Lots of great advice above. riding and having a separate pack animal is the way to go. sounds like you have a couple so that works.
Wearing a heavy backpack and having heavy loaded, low-hanging saddle bags is really hard on a riding animal. There is a guy that rides mules a lot, has lots of social media exposure, and I just cringe at his setup. It's dork level. Folks think it is fine because it doesn't cause visible sores, but those animals will start to brace themselves when you saddle them, "bowing" to the saddle, etc... People think they can get away with it, but 6 months later they have turned their nice riding mule into a bastard. The animal begins to associate rides with pain. You probably know this, having that awesome mule and a cute kid smiling on it, but contrary to popular belief a well taken care of mule/horse loves going for a ride/pack.
Having said all of that, I have hunted a lot with one animal for the sake of convenience or availability. I bring along some saddle panniers and a lightweight lash rope. Keep my gear fairly light, small pack, and I WALK a lot just leading my animal, gear packed in those panniers on my saddle. It's amazing how comfortable it is walking half the time if you aren't carrying your gear. Makes you more effective from a hunting perspective also. I walk anywhere there is a good chance of jumping game or there are a bunch of glassing points along the trail.
