Pack Outfits and How to Use Them

Before one can understand and appreciate the art of packing, a basic knowledge of pack animals is necessary. Both horses and mules are used as pack stock in the United States and Canada; in Mexico and the South­west, burros are often packed. Each of the three has certain advantages and drawbacks.

Horses of reasonably large size, say, 1,200 to 1,400 pounds, which are broad-chested and "mountain broke," make fine pack animals. A heavy horse is necessary for packing large loads. A broad-chested beast can keep its wind because of its large lung capacity. And a horse that has been raised and broken in mountain country learns the knack of traversing a rough mountain trail much quicker and is more dependable than one born and raised in level country. The casualty rate during hard mountain use is far less among horses of this type.

Mules have definite advantages for trail use. They are smaller than horses on an average but far tougher. Mules with short backs and of good size, say 900 pounds, will carry up to 200 pounds all day without tiring excessively. They have very small hoofs, which enable them to dig into the uncertain footing of rocks and rocky slides better than horses. And mules will follow other animals in a pack string better than horses.

One of the greatest advantages of mules in mountain-trail work is the fact that in a mishap or emergency a mule will not get as excited as a horse. When a horse goes down on its back or becomes tangled in the gear, it will probably die unless gotten out quickly. A mule simply lies there philosophically and waits for help.

The big drawback of mules in a pack string is the fact that, as a breed, they're hard-headed and smart, and you never know just what one will do. Whatever it does will be with the speed of greased lightning—suddenly rearing back, bucking, or kicking anything within range. And when a mule kicks, it never misses. For these reasons, mules are not as safe as horses.

The burro does a lot of packing in Mexico, but for packing big-game hunters into mountain country it isn't used so much. Mainly, the burro is too small, too slow, and too stubborn. As with a mule, one often has to knock a burro down three or four times to get its attention.

HANDLING PACK STOCK

Pack stock have to be well fed to do their heavy work. At a mountain hunting camp they are turned loose to graze each night. This forage is supplemented by oats and baled hay, hauled in at great expense. One riding horse is tied up or corraled at night for the horse wrangler to use in finding the others next morning.

To keep them from wandering too far, horses are hobbled across the forelegs with a strap-and-chain arrangement. Animals that learn to lope off with only a simple hobble are cross-hobbled, with one end of the strap-and-chain buckled to the forefoot and the other to the opposite hind foot.

One animal in the bunch is belled. This is always a horse or mare that has a tendency to stay close to camp. Mules especially will follow a mare, and will be close to the belled animal the next morning. Horse wranglers sleep soundly while the horse bell is clanging within ear-shot of camp. But the minute the bell stops, a good horse wrangler will wake up. Often it means that his nags have struck off for the next county.

All stock is approached, saddled, and loaded from the left side. That's a good fact for the beginner to remember—otherwise he's apt to pick him­self up from the gravel.

Pack stock is never bridled but handled from ropes tied to rope hack-amores or leather halters. When tied to a tree or post, an animal is tied with a length of rope no longer than would reach from its nose to the ground, at a height even with its nose. This prevents its getting tangled in the lead rope.

On the trail, most pack animals are joined together by tying this lead rope, at about 6-foot intervals, to the rear of the pack saddle in front. The rope is not tied solidly, so that in case one animal falls it won't pull the entire string with it. A good method is to attach the halter rope to three strands of baling twine. A strong pull from the horse will break it. Such an arrangement is necessary on dangerous mountain trails.

A pack string loaded with food and equipment ready for the trail out of camp in western big-game country.

Many times in rolling country with a gentle pack string the packer will turn each animal loose. He rides ahead and the animals follow, with the hunter bringing up the rear to encourage any laggard with a stick thrown at its rear. Often nose baskets are used to prevent the animals from grazing.

All animals of a pack string are steel-shod for mountain work. A good pair of shoes will last about thirty days of hard use. Where the country is largely rocks, shoes often have to be replaced in two weeks.

Catching, feeding, and packing the horses in the morning is all hard and time-consuming. If a loaded pack string is ready to hit the trail by nine o'clock, it is considered an early start. And once on the trail, the string is not stopped except for emergency or to re-tie packs until it reaches the destina­tion. Loaded animals, when stopped long, will lie down and roll with their packs and otherwise mess up the outfit. They want to get there and be immediately unloaded—their real incentive while on the trail.

