Trail Access Restrictions - No UTVs = No Horses

[FAAFO]

Friends mom has horses and has always said "If you ever need help packing into a camp or packing an animal out, please let me know. My horses love to get out and they could use all the practice and conditioning they can get."

I have yet to take her up on the offer but after sharing a night in camp with my buddy and seeing his 17 lb cot and bivy setup, it has me rethinking my strategy for next year.

I like that horsemen and horsewomen are keeping that old tradition alive. It's a cool and nostalgic thing seeing a team of horses packing people in and animals out of the west.

Dude your friends mom is hitting on you. Be careful! See below quote:

Horse chicks are bat shit crazy, BUT they are my kinda crazy!!

 

[cjdewese]

Dude your friends mom is hitting on you. Be careful! See below quote:

Lol, if she wasn't a 2nd mom to me, helped raise me and have known me my whole life I may agree with you.

I've met some crazies in the past. The 1st was a girl that taught us how to have cow pie fights for fun... 1st time I ever saw someone ok with sticking their hands in fresh cow shit.

 

[IDVortex]

If a trail is going to ban the use of atvs/utvs then the use of horses and mules should be banned as well. I said what I said.

I hunted the South Piney region of the Bridger National Forest this last month. Due to the unusually warm weather (as I was told by locals), the elk were at very high elevations and due to the pressure were very deep. We found that there was no way we could compete with those on horseback, since we are not world class endurance athletes. I'm not against horseback hunting, at least I wasn't a month ago. haha I simply take issue with the governing bodies egregiously creating advantages for outfitters and small sector of the population over everyone else.

North Piney Trailhead was the most egregious example. They could have left that trail open so we could have taken our UTV a couple miles in. Instead the trail is such that after you've done several miles in on boot, your last 1/2 mile out is uphill simply because of where they choice to close the trail to UTVs. After a 13+ mile hunt that came up empty I had just enough energy left over to have kicked the guy in the face that decided where to close the trail.

I get that you don't want UTVs going anywhere and tearing up everything. I'm just saying, if you're going to close an ATV trail for hunting season it should be closed to horses and mules as well.

I think it might be time for you to try CA for hunting. It's a very entitled state, might be a good fit for ya.

 

[406flyfish]

I enjoy my UTV, especially during hunting season in certain areas. Also enjoy wilderness areas on foot. To each their own.

 

[wyodan]

Lol, if she wasn't a 2nd mom to me, helped raise me and have known me my whole life I may agree with you.

I've met some crazies in the past. The 1st was a girl that taught us how to have cow pie fights for fun... 1st time I ever saw someone ok with sticking their hands in fresh cow shit.

So there were more?

 

[FAAFO]

1st time I ever saw someone ok with sticking their hands in fresh cow shit.

oh man do we want to know the 2nd time?

 

[Sully_44]

So because you can’t afford horses, or are scared to ride them, everyone else should not use them? I’m not following the actual problem?

 

[IDVortex]

So because you can’t afford horses, or are scared to ride them, everyone else should not use them? I’m not following the actual problem?

He's the problem. No one else, or anything else is the problem.

 

[Rossi]

Spoke to hunters at this trailhead last year that were complaining about this trail being open to UTVs/ATVs during the rifle deer season in Sept. They used to hunt off this trail with horses. Now there are huge luxurious camps at timberline for the Sept 15 deer opener hauled in via ATVs. Not quite the traditional backcountry deer hunt that it used to be. I guess the FS can't make anyone happy!

 

[NRA4LIFE]

The cost and time of maintaining horses is at least 10-20 times that of an ATV, at least. My ATV is celebrating it's 30th birthday next year and I work on it maybe once a year and most of it is piddly stuff like oil changes, filter changes, light bulbs etc.

 

[Steve300xcw]

The cost and time of maintaining horses is at least 10-20 times that of an ATV, at least. My ATV is celebrating it's 30th birthday next year and I work on it maybe once a year and most of it is piddly stuff like oil changes, filter changes, light bulbs etc.

Have you priced a new sxs?

 

[Rotnguns]

Game carts are a no-go in wilderness areas as are bicycles. If you are going to cross a wilderness area on a bike, you have to carry it. I know a local guy who does epic bikepacking trips and he's traversed wilderness sections using a Llama to carry his bike. The Grand Canyon, while not designated wilderness, is managed as a wilderness areas. The Arizona Trail crosses the grand canyon and requires the bikepackers to use a backpack modified to carry a bike. You can't even push it -no wheels on the ground.

Here's how they do it: https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/bikepacking/arizona-trail/azt-crossing-grand-canyon/

Now that is an interesting solution! I like the llama idea better than the backpack. Backpacking a bike, like the guy in the picture, would seem tenuous on a narrow path with a cliff edge.

 

[bmart2622]

Have you priced a new sxs?

Have your prices horse cost, maintenance, feed, vet, farrier, tack, trailer, truck to pull it with...

 

[Archer86]

Looks like someone got there teeth kicked in elk hunting in wyoming and is trying to find something to blame it on....maybe the op is the gather type not the hunter

I would much rather run into someone on horses vs sxs.

 

[307]

"All those in favor of sending OP an official Rokslide Western Hunting Participation ribbon, say aye..."

 

[IDVortex]

"All those in favor of sending OP an official Rokslide Western Hunting Participation ribbon, say aye..."

Nay, he'll come up with some other excuse.

 

[realunlucky]

Seems appropriate that we acknowledge the beating of the dead horse happening now

Everyone of us has had the sting of a hunt not working out, but luckily, most of us didn't start posting our frustration about it. @ThorM465 you'll always remember this experience and use what worked and what didn't to your advantage on your next adventure.

Locking this one up