Llamas make terrible pets. They're no-nonsense work animals. They hate to have their heads and legs touched. If you want to scratch one's ears, you have to get a grip on the halter because he will pull away. They will often come up to 5 or 6' away and that's as close as you can get with out catching them.
I haven't used mules but llamas are MUCH easier to train. Anyone can train and work a llama while mules take some knowledge and experience. A mule can carry a lot more weight, though.
I picked up a really good 2 year old this spring. His pappy is as big as a horse and he has great feet and legs. This guy should top 500lb when he's grown. I have high hopes for him. I paid $200 which is cheap in today's market. He could have got twice that for him but I didn't tell him that.
My other 4 were all freebies that I picked up here and there. I went through a few others that didn't pan out and sold them as pasture potatoes. It took a while to find 4 good ones. You won't find free ones now, though. People have found out what they'll sell for.
My oldest is 12 so I'll likely be too old to hunt before he is.
