Horseback Hunters... check my list!

[MichaelJ]

Here's my 'finished' list of the gear we'll be packing in for a 5 day hunt (will be returning if come home empty handed!).

Bone, Idabooner, figured you two could give me some tips on the horse tack...

v   TAGS
v   Packs      
v   ELK CALLS                           
v   Camera~
v   Arrows
v   Bow and string wax   
v   Space Blankets~
v   First Aid Kit~ (horses and us)   
v   Cell Phone~
v   Fire starting accessories~         
v   Handy Wipes*~
v   Binoculars~                  
v   Hunting Knives~               
v   Sharpening stone~            
v   Nylon Rope and Game bags~   
v   Glasses
v   Water Bottles~
v   Compos
v   Face Paint
v   Video Camera
Camp Supplies
v   Water container (collapsible)
v   Fishing Pole and RoosterTails
v   Eating Utensils
v   2 Cups
v   Jerky
v   Camp Stove and Fuel (lots of fuel)
v   Contact Solution and Case
v   Alarm Clock
v   Camp Axe & Saw
v   Fire Grille
v   Flash Light
v   Lantern
v   Topo Map
v   Cooler
v   Pan for cooking
v   Towels, Soap, and shampoo
v   Sun Shower
v   Tent/Tarp
v   Sleeping Bags/Pads/Pillows
Clothing
v   Hats, and neck warmers
v   Wool Sweaters
v   Boots   
v   Wool Socks
v   Cotton Socks
v   White T-shirts   
v   Long Johns (Upper and Lower body)
v   Hunting Pants (waterproof and bug suit)
v   Hunting Jacket (river’s west and bug suit)
v   Gloves
v   Underwear
v   Pants ( for evenings )
v   Over Shirts
Food
·   Candy Bars
·   Muffins
·   Coffee
·   Freeze Dried Food (enough for 5 days)
·   Fish seasoning
·   JERKY
·   Fat sticks
·   Power Bars
·   Granola Bars
·   Instant Oatmeal
Horse Tack
·   Saddles
·   Headstalls
·   Halters
·   Lead Ropes
·   Hobbles
·   Brushes
·   Hoof Pick
·   Highline Rope
·   Saddle Bags
·   Pack Bags


Any thing I'm missing? We leave in the morning!  WooHoo! 

Michael

[Slenk]

Good Hunting to you and your pard . You will add some stuff and cut out some stuff after you have done this a while .Learn as you go . watch your animals close they will tell you a lot about what's around.
Wouldn't hurt to take a little grain for the ponies . Keeps them a lot happier after a hard days ride or packout .
Been there.
Slenk

[boneaddict]

You didn't put tags on the top of your list because of me did you......

[Idabooner]

Michael, how many people going in? How many mules you packing? I've never had 1/2 that stuff in my camps so you should get by fine. Like Slenk said, watch your mules, they will tell you what's out there. Just remember to make nature work for you no matter what she dishes out. Keep your night horse tied good. Have fun, it will be a great experience for you. GOOD LUCK.  

[boneaddict]

I'd leave the fishing pole at home.  I'm a die hard fisherman...trust me, but if you are serious about your tag I say go for broke on the elk.  There really never is down time.

A handful of grain in a small contianer.  Does wonders if for somereason you need to do some horse catching.  Always slip them a nibble when you hobble them and turn them loose.  It turns one of the small wheels in there head.  You can ask the horse experts, but never turn every animal loose.  Its warm enough, you may still want some bug dope.  You have been up high so know how that is going.  Spare batteries for flashlights, can;t remember if that was on your list and most of all Toilet paper.  Not sure if you said waterfilter either, or purifying tablets.

You seem to have alot of gear you might not need.  How many mules are you taking?  Idabooner used to always raz me.  You can probably loose the grill if you are taking a camp stove.  I'll look over your list again.

[Machias]

Tree saver for your highline rope

or picket stake and rope in a garden hose,

conway buckles to repair broken leather pieces

Make sure you always keep at least one horse or mules tied. 

Always tie eye high and short, you do not want a horse getting a hoof over the lead rope while tied.

Weed Free Hay, grain, collapsible water bucket

Horse and mule first aid kit, are you familiar with the signs of colic?

easyboots

shoes that will fit each horse and mule if you loose a shoe

duct tape (makes and great emergency easy boot)

[Machias]

Some safety tips from a good friend of mine who is an outfitter:

Check cinch before mounting

Always untie before bridling or unbridling if you hit a tender spot, they may pull back.

When turning horses around on a hill, turn them with their head downhill

Never tie them to a wire fence

Never tie them in a corral with loose horses

When tying them to trees High and Tight is Right!  Long is Wrong!  Also, wrap the lead rope twice, so that is does not fall down the tree.

In bad mud holes, high water, or deep snow, take your feet out of the stirrups so that if you fall off you don’t get hung up

Never get on a horse that is tied up

When walking behind a horse, put your hand on their hip, stay close and talk to them.

Always approach a horse with caution, they can sleep standing up and if you spook them there first reaction is to kick.

Always ride with a heel on your boot.

Do not wear steel toed boot around horses – if they step on your foot they can crimp the steel over your toes.

Always ride on the ball of your foot, you should not be clear in to your heels.

