou’s horse jumped a deadfall but the 2 pack horses tied to him refused to go over it. Mark was in front of me with his horse Barbie. I was riding Blue and packing Whiskey. I saw the hold up and immediately stopped Blue. We were on an incline with rock and pines everywhere. I really had nowhere I could move my horses. I could see this going bad really fast. If those pack horses blew up, they were going right into Mark and Barbie, and I wasn’t very far behind Mark. Preparing for the worst I watched Lou try to pull the pack horses through. They weren’t budging. Then Lou tied his riding horse up, and pushed those pack horses through with total confidence. It was a bit tense but Lou made it happen and we continued.


We stopped to tie up the 2 loaded pack horses where we would come out after getting my bull. Everything was as we left it with no bear sign in the area. We did get a visitor to my elk. A bull moose walked right up to the carcass and then up the rock ledge up the quarters hanging from the tree. Before taking a left turn down the rock ledge. We could see his tracks clearly in the new snow.


We deboned the quarters and re-bagged them. We weighed everything to make it 4 equal bags. 210lbs deboned elk meat total. Whiskey has been a roping horse his whole life and has never packed a dead animal. So it was the moment of truth. Rodeo, or not that is the question. Mark did a great job holding Whiskey’s lead rope and petting him to keep him calm. Me and Lou loaded all the meat in the saddle panniers. Then we hoisted the entire skull and cape on the saddle over the panniers. Lou did some MacGyver magic with a 14’ lead rope to securely tie down the elk head to whiskey. I led whiskey out from the ground while Lou led Blue with his horse. If something was going to shift and cause a rodeo I wanted to be on the ground to react and not on Blue. We walked to the other pack horses and everything was fine. I got on Blue and packed Whiskey out the 6 miles to the trailhead. Whiskey carried the entire bull elk out by himself.


Sunday I organized gear and packed to get ready to hit the road Monday at 5am. I did take the horses to another unit I wanted to look at and rode them 7 miles around the mountains to see what the area looked like.


I left marks place at 5am Monday morning for the 17-18hr road trip back to Texas. As with most of my adventures nothing is ever easy. I made good time and at 9:30pm I was almost in Lubbock Texas. A cars headlights behind me revealed smoke coming off one of the trailer wheels. I pulled into a rest stop to assess. Blown wheel bearing on the rear left axle. I called my wife to let her know I had a problem and would not be making it home that night. I then called a good friend, and my personal horse trainer, Elma, to see if there was any possibility of borrowing a trailer from someone in the area just to get the horses home. Elma volunteered to drive the 3 hours from Abilene to me, load the horses in her trailer and haul them back. My amazing wife Suzy got in the truck with Elma at 11:45pm to keep her company. The girls arrived at 3:30am and we moved the horses to Elma’s trailer. I pulled the bad wheel and drove the trailer the last 200 miles on 3 wheels. We arrived at the stable at 7:30am Tuesday morning. Just in time for Suzy to change and go into work! I can’t express how much I appreciate Elma and Suzy staying up all night to make sure the horses got home safely!


Overall it was a great experience! I got to have a new and exciting adventure, learned tons about horses in the back country, got to hang out with old friends and make some new ones. Killed a great first bull elk and have a freezer full of meat.


I still have my cow elk tag and plan to go back to Wyoming in November with the horses for that hunt. It will be another new experience hunting them in deeper snow later in the season. Can’t wait!


I want to give special thanks to David, Mark, Lou, Elma, and of course my amazing, loving, and patient wife Suzy. All of them helped make this amazing trip possible.


Chase

 

[mcr-85]

I have rode to a high point to glass. I have rode and jump shot both bucks and elk. I have packed in camp and hiked out of camp to hunt.

I just read your part 2. Sounds like an adventure. Congrats on the bull. I think you have it figured out. Every hunt will be a little different but there is nothing better than being on the mountain on a horse or mule.

 

[theleo91386]

They're a transportation device for me, just like a pickup. Pack in, setup camp, cover stuff close by just hiking, then start saddling up to make wider circles. I never try to intentionally draw attention to myself when I'm on or by my mule. I don't want elk to connect the bugle they hear from me, with an actual form. If I want to locate elk from using my mule, then I find some noisy ground to ride over while it's dark out, you'd be surprised how many bulls will bugle at you at night while riding over some loose rock.

 

[Chase0109]

Get to camp set it up, ride ur horse to a location near where you’d like to hunt get off and hunt. It’s near impossible to hunt off a horse, by the time you see something get off get ur gun tie ur horses and then get in position elk are usually gone (USUALLY). Have shot elk from within 5 feet of my horse but it’s rare.

