Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting septuagenarian elk packing

All my packing experience is with mules and horses. This summer I met an older maybe 60s couple that has two donkeys to do just what you are describing. They were on the small side. Hauled them with a mid size SUV and a 3 horse trailer.



Nice work RC. Especially like the extra llama to carry the pack and rifle.

Before I got my llamas, I was looking for 2 standard donkeys. All I could find was miniatures so I dropped that idea.

That is so awesome. So spectacularly awesome. Good for you. Wow.

Standard donkeys are getting more and more popular around here and the prices are climbing.They do require more knowledge and experience to train/handle them vs mules. My pack mule is 13 hds tall. (52 " at withers). I had two minis ,44", but felt sorry for them packing because they had to swim most small streams. Hard to do with100 #' packs on them

Excellent Rockchuck!

Limited experience with llamas, but they seem to be easier to care for than than other four-legged pack critters.

Grew up with lots of horses and a couple medium pack mules, but when we sold the cattle, and eventually the ranch, horses became an expense I decided I didn't want to deal with anymore.

When packing in, I used a ground line for the llamas. They won't tangle themselves like horses. They'll stand and work their feet until they're untangled.
When we're hunting from the road, I rig up a portable electric fence. The fence has to have 3 hot wires (I use 1/2" ribbon). I have one that will lie on his belly, put his chin on the ground, and limbo himself under it. The fleece is insulated so I have to have a wire low enough to hit his ears as he tries to go under. It's funny to watch but a royal PIA to keep him in.

Very awesome. Thanks for sharing and good eating!

Nice Job RC, you should eat well this year, CONGRATS

Very nice and an interesting discussion as well.

They've proved to be very carefree. In 9 years and as many as 9 llamas at a time, I've only had 2 vet bills other than castrations. Both of those were minor. I give them an annual worming for liver flukes as it's prevalent here and deadly to them and that's about it. Most fences will hold them and shelter needs are minimal. Grass hay only. Alfalfa and grain only makes them fat. They do need a mineral salt block. They drink little water but they do need some of course.
If you want to breed them, they will breed year round so you can plan births for warm weather. 95% of them give birth between 10am and 2pm so there are seldom any late night births to worry about. That in itself is something else. A llama can't stick it's tongue out to lick the baby dry. By giving birth at midday, it will dry off before it gets cold at night. A cow or horse will pull the placenta off the baby. A llama will give birth standing up so the cria (baby) will fall free of the placenta as it drops. Birth happens fast and many small breeders have never seen one. I've only seen 1 and I almost missed that one.
Breeding them is a discussion all it's own. They're quite different from most other farm animals.

Congrats on your hunting adventure. I am 72 and can appreciate your tactics. Interesting post.

Many get sucked in by the "bigger is better" theory...Better is better, I have had 6 or so huge llamas and they were my weakest packers, several were flat out useless. On the other hand I have had some 250 lb firebrands that were just amazing. Their heart is what packs, not their back... Lotta people like that too BTW!

I just got 7 new ones and sold the 4 girls yesterday. The 3 little guys are next summer's project, it should be more manageable than last year when I took on 7, too much of a good thing. They are fascinating critters, and there aint nothing like going into the back country and coming out with a couple elk in one trip with a well mannered string of your own self trained llamas. Much like that first point of a dog you worked yourself from a pup... not a better feeling in the world for an animal guy!

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I've never packed elk antlers on my llamas. In so. Idaho the elk hunting is mostly by draw and cow tags are FAR easier to get than bulls. Often the hardest part of a hunt is getting the tag. I've packed a lot of deer antlers, though. They're much easier to tie on a saddle than elk.
I fully agree on the fun of hitting the back country with a string of llamas you've raised and trained yourself. They're so easy to deal with and just plain fun, even if they don't want you scratching their ears like you do with a horse. We always have to allot picture taking time on the trail. Hikers always want to take pictures of them, usually with them by a llama. Sometime question sessions get kind of lengthy. One time we encountered a group of 18 women. By the time they all got their picture taking done, we'd killed a full 1/2 hour.

Llama lover 2, do,you happen to keepyour llamas in Grand County? That location looks familiar (I live near there)...not sure if you want the name of the ranch publicized on the internet though. I’m curious as to where you got your new ones as I am looking for one or two myself.

Those ARE deer antlers rock chuck! I'll take that as a compliment

Antlers are a constant source of problems in the rental market as most people do not want to carry them on their own back, and most have no clue how deadly they can be to the pack animal if packed stupidly. I will post a pic how it is best done, but the best is to carry them on your own back with just the skull plate, points down and back.

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Here is exactly not how to do it, awkward, out of balance no safety stick keeping them up top. And not surprisingly look how pissed Lannica is, not a happy llama.


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Yes, as I'm in the business of llamas publicity is no issue. Now getting google maps to recognize this address is the hard part, especially for those young bucks that only follow their phone It usually dumps them up around Wolford somewhere in the empty sage flats.

Getting up there as well. Love going up, as it's an easy pull coming down with a little snow. Back packs and full quarters are starting to get a bit wearing though.

Good going there.

Getting swarmed by chicks comes with the territory, I have noticed a large drop in my trailside sex appeal if no llamas are with me. They are better than a puppy. I did a llama wedding last June , my first. I was to hide behind the "how to ride a chairlift and not die" sign and upon the brides arrival step out and surprise her... I did, Landa went for the offering treat, the bridal bouquet, she clutched it to her barely covered chest and he went down in between to claim his prize, motorboated her right there in front of everybody... all i could do was laugh, a jealous laugh as she was a 9.9...

My lil motor boat wearing a tracking collar

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I have one that's berserk llama. I put up with his nonsense because he's a good packer. He's NOT shy and aloof. He goes right in and nuzzles necks and faces. He's popular with the girls who love that sort of thing from a large animal and who don't know that he's not normal. I keep him in the lead, both to control him and for PR purposes. When someone wants to pet a llama, he's always good for it. At home in the pasture, though, I never take my eyes off of him. He gets too 'friendly' and could knock me flat if I don't get after him.
He has short ears. The only other time I've seen that is his sister.

Do you turn yours loose? I've never trusted mine enough to try it.