I'm planning a 7 day solo backpack hunt for the 2009 elk season and the more i plan, the more i'm thinking about leasing a pair of horses for the hunt. I am a novice rider, have never owned horses and am curious to know if it's still a good option for someone like me.
Anyplace i can find information or any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

My thinking was a saddle horse and a pack horse. personal gear should be under 50# anything else packed would be horse feed (pellets, cubes, grain) and whatever else need for horse care (picket line, stakes etc).

Thanks for any advice.

Boomer

Others may give you another opinion. But I would never suggest someone not familar with horses make a solo trip. Especially with rented horses that you know nothing about prior to the hunt. It's enough of a challenge to go on a pack trip with borrowed horses even if you are familar with horses. But it's a double No-No to try it when you are not familar with horses and then borrow or rent them to boot. A 1000lb animal with a mind of its own can cause a lot of injuries to somebody not aware of what can happen. It could cost you your life to have a brain injury 10 miles from a trail head by your self.

Make your trip, just invite somebody with horse skills to join you or pay a guide to come along. You will be much safer and I am sure the horses will feel much less abused.

I wouldn't suggest it either. However, if you are determined to do it I say go for it. Just be aware of the risks.

Lets put some numbers into this.

A horse eats 2% of his body weight per day. A 1000lb horse that equals 20 lbs of feed x two horses is 40lb per day. If you have to provide all the feed because there might not be grass in the area you hunt. 7 days of hunting x 40lbs per day = 280 lbs of feed. You will pack about 150 lbs of dead weight on a horse. That means you need to make several trips back to the truck to haul in your feed. If you are going to let them graze, They will need several hours each day. Usually an hour am and hour pm if there is good grass. Many of the areas I hunt have grazing permits during the summer and the cattle have eaten a lot of the grass off.

If this is something you want to do, Go take some lesson on horse riding, Find somebody to go camping with their horses next summer. Maybe at first, just camp at the truck and trailer, But get some idea of how a horse behaves when away from his home. Learn what spooks a horse and how to control that. When and how much to feed and water.

I've heard some real horror stories of people borrowing horses and taking scouts on camp trips, leading horses and having them step on their foot, breaking bones, of getting fingers stepped on while hobblin horses and breaking their hands, of getting bucked off and breaking ribs or collar bones.

If you don't have the time or resources to become familar with horses in the back country. Do a back pack hunt and just line up a guide to pack you out if you are successful. Make arraingments and get his phone number, take a sat phone with you and call him when you get the animal down. Maybe just do a spot camp where they pack you in and come get you in 7 days. Then you can enjoy the hunt and not worry about taking care of horses. It's like taking a couple little kids hunting with you.

Part of hunting with my horses is I enjoy their company. Multiple days hunting gives me the opportunity to work with the horse more than I ever do when I'm home and having to make a living. I allow my horses to distract me from hunting. They need to be feed several times a day, They need gallons of water. If water is not in my camp, I need to get on them and ride over to where ever water is located and let them drink once or twice a day. Caring for the horses takes time away from hunting. You need to look at your motivation for taking horses with you.

all that I am going to say is that this is all good advice, it would pay to heed it.

I appreciate the input, so far it's just an idea i've been knocking around.

Thanks for the advice

The reason I own horses is because I got tired of hauling elk off the mountain on my back. Once I learned how to hunt them and became successful in harvesting elk on a regular basis. I decided I needed a horse. I had no intent of every using them for Cow work, horse shows, reining or other forms of competition that you see cowboys using horses for.

I bought my first horse solely with the intent to use it hunting. I quickly learned that I needed to spend a lot of time the rest of the year to condition the horse and keep him manageable. And that just because I had riden a horse a few times before, I really knew nothing about horsemanship.

The horses have become more of the hobby and hunting is just something I do with the horses nowdays. It may just be an idea that you are knocking around. But it could become a lifestyle if you are not careful. I can't think of a better way to spend a weekend than with my horses in the mountains. But it could be a real nightmare if you underestimate what it takes to care for several horses.

i know the feeling, i love duck hunting and got my first retriever to make duck hunting more enjoyable, now i use duck hunting as an excuse to train retrievers. now were trying to train them to blood trail as well.

the idea of a solo horseback hunt sounds like the best of all worlds-a solo backpack hunt runs a close second. either way it should be a heck of a trip. But i'll bet it takes all year to put it together.

Thanks again for all the input

Thanks again for all the advice

Here is my take on it. You are going to back pack anyway?? Renting a couple horses to pack would not be a bad idea and it is good you are considering it. I would not recommend you ride them, only use them to pack.

We will pack our horses with around 200 lbs. You could take one 50 lb bag of rolled oats and barley, which would supplement 2 horses for 5 days. You need to camp in an area where water is close and there is ample feed. You can find out if the area has been grazed by simply calling the FS and asking about the area you wish to hunt. I have only had to move camp once to find ample feed due to livestock grazing (and that move was less than 1/4 mile). A horse will need to graze for 2-3 hours a day, so you decide if you want to give him that kind of time.

If you are going to do it, become familiar with what is involved before you pick up the horse. Surely someone you know has horses and will show you what you are in for.

My horses are tools which allow me to do things I other wise wouldn't. They ride the ranch, take me 30 miles into the back country, haul elk and deer, carry me up steep trails in the dark and blizzards. They have also put me in the hospital, eaten my bank account, and caused me to use words I normally don't. They make the trip for me. That said, there is nothing better than a good horse on a hunting trip AND nothing worse than a bad horse on a hunting trip.

Best of luck on your hunt.

quote:

They have also put me in the hospital, eaten my bank account, and caused me to use words I normally don't

I like the way you phrased that. I can relate.