Every year the SNS receives questions about the equipment used on horseback hunts with our outfit. It’s often a hunter’s first time participating on a horseback hunt and the speciality equipment used can be a little intimidating. We thought it would be helpful to share with you the unique equipment used on SNS horseback hunts.

When we first started offering horseback hunts over 35 years ago, we had to invest in used saddles. We quickly learned that client comfort was imperative to a quality hunt, and therefore made the decision to upgrade all four tack. We now have an outstanding collection of high quality and comfortable client saddles. Each saddle is fitted with over sized stir ups, easily large enough to accommodate any hunting boot.

Every SNS saddle is fitted with a pair of saddle bags. Saddle bags are useful for carrying lunches, bottles of water and extra clothing. The back of the saddle has long leather strings which is a great place to tie on extra coats and rain gear. A very unique piece of equipment is a set of saddle horn bags. While we do not provide those, they do make a great place to carry important items you may be concerned about losing such as your wallet, licenses, extra headlamp or your cell phone. Should you have access to a set of horn bags, we would by all means welcome you to bring them along.

We provide quality leather rifle scabbards and in 2021 we have upgraded to all new handmade scabbards. One of our guides, Randy George, is a saddle maker. Randy has been building new rifle scabbards to fit the longer barreled and large scoped rifles that are currently all the rage. It’s extremely important that scabbards properly fit the rifle and are carried in a manner that doesn’t rub a horse. The scabbard rides underneath your leg and has potential to be uncomfortable. This is an important thing to keep in mind when selecting which rifle you pack. An excessively heavy rifle will make your leg sore and can impact how well your saddle stays centered on the horse. SNS Guides are trained to keep an eye on saddles and equipment through out the hunt. We encourage you to communicate any concerns that you may have with them as well

Our method of bringing elk quarters back to camp involves the use of a pack horse fitted with meat panniers. We use canvas meat sacks and a canvas pack cover to insure that your meat is kept clean and cooled out. Once an elk is killed your guides will start skinning and quartering the elk at the kill site. After the quarters are cut off the carcass and skinned, they will be laid on the canvas pack cover. This allows the elk quarters to cool and stay clean before they are put inside a meat quarter bag. Once the entire elk is quartered and bagged then its time to load onto the pack horse. Both the pack horse and prompt and proper care of your harvested meat will help maximize time in the field. This allows us to either continue hunting that day or start the next day right away without having to return to the previous kill site. At camp we have a walk-in fiberglass cooler with rails and hooks to insure that your meat is well taken care of.

SNS is proud of the horse equipment we provide and the quality and care of the game that is harvested here in Wyoming & Montana. When you are on a hunt with us, you can rest assured that this part of the hunt will be worry free. This will allow you and your guide to focus on enjoying the experience of a hunt with SNS Outfitter & Guides.