Gentlemen,
On September 13-17 I hunted Mountain Goat in the north end of BC. We drove north of Fort St. John about 2 hours, unloaded the quads, and drove 78 kms (about 47 miles) into the mountains. Then we backpacked into the area we were going to hunt (about 8 miles). All three of us hunters got a goat, and all the goats were shot within about three hours time. Mine was the smallest, and my friend's was the biggest, about 8 1/4 inches long. It was my first backpack trip, and my first goat hunt. We had a great time. Sorry I can't post pictures. During some of the hiking I wondered what in the world I was doing, and had just about decided that backpacking for goat was one of the more insane things I had done. I just about had it in mind that this would be my last goat hunt, but 2 days after getting home I was ready to go again. Anyway, here is a list of observations that I made based on the trip. I would be interested to see what you all think of my list, and then add anything you think that I may have overlooked for my next hunt. Notes on High Country Hunting September 19, 2007
Compiled from thoughts after my first backpack Mountain Goat hunt from Sept 13-17, 2007

1. Good boots are the next most important thing to my rifle. Boots should be leather, have a rubber rock guard around the lower section, be at least 8†high, and have Gore Tex. Consider Meindl Alaskan Hunter, by Cabela’s, or Cabela’s Mountain Hunter boots. Work boots, however new, are not acceptable.
2. Clothing must be tough, light weight, and Water proof. Gore tex is ideal, but look at other options as well. Denim wears well, and works if that is all you have, but stays wet for a lone time. Oilskin is too heavy and bulky. Camo is not needed, though possibly useful. Extra change of dry, clean clothes back at the Quads, trucks, etc. are nearly indispensable. Extra long underwear and t-shirts for sleeping are important.
3. Sleeping equipment MUST be compact, light, and warm. Sleeping bag should be able to perform at -20 C and should not weigh more than 4-5 lbs, less being better. A small light sleeping pad is essential (Cabela’s XPG Ultralight sleeping pads). A Gore tex Bivy sack could be a useful investment.
4. A pack large enough to carry all gear going in, and have enough space to pack cape, horns, meat in addition is important. MAKE SURE THAT IT FITS PROPERLY. An ill-fitting pack will wear you out.
5. Carry a digital camera with enough batteries to have a change for every day that you hunt.
6. Get a good quality headlamp, and keep it in your back pack. That was the only thing that got us back to camp after my hunting partner and I shot our goats, as opposed to having to spend the night in the buckbrush.
7. A water filter system could be lifesaving. Do not carry any more than you absolutely need for the duration of the immediate hike.
8. A light rifle (under 7 lbs, scoped and loaded) might be nice, but not necessary. My M70 Stainless with a 4x Leupold in 30-06 is 8.25 on the nose, and it was not a burden. More than that probably would be. More than a 4x or 6x scope is not needed for shots up to 350 yards. I shot my goat at between 250 and 300 yards, and visibility was not an issue. Reliability is your livelihood. At some point in the hunt, your scope will get bumped around, guaranteed. A good quality scope will probably be more reliable than a low quality scope.
9. A good, rugged belt knife with a sharpener is a must. A boning knife (similar to a very stiff fillet knife) is excellent, but must not be carried while packing. My Henckles boning knife got caught as I dropped out of my pack, and became badly bent. It straightened enough to use efficiently again, but it will never be the same.
10. High energy foods like chocolate bars, trail mix, and jerky are important. Weight and compaction are at a premium. Instant oatmeal (2-3 packs) make a good breakfast. One double freeze-dried meal is enough for evening meal. Bring enough of above mentioned snacks to tied over between. NOTE: Always have a couple of extras in the pack, in case you shoot something late and have to pack it back to camp. In our hunt, we left the mountain at about 6:30 PM and arrived in camp at about 10:30PM. The chocolate I had packed came in very handy!
11. Do not allow yourself to consider giving up. You will stretch yourself beyond what you think you can handle, and find that it is possible to exceed your own expectations. The night I shot my goat, we came back to camp with 50+ lb packs, and had to hike about 3-4 miles in heavy buckbrush. At one point I got tangled in the buckbrush and juniper tangle, and fell. It took all I could do to get up, even after a couple of minutes. I am stronger for it.
12. If quading into to area, goggles are a must when traveling in a group. Dust in the eyes can really hamper the enjoyment of the drive in.

