Deer hunting from horseback?

[2ndAmendmentNut]

My family and horses take priority when it comes to my free time, and I was wondering would it be possible to hunt from horse back? Meaning I would actually shoot from on top of the horse. I suppose it would depend on the horse, but the four legged factor is already taken care of. I have a 16year old stud horse that definitely has the mentality as a hunting horse, in fact I can already get away with shooting 22s and 38s right around him to solve our local dog problem. I ask about hunting from horse back because of the fact that I can literally ride right up to deer, even the axis, which seem to be a good bit smarter then the local whitetail.

I suppose I would need a fairly quiet rifle, with subsonic ammo, light weight, short barrel, but still enough power for deer in the 50 yard range. Thinking about either a 357mag or 45colt, (lever action of course.) I am open to other suggestions as well.

Sort of related to the above topic, how do the Rossi 92s compare to the Puma 92s? Which one is a better boolit shooter?


I would greatly appreciate some input. Am I crazy?

[Ricochet]

It's been done.

[autofix4u]

My Grandpa, Dad and I have done this in Missouri for years. Dad and I use 30-30s and Grandpa his Krag. And your right about being able to ride right up on the deer. Dad and I use atvs now and Grandpa is unable to hunt anymore. But I sure do miss those days.

[LIMPINGJ]

Remember the accounts of Bison hunting here and the Boers in South Africa were excellent riflemen who hunted and shot game and most likely a few British from horseback.

[Down South]

I hunted horseback for years. I haven’t done it in a while since I have a bad back now. I haven’t even saddled up one of my horses in a couple years now.
Hunting off horseback was one of my favorite ways to deer hunt and I have killed many deer that way.
The first thing is having a horse that can be shot off of. I used to train my horses starting out with .22 rim fire then gradually work my way up to larger calibers. The disposition of the horse matters a lot. A more laid back horse is better suited to handle the noise of a large caliber being discharged from its back.
Never ever shoot across the top of a horses head.
Most horses can be easily trained to shoot from. Just look at some of the old western movies where the actors are shooting blanks from their horses.
I have a couple horses that I’ve always said that a cannon could be shot off of.
Another thing the horse needs to be suited for the woods. Not all horses do well in thickets, saw briars, low hanging branches and other vines. A well trained woods horse won’t go ballistic on you if it gets a vine tangled around its legs or wrapped up in a saw briar. It will just stop if it can’t free itself while you dismount and free it. A good horse will know when its rider is in a bind too and will just stop. Sometimes it’s not the horse that is wrapped up in vines or briars but the rider.
If you plan to hunt public land which I seldom ever did then plenty of fluorescent orange on the horse would be beneficial. This helps the not so good hunters recognize the horse as something else other than a game animal. I have tied orange flagging to my horse’s tail, all along the saddle and the bridal reigns before while on public property.

A good horse can be a real pleasure to hunt with.

[scrapcan]

Do it right from the start or it will be real trouble to fix if you do it wrong. As mentioned, do not shoot over their ears.

Also don't shoot a rifle that has a muzzle brake, the blast from brake can be very disconcerting to the horse.

Also it may take some working with the horse to get them to not turn and look directly at the game animal, see the statement about shooting across their ears.

a good horse is a joy to hunt with, around, or on.

[cajun shooter]

As stated by other members it's done a lot all over the country. You can walk up close to them as they see the horse as another woods animal. The most fun I have had deer hunting in Louisiana is from horseback. I had a problem with the foot of my Quarter horse one morning and used a friends horse who he said was not gun shy. I still remember the picture that my eyes were seeing as I floated through the air that cool brisk morning.

[Cap'n Morgan]

I knew a game keeper who hunted with bow from horseback. The deers didn't seem to pay much notice to him. Perhaps the smell of the horse masked his scent as well.
My wife has two Icelandic horses, and she has often been real close to roe deers while riding in the woods.

[NuJudge]

Get ready for a rodeo after your first shot. Won't do that again.

Horses don't like the smell of blood from the deer carcass also. Before you try to put the carcass on the packhorse, get a big handfull of blood and slap it on the horse's nose.

[Geraldo]

[QUOTE=NuJudge;729522]Get ready for a rodeo after your first shot. Won't do that again.
QUOTE]

That's what I was thinking. You had better be real sure the horse is steady around gunfire before you try it. If you decide to wing it with and untrained horse just be sure to video it so we can watch.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

Horses don't like the smell of blood from the deer carcass also.

True some horses do seem to be bothered by dead things. However my horse seems to be truly fascinated be dead stuff. When ever we go by road kill he loves to stop and sniff.

Also I doubt I will ever need to have the horse carry the deer, the main reason for the horse is just to get close to the deer, after I shoot one I can slit the throat and come back with the Gator.

