Sawyer mini

I own property that I like to backpack into, surrounded on three sides by National Forest, and on the fourth side by a rancher who has grazed cattle on the property under an agreement with the previous owner and me for over 40 years. There is a small pond that has water during the rainy season, but it's pretty gross from silt, algae, and cow poo. Would the Sawyer mini adequately filter that?

2 incidents from this year with the mini. One was Santa Maria Spring on the Hermit Trail in the Grand Canyon. The Spring trickles into a tank that gets covered in algae. I poured the water through a coffee filter into the dirty bag before running through the filter. Water was fine. I didn't really need the water, but I wanted to see how this worked.
Did the same thing a few weeks ago from a ridge top pond that is filled with algae, leaves and mosquito larvae. Not an ideal source, but the trail to the ridge is steep, steep, steep, and weight reduction is a good thing. We got water, and it was fine.
I would take the syringe and back flush after every use out of that pond. Boiling would be good, too. I'm only addressing sediment and algae, not pathogens, but having worked on many dairy farms and cattle ranches, the poo factor is off-putting but survivable. Not a scientific response, just one of practicality. Maybe someone has more data oriented experience and knowledge about getting water from stock tanks.

When the water is that laden with crud, you should pre-filter the water with something like a coffee filter to remove as much of the algae and particulates as you can, just so they won't overwhelm and instantly clog the Sawyer mini. The filter is capable of removing any bacteria or cysts that are in that water, which is your main health concern. The taste will not be great, but it ought to be safe.

Definitely use some of your filtered water to thoroughly backflush the mini filter afterward. A clogged filter won't do you any good.

Thanks fellas. I had figured the pre-filter would be Advisable, thanks for the input. The bears and turkeys like to hang out too, elk and mules as well.

Yeah, pretty much what everyone else said. You have to pre-filter. The sawyer does clog easily with stuff like that. But, the good news is that you can backflush. Much better than clogging a $60 filter that can't be backflushed and then having to go throw down another $60. Use a coffee filter, or two, like everyone suggests.

Sounds like it's very much worth the effort!

when you say, coffee filter are you calling for the mesh basket, or a paper filter? I haven't needed it, but at some point I, not doubt will.

Paper is what I used.

This, and 100 other reasons, is why you carry a bandana.

Considering some of the other 100 options and what I might be filtering, I'll stick with the filters.