Mountain Goat Hunting

[The Ursus]

Ok, I know they don't have sharp teeth, claws, or the ability to trample you, but given the nasty and physically demanding terrain they inhabit, I feel they are worth of being added to the dangerouse game forum.  Plus, I just like talking about them.  
So who's been hunting for them?  Who's planning a hunt?  Who has stories?  Let's get this topic rolling!!

The Ursus

[Dirteater]

Mountain Goat Hunting!  I would love to do that someday.  However, due to the cost and/or poor odds of drawing a tag, "someday" will probably be a long time from now.  

Ursus, could you give us some ideas on what time of gear is necessary for a goat hunt?

Chip Cavin

[Dirteater]

Excuse me.  That last sentence should have read: Ursus, could you give us some ideas on gear necessary for a goat hunt?

[Charlie Lamb]

I've hunted sheep and stalked goats with a camera. Where they chose to hang out really puts me off. It was ok when I was younger, but guess my nerve is slippin.

[Steve O]

Charlie,

I don't think young has anything to do with it.  Sense just starts to creep in.  I (34) hunted sheep last year.  I decided I probably wasn't going to goat hunt after that.  The terrain they hang out in is plain SCARY compared to the sheep mountains.

[The Ursus]

Well, I'm pretty new to goat hunting but have fallen in love with the pursuit of these beasts in an absolutely breathtaking part of the world.  I live in Juneau, AK so I'm one of the lucky ones that can hunt them every year.  
    The goat in my pic. was my first and was taken last fall.  My hunting partner, Chris Fannin (AKA juneaulongbow), and I put a lot of time and effort into researching the terrain with satelite photos and topos.  Once we found a place that looked doable (safe), we did some glassing from salt water in our aluminum skiff, scouring the mountainsides for white spots durring the summer before season started.  We located a large band of around twenty and figured that would be a good place to start.  We blazed a trail to 2000ft where we stashed some provisions including a large tarp, 1 gal camp gas, canned food and nylon cord in a dry bag tied way up in a tree (we made two trips).  That would be our camp once season started in late fall.  All that to say, we put a lot of effort into making it a successful hunt way ahead of time.    
    All the rumors you may have heard about what a physically demanding sport it is, are true.  We did our share of sweating up the mountain.  As far as dangerous?  Yes, but take a good dose of common sense with you and you'll be fine.  The mountians of Southeast Alaska can be down right slick.  I'm taking crampons from now on, snow or no snow.  Some of my friends use ice axes for pulling themselves up hill and they double as walking sticks when comming back down, especially with a heavy load.  Wool, fleece and Gore Tex are the rule.  Don't skimp on quality gear.  Some really like the plastic boots (Koflach) but I haven't tried them yet.  I've got a pair of super rigid Meindles that are good.  Those are some of the basics.
    Based on my experience, goats have very good eye sight.  Sound and scent control are not nearly as critical.  Get above them and come down on them, they are less weary about things uphill (it still pays to be sneaky).  Once they have you spotted from up above (say within a few hundred yards) they won't take their eyes off of you.  Seldom do they bolt, but when they do they either walk away or slowly trott to another location.  I've yet to see one run very fast.  Before the snow hits they are usually pretty easy to spot.  Often it's like spotting a golf balls on the green.  The trick is getting to them.    
    I took my goat near Lynn Canal north of Juneau (look on the map).  There are goats on nearly all the peaks in the area.  Unfortunaly, you need a guide in Alaska unless you have a family member who lives here to take you.  There are a lot of outfitters in BC but make sure you check out the guides here in southeast too.  I think we have some of the BEST goat hunting opportunities around!!  Also, you don't need to worry about drawing a tag here like you would in Colorado or Idaho.

[Dirteater]

Man o Man Ursus!  I am glad that you are taking advantage of your goat hunting opportunities.  Thanks for the guidance and information. I for one would like to hear more about your goat hunting adventures up there.

Chip Cavin

[juneaulongbow]

For more Ursus and Juneaulongbow adventures you can check my site.  Goat, Bear and fishing pics.  Adventures in Alaska

[AkDan]

Great looking stuff guys.  The site was awesome too.