A good pack string will cover fifteen miles a day on reasonable moun­tain trails. Ten to twelve is a good average, but on easier trails it may make twenty miles if absolutely necessary. I've been on longer rides in a day with a string but don't recommend trying it.

Other basic facts for the neophyte to remember around saddle or pack stock: Never mistreat any animal. Don't let an overheated animal drink—it's apt to founder. Use no more than 2 quarts, or four double-handfuls of oats at a feeding. Too much oats will founder an animal.

Perhaps the best suggestion of all is to stay away from the kicking end of any beast. With unfamiliar animals, stay almost as far in front of the grazing end, too.

LOADS FOR PACK ANIMALS

Strong, well-conditioned horses and mules can carry loads of 200 pounds each, if necessary. This is true especially of those animals used in the "meat string." Big bull-elk quarters weigh well over 100 pounds each, and one horse or big mule customarily packs a matching pair of hindquarters or forequarters, often many miles in a day.

However, the hunter should not regard this as an average load. Most packers insist that each cargo in a pair of matched packs weigh no more than around 70 pounds, or 140 pounds to a load. Moreover, no pack should measure more than 30 inches in any dimension. A larger load makes the pack too wide for going between trees, unbalances the animal, and is otherwise difficult to pack. Lighter, longer articles, such as fishing rods, shovels, etc., are lashed on top between the two side cargoes.

THE PACK SADDLE

The best way to get a quick understanding of the difficulties of packing stock is to take a good look at the back of a horse or mule—a soft, hide-covered section which is in motion when the animal walks. On this flexible, undulating surface, which is tender and easily injured, packs of varying weights, sizes, and shapes must be loaded. They must be fitted not only to ride securely, but so that they won't injure the animal.

The development that has made this possible is the pack saddle. Its history and improvement through the years is most interesting.

The four basic types of pack saddles are the aparejo, the sawbuck, the Decker, and the Springerville. The sawbuck and the Decker are based upon the aparejo, the Springerville pack saddle is a derivative of the standard sawbuck.

THE APAREJO SADDLE

The aparejo, the first known form of pack saddle, originated in Arabia. The Moors brought it to Spain in the 8th century, and the Spaniards, during their early settlement of America, brought it with them into South America and Mexico.

In Mexico the natives gradually began making two styles of aparejo pack saddle. One was made of matting from the fibers of the agave plant. Saddles of this type were used mainly for light loads on burros. The other type, made of rawhide, was used for hauling heavy loads such as ore from mines.

The basic design of the latter type of aparejo saddle was simplicity itself. Two pieces of rawhide measuring 24 inches wide and from 58 to 62 inches long were laid upon each other and sewed together around the edges. This was the portion that protected the animal. It was placed over the saddle pad across its back so that the 24-inch dimension lay between its withers and its hips.

On each side, a few inches from the center line, round holes approxi­mately 8 to 10 inches in diameter were cut out of the top layer of rawhide. Grass was stuffed through these opposing holes to provide protection be­tween the load and the animal's back. A cinch held this stuffed rawhide saddle in place. A crupper went around the beast's tail and prevented the load from going over its head when going steeply down hill. On such a simple saddle the loads were lashed and made to ride.

By the time of the Spanish-American War in 1898, two changes had been made in the aparejo saddle by the American cavalry. A breast strap had been added to keep the load from slipping back when going up steep hills, and the crupper had been changed to a breeching, as it was discovered that a burro could support more with its rump than with its tail.

In the light of today's pack saddles, the chief shortcoming of the aparejo is apparent: it had no "horns"—either wooden crosspieces, or iron rings— upon which to hang things. This lack gave rise to the sawbuck saddle.

Canvas panniers are lashed to the crosspieces of the sawbuck saddle, and trophy antlers are tied on top. Care should be taken that points do not gouge the animal.

THE SAWBUCK SADDLE

This pack saddle consists of a pair of elongated wooden pads, shaped to conform to the sides of an animal's back on each side of the spine, to which two pairs of wooden crosspieces are bolted. The tops of these cross-pieces are the hooks to which packs are attached.

