Every year around this time a big old Billy shows up on my place. Ive watched him with temptation for a couple of years now as I knew he would be up there with some of the biggest Ive shot. Trouble was I had a feeling he wasn't as big as I hoped for some reason.Anyway a couple of weeks ago I caught sight of him at a distance, so on Sunday afternoon when I had some free time I grabbed my bow and went looking specifically for him. About 5pm I caught up with him with a small mob and could tell straight away that he had gone backwards in the last 8 months. The most spectacular thing about him used to be an amazing cape and beard that resembled a Markhor goat. By far the best cape id seen on a goat! Much of it was gone.
I snuck in too about 18 yards and let go an arrow which went through his chest quartering away. The tough old bugger should have keeled over but he kept hanging on and I had to follow him a couple of hundred meters and put another one into his neck when he gave me the chance.
He went a bit over 31 inch spread which to put it in perspective is the third biggest billie ive shot by any means out of between 5 and 8,000 goats shot. And when I checked his teeth there was not a single one left in his mouth and roughly I aged his growth rings at 13.5 years of age. the old knife in the second pic is one of my grandfathers from the 1930's. A folder with bull horn scales and sharpe as hell! Would put most modern stainless jobs to shame!

Well done Shanks. Nice story of your hunt. I enjoyed the read. Pretty decent set of horns. I haven't seen a billy that well crowned in many a year.

Have you gone entirely stick & string these days or does the rifle still get some lovn' now and then ?

Nice. I need to get out and get some goat meat for the freezer before xmas - waiting for the kid to recover from surgery before going to far afield

Not entirely Grant, but close. I only take the rifle when I have work to do or really need some meat. Got another story coming of a chamois hunt where i wished i had the rifle for a little bit.

Hope the young fella is OK Muzza?

Would be interested in the Douglas score for your billy. Looks to have really nice long horns with good twist and girth so even though the spread may not be that high the head may score up well. Looks a bit like a Kudu head with those sweeping horns

I shot a good head one rainy day down in South Westland with just over a 38" spread. Still got the score sheet here somewhere but he went number 30 in the NZ record book back then.

IM guessing he will go between 90 and 110 DS. Cant measure him. One of NZs top taxidermists offered to mount him for me free of charge, and being a trad bow kill I accepted, so he's off getting a beauty treatment.

I apologize for interrupting, but I must ask, with the acknowledgment that I am very naive to the hunting in New Zealand.....

Is the hunting of these wild goats common in your country? I suspect yes as the Author says he has shot several thousand.

Is the meat good? I can’t imagine chewing on a goat but that may be due to my ignorance of never trying one

I am continually amazed at how much shooting hunters in other countries do. I’m fortunate to go on a few hunts a year.

And by the way, a great story and a great looking knife!

Yes, feral goats can be found in many parts of NZ and like all of our game animals there is no season, bag, age, sex restrictions on animals. Goats generally inhabit lowland/farmland areas so are easy to find and shoot. As I understand it they are feral from domestic goats and in some areas carry features from angora stock hence displaying good trophy heads.

The goat is good eating, tasting very much like our domesticated sheep. Of course like any animal, the younger version is better eating, the old billys like in shankspony's photo can be very strong in flavour, certainly not to my taste for eating anyway.

We are certainly fortunate here to be able to freely hunt on public land, national and forest parks, etc, at any time of year and are encouraged to shoot animals not only for trophies but for culling purposes too.

Hi Jason,
Eagle sums up the goats situation pretty well. And I agree that young goats are good eating. The meat is tender and mild. My wife and I enjoy it. Our kids, not so much. Compared to our domestic mutton goat meat doesn't leave a fatty layer in the mouth after swallowing. I enjoy mutton but the residual fat I don't like.
Over the last three years I personally have shot about 200 feral goats each year. This to help a farming friend get numbers down so they compete less with his stock for feed. It's made some difference but still a way to go.

Mate, don't apologise for wanting to know something, just ask. Most guys here are more than happy to help with info.
Cheers.

Yeah good question. I find the women in my house prefer goat over lamb, as its not so fatty. It also lends itself well to curries etc. While id prefer lamb for roasts.

20 plus years ago goats were a major issue for farmers, and for example at that time I had a large block in the remote Taranaki where I could run 1500 sheep, but was having to kill around 1000 goats a year off the same land. The competition for my grass was immense. It was all shoot too waste and was horrific work in reality with some days being close to a 100 a day. Some areas of the east coast are still like that.
I wore out my 270 barrel in 8 years and also had a 308 and 222 which got a hammering as well.

Very Nice! Congrats! Is there any way that you can post a close up of your grandfather's knife? I'd love to see more detail of it.

Fine goat there Shanks! Glad to see you are breaking in that new longbow properly! Congratulations, he should make an impressive mount!

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
Very Nice! Congrats! Is there any way that you can post a close up of your grandfather's knife? I'd love to see more detail of it.

Yep can do. Actually thanks for asking because It made me take closer notice and try and read the stamps on it. Maker seems to be Visgorn? Does anyone know of an old maker with this name?

And the cool thing is, that on one side of the bolsters which are strangely shaped like claws, is stamped CAL 16. While on the other is stamped CAL 12.
Im gusting its an early cartridge gauge as a 16gage case fits nicely in the side marked 16, while a 12 dosent quite fit through the side marked 12, which just could be a slight tolerance change in 12's since it was made?

The scales are quite badly scratched and maybe replacements fitted by a member of my family- most likely my grandfather at some stage to replace the originals? im unsure? or it may just be a sign of hard use. I'm betting its skinned alot of deer in its day.

As far as it can be applied.
That's a good looking old goat!

Knife looks homemade all the way.
What's the chance of that?

Thanks for sharing, wish we had enough
game to hunt as much as you guys do.

George

quote:

Originally posted by georgeld:
As far as it can be applied.
That's a good looking old goat!

Knife looks homemade all the way.
What's the chance of that?

Thanks for sharing, wish we had enough
game to hunt as much as you guys do.

George

Quite glad im not in the picture too. That first comment might get confusing.
The knifes stamped with a makers mark, so dont think its home made, but its possible my grandfather modified it. He was well known for that sort of thing. Talking too my father, he said it was always there, and that possibly its older than we think.

Very nice and thank you for the replies.

It’s very interesting to read your stories.

Nice old warrior. Congratulations.

.

Craig, I missed this before. Congratulations on an excellent old billy. Awesome trophy and with a classic bow too!

The claws on the knife are a cartridge extractor for pulling paper cases that have torn and got stuck - one side for 16s and the other 12s. I have two also in 12 and 16 but just brass claws on pull handles and not on a great old knife. I am guessing that it would have been sold as a fowling knife for working / cleaning game along with the clever cartridge claw.

Thanks for posting. Would love to see the mount when its on the wall!

Here's wishing you, Grant and everyone else in Kiwi and Aussie all the best for 2021 !

Charlie

.

Cheers Charlie. All the best for you and family as well.

That makes sense re the knife. Thanks for that info.