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Campfire Kahuna
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Finally. We got some snow up high. There's a place we know with a popular hiking trail. When there's about 10" of snow up there, the hikers/bikers don't use it and the elk move in. We're down to a couple days left in the season but we got snow and the elk were home. I picked this cow out of a herd of 80 to 100. Actually, I was peeking over a rock pile looking at several dozen at 250 to 300 yds trying to decide which one should die. Then this cow walked out from behind a tree at maybe 150 yds. Well, hello. bang. Well, bye.
It's 2 miles in and 1400' up from the trailhead. For 2 guys in their 70's, that can complicate things a bit when getting an elk out. However, I solved that problem 9 years ago. My boys did it again.
I don't know how many more years the old legs will get up there but so far, so good. I figure the llamas added at least 5 years to my hunting life.

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Fantastic! Hauling that sheit out on your back will put an end to elk hunting real quick for us guys with bad knees.


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Way to go! Hopefully my goats are still carrying my elk into my 70s


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Very cool... I'm definitely going to look into this...


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now that's the way to move an elk, congrats!

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Well planned and executed, Rock Chuck! My back certainly didn't like packing elk out this year. Pack animals may be in my future as well!


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well done, sir.


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Originally Posted by exbiologist
Way to go! Hopefully my goats are still carrying my elk into my 70s
We tried goats and they can work very well but for us, the llamas worked out better. Good goats are easier to get and transport, though. Around here, the llama market has dried up and you can hardly find a decent one. Fencing in goats is much more difficult than llamas, too.
A llama in good shape can carry about 80 lb. That gray in the photo had 90 on him. He's big and strong so we always give him the heavy work. The way we cut them for packing, the hind quarters from a cow usually weigh 35 to 40lb. This time they weighed 45 each. This was a big cow. I have no idea what the total weight would be but the hind quarters give us some comparison.
3 llamas can handle a cow, 4 for a bull. I took 4 because 1 hauled our packs and a rifle.


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Great job - love it.


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I just watched the Randy Newberg video on the other thread 'how much does an elk weigh.' He said that a big llama can carry 100 to 120lb. That's substantially more than I've heard of before and I've read quite a bit about it. He had a decent bull on 3 llamas. I would have used 4.


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And if you watch that video again the owner of the lamas says his are very large, he breeds them for size and ability to pack. Not all animals are created equal. They sure would be nice to have even 2 for packing

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A blue heeler can haul tenderloins or about half of a back loin.

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Keep on truckin RC. I have smaller mules instead of llamas,but anything you can do to add to the hunting years works.


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I have a question here? Do Llamas have the loyalty of a dog? Just curious. I know nothing of them except I was sailing by a farm on a narrow secondary road transporting an inmate to the capital Jefferson City MO. We saw trash out but at this one farm two all white Llamas were at the gate, outside it looking at the trash, not nosing in it. It took a while before the light came on and we decided it was Llamas. Hadn't seen many up close. Rusty


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They are distinctly non-doglike. They prefer not to be petted. Mine come when called, only because they associate calling with feeding. I have the same problem as RC: no good llamas available for sale anywhere. My two best packers are 19 and 20...they seem to tire out a little easier but otherwise ok, but not sure how many more seasons they have left. I would like to get some young ones started but can’t find any. I even called they guy in the Newberg videos. He is breeding and producing a lot of good llamas but keeping them all for his own operation.

Last edited by riverdog; 11/30/18.
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SaddleSore, my wife keeps bringing up the idea of us getting a couple small mules to use the same way we use llamas: packing only while being led, no riding as I have almost no experiences and she probably not enough. I still love to walk, in fact love covering ground on foot, just don’t like taking multiple round trips with a heavy pack to get camp in and elk out. What do you think?

Last edited by riverdog; 11/30/18.
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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.


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Most excellent, RC!


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RC. Have those llamas ever spit on your face?


If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles
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Normally llamas only spit at other llamas. However, they have lousy aim and it's easy to get caught in the crossfire. Usually its just saliva but when one gets really PO'd, they'll hack up green stomach contents. It's harmless but smells terrible. Once in a while, they'll spit at a person but they have to be pretty mad. I have 1 gelding that really hates having his feet trimmed. To do it, I strap him to a heavy gate so he can't lie down, then snub his nose up tight so he can't get a bead on me. He'll scream and spit but it all hits the wall and I come out fairly clean. When I'm done, I remove the straps and give him just a little slack on the halter and let him stand there 5 or 10 min to calm down before I let him go.


“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
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It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
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