Just as a side note, I am about 26 yrs, 5'10" and about 145 lbs. I am fairly physically fit, so if there is something that I can do that may sound like work, I am probably up to the challenge. Thanks for the thoughts.
Have a great hunting season
Graham

Some good stuff in there. Congrats to you and your friend; sounds like you had a great adventure out there. How's the meat on a goat?

KG

Sounds like you had a great hunt and you are now hooked! COngratulations on your first goat. There is nothing like Alpin hunting. People either love it or hate it. Sounds like you are in the former catagory.

If you want some pics posted, email them to me and I will post them for you.

BTW-I am also 5' 10" and 145#. Nice to see another tall, skinny guy on the board.

That's a very good narrative on your hunting recommendations.
Thanks for posting it. There are solid suggestions you make, from a real hunt.

Don

Kamo,
We have eaten the tenderloins and part of the backstraps. The texture is nice, but I found the flavor of the tenderloins to be a bit strong. We fried them coated with flour, and they smelled like fish while in the pan. The backstraps we added some herbs that we got from France, and they were actually quite nice. I am used to eating mule deer as our only form of red meat, so anything different is an adjustment, I guess.

Marc,
Half way to our first camp, I was hating it pretty intensely. If I was in any worse shape, I would probably have hated it more. After we got back, I can hardly wait to go again!
Thanks for your thoughts. I will try to get those pictures up somehow.
Good hunting,
Graham

Thanks for the response, and congrats again.

KG

I hunted goats successfully in the Collegiate Peks Wildeness in Colorado in 2002. I'd give the following advice to anybody thinking of hunting MTN Goats:

1) There is no such thing as too expensive optics. Spend whatever you can and get the best available. Personally I like Leica.

2) Same said for optics goes for foot wear. Get the best and wear them for at least a couple months to break them in.

3) Run, walk and then run some more especially on courses that go up and down. I'm fortunate to live in Colorado and I really hit the trails in the foothills hard. Even better if you do it with a fully loaded day pack.

4) Make sure you can hit your mark at least 300 yards off. I took my first shot acros a ravine at about 350 yards.

5) Use a good bullet and a flat shooting rifle. I used a 7mm Mag and 160 gr Noslers. They worked well. A 270, 30-06, 7mm, 300 etc... would the calibers I would look at.

6) A light rifle is easier to tote all day than a heavy rifle. I shot my goat at over 13,000 ft up after spotting it from over a mile away. Total stalk probably covered 4-5 miles of up/down climbing and we came off the mountain in the dark.

I found the meat to be pretty tough. I steaked out the backstraps and tenderloins. I ground the rest and made it into jerky. Ate every scarp of it, but it was a long ways from being as good and elk.

Everyone should try a goat hunt at least once. If for no other reason than clmbing up where they live. No other country cam compare it it and after you do it, all other huning seems easy.

Cheers

Mac

Good stuff, Mac; thanks. Can anyone here advise on states that do NOT require a guide to hunt goats? Any states with decent odds to hit one (I realize 'decent odds' is a very subjective)?.

TIA,

KG

Kamo Gari,

Colorado does not require a guide. All the goats in the state live on public ground and anyone with a valid tag can go after them on their own. Now, getting a tag is the hard part.

Non residents are welcome to apply. The application for tags is due in Apr. You have to front the entire tag price, but if you don't draw, you get it all back less a $3 process fee. If you don't draw the tag, you get a preference point. It will require at least 3 points to be able to pull the tag.

Most people from out of state do hire a guide even though it isn't required. If they don't hire a guide, they hook up with someone that lives there. It's big rough country and if you don't know where to begin looking, it takes a lot of time to locate the goats.

If I was going to apply, I'd probably try for area G13. That's where I went. If you pull the tag, I'd be happy to help you fill it.

Mac

Hey, big thanks Mac, and I'll take you up on your help! Very kind of you to offer. Looks like I've got some points to build...

Will PM soon.

KG

Great write up!
I truly appreciate the time and effort.
Just got back from my first DIY antelope hunt, and have done moose, etc that way.
Learned a WHOLE LOT the hard, so I REALLY appreciate it when someone else shares their experiences,advice, etc

BTW I've got 20 years, 60 lbs, and a few inches on you.
Hurt like hell some days, but still get out there,and still get it done!
Thanks again, DAVE