Llamas Save Hunters The Backbreaking Task Of Packing Elk Out Of Remote Mountains

Wyoming’s rugged backcountry is teeming with big game, but the farther into the wild hunters go to shoot deer and elk, the longer and more brutal packing their game out will be.

Some hunters rely on their own strength and use backpacks to haul out meat and antlers. Others get help from pack horses, mules, or pack goats.  

A pair of Wyoming hunters, Anthony Natale and Austin Griffith, think llamas are the perfect wilderness pack animals. 

Llamas may not be native to Wyoming, but they’re perfectly suited for Wyoming’s high country terrain and the wilderness.

The pair started out a few years ago with just a couple of the gangly critters, which are native to the perilous mountains of South America.

They’ve built up a stable of 26 llamas, which they rent out through their Encampment-based business, the 307 Llama Company.

Llamas are available to rent to anybody seeking wilderness adventure. But the core of their customer base is made up of hunters looking for an efficient way to pack out their game meat and trophies.

‘We Should Be Sharing Them’

Griffith told Cowboy State Daily that he’d previously rented pack llamas, so they came to mind when he and Natale started looking for pack animals to take hunting.

Natale agreed that it sounded like a good idea.

“Throughout the long winter, dreaming about hunting season, we were trying to get some pack stock to aid us on the multi-day excursions we go on,” he told Cowboy State Daily.

When it came to getting around in the mountains, llamas proved to be more than up for the task, he said.

“We got a couple for ourselves and we thought, ‘Man, these things are awesome. We should be sharing them,’” Natale said.

That’s when they decided to launch a llama rental business.

Don’t Expect Llamas To Be Your Friends

If there's a downside to llamas, it’s that they’re not particularly friendly. In fact, they’re notorious for being ornery, cranky and actually spitting on people.

However, neither are they vicious, as is sometimes rumored, Natale said.

“They’re not mean at all. That’s kind of a misconception,” he said, adding that llamas focus on work and aren’t interested in socializing with humans.

“They’re stoic. I would say that. They’re serious,” Natale said. "They don’t want their backs scratched or anything like that. These guys are all business. You get them to the trailhead and you can see they’re mentally locked in."

High Capacity, Low Maintenance

Full-grown llamas weigh about 350 to 400 pounds. Once they’re trained and conditioned for packing, each animal can bear about 80 pounds.

Customers can rent out multiple llamas; the typical order is three at a time, Natale said.

“Three llamas are capable of handling an elk, even a large bull,” he said.

Because of their mountain heritage, llamas are remarkably sure-footed. They can pick their way through fallen timber or scramble along rocky alpine slopes in just about any weather, Natale said.

They also thrive on Wyoming’s natural forage, so it’s generally not necessary to pack food for them, Griffith said.

Llamas are easily trained to follow their handlers, with the handler holding a rope on the lead animal, he added.

“They’re just easy to handle. The learning curve for using llamas, compared to other pack animals, is so much shorter,” Griffith said.

Safe In Predator County

Natale and Griffith said they prefer to leave their llamas staked out on ropes at base camp while they go hunting. If they shoot something, they go back to camp and retrieve the llamas.

Llamas are self-sufficient and calm when they’re left alone, Natale said.

“Even if one gets tangled up in its lead rope, it will just lay down and wait for help to arrive,” he said.

They’re also not afraid of predators, such as bears or mountain lions, he added.

“People use llamas as livestock guardian animals,” he said. "They can take care of themselves around predators."

‘Screeching’ Alert System

Griffith said if llamas sense something they don’t like, they’ll start “alarm barking.”

“It’s kind of like a laugh, almost like a donkey or a seagull,” he said.

So, they’re a good alert system to have around camp, Griffith said.

“We’ve had mountain lions coming in close to our camps, and the llamas will start screeching at the mountain lion, to let you know it’s there,” he said.

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.