Hello all,

I just got home from a Crazy Mountain Goat hunt. It was a wonderful and beautiful hunt.

My brother in law and I flew into Bozeman last Thurs. We stayed with family and woke up on Friday to a haze across the Gallatin Valley from the fires. From Belgrade you couldn't see the Bridgers.

We met the Outfitter at the Clyde Park Tavern with a trailer full of horses for our hunt. Friday was filled with fitting saddles, sighting in rifles and a steak dinner.

Saturday morning we left camp for the ride up into the Crazies. The weather was perfect and the scenery was spectacular. The Crazies were more rugged than I had imagined. It was evident as well that they were exceptionally dry.



We made camp around 9000 feet in a small high pasture after crossing a 1/2 mile of rockslides and shale. Leading horses across that area was something that adds to the adventure and I will always remember.



We watched a Nanny and kid dance on the cliffs right from camp. Watching the kids play amongst the rocks I just struggled with is truely humbling and impressive. We saw another group of 7 nannies and kids and tried to put a stalk on them but they got nervous and moved to higher ground. We went to bed watching another group of 7 nannies and kids.

In the morning we went after the group of 7 nnanies and kids we had seen the previous night. After hiking a mile across rockslides we watched the ease into the next basin and knew we would never catch them. We stopped to take a break and saw a billy watching us from the cliff above the bowl we were in. He was 800 yards away watching us. The decision was made to stalk this goat. The billy saw us the entire time. My hunting partner and guide thought that the goat would stay because he felt like he had the upper hand, which in fact, he did have. We stalked within 350 yards when another goat stood up which looked larger. I went the last 5 yards to a rock, threw down my pack, leaned tmy 270 across my pack and found him in the scope. I shot and heard the 130 gr Accubond hit and the goat went stiff legged. I hit him again and he just stood there. Just as I was about to shoot again, he lunged but didn't have any power and fell into a rock slide. As we heard the rocks fall, we waited for a rolling goat to exit the chute and hit the bottom but it never happened. He was hung up in the cliffs. The only option was to go get him. We used toe holds to climb up to him. It was something my wife and mother would have been very angry to see me do.



When we reached him, I couldn't have been happier. He was a beautiful goat and in great shape. He had fallen about 20 yards after the final shot but hadn't broken anything up and was on a little bench that was perfect for skinning him.







The game fish biologist has him aged at 8-9 years old and the horns were 9 5/8" with 5 1/2" bases. His hair was very good for this early in the season. It was a wonderful adventure and I have memories to last a lifetime.




ddj

Awesome! I was in Big Sky two weeks ago and the smoke was incredible! glad you were able to see and stalk. great goat!

Congratulations on an excellent hunt.

Congrats, One of North Americas best trophies in my opinion.

Very well done sir. You have one of North America's finest trophies there.

Just look at the pictures of the mountain tops from camp. That's a loong way up to where the goats live.

Thank you for posting. On a side note, THANK YOU for bringing this forum back to zero - posting a hunting report.

Beautiful goat, they are a great, well-earned trophy!

Cool! Congratulations!

Congrats. Awesome job.
I leave sunday for my goat hunt.
Congrats again.
W

Thanks again for all the kind words. Here are a few more pictures.

This was the view down from the chute we had to climb up. I haven't shown this one to my wife yet.




I carried the pack with the meat and my guide carried the goat cape down.



A picture of my brother in law and I after we got the goat down from the cliff. We could finally relax. It is exhausting when you have to concentrate on every step and the weight on your shoulders make going down more difficult.



I found it interesting all the time the biologist go through to age and measure the goats. She could have been a B&C scorer.



ddj

congrats!! that is some of the most rugged country in north america.

Congrats on a great hunt
Weary but unhurt
Those are the Good Ones

Beautiful goat and report! Thanks.

Outstanding! Congrats on a great hunt.

Great report and pix. As was mentioned previously, thanks for a true hunt report.

Having just got back from a hunt three weeks ago, your photos and report makes me want to take off tomorrow.

Best

GWB

Thanks Guys!! I am going to try to only make quality posts.


ddj

Super Hunt!!!!!!!

Great hunt! Thanks for not injecting any effeminate drama.. getting pretty tired of that sort of thing.. Les

Nice goat. I wish I had enough stamina to do a mountain goat.

Great story, thanks for sharing.

quote:

Originally posted by trouthunterdj:
Thanks Guys!! I am going to try to only make quality posts.


ddj

Well you certainly hit a homer on this one.

Best

Gwb

Congratulations on a great hunt and story!

Excellent story and pictures.

Question: How did you know that the mountain goat was crazy? ("Crazy. Mountain Goat. Hunt?")

Sorry, I should have said Crazy Mountains, Goat Hunt.


ddj

Beautiful goat and a great hunt. Sure would like to draw a tag for one of those one day

Nice. That goat looks to be almost the twin to the one I took in Colorado in 2001. Mine was 9 1/8 and 8 7/8 and was a 6 year old billy. That's about as good as goats get in Colorado.

Goats are a fun and fairly difficult hunt. I don't know if I have another one in my future since my 50th birthday is around the corner. But I enjoyed it when I did it. Have you tried the meat? I cut the backstraps and loins into steaks and made jerky and sausage out of the rest. It wasn't prime venison but it wasn't bad either.

Pirate

Wow! That's a proper trophy taken in fine territory - congratulations!!!

Congratulations on a great hunt! Thanks for sharing!

Congrats on a great goat and overall hunt. I'll be going along on my friends goat hunt next weekend in Utah. No horses, and the Country doesn't look as tough as where you were, but maybe more than enough for this old guy. Again great job.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

Congrats on a well earned trophy!!!

Just last week I helped a buddy fill his tag here in CO. His goat was at about 13K feet. Certainly is something to be said about hunting the high country.

Congrats again!!!