Elk Hunting and Horses Go Hand in Hand

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We’ll walk from here,” Montana Outfitters owner Luke Holzheimer whispered as he slid from the saddle, adorned in his uniquely cowboy wooly chaps. I looked down at my own leather short chaps wishing they were of the wooly variety to ward off the Montana late November chill. The horses never gave us a glancing look as they relished in the respite of not carrying humans. Despite their repeated blatant ignoring snubs every time we tied them off, I appreciated the ride up the mountain in total darkness earlier that morning.

We trudged off through the crusty snow to survey a slope where we spied a herd of elk previously. Elk everywhere above forced us to crawl for approximately 40 yards to stay out of sight to a boulder ahead. Although my chaps didn’t sport a wooly surface, they performed flawlessly to keep my legs dry during the crawl.

“They’re still here,” Holzheimer pointed up the slope. “The six-point bull is with them, but all I can see are the tops of his antlers. It doesn’t matter though. Even if he would stand up there are cows surrounding him so the shot would be risky, if even doable.”

With two hours until sunset the waiting game had begun. Not only would the bull have to rise from his bed, but the surrounding cows would need to part like the Red Sea and I doubted Moses was in the snowy neighborhood. If anywhere, he was in Bozeman. With time on my hands, I ranged the elk, sturdied my bipod-supported Bergara Squared Crest Carbon rifle, even using my survival kit for a rest, and waited. Just before sunset Holzheimer woke me from a catnap (it had been a long season!). “They’re on the move."

THE MAGIC

Elk hunting conveys a magic, but when you add horses to the adventure, the entire trip becomes a gift as if lifted from the pages of Jack O’Connor’s book, “The Art of Hunting Big Game in North America.” Every few flips of the pages presents images portraying a hunting scene with equine partners waiting in the backdrop or packing out a trophy from an unforgiving landscape. The images captivate your imagination and if you have never dreamed of a backcountry elk hunt off horseback, close your real or imaginary book. You might not be a true elk hunter.

Of course, horses, like many pets, are not meant for everyone. Luckily, you can experience the thrill of a mounted hunt via many avenues. Despite being immersed in a horse culture lifestyle for my entire adult life (thanks to my bride Sharon), my first horseback elk hunt resulted from an invite to host a hunting show 24 miles deep in the Wyoming backcountry. Outfitter Tim Doud provided the livestock and wall tents to plod my way to a respectable six-point bull on the final day of the hunt.

Since then, all my horse experiences have been DIY after moving to Wyoming and putting our saddle horses and mule to the test. Summer scouting trips revealed accessible camps and routes into remote elk country. My junior high son Cole had the backcountry bug and was a great hand in camp, something inarguably required when horses accompany you on an elk hunt. Whether feeding, leading livestock to water or saddling them in the dark for a day of hunting, a second wrangler pays off in dividends, much like the aid of horses themselves. Besides packing in a comfortable camp, the true payoff of horses arrives when elk hit the dirt.

For two consecutive seasons our horse and mule packed out my son’s backcountry archery elk. Astro, our 4-H project horse and Matty, our mule, were both coached in riding and packing. And despite being a ribbon winner in Western and equestrian 4-H classes for my daughter, Astro packed bloody meat like he’d done it since a foal. He hadn’t. His competence came from observing Matty the mule who had packed elk since her youth. Watching others not freak out can be a confidence booster.

To this day my most valued memories of elk hunts include my son and our two hoofed friends as we explored our Wyoming backyard. But all good things come to an end it seems. Cole graduated high school and was off to West Point. The celebrated horse experience began to rapidly fade for me. Here’s why.

THE MIRE

Elk hunting with horses is a LOT of work. Even with my son as the chief wrangler, horses require attention and sometimes at all hours of the day, and night. With my son barely getting any time off due to the military academy, I started hunting solo with the horses. I just could not locate a partner willing to hunt as long as I did, nor as hard as I push in the backcountry. Soon, horse hunting began to mire me down with babysitting chores over hunting pursuits.

For instance, one midday I returned to my tied mule and saddle horse after an extended, but dead-end chase on a vocal bull. After hobbling (horse handcuffs) the pair so they could freely feed, I lunched and then fell asleep in the warm sun. When I awoke, mule or horse were nowhere in sight. With a hunch, I figured they had shuffled back to camp, but that assumption turned out to be wrong. Tracks in the trail told otherwise. They were headed off the mountain to the trailhead parking lot where my truck and trailer waited miles away.  By chance, a cattle drift fence stopped them with a closed gate, but not after tracking them nearly two miles with an elevation drop of more than 1,700 feet. I lost the afternoon hunt due to their stunt.