This combination of pads and crosspieces is the saddle's tree. Onto this tree the straps holding the rigging—the cinches, breast strap, and breech­ing—are riveted and looped. Most sawbucks are double-rigged, that is, they have two cinches. This helps to keep the saddle from turning and more evenly distributes the load on the animal.

A variety of loads may be packed on a sawbuck saddle. The most common arrangement is to use the saddle with a pair of heavy-canvas saddlebags, called panniers. These vary in size, but are approximately 24 inches long, 16 inches high, and from 10 to 12 inches deep. Each pannier is equipped with a heavy leather loop at each end which hooks over the crosspieces. These are of such a length that the pannier rides just above the outer bulge of a pack animal's side. Also, one of a pair of panniers has a long strap attached on its outside, the opposing pannier a buckle. After the two panniers are loaded, they are strapped together over the top of the saddle, squeezing together their tops so that the load rides higher.

With panniers and a sawbuck saddle, most any kind of load may be hauled on a pack animal. Often loads of small articles, personal gear or foodstuffs are packed in a pair of alforjas boxes and the boxes are simply stuffed inside the panniers.

It is important that the weights of the loaded panniers match exactly. If they don't, the animal's back is ruined, putting it out of use for further packing. If possible, weigh the packs in advance. Where this can't be done, stand behind the loaded beast (far enough not to be kicked) and have some­one rock the loads sidewise. A pair of evenly balanced packs will rock as far to one side of the animal as to the other. Uneven packs will rock farther to the heavier side. By this method experienced packers can judge within a pound or so of any weight difference, which is a reasonable tolerance.

It is sometimes necessary to place heavy rocks into one pannier to make a load even. I've even seen packers tie big flat rocks to one pannier to make it balance a heavier cargo.

In most heavy packing, top packs are necessary. These are small bundles of light gear or odd-shaped duffel which won't fit handily into panniers. Such bundles are usually wrapped in canvas and loaded on top of the saddle between the pairs of loaded panniers. Many times a pair of mildly uneven loads can be made to balance by placing the top pack farther to one side than the other.

With the top pack in place, a canvas tarp, manta, or even a tent folded into a large flat surface, is thrown over the entire pack, tucked in at the front, rear, and sides, and tied down with a suitable hitch (usually a diamond hitch). The animal is then ready for the trail.

Sawbuck saddles used in this fashion have made western history. In many areas today, only sawbuck pack saddles are used and their owners swear by them.

The sawbuck has one major fault. It demands the use of perfectly matched packs or cargoes, and matched weights are somewhat difficult to achieve. So are matched sizes of cargo. It is rare, unless the packs are weighed in advance, to have both matched weights and matched sizes in the opposing cargoes. This is especially true in packing odd sizes and shapes of game meat.

THE DECKER SADDLE

Because of this basic fault, another type of pack saddle was developed in the Northwest. That is the Decker saddle, used almost exclusively in some regions like the Selway-Lochsa areas of central Idaho. It is especially good for packing game meat.

Instead of wooden crosspieces, the Decker saddle has a pair of iron rings at the top. These iron loops are semicircular, of s-inch soft iron, and have the ends flattened so that they may be bolted solidly onto the wooden side pads of the saddle's tree.

Panniers, of course, cannot be used with Decker saddles. Instead, all loads are bundled-up cargoes, matched as evenly as possible, and lashed to the saddle with sling ropes looped through the iron rings and fastened with a single ingenious hitch. Top packs, covering, and final diamond hitch are used as with a sawbuck saddle.

The virtues of the Decker saddle are that loads of uneven shapes may be packed, since they do not have to fit inside panniers. Also, loads of differing weights may be packed on either side in perfect balance. This is possible by lowering the lighter load and raising the heavier. Due to the roundish shape of the pack animal, the lighter load naturally rests farther out on its circular belly, and the heavier load rides higher and closer to the spine.

The sling hitch holds the two cargoes in place upon the saddle. Both for speed in handling and safety in a possible emergency, the sling hitch should be tied so it can be immediately untied with only a single hard jerk on the rope's running end. A packed animal that has fallen on its back is usually dead unless the load can be quickly released.

Loaded alforjas boxes also can be packed on a Decker saddle. Each is wrapped in a manta (a square of canvas measuring 6 by 6 feet) and lashed on. If provided with hardwood cleats on each side, they can be lashed to the saddle without covering. In this case the lash rope goes across the box, holds tightly under each cleat, and the sling arrangement holds the weight.