[leadeye]

Tried that as a young man and could never find a horse that would stay still, I was using a cap pistol. It looks like a great way to hunt so best of luck.:D

[gasboffer]

I've seen an old ranch forman rope them from horseback. He was a superb horseman, though.
Clyde

[runfiverun]

the puma is made by rossi so a non issue.
the 45 colt a 250gr boolit [or xtp] with 12 grs sr-4756 is a pretty quiet load.
i remember my great uncle that had a horse he could shoot from. he shot over it's head one day......... just as the horse tossed it's head.
it was a long walk back to camp...... for me.

[montana_charlie]

Here in Montana horses are used a lot for hunting...and I mean A LOT.
I have never once heard of anybody who shoots from atop the horse.

Not saying it can't be done...just wondering why anybody would want to take any of the many risks it entails.
CM

[Jim]

Used to dog hunt down in SC with an old gentleman everybody called "Colonel". He rode a Marsh Tacky and carried an old double 12. Didn't matter where he had to point, when he got ready to shoot, he'd say "Down!" and the horse would drop it's head to the ground. He'd let off that old double 12 and that horse wouldn't so much as blink.

[AZ-Stew]

Used to dog hunt down in SC with an old gentleman everybody called "Colonel". He rode a Marsh Tacky and carried an old double 12. Didn't matter where he had to point, when he got ready to shoot, he'd say "Down!" and the horse would drop it's head to the ground. He'd let off that old double 12 and that horse wouldn't so much as blink.

What a great story! Dontcha just love well-trained animals?

Regards,

Stew

[Mk42gunner]

My Dad told me that when he was a kid, (late 40's-early 50's), one of his friends or cousins had one of the last cavalry remounts. He said it had the US brand and everything. Dad said you could shoot off that horse in any direction you wanted; it didn't phase it.

This is thirty year old hearsay; so take it for what it is worth.


Robert

[Buckshot]

............I dunno about horses, as I rode a mule:-) I was never riding him while intending to hunt, meaning I never intended to shoot off his back, but I did work with him for several weeks shooting (pistol) while mounted. He was apparently as broke form the git-go as he was when I stopped his training as I figured it was a waste of time. From the very first shot to the final intentional shot it remained exactly the same. At the shot he'd jerk, just as anyone would at a close by sudden loud noise. He'd be fully at attention and ready to depart the scene in any direction he deemed safe. This included straight up if necessary. Since he'd never bucked, bolted, swapped ends or simply ran, I figured this was a good as it got :-)

.............Buckshot

[MT Gianni]

There is a cowboy mounted shooting regimen I have not seen but read of that involves shooting to the side of a moving horse with a handgun. I'm sure training could be done. Like Charlie says, Why would you want to? Most hunters here use there mounts to get to a hunting area and then still hunt leaving the orses tied or dismount to shoot. I have had a gun ready to fire when the horse hit the end of a lead rope tucked into my back pocket. Balance risk and reward.

[cajun shooter]

I have seen hunters on horse back in Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming MC. In the type of terrain they hunt the horse is used for going from point A to B. But MC you have never (from your posting) hunted a Louisiana swamp bottom off the Mississippi River. In a walking mode your vision is sometimes only a matter of a few feet. On horse back you are able to see above a lot of this and maybe have a shot at a good buck. That's the reason we do it here. And as a side product sometimes the noise of the riders pushing through the thickets causes the deer to get up from that bedded area and move where the hunters on the outer areas have a chance for a shot. Not all areas look like Montana, so goes the old addage of When in Rome. Later David

[leadeye]

the puma is made by rossi so a non issue.
the 45 colt a 250gr boolit [or xtp] with 12 grs sr-4756 is a pretty quiet load.
i remember my great uncle that had a horse he could shoot from. he shot over it's head one day......... just as the horse tossed it's head.
it was a long walk back to camp...... for me.


Good story, ROFL.:D

[Bert2368]

Here in MN the hunting regulations say that we CAN NOT hunt deer from horseback. Unless you're handicapped, can't shoot from an ATV either. No dogs or horses for big game hunting at all.

That being said, my DOT mechanic shoots birds from horseback on his own property, and takes his horses out West to hunt big game. Says he can use the horse's back instead of shooting sticks for dismounted long shots, wonder how the horse's breath control is!

[montana_charlie]

But MC you have never (from your posting) hunted a Louisiana swamp bottom off the Mississippi River. In a walking mode your vision is sometimes only a matter of a few feet.
While it's true I've never waded in Louisiana swamp water to hunt deer, I hunted some pretty damp woods around Biloxi, Mississippi between 1980 and 1985. I learned (to my sorrow) all about the limited visibility in those areas...and came to understand why a hunter might choose a shotgun over a rifle for hunting deer.

On horse back you are able to see above a lot of this and maybe have a shot at a good buck.
Not all areas look like Montana, so goes the old addage of When in Rome.
Around here, it is not at all rare to see men, who are in quite good health for their ages, who habitualy walk as though their boots are two sizes too small. From their dress and weathered appearance, you can rightly assume they have spent much of their time around horses.