On another trip a bugling bull elk passed within 80 yards of camp around midnight. I could hear the horses stomping anxiously while tied to the high line outside my meager backpacking tent. Fearful they might explode and run off at each roar of the bull, or even stampede my tent, I stumbled from the flimsy dome in my underwear, and with no boots, sprint over and calm the panicky duo. I may have gotten horse manure squished into my socks.

Situations such as these were common, plus, every evening I had to supervise them as they fed with hobbles on. I did not want a repeat of chasing them down the mountain. This was in addition to preparing my supper, filtering my water, cleaning up and preparing for the next day. And your morning starts extra early to feed the horses cube feed, saddle them and get your own gear ready, all before daylight. Sleep was a luxury.

Without another willing partner and with my son now being nearly a decade away from being able to join me again, the horse life lost its luster. Ending on a bright note, one season I blundered into a pattern of elk near enough to a truck-accessible road that I left the horses at home, slept in my truck cab and hiked daily to the elk. After eight days a young six-point bull fed by me as I waited on a mountain bench where they preferred to bed. A 30-yard arrow shot led to a long day of solo elk meat preparation for packing.

Once all the meat was neatly stacked in meat sacks, I had an epiphany. Why not hike out light, drive off the mountain, gather my horse and mule, and save myself from backache? I was able to text my wife to catch the pack animals after her work and she even joined me for a late-night extraction of our winter meat supply. Even mired down one can discover a bit of joy from a hard hunt with the help of horses.

OPTIONS TO OPTIMIZE

Year-long chores, veterinarian bills and lessons on becoming a cowboy do not have to be in your future to relish the exhilaration of a horseback elk hunt. Maybe you want to go all in on the cowboy experience and purchase horses. If not, you can still optimize your hunt and generate a lifetime of memories with the use of horses. Here are three options, ownership aside, for you to consider.

Go Outfitted

My horseback elk hunting history includes two outfitted horseback hunts. For those of you looking for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure where you simply show up, go outfitted. Like all current elk hunts, applying for preference points is the only game in town. A quality consultant, such as Worldwide Trophy Adventures, can manage points, plus vet horseback outfitters for you. Be wary of outfitters without much experience or even the proper permits to legally access public backcountry. The trust of a consultant or diligent interview of references, multiple, is a must. Also research how many wranglers the camp has on staff. You do not want to be the main packer after paying a premium price.

The positives of an outfitter include the use of seasoned livestock, wranglers to manage livestock, an established camp and scouting done beforehand. Even if elk disappear, a veteran outfitter generally has a handle on where herds move to in a given area. I do not have one bad thing to write about on the two outfitted hunts I’ve undertaken to date. Grizzly bears encounters were disclosed, antler expectations met, appetizing meals delivered and camp facilities as described. Both hunts resulted in good bulls.

Economic Drop Camp

With most elk hunts costing north of $10,000, you may not have the budget to go outfitted. You can still get the horseback experience with wrangler assistance via a drop camp. This option pairs you with a service that owns horses. Some include a tent camp and ferries you and your gear into the backcountry without all the frills. You provide food, bedrolls, hunting gear and determination. After a predetermined time or if you can call for help after tagging an elk, they return with horses.

Personally, I have been on one drop-camp hunt in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains with the services of Mitch Buzzetti, Nevada High Desert Outfitters. He packed us in. We were in game every day and everything was as advertised. Several of my friends have also gone the drop-camp route. Their experiences range from best to never again. Like vetting an outfitter, you need to research the service and especially call multiple references. One common complaint is that drop camp owners just rotate hunters in and out of a camp without concern of whether elk live or stay in an area. Understand the agreement. Most do not include a clause to move you if you do not find elk nearby. You simply need to hike farther.

Bad experiences aside, one of my best elk hunting partners went on several drop-camp archery elk hunts and all were as advertised with more than 50 percent of the group experiencing success. That’s above average on any public-land, DIY archery elk hunt.

Rent A Ride

Your last viable option is to rent or lease horses. Businesses scattered across most Western states offer this service. The details vary per business. Some include saddle tack, some charge for delivery, some offer long-term leases and some just rent you a horse. You do the rest. Think this one through if your mental gears are turning. You don’t just leave your cubicle job in New Jersey, drive your Tesla to Telluride and rent horses without any cowboying experience. This option is for the person with some horse experience, an understanding of the backcountry and grew up with a “can-do” attitude.

