Packing your bow on horseback

[Arctic Hunter]

I've been doing a lot of research on this, as I plan for a Colorado trip this fall, and don't have much experience with horses.  But I figured I'd throw the question out there to everyone.  

Whats your preferred method for carrying your bow on a horse for long trail rides?  I would rather leave it strung if possible.  

Pictures are also appreciated.  

Thanks.

[Tater]

Other than carrying the bow which is tough to navigate and ride.
   Marv Clynke on one of his sheep hunts used a scabbard, much like a rifle scabbard to carry his Longbow with no bow quiver attached.

[yaderehey]

Personally I' be pretty careful on how I carried a strung bow while riding.  A bow hooking up on a tree or brush as your riding could be a recipe for a damaged bow or a horse blow-up.  I've had stuff hook on brush while riding, but been able to quickly wrench or bust it free before anything bad happened.  You know how tight a strung bow grabs on.  I'm not much of a horseman, but I've been on a few where it seemingly didn't take too much to discombobulate em.

[Pat B]

When I was in Colorado we used a 4" PVC pipe, attached lengthwise to the pannier, to carry our bows in and out and to store them while we were in camp.

[njloco]

I used a two piece bow, last I went, I just stuck it in the Suffari Tough quiver with the arrows. I'd be more concerned with the arrows than the bow.

[Lassiter]

I agree, you probably shouldn't carry your strung bow while on horseback. Takedown bow packed away is the best way. I've seen bow scabbards for sale. Check some of the places that sell horse and mule packing equipment. I don't hunt from horseback but I've had a lot of experience riding (and falling off) A horse is just an accident looking for the best place to happen. They have a knack for picking the worst time (for you) to come unraveled.

[cacciatore]

When you go in and out to your camp it is better to have your bow packed on a hard case, I have seen a couple of stampede with severe damages to the luggage. This is one of the many reason I use a TD bow. On a daily basis you'll have your bow in your hands but that's a nightmare itself,to ride at complete dark in the timber with just one hand. So also in this case I would like to unstrung my bow and place it in a case on the saddle. Usually when you'll stop it be still to dark to hunt and you have plenty of time to prepare you.

[MnFn]

In my youthful days I tried bowhunting on horseback.  It was really foolish. Two of us on one horse both trying to carry bows and arrows.

The horse was not cooperating and pretty soon we were flying through the air. Bows, arrows with broadheads of course, and us. Landed in heap. How someone did not get killed, I don't know.  Never been on a horse with a bow since.

[pinky]

I have been on a couple of hunts that horses were a part of. I had my recurve taken down padded and packed on one trip.  The other trip the horses carried the gear in and i walked in with my bow in hand.
My mother and sister have horses and i have been around them much of my life.  Horses are big creatures and their defense wiring is for flight. They can become skittish easily.
Having seen some Blowups and Spooks, I would recommend against packing / carrying a stung bow on a horse. A hard case is a very good idea.

[tracker12]

Boy I wish more people made a 2 piece takedown.  The perfect bow for a horseback hunt.   3 piece is nice but longer to put back together  plus parts that can get lost during the hunt.

[halfseminole]

Funny, I did a lot of horse archery when I was younger.

Most cultures that practiced it had a quiver for the bow as well.  This quiver held the strung bow and protected its string, while allowing easy removal of the bow should game present itself.

The bow quiver is worn on the bow hand, and the arrow quiver is worn on the draw hand side.  This allows easy access and a fast response.

A popular term for the set was gorytos, but pretty much every Asian culture had them, as well as the middle east.  They're not very hard to make.  It's harder getting used to using it.  I would suggest practice if it is at all possible.

 http://classic-bow.com/catalog/traditional-standby-bow-quiver-2011662-p-673.html

 http://www.manchuarchery.org/qing-bow-cases-quivers

 http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/5a/2b/5e/5a2b5edb5c933be93430911e0e6dee8f.jpg

I used the Manchu equipment, and still use most of it.  I just ride a wheelchair instead of horses now.

[njloco]

That last picture is pretty cool with all the gear mounted on the saddle, but what's really interesting is the shape of the feathers on the arrow, anyone else notice this ?

