Mountain Hunting Should Be Hard

[Btaylor]

So the only way to qualify for a patch is if all of your hunts are Mountain Ops of a Wilderness Athelete?

 

[Wyobohunter]

So the only way to qualify for a patch is if all of your hunts are Mountain Ops of a Wilderness Athelete?

No, you just have to say they are. And pay me money, and join my cult. I’ve added a bonus. All cult memberships come with a free valve core tool and a little booklet of inspirational sayings like:

“Mountain hunting should be hard”

“If your feet don’t bleed your hunt don’t count”

“E-bikes are for devil worshiping”

Naturally, it’ll be printed on DCF and bound in carbon fiber.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

There’s some saying about how your most memorable moments and stories are usually from those situations where you were saying “f&$@ this” in the moment.

Agree and I would toss in those moments when the trail/switch backs were so steep you could very easily fall to your death below if your horse slipped on a rock or decided to buck for no good reason. Oh and add to that the risk of getting knocked off the trail and crushed by a rockslide (no pun intended) if they decided to get loose above you. Never been so puckered in my life...

 

[Pony Soldier]

Just a few points to ponder. 1) Elk respond to pressure by moving to where it isn't. (2). They have been conditioned in most of my areas to equate pressure to the sound of an ATV. (3.) I usually start to find them about 2 miles beyond the last motorized access. Hence I like seasonally closed roads. They give me reasonable access with limited pressure.

I use them as well as trails to search for elk and then tie up and hunt them on foot. I figured out years ago that I can ride in and use my strength to hunt and then ride out or hunt on foot much closer to the road for a shorter period of time. It's really just conservation of energy especially as I get into the white hair stage.

Mountain hunting in my world is obviously differant than a lot of you have experienced. Hard soled boots (when frozen) are slick. After you have picked yourself up off the ground 20-30 times let alone slid down the hill on your face for 50 ft, your energy starts to wain. All that and the elk are still above you in the cliffs. The conditions limit the pressure and slightly increase your odds. For me what they really do is limit the number of encounters with other hunters which suits me fine.

For those that think you will add horses later in life, I have my doubts. I have a small ranch so I can have horses so I can hunt. Part of the experience is the partnership with the horses which is built with each one over time just like with you and your dogs. Reactions to crisis is developed over time and must be automatic to survive. It's easier to start that when you are young enough to heal up from your mistakes.

 

[3325]

For those that think you will add horses later in life, I have my doubts.

Me too. I was 24 when I started working for an outfitter. My last year dude wrangling and packing I was 32. I’m 55 now and have been hunting afoot for many years because I can’t afford to own hayburners.

I like the idea of riding and packing again someday, since I already have some background in it. But if I didn’t, I doubt I’d try to start it from scratch in my 60s.

 

[Button]

Extreme mountain hunters

 

[Gutshot007]

Agree and I would toss in those moments when the trail/switch backs were so steep you could very easily fall to your death below if your horse slipped on a rock or decided to buck for no good reason. Oh and add to that the risk of getting knocked off the trail and crushed by a rockslide (no pun intended) if they decided to get loose above you. Never been so puckered in my life...

Call me a wuss , but a horse on on the edge of cliff freaks me out. I'll be the guy walking. There big evil animals Imho. ( unless they're carryin and elk hind quarter) I think mules are more my speed

 

[Wyobohunter]

Call me a wuss , but a horse on on the edge of cliff freaks me out. I'll be the guy walking. There big evil animals Imho. ( unless they're carryin and elk hind quarter) I think mules are more my speed

Problem with mules is, they are too smart. My grandpa was a copper miner in Butte back in the day. He had some interesting insights on horses vs mules.

 

[svivian]

Meanwhile there's a hippie out there with a manbun who could put all of us to shame.

Oh and he probably owns an Ebike

 

[UpTop]

Call me a wuss , but a horse on on the edge of cliff freaks me out. I'll be the guy walking. There big evil animals Imho. ( unless they're carryin and elk hind quarter) I think mules are more my speed

Pack goats! I’ve road my fair share of horses and they’re great. But after having one lose it’s footing on a very steep hill I’m a little leery.

 

[3325]

Meanwhile there's a hippie out there with a manbun who could put all of us to shame.

Oh and he probably owns an Ebike

Ha!

Yeah, but he’s half my age. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

 

[Wyobohunter]

Meanwhile there's a hippie out there with a manbun who could put all of us to shame.

Oh and he probably owns an Ebike

100% true. On both. Probably has the e-bike instead of a car.

 

[Gutshot007]

Prius + manbun= "platinum elite hunter"

 

[Wyobohunter]

Prius + manbun= "platinum elite hunter"

I love your enthusiasm but platinum membership also requires the applicant to drink fair trade organically grown coffee served with hemp milk.

Or he could just send me $200

We gotta have standards.

 

[Pony Soldier]

You are a little greedy but I like your standards

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Call me a wuss , but a horse on on the edge of cliff freaks me out. I'll be the guy walking. There big evil animals Imho. ( unless they're carryin and elk hind quarter) I think mules are more my speed

I wish I could post some of the videos I took on those rides. In retrospect it was pretty #$%^&*! stupid to be recording in some of those spots that were less than a "horse track" wide. However, pictures just wouldn't have done them justice. If the outfitter told the guys at the trailhead what to expect, I think many would have said $%^& this and gave him back the waiver. However, once you're 9 miles in and the sun's going down, you're committed.

I actually really enjoy horses even though I was a novice going into the hunt and just a little better coming out. However, one of my goals was to get a little more comfortable and confident every day. By the end of the hunt me and Ace were buddies and my life literally depended on him in countless situations.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Problem with mules is, they are too smart. My grandpa was a copper miner in Butte back in the day. He had some interesting insights on horses vs mules.

The mules that packed the meat on our hunt were rookies. Bred with draft horse stock they were also enormous. My bull was their first pack out, and it was an absolute rodeo for the guides to get the meat mounted on them. They told us to stand back to avoid getting killed and we did so happily.

 

[Gutshot007]

I wish I could post some of the videos I took on those rides. In retrospect it was pretty #$%^&*! stupid to be recording in some of those spots that were less than a "horse track" wide. However, pictures just wouldn't have done them justice. If the outfitter told the guys at the trailhead what to expect, I think many would have said $%^& this and gave him back the waiver. However, once you're 9 miles in and the sun's going down, you're committed.

I actually really enjoy horses even though I was a novice going into the hunt and just a little better coming out. However, one of my goals was to get a little more comfortable and confident every day. By the end of the hunt me and Ace were buddies and my life literally depended on him in countless situations.

Sweat beads up on my forehead thinking about the "horse track" wide stuff ! They say horses can sense fear. Man on the side of a cliff I would be dripping with it ! I can see it the wrangler gives me Old Paint .you know the docile one. Wow we've never seen Paint act like that before. Must of had flashbacks of his days on the Pro Rodeo circuit as a bronc horse ! You guys got guts

 

[Wyobohunter]

Compromise:
E-bikes are allowed anywhere horses are. The only catch is, if you witness a horse wreck you have to ride right up and inform the horseman that “e-bikes are no different than horses”. If you make it outta that first encounter intact and with your bike, you get a pass for life.

Consolation prize is a patch. And you gotta do it sans motor afterward.

 

[Gutshot007]

Ebike "Train Station" in Wyoming from cowboy's on the Yellowstone ranch . Rough bunch. Don't care much for likes of those types round here.