Problems with hunting horseback.

[BEAR HUNTER]

You guys that hunt lions off of horse or mule. Aside from trailering issues, What are some of the problems you have run into while riding. How often do you ride alone?

[Brady Davis]

I don't really have problems. The only downside for me is covering ground in the winter. It's sure nice to have a sled to burn roads and check for tracks....ASide from that, I see no downside. If nothing happens hunting wise, at least you got a great ride in

[Mike Leonard]

I agree with Brady not really any down sides for me. I don't worry much about the winter ground covering because I have found over the years you are much better off to select an area that is away from all the other ground covering road and sled hunters and just go into the belly of the beast and hang and rattle till you turn over the right rock. Even if you miss all the Nascar excitment of racing each other to the next track you will feel the deep satisfaction of being a lion hunter and not just a track hunter.

I hunt alone on horseback about 80% of the time. I don't mind and enjoy the solitude with my horse and hounds. But a good trail companion is great to have and certainly makes things easier when you get into the hard work nuts and bolts of catching a lion. so many times you have to tie up and bail off a bluff to help the dogs thru and it is nice to have a partner who can lead around and pick you up on the other side. also makes handling a lion and a treed or bayed pack of hounds easier. Some say it is safer but unless your partner is skilled in the woods and in the saddle it can be more of a liability that an asset.


You certainly have a happier pack of hounds out there doing what they are bred to do as lion hounds looking for a trail, rather than bouncing around in a dog box smelling each others behinds waiting for the brakes to lock up and somebody to throw them out on a track.

[LCK]

There are some down sides to hunting from the saddle. Fences, hail storms, pissed off green mounts, lids coming off the whiskey container, lightning storms, but other than that pretty good way to go.

I prefer to hunt with someone because I fall off a lot and need them to catch my mule!

[Trueblue]

Even if you miss all the Nascar excitment of racing each other to the next track you will feel the deep satisfaction of being a lion hunter and not just a track hunter.




You certainly have a happier pack of hounds out there doing what they are bred to do as lion hounds looking for a trail, rather than bouncing around in a dog box smelling each others behinds waiting for the brakes to lock up and somebody to throw them out on a track.

[houndnem]

I aggree with mike, nothin better than ridin some nice country with the hounds. I just hate thick brush and oak that these lions love to crawl through. tie your horse up and start hiking only to come out miles away with a horse to go back for and a horse trailer somewhere else. Ideal would be riding right from home and I know some guys do. I just don't have that luxery now that I live in the big city. The other downfall is that I can actually cover about twice as much country in a day on foot than I can on my horse. The days I take the horse it's more because I enjoy riding than because it's a big help. there are exeptions though, if your in wide open country on a chase you can dig in the spurs and get somewhere pretty quick and effortless. there's my two cents.

[Big Mike]

Other than whats already mentioned, you got to get up a little earlier to feed in the morning. Or if your lazy like me I just feed a whole bunch of grass the night before and that extra 30 minutes of sleep.

All the negitives about it are also the positives. Your out freezing your ass off(both of them) getn rained on(got soaked for an hour last monday). to me that all part of the fun. Cover less country than a truck but you get to go to country that truck hunters will never see. Best of all your part of the whole hunt. Your in the action. Ive got to watch my dogs first jump bears and lions, get to see the lions pull tricks to loose the dogs. Watch bears stand there ground.

But it comes down to personal preferance of how you enjoy hunting.

[razorrb]

The way I looked at it is if you wanted to be a cowboy there are things that are going to come along to test you as a cowboy. Be tough and ride on! All of what is mentioned is true, I love it!

