hunting problem

[michael A.]

hi guys i have hunting place (mule deer) that i am trying to figure out how to get in to. it is a wilderness area and it is 10 miles from where you have to park all motorized vehicles to the mild of my hunting ground. i have taken horses up there but my access to horses has dryed up. i am trying to come up with a way to hunt there without horses. my brother-in-law is getting his pilot license this summer, but the lake is to short to land on, if they will let him land in a no motorized vehicle area. i was thinking of walking in but it is about 8k feet up and it gets a lot of snow right about hunting season, and the idea of haveing to get a deer out of there dosent sound like a very fun idea let aloan your self and all your gear
if you guys have any ideas i would love to hear them. even if it is the only way to get in there is a hores. thanks michael A.

[royinidaho]

michael A.,

Sounds like and interesting problem.;)

I think that there is a bit of time between getting the pilot's license and the float endorsement.

Plus, I'd rather ride a green broke horse into the back country than fly in with a greenie pilot.;)

Suggestions would include backpacking in which is definitely doable. See the backpacking section of this forum.

A crafty idea I've come up with is the use of pack animals.

I don't think much of donkeys but I think I could get along with a couple of pack goats for a short hunt.

Each goat can pack 60 pounds, an exceptional one will pack 80. They don't stray and you don't have to pack hay. Just a little oats for bribing.

1K will get you two trained goats with all the tack.

Additionally, with the new woof rules you can protect them.;)

When the hunt is over and you don't want to feed 'em all winter, they make pretty good burritos.

Short response - get a new horse source.

[davewilson]

i've used llamas to hunt with a couple of times. you can't ride them but they can carry 90 lbs. no food is necessary, just tie em up over a new spot of weeds and they'll have a nice circle there by evening. to say they can get around in the mountains pretty well is an understatement. one word of caution with llamas. when they put their ears back and start showing their teeth. don't stay in front of them. they can hauck a lungger that would knock your aunt Connies socks off!

[Weda]

Find a buddy...

Pack your gear and walk it... commit yourself to setting up a camp prior to the hunt and taking down after the hunt.

[michael A.]

i was thinking of a way to hunt it without animals or just a couple of pack animals i think i can get my hands on a horse or two. it is still a lot of walking. have any of you guys ever snowshoed that far before? im thinking i will have 10 days to spend up there and we are talking about walking 30 or 35 miles. i have walked 20 miles in a weekend before but it was on flat ground for the most part and with no snow. i am woundering how much harder it is to hunt in the snow. i was planning on getting snowshoes but i dont know how much easyer it is to walk with them. thanks for the help guys


and you are right roy you have to get a nother endorsement to fly a float plane.

[silvertip-co]

My pilot friends tell me it aint even legal to land a floatplane in Colo. Not sure why. Kinda weird.

[Guy M]

I have backpacked on snowshoes, and also on cross-country skis. It's not easy, but it's easier than trying to traverse the snow-covered mountains without them. I've been doing it for 30+ years now. It was easier when I was younger, but I just make realistic expectations for myself now that I'm in my 50's.

To pack in that far in the snow, carrying a hunter's load, you're going to have to be in great shape, and it might be real smart to spend some time with some mountaineers - depending on what kind of terrain you're getting into. Never forget avalanche danger. I lost a dear friend climbing on Mt. Ranier years ago. Keep your weight low. You may be able to get by with a very light tent - but it has to be strong enough to provide shelter from the mountain weather.

Books have been written about this. More than I can ever put into a little post on the internet. Consider getting a copy of "Mountaineering, Freedom of the Hills." It's the textbook for general purpose mountaineering - and there's some useful stuff in it for hunters - although I don't believe it mentions the word "hunt" once.

I was using snowshoes to pack in when I was in high school in the 1970's and then graduated to cross-country skis. They're better in some conditions. The Marines provided me some excellent training at the Mountain Warfare Training Center - made three trips there during my career and learned every time. They offer a great package - our battalion spent a month up there in the Sierras, every night in a tent or snow shelter and pretty much every day on either skis or snowshoes. Then I got to do it again on the east coast and in Norway about 10 years ago on a NATO exercise.

PM me if you want more info on moving through the snowy mountains with snowshoes and/or skis. It's quite feasible - but it takes some prep to pull it off.

Regards, Guy