Another thing that's common here is a general understanding that 'horses will cripple a man if he messes with them long enough'.
It is such a universally held belief, it is probably one of the rules in "The Cowboy Way" or a full-fledged tenet of "The Code Of The West".

This almost unavoidable crippling builds within a horseman's body over years of simply asking horses to use 'traits' they are naturally equipped with...the ability to run, turn quickly, jump over things, etc. A working horseman is highly skilled at preparing himself for fast acceleration, sudden direction changes, and fast stops...and still they get beat up so bad that they hobble by the time they are fifty.

Why?

Horses have a finely tuned nervous system that makes the animal one big 'sensor'. He is so accutely aware of his environment, in some ways a horse could put a dog to shame.
You can teach a horse (through repetition) to accept 'spooky' things...stepping in a hole, getting poked by a branch, having a rabbit run through his legs, a tarp flapping in the wind, noisy deer flushing through the trees...you think of it, and you can probably teach a horse to accept it.
But each and every one has a limit. When you exceed that limit, the horse has this 'trait' of going haywire.
That's how very skilled and highly experienced horse people get kicked for no discernable reason, stepped on, run down, rolled under, bucked off, run away with, and clotheslined by tree limbs....and that's the 'short list'. Those are things that happen when the horse doesn't fall down or stumble when he blows up.

Yep, it's true that terrain varies...but the temperment of horses remains remarkably the same, no matter where you find them.

CM

[DLCTEX]

In my cowboying days I had a horse that I could shoot from and he was steady at the shot. Then he began flinching badly at the shot. Took me a while to figure out that the Iver Johnson 22 pistol I had was shaving lead. He wasn't flinching nearly as bad as a buddy of mine did the day I discovered the lead shaving problem. That horse would point game like a bird dog, from birds to deer to cows in the brush.

[Down South]

I had a deer pointing horse once about 20 years or so ago. Actually he could wind them. Most of the time when he winded one, I would see it. That was one hell of a horse. He could go all day through some of the worst stuff you can think of. I miss those days.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

Why would you want to? Most hunters here use there mounts to get to a hunting area and then still hunt leaving the orses tied or dismount to shoot.

It is because of the fact that I can ride right across a field to a heard of fifty or so axis deer, get within 35yards, and the deer don’t even raise there heads.
I can dismount my horse 100yards away, but as soon as I hit the ground the deer are gone.

[cajun shooter]

MC, Just because I have skin between my toes(USED FOR SWIMMING IN SWAMP WATER) does not mean that I have no knowledge of horses. We own quite a few here. I will tell yoiu that I have had my hand broken, foot fractured, broken ribs and plenty of bruised parts from these wonderful animals. I can also make the following statement; the cheapest thing about owning a horse is the price you paid regardless of that amount. Oh I almost forgot, I had a gelding do severe body damage to the door of my jeep while lifting me into the air with a twitch on his nose.

[Ricochet]

The U.S. Army used to have .45 caliber blanks to be used in the M1917 revolvers for cavalry horse training.

[montana_charlie]

You make my point for me, cajun shooter. If horses can do all of those things to a man when his full attention is on the horse, imagine what destruction they can wreak on rider who is concentrating on 'game'...and has a loaded gun in one hand.
CM

[Blacksmith]

Horses are good. You just have to remember that horses are prey animals. They have evolved by running away from scary things like preditors. They can be trained to accept many things and if they trust you they will generally follow your lead. However when the chips are down they will act like the deer you are hunting. You just must always keep that in mind.

Blacksmith

[C1PNR]

I agree with MC as far as the use of horses in hunting. You use your truck to get you close to where you want to hunt. You then switch to your horse to get you to the area you actually want to hunt. Tie it, and a pack horse, or pack mule if you're really lucky, to a tree and go hunting.

You then use the horse to get you, and if you're lucky, your game, out and back to camp.

I haven't hunted with horses in several years, but I remember a lot of fun, and some scary, times with them.

I did, once, shoot a grouse with my .22 Woodsman from the back of a horse. My hunting buddies said they really enjoyed the rodeo that ensued.[smilie=w:

And yes, different places bring different tactics. We actually used dogs to chase the deer from the chimese thickets, impenetrable to man. So I guess it's to each his own.

[35 Whelen]

I would greatly appreciate some input. Am I crazy?

Conversation between my father and the person to whom he'd loaned a mule to take elk hunting in Colorado;

Borrower: "Can I shoot off of your mule?"

Dad: "Yep. But I wouldn't shoot on her......"

35W

[cowboyt]

I had on of those old remounts in 53 - he was from the the 42nd cav. and assigned to the border patrol after the 42nd was disbanded-best mountain pony I ever had, and he could be shot off of,ONCE not twice. Good to hear of someone else who was lucky enough to own one
cowboy