It’s not gonna be like Jeremiah Johnson. Use your horse as a tool to get away from camp and closer to an area where elk may be. Ur still gonna have to hike to get to elk. Once you harvest go get ur horses and pack it out. Horses are a tool for hunting not the answer to being successful. They save your energy to get closer to a spot so once ur there you can spend more energy getting to the actual elk.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you for the response. I appreciate you taking the time. I don't know that I always paint a clear picture of what I am thinking in my head when describing to others. I am not thinking of actually harvesting game from a horse. Not even seeing game from a horse. And I do not think using horses will make me more successful. As time passes I am more interested in what I want my experience to be rather than just notching a tag. I know plenty of guys that kill animals from a side by side each year. I'd rather not have that experience and have declined to go out with them when offered. Just not what I want to do. What I do want is to enjoy my horses as hunting partners while in the field hunting. And feel like they were partners in the hunt, not just in getting my camp back there. There job would be to transport me until I get where I know elk will be. Then it's all on foot.

I guess I'm just looking for a clear picture of what a elk hunting day looks like when using horses?

Lets narrow it down to earlier season 9/15-10/10. New country only map scouted. Is everyone leaving horses in camp and hunting on foot to find bugles. Are guys ending up miles away from camp when killing an elk on foot and then walking back to get horses to pack it out. Or are you guys coving country on horses until you get within foot hunting distance? The mountains are a big place with pockets of elk. If I know there are elk nearby I'd go after them on foot. But there is alot of empty ground that I'd rather have my horses carry me over rather than walk. Maybe I'm just thinking of it wrong.

I read alot about guys covering 10-15 miles a day calling and look for responses. I turkey hunt that way (less miles). If guys are using horses to cover country do you just pick a direction from camp you want to cover and find you own way through the country. Or do you have a pre picked trail to get you in the vicinity of where you want to hunt?

I'm just trying to learn so I don't do the completely wrong things.

Thanks

 

[Chase0109]

I have rode to a high point to glass. I have rode and jump shot both bucks and elk. I have packed in camp and hiked out of camp to hunt.

I just read your part 2. Sounds like an adventure. Congrats on the bull. I think you have it figured out. Every hunt will be a little different but there is nothing better than being on the mountain on a horse or mule.

Thanks for the feedback! I had a alot of fun. And I agree I being in the mountains on a horse is the way to do it. I still have tons to learn and am looking forward to figuring out the equine side of things.

 

[Chase0109]

They're a transportation device for me, just like a pickup. Pack in, setup camp, cover stuff close by just hiking, then start saddling up to make wider circles. I never try to intentionally draw attention to myself when I'm on or by my mule. I don't want elk to connect the bugle they hear from me, with an actual form. If I want to locate elk from using my mule, then I find some noisy ground to ride over while it's dark out, you'd be surprised how many bulls will bugle at you at night while riding over some loose rock.

Thanks for the tips. That sounds like a neat trick riding over rocks in the dark. Does it make a difference or have a negative effect if the horses are shod? I run heel/toe shoes on my horses during hunting season. When you mention making wider circles using horses, what are you doing to find the elk. Are we talking glassing, calling, just looking for elk trails, tracks, rubs? Or just riding to a are further from camp and scouting on foot?

Since I have very little elk experience I tend to think of it like I hunt turkeys. After the morning gobbling settles down I start covering ground. I may follow a ridge top or logging road and call looking for a vocal bird. I move pretty fast calling every few hundred yards. Once I get a response then I slow down and figure the best way to get that bird. Sometimes it works great and I kill the bird. Sometimes we play cat and mouse and I can't get him killed. Either way I always have fun. Do guys use horse like that when hunting elk, or am I totally off base. Are horses too noisy for that with elk?

Thanks

 

[Tenstrike]

Great story, great pics, welcome to Rokslide.

 

[theleo91386]

Thanks for the tips. That sounds like a neat trick riding over rocks in the dark. Does it make a difference or have a negative effect if the horses are shod? I run heel/toe shoes on my horses during hunting season. When you mention making wider circles using horses, what are you doing to find the elk. Are we talking glassing, calling, just looking for elk trails, tracks, rubs? Or just riding to a are further from camp and scouting on foot?

