Horses for backcountry hunting and packing?

[LARK]

For the back country, I ride a mammoth (15.2 hands) donkey.  Smart, smooth, very even disposition, long-lived, easy keeping and tough.  Pound for pound a donk can carry more weight, responsibly than a horse or mule. Great personalities.  Also, they can utilize a wider variety of the plants, brush, forbes and grasses in the backcountry than either a horse or mule.  Mammoth donkeys come in all sizes from 14 to exceeding 17 hands.  I like mules also.

There are good horses out there, but being green as you are I'd get a mammoth donkey or a mule, stay away from the horses.

[bearpaw]

There's a lot of good advice so far, especially about there being a lot of work and cost involved with horses. Maybe someone mentioned it and I missed it but you also need to trim feet regularly and you need to shoe them before taking them on a hunting trip. Toughest thing is finding good horses and keeping them good. There is a ton of hobby horses that are rarely used and have tons of bad habits. Not all riding horses will pack, so make sure you get horses that will do both. My advice is find a friend who knows horses very well to help you find decent animals. Once you find a good horse then you need to ride and care for it often to keep it a good horse.

I used to keep several of my own horses and a mule and rent additional horses during hunting season. I finally sold my horses and now rent all the horses I need from a guy who does family horseback rides all summer. I get mostly the same horses every year, they have been ridden a lot, there are no surprises.

One of my all time favorite mountain horses is Quarter/Percheron cross, he probably weighs 1200-1300, I weigh in at 240ish, that horse could carry me, saddle, saddle bags, and back pack, all day in the most rugged country. Another really stout horse that wasn't so tall was a Quarter/Morgan cross. There are a couple other large horses I use that are Quarter/Draft horse cross. I've put 400 pound riders on them before. I did pack three cow elk on three horses once, but they were all good sized horses, the elk were quartered, and I only had to go a few miles in easy terrain. Normally I put 1/2 elk per horse.

Final advice, get help finding good animals, learn proper care, and be sure you are ready for the cost and commitment. 

[Machias]

Persheron Mule



My saddle mule Abbey





Getting ready to go up into the Salmo Priest area for some trail clearing



We all got caught in a huge thunderstorm and hail storm.  Temps dropped from the upper 70s to the upper 40s in less than an hour.  Shivered all the way down the mountain!!





Hey LARK, look familiar? 

[Machias]

A couple more of LARK's Mammoth Donkey



Me and Denny (Calvin) waiting on the Judges  I think he was genuinely interested!!   

[Machias]

Of course you could always end up like this and I bet you don't bend like she does!! 

Started off nice and then the little donkey broke away and headed for the exit gate!!!

[REHJWA]

I don't bend like that any more ...ouch

[stevemiller]

Your mules are awsome,That said a quarter horse would fit your needs best.  Appies are nice but flighty in my op.Arabs are to small not a good stock horse if you will.Mules are hard to come by.So left is a good Quarter horse.They dont break the bank when you buy them and you can depend on them to be your other best friend.

[Redneck Russell]

That us a big mule

[Piscatory_5]

I was considering using my horse to hunt in road closure areas, just day hunts. But i keep wondering what to do with him if i need to start following some tracks. Tie him up, hobble, small rope corral, or just let him wander. Seemed like to much trouble so i walk. Cannot shoot off him anyway, rifle or bow. As for biking in, I did a lot of mtb trail riding and to be honest it is not more efficient than just walking. If you think about it in addition to all the hunting gear, you have the 30lb bike to propel up and down the road so that is like an extra 30lb you are carrying. Then what do you do if you get a deer or elk ; not practical to ride it out on the bike.

[6x6in6]

I prefer to highline mine.  I keep a 20' rope, a lightweight pair of tree saver straps and a knot saver in the saddle bags.  2nd choice would be just tying him up.

[steen]

Love my Arabs but they are not for everyone.  Much more thinner skinned and could be a problem for packing and lighter bodied animal but they will go forever on not so much feed. We take them up to the Pasayten every 3 years with 2015 or next goal year. Definately not cheap and I hear about it regularly but I can't live without a horse or an Arab.

[Little Dave]

Another picture I had from trail clearing with Machias.
This is right before the thunderstorm.

[6x6in6]

Love my Arabs but they are not for everyone.  Much more thinner skinned and could be a problem for packing and lighter bodied animal but they will go forever on not so much feed. We take them up to the Pasayten every 3 years with 2015 or next goal year. Definately not cheap and I hear about it regularly but I can't live without a horse or an Arab.

I would agree.  We have 3-1/2 Arabs.    The 1/2 has quarter in him.
So many people think Arab's are whacked out.  Many are courtesy of breeding (people and the horse).  A well conditioned Arab is pretty tough to beat on a long and tough trail ride.

[boneaddict]

I always just tied the up.  Thankfully I didn't have any neurotic diggers.  Then I would have went highline I suppose.   It was usually for short duration stints on a mountainside.   Back at camp we always used a highline.

[6x6in6]

If I can highline an Arab mare in heat - by herself and in completely unfamiliar in the middle of nowhere country - anyone can highline.
OK, that's as close to slamming an Arab as I'll get.