Do any of you use horses as part of your hunting transportation?

[Sheepdog1968]

I was watching a pheasant hunt show on TV and they had horse (not on them hunting but to get there and back). It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. Do any of you do this? How does it change things? It certainly looks like an added element of fun.

 

[Saakee]

If I could afford to keep one? H-E-Double-Hockeystick yes I would.

 

[Kachok]

I know plenty of people who do that in Texas, we used to hog hunt on horseback because they could go places the ATVs could not.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

I use horses and pack mules for Elk hunting. When I was a kid I used one for getting to my deer hunting spots. But I saved up enough to get me a good trail bike which made it a little faster and one HELL of a lot easier to get a deer on the back of a bike than over the back of a horse!

 

[MCgunner]

I like my iron horses. They don't eat unless I need 'em and I do all my own vet work on 'em. I have 200cc and 650cc versions. The 200 is the better hunting mount, but if I gotta do 90 miles on the highway to get there, I'd compromise.

Up in the high country like around Silverton Colorado, horses are about the ONLY way to successfully hunt elk. If not the only way, it sure makes life a lot easier, especially when you gotta haul out over 500 lbs of meat. Now, I have friends that used to go up there every year, used horses. Me, I never owned a horse, though I've ridden a few.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

I didn't get any size to me till around 14 then I exploded up and out. Me fighting a 160+ pound deer, dead weight, over the back of a 15+ hand high horse was just not fun at all. Not to mention every horse we owned was high strung and really didn't like the idea of something dead around it let alone being loaded on it. Needless to say, it was a chore. My Honda got a workout to say the least! Still used the horses whenever I would hunt the creek area (lots of ravines and such) so I could use the horse and rope to drag the deer up the ravines. Never failed, whenever I shot one it would end up at the bottom of one :banghead: .

 

[Armored farmer]

I like horses, still have a couple. Horses have a way of becoming the star of the show. They require lots of attn and details. Anytime I ever tried to hunt off horseback, it usually ended up all about the horses.
My favorite hunting horse is called Honda Rancher 4x4.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

I like horses, still have a couple. Horses have a way of becoming the star of the show. They require lots of attn and details. Anytime I ever tried to hunt off horseback, it usually ended up all about the horses.
My favorite hunting horse is called Honda Rancher 4x4.

Do the horses seem to "know" when they are going to go hunting? Do they enjoy the outing? I've never owned one so I don't know what their personality is like. Of course I'm sure each one is unique. Having said that, I know a dog in general would enjoy the outing whereas a cat wouldn't.

 

[beatledog7]

Do the horses seem to "know" when they are going to go hunting? Do they enjoy the outing? I've never owned one so I don't know what their personality is like. Of course I'm sure each one is unique.

Unique? Yes, and then some. When I was riding a lot I experienced a dozen different horses, and they could have been as many different species. Never took one hunting, but I can't imagine anything more fun.

 

[35 Whelen]

A good horse or mule is absolutely priceless when used for hunting in the high country. We take two horses and two mules elk hunting in New Mexico. New Mexico is very strict with regards to the use of ATV's (thank God) in that they may ONLY be used on established roads and ATV trails. As such, riding stock is the only practical way to get away from other hunters.
Yes, horses and mules require a little more attention,and you MUST know how to handle them (or they'll handle YOU) but they'll get you places and do things that no motorized vehicle will do. I get all warm and fuzzy looking at hunting pictures that include our animals. Allow me to pass that feeling on....













35W

 

[Saakee]

A good horse or mule is absolutely priceless when used for hunting in the high country. We take two horses and two mules elk hunting in New Mexico. New Mexico is very strict with regards to the use of ATV's (thank God) in that they may ONLY be used on established roads and ATV trails. As such, riding stock is the only practical way to get away from other hunters.
Yes, horses and mules require a little more attention,and you MUST know how to handle them (or they'll handle YOU) but they'll get you places and do things that no motorized vehicle will do. I get all warm and fuzzy looking at hunting pictures that include our animals. Allow me to pass that feeling on....
35W

Is there anything you had to do to train them for dealing with the smell of the harvest?

 

[35 Whelen]

Is there anything you had to do to train them for dealing with the smell of the harvest?

We bought the horses from a buddy who owned a guest ranch and did trail rides in the summer and guided hunters in the fall. So our horses had done everything from carry toddlers up and down the trail to packing out bull elk.
The mules had never been exposed to blood and dead animals until we took them elk hunting but they paid absolutely no mind to the game. Didn't faze them in the least. I have however seen animals come unglued at the scent of blood or the sight of a dead animal. You just never know until you try them.

35W

 

[infmp32]

35Whelen those are some great pictures. I haven't ridden a horse in years and those gave me a real itch to get back on one.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

Very nice photos of you and your horse 35 Whelen.

 

[baylorattorney]

I ride a horse when coyote hunting as it does a very good job of covering my scent. I enjoy it immensely.

 

[baylorattorney]

Horses "big dogs" are mans noblest friend. Nice pics 35.

 

[baylorattorney]

We use riders quite often when quail hunting to flush the coveys.


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=27.354707,-98.158178

 

[nathan]

When hunting at the Sam Houston NF in 2008 deer season i saw several guys brought along their horse trailer and journeyed into the woods on horseback. That is really nice to not lug along those hunting gears.

 

[Art Eatman]

I grew up on horseback, so it was natural to get a couple of horses when we moved back to the old family ranch outside of Austin. I had a palamino gelding which wasn't all that hard to train to let me shoot while in the saddle. I'd see a deer, he'd stop, angle sideways so I had a good shooting angle, lower his head and lay his ears back and be still until he jumped a wee bit when the '06 went off.

Not all horses will tolerate that nonsense.

A buddy of mine was a guide up in Colorado. He had to load a bear onto a mule, one time. Bear smell is a lot more worrisome than deer or elk. The mule wanted none of it, and the rodeo was on. A blindfold didn't help at all. The solution was a handful of blood into the mule's nose. "That mule just sorta stood there all spraddle-legged and quivering and I loaded the bear and went on down the mountain."

 

[dwrowell]

Hunting With Horses

A friend of mine wrote a good piece about hunting with horses. You can read the thorough article here: http://www.elk-hunting-tips.net/hunting-with-horses.html

 

[AK_Maine_iac]

I too grew up on horseback. When i lived out in the bush off the Yukon River i hunted on horseback all the time. Also dragged my ass along for packing out meat.

Some good horses will climb up some mountain sides, that would scare most people on foot. Believe me i have been a little nerves many times. You have to trust the horse and he has to trust you.

 

[exbiologist]

Only for the backcountry stuff, I mostly consider them a pain in the butt otherwise. Occasional scouting trips too.

 

[wyohome]

Beautiful pictures. I would rather walk or stay home. Three of my acquaintances have been killed and one paralyzed by horses in the last 2 years. These were 'horse people', not implants from out of state, either.

 

[grubbylabs]

Beautiful pictures. I would rather walk or stay home. Three of my acquaintances have been killed and one paralyzed by horses in the last 2 years. These were 'horse people', not implants from out of state, either

I worked in the emergency room in Idaho Falls for quite a few years, I have seen more horse wrecks and rollovers than any thing else involving out door hunting. Most of the time it involved experienced horse people. They are animals that deserve a lot of respect.

I have hunted on them and packed into some beautiful country on them. They can be a valuable asset when going into the back country.

 

[wyohome]

I agree. My wife works in the ER here, seeing our friends killed and maimed is pretty hard on her.