• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Scouting from horseback.

Tommy Eastham

Tommy Eastham

Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2017
Messages
69
I am from Kentucky so I know not everyone owns horses. But if it’s a option. I have been finding it very enjoyable and effective. The deer continue to feed. Now once within a hundred they will move off but not like a threat more like the horse was the dominant beast. Anyone else have tried this?
 
Tommy Eastham said:
I am from Kentucky so I know not everyone owns horses. But if it’s a option. I have been finding it very enjoyable and effective. The deer continue to feed. Now once within a hundred they will move off but not like a threat more like the horse was the dominant beast. Anyone else have tried this?
Click to expand...
So is that Saddle scouting?
 
"Saddle Scouting" is a great way to get familiar with your hunting areas. Me and Autumn, my horse, has covered a lot of ground together. She would always know when something was close by. She caught wind of something one time and I did not know what was happening. I got her to head in the direction she kept looking and as we went, I nice 8 pt stood up and just simply walked away. That was cool. Autumn also stopped on the side of a steep hill and was listening to something. I did not hear a thing but as we got to the top of the hill, turkeys where everywhere and they never got nervous.
Autumn is more alert when we ride by ourselves.
Just be careful for you and your horse. There are sink holes, stump hole, roots and all kinds of things out there that can hurt a horse or get you hurt.
 
Autumnrider said:
"Saddle Scouting" is a great way to get familiar with your hunting areas. Me and Autumn, my horse, has covered a lot of ground together. She would always know when something was close by. She caught wind of something one time and I did not know what was happening. I got her to head in the direction she kept looking and as we went, I nice 8 pt stood up and just simply walked away. That was cool. Autumn also stopped on the side of a steep hill and was listening to something. I did not hear a thing but as we got to the top of the hill, turkeys where everywhere and they never got nervous.
Autumn is more alert when we ride by ourselves.
Just be careful for you and your horse. There are sink holes, stump hole, roots and all kinds of things out there that can hurt a horse or get you hurt.
Click to expand...

This makes me want to do the opposite of work this morning!
 
I like hunting on horseback (except when they bit or kick me) but I have no desire to feed and care for one all year just to hunt from it for a week. It pretty much has to be a year round passion for hunting by horse to make any sense, or renting, but then you never really know what your getting (hence being bitten and kicked).
 
Lacky said:
I like hunting on horseback (except when they bit or kick me) but I have no desire to feed and care for one all year just to hunt from it for a week. It pretty much has to be a year round passion for hunting by horse to make any sense, or renting, but then you never really know what your getting (hence being bitten and kicked).
Click to expand...
Yeah, my wife wants a horse. I told her she gripes about a litterbox and buying cat food...whattaya think a horse costs to feed, and do they have a reputation for being litterbox compatible?

When this stupid cat kicks the bucket, NutterBuster is done with pets. I'm talking not even a goldfish!
 
Nutterbuster said:
Yeah, my wife wants a horse. I told her she gripes about a litterbox and buying cat food...whattaya think a horse costs to feed, and do they have a reputation for being litterbox compatible?

When this stupid cat kicks the bucket, NutterBuster is done with pets. I'm talking not even a goldfish!
Click to expand...

I don’t know... I’d love a German Shorthair Pointer or a Blue Lacy at some point. I’d LOVE to have a good shed/scouting dog.
 
Years ago when the Alabama deer limit was one a day with no season limit, Ben Rodgers Lee told me a story about two hunters that had come through his home town of Coffeville, AL. At a local cafe he asked them about the two horses that they were towing in a trailer. They told him that they traveled the state hunting WMA cutovers on horse back. When he asked them if they ever had any luck they told him that they had killed two bucks that morning that brought their season total to 96. They explained that the deer weren't alarmed by the horses and the horses would point a deer like a bird dog points a quail.
 
Lacky said:
That's pretty much true. There is lots of movement involved in bailing off the back of a horse and getting ready for a shot through.
Click to expand...

That’s why you shoot from horseback. You gotta trust your horse not to freak out on you though.


................................................................................All climbing methods, platforms, saddle designs, and/or use of materials possibly mentioned in the post above are not peer reviewed for safety, and should only be used as an example of my own method. Do your own research and testing before becoming confident in any DIY solution to support your life.
-IkemanTx
 
Never hunted or scouted from horseback but one stand access I used to take traveled thru a donkey corral. I used to feed one of the donkeys granola bars and he became my buddy. He walked right beside me all the way to the back fence. Deer would often be in that pen and they showed no fear if the donkey was walking beside me. I guess they thought I was just another "ass".
Funny thing, my stand was only about 40 yards into the woods and when the donkey pen was down wind of me, my pal could smell me and he would stand up there at the fence looking my way hee hawing his brains out.
I miss that property.
 
I can attest to all of the above. Grew up hunting from horseback, moose not deer. Moose would just look right at the horse and keep right on chewing. Two of the properties I hunt have horses and I frequently see deer and horses feeding side by side.
 
IkemanTX said:
That’s why you shoot from horseback. You gotta trust your horse not to freak out
Click to expand...
I never even hunted on a horse I could trust not to bit or kick me. I wasn't about to try that. Besides shooting off hand off a living breathing creature the animal would have to be pretty close. I just used the horse to get me to where I was hunting then parked it.
 
Lacky said:
I never even hunted on a horse I could trust not to bit or kick me. I wasn't about to try that. Besides shooting off hand off a living breathing creature the animal would have to be pretty close. I just used the horse to get me to where I was hunting THEN PARKED IT.
Click to expand...

Hahahahahaha. I’ve never heard a horse described as “parked”



................................................................................All climbing methods, platforms, saddle designs, and/or use of materials possibly mentioned in the post above are not peer reviewed for safety, and should only be used as an example of my own method. Do your own research and testing before becoming confident in any DIY solution to support your life.
-IkemanTx
 
Wish I had that option. I’ve hunted a few areas, maybe some in your state, that have horse trails. It would save me a bunch of boot miles


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top