Very fun and exciting Goat hunt! We spotted this Billy on Friday and watched him every day until he disappeared on Monday (season opens Tuesday!) We scrambled on Monday and found him in the next basin in impossible cliffs, then Monday afternoon he disappears again!, My brothers sick with the flu throwing up Sunday and Monday and even sicker when the Billy Goat keeps disappearing. Minutes before dark Monday night we spot the Billy yet again on the summit of an un named Peak in an un approachable location not because of harsh terrain but the opposite, kind of rounded terrain and he has 360 degree visibility for 800 yards every direction.
Rick is feeling better because of the good news, at least the Billy is found. Well after dark and in the starlight the Billy (we named him the "Polar Bear" because he was so white and fat like a white bear) moves back into the cliffs he’s been in for 4 days, great news. My brother stops throwing up!

We are there at the basin at daybreak and get a friend (Graybird from AR) in position to spot and our cousin Alex in position to watch from an alternate spot a half mile to the north (2 perspectives cant hurt if the goat goes on a walkabout again).

Rick and I head off around the backside or shoulder of the basin, getting behind and above the Billy. Once we gain all the elevation we need and moved in above him we creep to the edge of the cliff, ditch the packs and belly crawl to the edge and as soon as the tops of our heads and eyeballs are looking over he looks right at us!. I range him and another Billy (alternate Goat we’ve been watching called “slide Goat” he has a habit of bedding in rockslides strangely happy in the open). "Polar Bear" Billy is 242 yards and slide Goat is 312 yards. We freeze until he averts his eyes and try to make a lateral move to a shooting rock about 12 yards away. I tell Rick if that Goat stands up you should too and walk straight to the shooting rock fast get a rest and kill him. But it all works out and the Billy eyeballs us but doesn’t panic and Rick creeps to the shooting rock aims nearly straight down and puts a shot in him as he’s bedded then the Goat jumps up and he’s got another one in him before I can say a thing. (fast second shot).
He humps up flips and rolls a few times and hangs up in another Goat bed.
At the time of the shot we were at 13,200 ft elevation.

It takes us an hour to pick our way down the cliffs to him even though it was 242 yards. Alex and Graybird join us hiking up from the bottom.
Then its all over but the pictures and tag punching, skinning and a pack out.

The Goat has the biggest body I've ever seen on a Billy Goat and great hair!
My brother Rick used a 325 WSM in a Browning Micro Hunter 200 grain Accubond factory Winchester ammo. Rick drew the tag with the maximum points.
Rick took advantage of this summer by scouting diligently, not only did it get him in good shape but the more Goats you look at the more you know about Goats, there is no substitute for field time. Rick also recruited our cousin Alex to scout, Alex put in the hours and miles this summer scouting and reporting his finds.
I feel fortunate to be able to hunt with my brother and help how I could on his once in a lifetime Goat hunt.
Our buddy Graybird was also a great help as a set of eyes and as a pack mule on the way out.
I hope you enjoy the pictures. We all had a great time.



View from the shooters perspective, Goat is down after the shot in the green foreground.

Getting down to the Goat, my brother Rick pictured. Rick said he doesn't like this photo because he looks winded, at 13000 feet everybody looks winded unless they are laying down!

Wow! Where in Colorado? I have seen plenty of goats backpacking around Mt. Evans.

Wonderful goat, congrats on a great team effort.

Awesome goat, Congratulations!!!

Great looking goat, looks haired up nice. Man that looks some airsucking country!

Congrats on a beautiful Goat. A Goat will be one of my next hunts!!!

Hawkeye

WOW! Thanks for sharing!

Great Goat!! They are an awesome adventure.


ddj

Thanks for sharing the story. Huge goat....

Snellstrom - Very cool pics, and congrats to you all.

Just plain awesome.

Congratulations. Wish I was in good enough shape to try that hunt.

Its not always "shape' that determines if your ready for a Sheep or Goat hunt, I mean that has something to do with it but mostly its a "can do" attitude.
I'm 51 my brother is almost 49 and he had the flu, "drive " kicks in and you give what you have to to get there.
And thanks everyone for the positive comments, really appreciated. My brother did hike at high elevation all summer which helped him, me I'm just too stupid to know how hard of work it is and I just go do it.
Aaron good to see you are back stateside we should get in touch.

Yes, I believe we'll have to do that.

Looking at the pics/scenery, I do believe I've been there before!

Nice billy. I killed mine in G13 back in 2000. It was on Iowa Peak, right next to Mt Missouri which is 14000. Iowa is 13,900 if I remember right.

I'm glad he didn't break his horns off. Mine did as he slid down the avalanche chute.

Get him mounted in a half body. Show off those pantaloons. Bob

Very impressive! Congratulations!!!!!

Beautiful Billy. I can see why you called him "Polar Bear".

Damn, that thing looks huge! How much will a goat like that weigh? Congratulations to your brother.

Thats a nice goat!

Fantastic pics, thats a great goat.

This was the view I had from Southern Missouri last Tuesday



Thats ol polar bear in a spotting scope he looks small at over a thousand miles away (Thanks Cody)



I like this pic of Rick best

Great team effort and big congrats to you guys and thanks for keeping me in the loop and I'll see y'all in 3 weeks

Wish I could have been in on this hunt as well! I might have brought an extra set of Pom-Poms. My wife says Rick is no bigger than a minute anymore.

quote:

Originally posted by ted thorn:




I like this pic of Rick best

Great team effort and big congrats to you guys and thanks for keeping me in the loop and I'll see y'all in 3 weeks

I don't know how it could get much better than that, the hunt, the pix or the goat. Congrats on a fine hunt, a fine trophy and memories to last a lifetime.
Good on ya'.

Best

GWB

Beautiful!!! Well done.

Best regards, D. Nelson

I know nothing about the body size of mountain goats but that one looks ginormous!

Great hunt and a good story. Congratulations to all involved.

NICE!

What unit were you in? I got one that looks to be about the same size in 2001 in G13. Mine came off Mt. Huron. Great experience. Everyone should hunt a goat at least once.

Pirate

I can't believe I've missed this post for a couple of days. Guess that is what I get for chasing bears.

I'm surprised the spotting scope picture turned out so good. I took that thing using my camera phone!!!

Outstanding! 13000 feeet Dear God there is no air up there!

Ya'll ARE the men.


.

Thank you Dave for posting this.
Sorry it has taken so long to post a reply and many thanks to all involved, Dave,Graybird and Alex.
If not for the help of my family members (brother, cousin and a great friend) as sick as I was I do not think I could have motivated myself to do the hike we did opening morning. Glad I could shoot straight and not dissapoint all involved.
Thank You
Rick