Keep a straight back and pressure in the stirrups, a good rider helps the horse and a bad rider hinders him.  The saddle is not a chair. 

Keep control of the horse you are not a passenger, you are the driver.

Keep the saddle centered over his back, if is starts to slip to one side, kick it back to center.

Keep a light hand on the reins, they don’t like constant pressure.  Also keep a short rein so you have quick control when you need it.  Always have your reins under hand when mounting so you have control as soon as you get in the saddle.

Get in the habit of getting on and off your horse on either side.  Its always easier to get on and off on the high side, no matter which way your horse is standing – plus it keeps your stirrup leathers wearing evenly.

Make a quick visual of your cinch, pad and sheep skin to make sure you didn’t pick up any burs, pine cones etc.  That will sore a horse quick.

Always check to make sure you have gullet clearance when saddling.  That is the most important thing to check as far as fitting the saddle to the horse.  The withers is one of the worst spots to sore a horse.

Maintain proper distance when trail riding.  Use the ears as gun sights.  If you look through the ears and all you see is horse butt in front of you, check him back.  If all you see is dirt, kick him up.

Do not let horses eat on the trail, it is a bad habit.  They are not paying attention to the trail when they are doing this.

Do not let horses roll when they are tied up, they will eventually start rolling with tack on.

Never trust a horse to ground tie, you’ll end up walking home sooner or later.

Walk horses down steep grades, steep pitches are hard on them and it gives you a break.

Give your horse is head in bad spots they use the weight of their head and neck for balance.

Horses should not be grained after a ride – it makes them barn sour.

Don’t let your horse trot into camp – keep a steady pace until the end.  When they want to trot the last few hundred yards everyone behind you will want to trot also.

Don’t chase your horses out of camp, let them drift out on their own, remember, you have to catch these horses later.

Don’t try and out muscle a horse – out think him!

Horses can learn to trust you if you earn it, but will also distrust a poor handler.

Do not set things on your saddle or hitching rails that might fall off and spook your horse.

If a horse pulls back while tied up – look out, he’s about to come flying forward.

Do not tie up by the reins or let your reins drop on the ground.  You’ll break your reins and possibly injure your horses mouth

[257 Wby Mag]

Thats some good advice Machias. Always heard bad things about picketing, the outfitters I went with in BC last Sept picketed his horses. Quizzing him a little bit he said he has had them break legs before. The guys I ride with high line em'. Thanks for the tips, good info for all. Later

[MichaelJ]

Well I've been around horses all my life and know how to ride and trail ride a horse... that's no problem, but good advice machias I can relate to a lot of it!
Will take a small can of grain, good idea!
We're only taking two saddle horses, one for me, and one for my dad.  Have most the gear on our backs and in the saddle bags... using them to get into the area but are hunting out of camp on foot...
If we get something down we'll be walking the horses out with the meat/horns on them!
The two horses are buddy's and shouldn't stray far, there's LOTS of good grazing right out of camp... However they won't be unattended for long and if they start straying we'll ketch 'em up... Not sure how one would like to be tied while the other is grazing.
As for the fishing pole, it's pretty small and if I can fit it I will, though I'm not sure I'll use it but dang some hot trout would taste great!
Spare batteries are on the list!
Toilet paper... aka Moutain Money!  Yep got plenty! haha
Got a water filter aswell, that's a-ok!
As for the fire grille, it's just a small aluminum one that easily fits in the pack and that's what I was planning on cooking the fish with, the camp stove is great but pretty much good for boiling water and cooking oatmeal!
Tree saver... is this for the tree's benefit or the highlines? lol I've used 'em this summer, but we personally don't own any...
Our horses have no problems drinking from streams/lakes so the water bucket isn't needed, though it's a good suggestion!

Yep we know colic.... lost our 4 year old stud colt 6 weeks ago to a twisted gut (I know, not the same, but we do know what to look for)
Duct Tape, good idea! Check!

Thanks for all the great suggestions!  The list looks really long but actually it all fits nicely in the gear we have!

Because of work we'll be out of town shortly after 10 AM so I'll check back in the morning!

Michael

[boneaddict]

Enjoy your hunt and time with your Dad! Life is precious. Safe journeys.

[Ironhead]

I'll echo bones remarks, have fun and soak it all in.

[Machias]

Amen, be safe, hunt hard and have a blast!

P.S.  Treesaver is part of LNT (Leave No Trace), which is a principal all horsemen should adhere to in the backcountry.  Take it for what it's worth,  I belong to a mule club here in Eastern WA and speak to alot of outfitters on some other sites.  They would be rich if they had a dime for every horse that they met on the trail coming from some camp where they didn't tie at least one horse up.  Might not happen to you this trip, but keep doing it and the chances are very good you'll end up walking out sometime
Also start them horses on weed free hay at least a couple of days before heading out, they are trying hard to stamp out noxious weeds in the backcountry and if your horses haven't had time to clean out they will take the seeds with them and deposit them where nobody wants them.

[heavy08]

M....What other sites do outfitters communicate on....?

Thanks

[Machias]

This one is my favorite, I also have some mule sites I go to:

http://www.royaltine.com/forum/

The Packer's Section is invaluable!