Since I have very little elk experience I tend to think of it like I hunt turkeys. After the morning gobbling settles down I start covering ground. I may follow a ridge top or logging road and call looking for a vocal bird. I move pretty fast calling every few hundred yards. Once I get a response then I slow down and figure the best way to get that bird. Sometimes it works great and I kill the bird. Sometimes we play cat and mouse and I can't get him killed. Either way I always have fun. Do guys use horse like that when hunting elk, or am I totally off base. Are horses too noisy for that with elk?

Thanks

They're just responding to the rocks rattling similar to how it sounds when elk cross the same sort of ground. Taking your horses through timber for elk to hear twigs and branches snapping will do the same thing, but you get a lot more limbs in your face for the trouble. How you find elk really depends on the country your in. I hunt in country where I can glass a long ways so I like to use my bino's mornings and evenings to figure out plans for the next hunt. When I bugle to locate bulls I'll be on a main ridge and stop at the top of side drainage's for a bugle or two, definitely not every couple hundred yards. All in all, don't want my mule rite by me when I'm going after elk. I really don't want to give elk more reason to turn their eyeballs in my direction. If I can get in on animals without using a call that's even better.

Just like any other hunting you'll need to be paying attention to your surroundings. Rubs, trails, droppings all indicate elk activity. If you've got ground really dialed in you can cruise around and check wallows as well. They're about the most reliable indicators I use.

 

[wyosteve]

I think you're on the right track. Just wanted to add that for your first time using horses and packing an elk you get a gold star! They must have good minds if you made it through without a wreck!!

 

[Wyomuleskinner]

Pm me your number and I’d be happy to give you a call. I don’t have the energy to type out a response.i don’t claim to be an expert but I’d be happy to share my experiences

 

[WCB]

Most people either leave them at camp or ride to a starting point and tie them up. But, what you are doing is fine. You are basically hunting how most guys hunt on foot just riding a horse. Locate from horse..tie up and go after the elk by foot saves a bunch of leg work.

Keep in mind a hunt may require you to tie the horses up so don't cut your nose off by "having" to hunt off your horse.

 

[Chase0109]

They're just responding to the rocks rattling similar to how it sounds when elk cross the same sort of ground. Taking your horses through timber for elk to hear twigs and branches snapping will do the same thing, but you get a lot more limbs in your face for the trouble. How you find elk really depends on the country your in. I hunt in country where I can glass a long ways so I like to use my bino's mornings and evenings to figure out plans for the next hunt. When I bugle to locate bulls I'll be on a main ridge and stop at the top of side drainage's for a bugle or two, definitely not every couple hundred yards. All in all, don't want my mule rite by me when I'm going after elk. I really don't want to give elk more reason to turn their eyeballs in my direction. If I can get in on animals without using a call that's even better.

Just like any other hunting you'll need to be paying attention to your surroundings. Rubs, trails, droppings all indicate elk activity. If you've got ground really dialed in you can cruise around and check wallows as well. They're about the most reliable indicators I use.

I have to apologize to everyone for the delay in response. I got really busy flying falcons on a refinery job out of state. But now that I am back home I will keep up with this thread and have more questions. I greatly appreciate everyone sharing info with me so far!

Thank you for the detail in hunting style. That is something I am still working on learning. Elk and the mountains are a whole new world from midwest whitetail, turkey, and upland hunting. Still learning to glass effectively. And even how to pick country that offer effective glassing. The unit I hunted last year did not offer good glassing. I learned alot of my cow tag hunt in early Nov. I only saw 2 cows and ate tag soup, but I spent alot of time scouting and learned the area much better for future years. I hindsight I should have stayed a few extra days and scouted more. Thankfully my career allows me to have the entire fall to do anything I want. I am planning to do some extended horseback scouting trips in the units I can hopefully get a tag for. I have picked 3 units in different states that I would like to hunt on a regular basis. I just need to go there and learn them even if I don't have a tag for that year. I feel like it will pay off when the time comes that I do get a tag in that area.

Thanks!

 

[Chase0109]

I think you're on the right track. Just wanted to add that for your first time using horses and packing an elk you get a gold star! They must have good minds if you made it through without a wreck!!

Hi Steve,
Thanks for the kind words of support! I think beginners luck probably had alot ot do with the entire trip. I may be a bit OCD when it comes to anything I take and interest in. I spent untold hours researching everything I could on gear and strategy for this kind of hunting. I fell back on my falconry experience and there comes a point where you just have to do it and get a bird to learn what to do and not to do. I figured it was the same with horses, just a bit more dangerous lol.