I see you have hooked up with Steve H.  Give him a hard time for me   !  I am his sheep pard up in Fairbanks.  Hoping to hook up with yall either this spring when I go out with him for brownies (if possible due to work), and when the time comes for goats, quite possibly this fall.  Work will be the tell all!

I have a couple pics up on webshots.  They are small however as I kinda screwed them up when going from our old computer to the new one (shrunk them to small).  Got some pics from Steve too I would like to get on there.  Figured now that you are in ak, we can get yaz drewling over the rest of the state  :D !

Later,
Dan
http://community.webshots.com/user/lilhunter007

ps.
the first shot I am holding up a sheep tooled arm guard a good pard in Tn made for me!  I dont have any close ups of it on the new computer but that ram is almost a spittn image of the ram he tooled.

[TrapperJohn]

Heck Lil  yer stories alwayz got me droolin   :D   put som mor pics on, really like lookin em over  :D    :D   TJ  :D    :D

[AkDan]

Tj,

Hopefully we can get you up here for a bou hunt.  You need to get MSN up so we can start chatting more and get it set up.  That or email more often.  Got a sheep hunt set up for august and will be back 22/23rd.  There is some time there.  I might however end up in a guide camp for moose right after that hunt till mid to late october.  Still unsure and it's really going to depend on the summer work I end up with.

As per the storys, I gotta watch what I post.  I am thinking of maybe writing something for one of the magazines.  My only concern is nothing is on slides, everything is regular stuff.  Plus I need some serious help editing.  I never said english was my first language lol.  

You saw the bou story I wrote right?  I was thinking of adding it to the storys here along with the photos (after some serious editing of course).

[Steve H.]

Now I know why my ears were a ringin!

On my most recent goat hunt the grassy slopes were the real dangerous spots.  You start slidding and it is tuff to get back in control and start sliding over rocks and towards cfliff edges!  That is SCARRY!

Will have to review adding pics to these posts.

[Rick McGowan]

In my experience there are very few parts of Mtn. Goat hunting that are NOT scary. I passed up a stalk on one billy that could very well have been a new world record, he was huge, but almost as soon as we spotted him he must have spotted us and climbed to the very top of the highest peek around and stared down at us. We could only see him through the spotting scope during breaks in the clouds! After he checked us out he turned around and we never saw him again. The guide was all for climbing that peak after him, but I knew that even if we could get up there, there was NO chance I would be able to shoot my bow, I'd be hanging on with both hands and feet. Most of those peaks are far worse to climb than they look from the bottom and this one looked scary from there, I nick named it the sharks tooth, because thats what it looked like. Later that same year the outfitter told all the guides to NOT cross any scree slides that ended at sheer cliffs, I broke out laughing, we had been doing that every day. The reason he said it though was that two goat hunters had died while we were there, by sliding off a cliff. My advice is if you think you want to hunt goats, do it soon, the younger the better. RicMic

[BenP]

Dang, I'd better get goin then eh RicMic? I don't have a problem with that  

Stevie, clear that spare room out, I'm movin' in.

[Rick McGowan]

Benny, I think moving in with Stevo, may be more scary than goat hunting!    RicMic

[Steve H.]

Oh great my little red-headed step child is moving in.  He'll probably want to sleep all day and smoke dope all night and not work, and smell like petrula jelly.    

[Rick McGowan]

Stevo, he'll probably want to borrow "Heidi" also!
   RicMic

[Terry Green]

ttt

[Jason Hansen]

I had to bring this thread back up to the top.  Mountain Goat hunting can be extreme and dangerous from what I've read.  Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to pursue them, but it's on my "dream list".  I congratulate you Ursus...a job well done!    

[ozy clint]

they're not mt goats or sheep but himalayan tahr are our equivilent down here. native to the highest mountain range on earth they also relish standing on the edges of cliffs etc.
i'm planning on doing a pack in, pack out hunt for them next may/june. they are every bit the equal of a mt goat.  
they are one of my ultimate goals. cheap too, for the cost of a plane flight to New Zealand and food i can hunt tahr. sheep and mt goats in north america are out of my league cost wise so tahr fits the bill very nicely!