Although most rental horses have years of experience, they are still an animal. Animals have lapses in personality from time to time and experiencing one of those lapses on a trail teetering along a 1,000-foot mountain drop off is not recommended. Bonuses for horse people include not having to possibly truck livestock across the country, using your East Coast horses that do not have mountain experience and giving you freedom before, or after the trip, for other visits. Can you say, “Mount Rushmore?”

MONTANA SHOWDOWN AT SUNSET

Once the last cow disappeared over the distant ridge, Holzheimer and I wasted no time plowing through the snow to reach the same ridge. Once there, a bench below provided a closer shot and boulders for a prone rest, but only if the massive herd slowed down. They did, as we settled into the rocks and after they reached the bottom of the mountain below. Incredibly, they joined another herd. Now, more than 1,000 elk rambled below.

“He’s in the back of the herd below us. It’s 509 yards. Got him?” I whispered yes and pushed into my backpack for a rear rest helping to stabilize the rifle mounted on a Magpul bipod. The reticle settled on the 500-yard setting and I sent a 160-grain CX bullet on its way.

“Hit!” Holzheimer exclaimed. “He’s hurt, but hit him again!” The wobbly bull weaved in and out of the masses of cows as I followed it in the riflescope. Suddenly, he was all alone and quartering away when Holzheimer updated the distance. I adjusted my reticle accordingly, took a breath and resettled for another shot.

“Good hit!” Holzheimer called. We both watched the bull tumble to its demise with relief and celebration, all supercharged by the adrenaline coursing through our bodies. Most of my sunset kills take place solo with a long, dark night of amateur butcher shop work ahead. Not tonight. Holzheimer hiked back to get the horse crew and I worked my way down the slope with delight knowing the hard work ahead was left to the horses.

KNOW WHEN TO PULL THE TRIGGER, DIY OR OUTFITTED

Whether you hire an outfitter or go it alone, you need to know when to pull the trigger. You’ve spent a LOT of money either way and all elk hunting areas are not created equal. Unless you invest a decade or more of preference points into an elk license, odds are high you will be in an average unit. Many elk hunting units now support populations at or above management goals, but oftentimes they are missing the top end bulls. Think of elk populations in a pyramid fashion. The foundation of the pyramid is chock full of cows and young bulls. Only a few mature bulls make it to occupy the pinnacle. This decreases your odds dramatically of not only seeing a mature bull, but getting any ethical shot. Intense and successful hunting pressure, or the presence of private ranches where savvy bulls may escape, also rob you of opportunities for older bulls.

Regardless, you need to study the unit you plan to hunt to determine if you hold out for a Boone & Crockett bull, tip over a young six-point bull, roll a raghorn or happily add a plump cow to your camp cooler for fine dining. Some game and fish agencies maintain data on age classes of elk in units while others extrapolate data from the various census and hunting reports they gather. Your job is to seek out this data, talk with local biologists and reach out to a game warden in the unit. Forums, friends and family may also be able to supply insight. Finally, the Boone & Crockett Club and the Pope & Young Club both keep meticulous records of trophy animals with dates, and locations for you to contrast with other information.

Lastly, your own experience comes into play. Have you shot a truckload of raghorns and looking for a trophy? Do you need meat for the freezer? Do you actually have a real chance at a whopper?

After that, make sure you carry a big stick. Elk are hardy, big animals. They live in merciless country where a death run can send them off a cliff, into a deadfall jungle or across a fence into a hostile ranch owner’s domain.

For years my go-to caliber has been the .300 Winchester magnum although I did kill my first bull with a 7mm Remington magnum a couple decades prior. Today I’ve transitioned to the 7 mm PRC chambered in the Bergara B-14 Squared Crest Carbon. Stay in the neighborhood of those calibers and avoid the temptation to go smaller, and speedier. Bullet weights from 160 to 200 grains pack a punch and with the larger calibers, deliver the foot-pounds of energy required to allow the bullet to perform as advertised. Long distance shots rob energy from a bullet, but ballistic charts will help you to keep your minimum impact at approximately 1,000 foot-pounds for ideal bullet performance.

Three of my last six bulls fell with the help of the 200-grain Hornady ELD-X bullet and the last three were hit with the 160-grain CX bullet, also from Hornady. The only complaint I had was running out of freezer room.

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