Syracuse.com - Looking for a unique change of pace? Try a 'llama trek' in Tully

[HuntingNY-News]

The trek is 1.3 miles long. Visitors two to 85 have made the trip with these unique animals.

Owning llamas is a bit like opening up a bag of potato chips, said Dawn Bishop.

“You just can’t have one,” she said, smiling.

She and her husband, John, bought their first two back in 2001. Since then, they’ve expanded their llama herd to 17 at their farm in Tully called Woodmansee Farms.

Initially, they took them to special llama shows and to the state fair. They’ve also took some to community events and parades and to “meet and greets” with local clubs and organizations, at schools and at nursing homes.

Three years ago they embarked on a different venture – allowing visitors to take the llamas out on leashes for treks on their picturesque, 40-acre farm. The highlight is a stop at the property’s beautiful waterfall on Onondaga Creek.

“It’s not a get-rich thing, but it does buy their feed,” said John. “Things are going well. We’ve been getting calls and reservations from people all over -- Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York City and a lot of folks from Rochester .

The llama treks are offered from mid-May to October, said Dawn, a teaching assistant at BOCES, who runs the business with the assistance of her husband, who retired early from his job of building homes because of a back injury.

The trail is about 1.3 miles long. “We’ve had people from two to 85 take the hike,” she said.

Llammas, which are native to the Andes Mountains in South America, were used by the Inca Indians primarily as a beast of burden, a pack animal, along with shearing their fiber(hair) for clothing. A llama can get up to more than 400 pounds and is larger than an alpaca, another South American animal raised primarily for its fiber.

Llammas can carry about a third of their body weight, Dawn said, but the Bishopss don’t allow visitors to ride them for liability and other issues. Their feet are padded, pretty much like a dog’s foot, an attribute that makes them more sure-footed on trails than a hooved horse or mule.

The animals are “inexpensive to keep,” eating hay, grass in the summer and some grain,” Jack said.

“Out west they use them as pack animals for things like elk hunting trips, or for stocking fish in way-out areas,” he added.

The Bishops stress that llamas are mild-mannered, timid animals.Gary Walts | [email protected] 

The outings at Woodmansee Farms last two to three hours, depending on the size of the group, their interests and the amount of time they want to take pictures. Each outing begins with a visit to the fenced in pens where the animals are kept, where a question and answer period is held, in addition to a brief lesson on how to handle the animals.

“People always ask whether these animals spit,” Jack said. “They really don’t spit at people, unless you’re doing something that hurts them, such as giving them a shot. But they do spit at each other, particularly when their eating, fighting over grain.”

From there, each visitor is given a llama to lead and the group heads out on the meandering trail that courses through the Bishops’ property, which offers steep ravines, a mixed hardwood forest, a pond and the waterfall. It’s not unusual to see deer, squirrels, ducks or a fox along the way, Dawn said.

The waterfall is located at the halfway point, There, the llamas are tied to trees and and fed hay. The Bishops pass out snacks and drinks and the hikers are then given about a half hour to kick back, relax and take pictures at the waterfall.

“Often, the kids play in the water and look for things like crayfish,” she said.

Dawn mentioned a couple of other interesting attributes about llamas.

“Sometimes they’re used as guard animals. Some farmer put them out with their sheep. They’re bigger and will let out a warning call if something is out there that shouldn’t be out there,” she said.

They’re also not hesitant to protect or assert themselves if needed with other animals. She told of one occasion where one of her alpacas “stomped a skunk.”

Dawn stressed llamas, though, that llamas are mild mannered, timid animals. Each of the couple’s animals have names, including Morrie, Rundycup, Katrina and Zeus.

”They all their own personalities, too. That’s what’s so unique about them,” she said.

More on llama treks: See the Woodmansee Farms website or call 696-8997. Cost is $30 per adults; $15 for children ages 5-12; children under 5 free.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog