Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Goat Packing First Trip

If you've read the Snubbie & Rock Chuck thread, you know that my choice was llamas. Both animals work great but they're different. It depends on your situation and personal preference. Since I have the llamas and raise meat goats, I know a bit about both.

Either one takes 4 years to grow to maturity. Overloading them while too young can damage leg tendons beyond repair so patience is a virtue. I have a 3 yo llama that's been on every trip I've taken since he was 6 months old. The 1st year he was a tag along, carrying nothing. The 2d year he carried an empty saddle. This year, he can handle 30 lb. He'll be mature next year and his load will depend on how much he grows this next year. Conditioning is ESSENTIAL with either animal. Plan on numerous long hikes with increasingly heavy loads before you can get the work from them. I load the panniers with water jugs and keep adding jugs as they get in shape. Throw a couple gallons of water in your own day pack while you're at it. It'll pay off later. I should know! As hunting season approaches, I try to get them out twice a week for a hike in steep country. I'm retired now and have the time to do that but it was a struggle in past years.

Goats are easier to handle on the trail because you can just let them run loose. If you try that with a llama, you might find him waiting at the trailhead.

The biggest advantage of a llama is that a big one can carry 80lb or more. A llama can carry both haunches off a medium sized elk with the long bones still in.

IMPORTANT: always carry a small hanging scale large enough to weight a fully loaded pannier. Don't overload the animals and be sure to balance the panniers from side to side. An off balance load is harder on their backs than an overload.

Either animal will eat almost anything so you don't have to carry feed. Llamas can take much more cold than goats so they don't need shelter, but they do have to be staked out in some manner. Llamas are sort of aloof and can be very hard to catch if they don't want to be caught. While packing, I use a 100' rope laid out on the ground with O-rings at intervals for tie rings. While hunting from the truck, I keep them in this portable electric corral with a battery operated fence charger. If they eat down everything in it, I can move it in about 30 min. This photo shows 2 wires around it. I had to add a 3d lower one to keep them from belly crawling under it. If you need to confine goats, an electric net would be preferable and easier to set up and move if needed.

One of the above posts mentioned training for water crossings. Llamas can be a real problem that way as well as goats. I had to do some hard core work to get them to even step over a small creek. Now they go right into belly deep...clear water. They have a sense of self preservation. If the water's muddy and they can't see the bottom, they don't want to step in it. If a llama doesn't want to go in, it takes a winch to move him. If you can get the leader to step in, usually the rest will follow.
Llamas have a bad habit of jumping small creeks and logs. Jumping is big time BAD. It can throw off a pannier and when they hit the end of the lead rope on the trailing llama, they'll jerk him and possibly break the rope or saddle tie ring. It's very difficult to break them of jumping. When I come to a jumpable creek or log, I stop and let them bunch up then SLOWLY lead them over. I also use extra long lead ropes. Then if one jumps, the following animal has some slack to hopefully not get jerked.