[Cowboyvon]

I can ride right out of my camp into some pretty good lion country and that makes it nice but the biggest problem in that country is deciding if your going to try and go with the hounds or go around if they strike something and start trailing.. some of it is just so thick and rough that you just can't stay with them.. and then if you get way out in some rough tangled up mess and the hounds go down in some hell hole you have to decide if your going to tie up and walk or try to get your mule down in there and then if you do tie up and walk and they go out the other side you have to hike back up and get your mule and try to figure out a way around. I've learned to avoid some areas and ride around and just try to get to a high spot and either watch or listen. I know the country better now which helps alot I think it was Henry McIntyer that said before you can get very good at catching lions you need to know the country like the back of your hand. There is alot of wilderness area and not many maintained trails and no roads to speak of for miles so horses mules or on foot is the only way to go. I hunt by myself most of time which is why I made sure my mules are pretty much bomb proof, and I've rode all my life but I damm sure don't want to get out there in the middle of no where and have a bronc under me. I hunt some ranches down lower that are alot easier to get around on and I'm not so particular about what I ride down there

[BEAR HUNTER]

Some great responses. What about wrecks. Anyone get into any sticky situations out there. Seems I always have nothing but green horses. Everytime I get em broke enough to be reliable I sell em off and start with another colt. I have alot of country with no roads I'm thinking about hunting. Would be perfect for horse back. I just worry about the horse going down or me coming off. Or (and this sounds like something I would do) a deer hunter tied his mount to a tree and set off looking for a wounded deer on foot. Couldnt find his way back to where he left his horse hard tied to the tree. Dont know if he ever found the horse. Had lost posters up all over.

[Big Mike]

Like Cowboyvon said I take mules that are bomb proof. Bronc in the woods on an icy cliff is no place to be. It would take a hell of alot of money to get me to part with the mules i have now. Im not a good bronc rider and dont want anything to do with a bronc when im hunting.

My mules have hound hunted so much they know the game as well as the hounds. they will pick up the pace when a dog strikes without me asking. i can ride them right in the middle of 10 treeing hounds, dont bother them a bit. To me good riding stock is just as valuable to a good cold trailing lion dog. Too hard to come by the great ones to sell and hope you can get one as good to replace them.

[Mr.pacojack]

There are a few problems with riding a horse or a mule. One is if the snow gets to deep or drifted. Another is Ice. Usualy I will shoe my mule with snow pads and and drill and tap the shoes and put Titanium studs in. These work well on the Ice and the rocks.
Another problem is, when you comit to an area, you are pretty much stuck to that area for the day,which isn't much of a problem if you enjoy riding, I can usualy get some good trash breaking in on the ride.
The good outway the bad by far. Some real good things are, you can get to the bottom of a dog pretty fast and you can also get pretty good broke dogs.

[papa]

Along this same line...what methods do you guys use to control your dogs when you are horseback...I use the tone mode on the tritronics to sorta remind em I am boss...I have had some issues while being distracted with my mule and the dogs hit a hot somethin or another and vamanose into the next county...mostly while huntin by myself. I reckon I need dogs with better manners.

[Brady Davis]

pissed off green mounts, lids coming off the whiskey container, lightning storms,!

LCK....Those are all positive points Keeps the days exciting!

Agree with everyone else who has posted. The bond built with hounds, mules and men is unbeatable. Plus, all the guys I know who drive around, hounds bouncing in the box aren't usually real houndsmen. The best i know (at least the ones I've met and heard of) prefer to be in the woods with their dogs. Having 25 crammed in the box isn't being in the woods with them.

Good advice from Pacojack on winter shoeing.

[Benny G]

As far as wrecks, sure there are some. I also know people that hunt on foot that have fallen off bluffs, broken bones, over heated, ...
My good, bullet proof gelding went down with me in a bluff one afternoon. His front foot was caught in a crack, and his body was over the top of that leg. I got the saddle off of him and struck out on foot for help. I had no doubt that I would have to shoot him when I got back, but there he was, standing there waiting for me. My mule got mad and bucked from the top of a mountain, staight down to the bottom of the canyon, the whole time doing her best to harm me. There are dangers just walking accross the road. If life's MAYBEs concern you, put a helmet on, and don't leave the house. Life is short, do what you enjoy, don't frett over it, and LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST!!!