What does your hunting time allocation look like (stock, no-stock, etc.)?

[lifeisgoodsteve]

Hi All,

A few questions along the same general line:

For those with horses or mules (stock they ride) how does your outdoors/backcountry/hunting time allocation look like?

What I mean is of the days and weekends you get out into the backcountry, how much of it is in the saddle versus by foot, sxs, truck, etc...?

If you live close to hunting, for any half day/post work hunts are you still bringing your horse/mule or doing quick truck to access point then hoof it with your own two?

Thanks,

s

 

[Pony Soldier]

60% in the saddle; 40% on foot. Stock is the access to the sites followed by a foot hunt then back into the saddle to the next site.

 

[lifeisgoodsteve]

60% in the saddle; 40% on foot. Stock is the access to the sites followed by a foot hunt then back into the saddle to the next site.

Thanks, I probably didn't phrase it so well as I'm curious if when you've got your hunting riding-stock, if you almost always incorporate the stock into your hunt, scouting, outdoor recreational time or do you still go out quite a bit simply driving your truck or sxs to your hiking access spot?

During hunting season are you e-scouting and planning basically your whole hunting season and spots based on riding in on stock, what forest roads are ok to tow up, trailhead parking, what trails get remote enough to be away from foot hunters, etc...? Or do you switch it up much and take the stock for some and hunt just drive in and hunt from foot on some?

It seems that I'd be much more hesitant to tow my horse trailer down 20 miles of potholed forest road for an afternoon hunt or "quick" overnight hunt (as I have access close), vs. cruise down it in a sxs to the hiking access point and go by foot from there.

The reason I ask is that I've got more space (12 acres) to keep mules now and always loved riding, however when I had my horse if I wasn't riding him on free weekends I'd feel guilty.

Do you find it essentially focusses your backcountry time picking areas best accessed with a horse trailer and then have the trails or riding areas which suit it best or can take you further away from on-foot hunters?

Thanks,

s

 

[Pony Soldier]

In this country there are a number of roads that open in the spring and close October15. I choose the open period to saw out my access where I can. On the longer ones that aren't open, I grab a saddle horse and a pack horse and cut out trails and roads that link places I need to hunt. That opportunity allows me to check wallows, springs and migration paths without running them out of the country.

Part of the scouting is figuring out which roads allow me to access with a two horse trailer and which ones with a stock trailer. And of course which ones can barely allow a pickup to turn around.

Consequently its not just access in planning but planning loop routes that allow day long rides that give me access to multiple drainages and hunts in each.

I don't have a side by side nor any places that would fit them. Vehicles move the elk while horses are with them all summer along with grazing cows.

I rarely have time to ride horses until August. Then I ride them every day from October into December.

 

[2rocky]

Most of the time getting to camp requires the stock to ride 5-10 miles from the end of the road. I'm not taking horses on a hunt I'd use vehicles on.

In one area, we would ride from a trailhead camp a minimum of 3 miles before daylight to start to hunt. Another area we would walk out from camp that we packed in 10 miles. Each spot is different.

Horses get me to near the glassing spot and if i get on game, they could stand tied there for many hours.
In bear country I will bring a packhorse so I don't have to leave an elk out overnight.

I'm more likely to take a horse on an elk hunt than a deer hunt.

I do not own an ATV, so I use my horse like one for scouting only I'll focus on roadless areas.

As for the off season, I do a bit of cow work with mine and my neighbors'. This has made me want to improve my horseback cow and rope handling and thus made me enter clinics ranch rodeo's and ropings.
I'll go on organized group trail rides twice a year for 4 days plus, then Weekend rides when I have an opportunity.

If you have 12 acres, I'd encourage you to have 7 of that be improved ground you can have a neighbor cut and bale hay for you on. At an average of 2.5 tons per acre, that is 17.5 tons of hay. figure 3T of hay annually per horse you could feed a string of 3 and give the other half of the crop to the farmer for the custom farming.