Who owns and uses pack LLamas

[gwl79902]

I live in town and can not have llamas but we are concidering moving out of town and if I do I will be getting a couple llamas. LLamas would be great for where I hunt. Alos we have a ton on preppy horse people so having llamas would piss them off on the trail so that would be fun as well.

 

[twsnow18]

I picked up 3 pack goats in July. This is our first season using any kind of pack animal, it's been fun. Llamas intrigue me just because they can carry a little bit more, but I'm curious if the extra weight capacity is worth the decreased mobility compared to my goats.

 

[tenth1]

I was seriously considering pack goats back when I was in MT. Would love to hear more experience with them.

 

[twsnow18]

Here are a few links, I post on that forum more often. The goats are cool, they are very agile and go anywhere that you can. People will tell you they can pack 60 pounds, but it's not ideal. I was also under the impression they would only need water every 2-3 days, which isn't really the case either. They are just like us, everything is dependent on the conditions. On the archery opener we packed in with them and they didn't drink water for 3 days, but we had a very heavy rainstorm the second day and they retained enough moisture from the grass and weeds that we didn't need to supplement any water. Last week we took them out for 2 days for rifle deer and it was very warm and dry, they were definitely thirsty after we packed into camp. There was no moisture in the weeds at all up there.

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?t=260333
(click then scroll down a ways if your not a bird hunter)

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?t=260980

In the summer we put 30 pounds on each of our 2 goats and packed in 4 miles to scout. It was only an elevation gain of 500ish feet, and they did great. Packing out my bull two weeks ago coming down a very steep ridge our largest goat (160 lbs I'd guess) had both boned out fronts on him and he wasn't liking it. We had another 40-45 pounds on the smaller goat (130lbs-ish), and he wasn't a fan either. We made them push through because it was only 500-600 feet of elevation drop and then almost completely flat the last 3/4 of a mile to the truck. Once we hit the flats neither goat had an issue. Total they packed 100-105 lbs of meat which saved us a full trip, can't complain that. Once our third goat is old enough to pack weight next fall it will be great. Our 2 brown la manchas are stubborn though, and can be a PITA if they want.

I'm curious about llamas though, if anyone uses them they should post up.

 

[Rizzy]

Without the ears and horns the goats look like velociraptors, but they can go off trail real well. They have a great sense of direction too, after one trip in they are able to find their own way out
Some day when I get out from under the HOA nazi's, I will get goats for sure.

 

[gmajor]

I picked up 3 pack goats in July. This is our first season using any kind of pack animal, it's been fun. Llamas intrigue me just because they can carry a little bit more, but I'm curious if the extra weight capacity is worth the decreased mobility compared to my goats.

While I'm a ways off from being in a position to own them, I have been interested in goats from the first time I saw some in the Sierra. To my untrained eye, they seem like the easiest pack animals to own and use. Thanks for the info!

 

[twsnow18]

They have a great sense of direction too, after one trip in they are able to find their own way out

This is true ^^ Built in compass and a knack for untying knots.

They are very manageable though, and if shit happens (lose one, breaks it's leg, won't pack) your only out a couple hundred tops, I've seen them pop up for $50 or even free on craigslist once in a while.

 

[Scot E]

This is a very informative thread for anyone interested in pack goats.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f61/pack-goats-36442/

Scot E

 

[gmajor]

Any concern over goat bans because of the concern of disease transmission to bighorn sheep? I know the evidence is middling at best, but I believe Shoshone NF currently has a ban on them...

 

[trevore]

I do not own llamas but I have used them on 5 occasions. For the most part they are really easy going and pack well enough. As stated by previous posts they don't need feed and depending on temp/work load will water sparingly. We were given a 30' leash to stake them out on and we kept them all about 35-40' apart to keep them from getting tangled. They like company.

We've had bears come into camp with them in it and its a hair raising experience. Their alarm bark is crazy. I don't think lions, black bears, coyotes or a lone wolf would ever be an issue. A grizzly or a pack of wolves would concern me.

We packed as much as 100 lbs on a bigger male and have gone as far as 9 miles with that load, with a 9 mile reverse trip empty inside of 12 hours with no problems. You will have to sort them out when they are tethered together. Some want to be in the back and some want to lead. It's not hard to figure out once you get going. They show their cards pretty quick.

They do not like water crossings. They prefer to jump a small crossing over wading through them. And they can jump with a full load and if that load isn't properly attached it ends up in the drink or under their belly which creates a panic. When approaching a water crossing its best to have a partner if available to hold them whilst the other takes a lead across. When you reach the other side have your partner turn loose of the halter and get out of the way.

We were told to stay away from scree slopes and heavy downfall. So we did. A couple of them did cause some trouble while packing. IF they do inspect their saddles really well. All but one occasion we found burrs either on the saddle or in their wool which was irritating them. The one other time we had one lay down we found out afterwards he was on a ten day hunt right before us and the hunters packed out 3 bulls. Se he was tired with only one day of rest when we got him.

Best of luck

 

[Hard Knocks]

Have any of yall bought a llama,and trained it to pack?Any issues? Im looking at getting a couple of geldings myself, just want to know how difficult it may be to train them