I only came close to a wreck once as I mentioned in my story with me leading both horses from the ground. But it was a sobering experience and taught me to always be thinking ahead when dealing with my horses in the mountains. Maybe over thinking it but I did switch to tapadero stirrups for my second solo horseback hunt, just to be extra cautious. And learning that my pack horse absolutely will not leave my riding horse has made a huge difference. I can dally my pack horses lead rope to his own saddle horn and he will just follow. Makes it alot easier to not worry about the pack horse while riding mine.

As a side tangent, I test rode around 25 horses that all sounded great on paper when I called the seller when I was shopping for horses. It was amazing how difficult it is to find a "GOOD" horse in the 5K ballpark. I got lucky with my horse Blue. I think trying to find a decent horse that doesn't break the bank in my area is the biggest challenge of all!

My hat is off to all you guys who ride/train horses all the time. Riding/training a horse well is way harder to do than any of the other animals I work with and train.

 

[Chase0109]

Pm me your number and I’d be happy to give you a call. I don’t have the energy to type out a response.i don’t claim to be an expert but I’d be happy to share my experiences

Hi Wyomuleskinner,
I will PM you today. I am always looking to learn from those who have the experience. I am in the baby stages of learning horseback hunting. I will certainly take all the help I can get.

Thanks!
Chase

 

[Chase0109]

Most people either leave them at camp or ride to a starting point and tie them up. But, what you are doing is fine. You are basically hunting how most guys hunt on foot just riding a horse. Locate from horse..tie up and go after the elk by foot saves a bunch of leg work.

Keep in mind a hunt may require you to tie the horses up so don't cut your nose off by "having" to hunt off your horse.

I appreciate the feedback. Since I don't know what I am doing I didn't know if I was thinking something that was completely unattainable.

"Locate from horse..tie up and go after the elk by foot saves a bunch of leg work"
This I think best sums up what I was thinking in my head. I have zero problem hunting on foot. I just kind of figured there wasn't alot of point to hunting areas not holding elk on foot vs riding the horses around until finding elk then going on foot. Whether that is visual, vocal, or fresh droppings.

On my solo cow hunt in November I was riding my horses 4 miles in (2600' elevation gain) each day from base camp to where I was finding sign on the edge of the wilderness. I would hobble the horses there and then hunt/scout on foot a 2 mile radius from there. So it sounds like I wasn't too far off how it can be done.

Thanks!

 

[rayporter]

great job!

i remember my first trip in 83 like it was yesterday. in 84 i done it myself and had enough trouble keeping packs on and sore backs and snow collapsed the tent. a movie of that would have anyone in stitches.

 

[Deadfall]

Sounds like you averted some potential catastrophes.
Seen alot of stock die because they a single horse behind. Also seen stock tore to hell from hobbles.
Electric fence and highline are best. Highline the leader. Let rest graze. Move electric fence as needed. Cubes work great for short term stays if snow is crusty and or grass is gone.

When tying up never leave a horse long lined. Tie the rope head high above a knot or limb so rope dont slip. Leave just enough rope they can drop head a bit and sleep. Just not enough to get their head to ground level. If they have enough rope and time eventually they will get tangled up turn over and die. A horse will stand a long time tied to a tree if necessary. If not pulling bridle atleast tie up reins. Loosen cinch just a bit. Try to get them a couple hours grazing during day.
If feeding horse cake/hay cubes make sure they are drinking plenty of water. Especially when weather is cold. Stock dont drink as much in cold weather, mix that with cake/cubes its a good combination for collic.
Should always some vet supplies on hand. Pain reliever, gall salve, wrap, syringe, hammer pliers for shoes. Couple bells.
Horses are like kids. They do pretty good but will mess up if given the opportunity...lol...
As for the hunting part its about the same as foot hunting, just more work day to day.
With highline and electric fence its best to get them trained at home so they know in advance what that stuff is. As with the rest. If going to supplement feed in mountains should use it at home so they know what is, how much water they need.
If rifle hunting, try target practice around them so they get used to gunshots. That way they don't freak out and run away if you shoot close to them.
As for packing, well that's just experience. Biggest thing is making sure horn tips don't stab their flanks. Some guys use stick tied to top of horns and rest it on rump.
There are other ways also. Just so long as tips don't stab and head dont slide past saddle and land on horse neck/head.
Good pads are a must.
Personally I never leave a loaded horse loose. Never know when something goofy will happen. Even the ultra calm ones.
Don't tie to green trees or over graze one spot. Looks like crap and gives hikers a bad taste when they come by and see a camp sight torn to hell.