Homemade wooden alforjas boxes serve for packing gear on the trail and for storing it in camp. Wooden cleats on the sides are for supporting the boxes in sling ropes.

THE SPRINGERVILLE SADDLE        

The third type of modern pack saddle is a simple improvement upon the standard sawbuck. This is the Springerville saddle, which is different from the sawbuck in that the crosspieces extend approximately 10 inches downward past the wooden pads of the tree, rather than being cut off short at the point where they are fastened to the pads. The extension of these crosspieces provides extra protection for the animal, keeping the packs from rubbing against its sides.

Alforjas box lashed to a sawbuck saddle with the basket hitch. Another box of equal weight must be slung on the opposite side to balance the load.

Springerville saddles are used most often in heavily forested country, such as in the heavy oak brush of the Southwest, where openings between trees are narrow and tend to crush both packs and animals.

SHORT-CUT PACKING

There's no better way of packing in a buck deer on a saddle horse than to "buttonhole" the buck onto the horn of a stock saddle and bring it in.

This is done by cutting a small aperture, or buttonhole, in the meat of the deer's abdominal wall exactly at the point of the sternum, or rear of the rib cage. Slipping this hole over the horn of the stock saddle, tie the hind legs down to the cinch ring on one side. Tie the forelegs down similarly to the opposite cinch ring and tie the antlers up and toward the rear so that they cannot under any circumstance gouge the animal. Then lead Dobbin slowly to camp.

A professional packer won't do it that way. Moreover, he'll laugh at you if he catches you at it. But, as I say, it is a good compromise and will let you get the job done if you know only a little about horses, saddles, and the real art of hauling odd-shaped packages on animals.

HANDLING SADDLE HORSES

Since much of today's big-game hunting is done on saddle horses, any hunter should learn as much of basic horsemanship as possible. In this way he not only can help with the necessary chores, but can save his mount from injury and often himself from accidents.

Horses for dude hunters will be "broken" in advance. This means they will be conditioned to halters, bridles, saddles, and to being ridden. Stock saddles are used for the hunters. A standard stock saddle may be single-or double-rigged (one or two cinches), has a pommel (front) from 10 to The Springerville pack saddle, a modification of the sawbuck, with sling ropes ready to receive gear.

15 inches across, and a seat measuring about 15 inches from front to back. It is used over a saddle pad or blanket of sufficient thickness and size to prevent the horse from becoming sore. The right stirrup length for any rider is approximately the length of his extended arm. When the rider stands up in the stirrups, he should have about 3 inches of daylight showing between his britches and the saddle.

As with pack stock, saddle horses are approached, bridled, saddled, mounted, and handled from the left side. Cinches should be tightened just before mounting each morning and checked periodically throughout the day—working horses get thinner during the day due to sweating and exertion.

Irregular-shaped bundles can be lashed to a sawbuck or a Decker saddle with the barrel hitch. Again, load on the opposite side must be of equal weight.

Rifle scabbards are fastened fore and aft to the saddlestrings, usually in the "Northwest" position with rifle butt forward on the left side and gun barrel going under the left stirrup; on the right side, butt to the rear and muzzle pointing forward under the right stirrup.

Hunting horses should always be ridden with loose (unknotted) reins. When the hunter dismounts, loose reins will fall to the ground and some­what deter the horse from running off. It tends to step on the reins as it walks or runs, jerking on the bit which in turn hurts its mouth. With inexperienced riders it is best while hunting to leave the halter or hackamore on under the bridle. This allows the halter rope to be used for tying up the mount if the hunter wishes to hunt on foot or scout for game any distance away from the horse.

In steep or boggy country, a rider should dismount and cross on foot, allowing the horse to cross by itself. A riderless horse has better balance in treacherous footing and more confidence if the rider crosses a dangerous area ahead of it. It is safer, too, for the rider.

Lastly, no hunter should ever shoot at game from the back of a horse. In the first place, he can't hit anything that way, due to the continuous movement, however mild, of the horse itself. Moreover, it is sheer cruelty to shoot over the head of a horse; the blast will half deafen it. Many a horse will, when a rider tries such a foolish trick, leave that rider sitting up in the air, vainly trying to reach something solid.

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