Montana Hunting Season • Self-Guided Pack Llama Rentals

Packing Out Elk & Deer with Llamas Near Helena

Haul a real camp in, hunt hard, and walk the meat out. Self-guided pack llama rentals from our ranch in Clancy, just south of Helena.

Book Your Llamas How Many Llamas?

$75

Per llama / day

Llamas for elk (4 for a large bull)

Llamas for deer

60–75 lb

Load per llama

Why Llamas for Hunters

A Pack String You Can Handle Yourself

Hunters usually want two things from pack stock: a better camp than they can carry on their backs, and a way to get meat off the mountain without six round trips. Llamas are calm, easy to lead after our short clinic, and they ride to the trailhead in our stock trailer behind a half-ton truck.

Every rental is self-guided, so you pick the unit and the plan. For ideas, see the Trips & Areas hub, the Elkhorns, the Big Belts or the Scapegoat.

Cost examples: 3 llamas for five days is $1,125, with a $562.50 deposit. 2 llamas for a three-day deer hunt is $450.

Hunter standing with a string of loaded pack llamas on a timbered trail

Plan Your Pack-Out

How Many Llamas, and How Much Weight

Each llama carries about 60–75 lbs, panniers included. Book to that number and don't overload. A second trip beats an injured animal.

Deer: about 2 llamas, which is also our minimum.
Elk: about 3 llamas, for roughly 180–225 lbs of capacity.
Large bull: 4 llamas, for about 240–300 lbs.
Big camp and a big animal? The herd is 6. Book more llamas, carry some meat yourself, or plan a second shuttle.

Typical loads: going in, split the tent, stove, food and llama feed across the string, and weigh each pannier pair so the two sides balance. Coming out, put meat in game bags matched left to right by weight. Pad and tie heads and antlers on top so tines can't poke the llama.

Meat care and the law

Montana's waste-of-game law (MCA 87-6-205) bars leaving edible meat in the field, or handling it so it spoils. You must also keep evidence of sex with the carcass until it's processed, unless your license is valid for either sex, and keep antlers or horns in point- or horn-restricted districts (MCA 87-6-406). Season dates and licenses change every year. Read the current FWP regulations, and don't dump carcass parts (FWP CWD guidance).

Bear Country

Carcasses, Feed and Bears

The Forest Service NCDE food storage order covers the Helena-Lewis and Clark, Lolo, Flathead and Kootenai national forests and the Elkhorn portion of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge. It names llamas as livestock. Under the order:

Carcasses within 1/2 mile of camp or 200 yards of a system trail must be stored bear-resistant, except while you're field dressing or transporting them.
Llama pellets and grain count as attractants. Store them bear-resistant whenever they're unattended.
A livestock death must be reported within 24 hours (48 in very remote areas).

FWP's bear-aware hunting advice: carry bear spray, pack meat out as soon as possible, avoid butchering after dark, drag gut piles at least 100 yards from the carcass, and approach meat you left behind carefully. Don't haze a bear off a carcass; report it to FWP.

Hunters in blaze orange gathered in snowy timber

Field Tips

Practical Tips from the Ranch

Use the clinic at pickup to practice saddling and balancing panniers.
Bring certified weed-free feed, with tags or markings on every bale or sack (order R1-2024-01).
No game carts in wilderness. In the Bob Marshall Complex, lead stock in single file.
Check the trailhead before you tow. Not every trailhead has room to park and turn a truck and trailer. Our area pages flag where the Forest Service lists trailer parking and trailer length limits.

For hunting-season videos and the hunt booking form, see our hunting llama rentals page.

Hunter loading gray panniers onto a pack llama at the trailhead

How our rentals work

Self-guided only: you plan the route and lead the llamas. $75 per llama per day, 2-llama minimum, from a herd of 6. A 50% deposit goes through Square when you book, and the balance is due at trip start. The handling clinic at pickup in Clancy is included. You tow the included 12 ft stock trailer yourself (half-ton truck, brake controller, 2" ball, 7-way plug); there's no drop-off. Season May 1–Nov 15, off-season by request.

Check current conditions and regulations before you go

Trails, roads, closures, fire restrictions and Forest Service orders change, sometimes mid-season. Before every trip, check current conditions and regulations with the ranger district and Montana FWP. Use only trails that are open to pack stock and recommended for it. Skip any trail that is closed to stock or where the Forest Service says stock is not recommended. Our 12 ft stock trailer also needs a trailhead that allows trailers of that length, with room to park and turn your truck and trailer. This page is planning help, not legal advice.

Common Questions

FAQ

How many llamas do I need to pack out an elk?

Plan on about 3 llamas for an elk and 4 for a large bull. Each llama carries about 60–75 lbs, so 3 give you roughly 180–225 lbs of capacity and 4 give you 240–300 lbs. For deer, about 2 llamas is usually enough, which is also our minimum.

Does anyone from the ranch come along on the hunt?

No. Every rental is self-guided. You plan the hunt and lead the llamas. We provide the llamas, pack gear, the stock trailer and a handling clinic at pickup.

Do meat and llama feed need bear-resistant storage?

Across much of western Montana, yes. The Forest Service NCDE food storage order counts livestock feed as an attractant, except baled or cubed hay without additives. It also requires carcasses within 1/2 mile of camp or 200 yards of a system trail to be stored bear-resistant, except while you're field dressing or transporting them.

Can I bone out my elk to lighten the load?

Boning out keeps loads light, but Montana law (MCA 87-6-205) still requires you to bring out all edible meat. You also have to keep evidence of sex with the carcass where your license requires it (MCA 87-6-406). Check FWP rules for your district.

What do I need to tow the llama trailer?

A half-ton truck with a brake controller, a 2-inch ball and a 7-way plug. The 12-foot stock trailer is included, and you tow it yourself; we don't offer drop-off.

Keep Planning

More Trips & Areas

Ready to Plan Your Trip?

Pick your dates and number of llamas, then pay the 50% deposit through Square. The balance is due at trip start. Questions first? Call or email Kevin.

Book Online → 📞 Call 801-372-0353 ✉️ Email Us 📖 Trip Prep Guide ✅ Packing Checklists

Book Your Llamas$75/llama/day • 2-llama minimum