[Alexander Traditional]

Originally posted by njloco:
That last picture is pretty cool with all the gear mounted on the saddle, but what's really interesting is the shape of the feathers on the arrow, anyone else notice this ?

I thought that was a cool picture also. I did notice the feathers,and they are cool. I was poking around looking at choppers,and found a ad for vario choppers,and they had a bunch of different cutters. Some were very similar to those.

As to the original question. I think I would stay away from anything other than something like the above for a strung bow. I've broke a few horses,and hunted in Colorado off of horseback,and they can be pretty skittish at times.

[Arctic Hunter]

thanks for the input.  I think the biggest reason I wanted to keep the bow strung was mostly to avoid that initial break in and the changes that go along with breaking a 3 piece bow all the way down.  It seems like it takes me forever to get a bow back the way it was after breaking one down, and it never seems to shoot the same.  Sounds like it would be the best option though.

[mahantango]

We  have two horses of our own that I am very familiar with, and I would hesitate to ride them in the bush carrying a strung bow, much less an unfamiliar horse. As posted before, they are big, high strung animals, capable of doing much mayhem, and prone to coming unglued at the most unexpected and inoppertune times.

[Arctic Hunter]

Something about this makes me want to just go about it on foot....

[Homebru]

I hunted from muleback one time so, take my feedback with that in mind.  I looked at scabbards but the commercial ones were made for compound bows.  That wouldn't work for my bow.  I ended up using a Three Rivers Strung Recurve case strapped to the saddle.  

It worked but, it was certainly a compromise.  I can also tell you that one day, it got moved around just enough to end up in the mules peripheral vision.  The natural instinct of any animal (human included) is to move away from the object that startles it.  That means that the mule was spinning in a circle with me on it's back trying to control it, figure out what was happening and solve the problem.  

Needless to say, it was a rather harrowing experience.  A two-piece bow would have worked much better.  If I am to ride mules again, I would probably be wearing a backpack and tie my bow to it (3-piece takedown) taken apart and assemble when I got off the mule.  

Another big problem is that with mules or horses, you can be rather mobile and get on / off the horse several times throughout the day.  Assembling and disassembling a 3-piece bow each morning and evening is one thing. Relocating to find elk and doing it several times throughout the day would make the cost of a 2-piece bow worth the investment.  I wish more bowyers made 2-piece bows.

The leather scabbard shown (or something like it) could work well but, I'll bet it would cost a pretty penny.

It's not easy to predict exactly what may happen when on mule / horseback.  You certainly need to be careful and the easier it is to disassemble the bow, the better off you'll be.  I even broke a carbon arrow as the guide cinched things down tight so nothing was able to move and frighten the mule.  Despite that, I still had one frightening dance on the back of that mule.

Hope this helps.
homebru

[Homebru]

Originally posted by Arctic Hunter:
Something about this makes me want to just go about it on foot....

I've done it both ways.  If I could afford to hunt on mules, that is how I would always do it.  There's no comparison between the two.  

Elk hunting on the back of a mule is much easier physically (may not kill more elk).  Elk hunting on foot......well, three days in will make you admit that you're a better trout fisherman than an elk hunter.  Either way, it gets into your blood.
homebru

[Whip]

I'm not the most experienced horseback hunter but I have been on a couple. On the first, at the suggestion of the outfitter, I just carried my bow strung in my hand while riding. I was lucky, and though there were a couple of hairy moments I got away with it the entire trip.

On the other hunt I was on mules (likely the same ones as Homebru;) ). On that hunt I broke down my 3 piece takedown and carried it in a Safari Tuff case. That worked much better and I felt far safer, both personally and for my equipment.  If I ever do another horseback hunt I will definitely break my bow down. Yes, it takes a few extra minutes before making a stalk. And there might come a time when I wished it was handier, but the safety issue make it a no brainer for me.

Hunting in the mountains on the back of a mule or horse is the ultimate in bowhunting for me. I won't take a chance on ruining the experience for the sake of saving a few minutes.

[Whip]

Another thought - if you are using a 3 piece, invest in a set of antler limb bolts something similar that doesn't require tools. And carry a back up set of limb bolts.  Another great option to speed up the assembly process is a Bear takedown.