I' ve seen more chamois in Westland, but my Leicas don't find them so well in the fog. Damn that weather changes fast. THe northern ones where we hunt are supposed to have heavier bases, on average. Plus the damn fog doesn't sock us in every other hour. In May will probably hunt chamois in both northern Canterberry and Wetsland-depends on how lucky we are at tahr. Plus I want to shoot some wallabes and maybe do a little more duck shooting.

As for goats standing out, I have not hunted mountian goats, but I have hunted Dall sheep. Yes, the white sheep do stand out against the rocks fairly well with binoculars. Of cousre, seeing them and getting within range are two entirely different things

In my first post i meant to say I have only photographed Mt goats.

The big difference in NZ is that if you want to use a helicopter, it is no problem just flying up to one and shooting it.

I have no desire to that and would rather shoot an avg specimen than a monster using a helicopter.

Mountain hunting is difficult because of the climbing. The game isn't nearly as spooky as a whitetail. Using a helicopter really makes it more of a shoot than a hunt.

Could some of you Alaskins tell me about Mountain Goat hunting in Alaska?
Stuff like:
What sort of licence and tags do you need and how do you go about getting them?
How much do they cost?
How much should you pay for a fully guided hunt?
When is the best time to hunt?
Where are the best areas?
Do you need a guide/outfitter if you're a non-resident?
What sort of rifle do you recommend. My main gun is a 7mm SAUM, is this enough?
What sort of range do you normally take your shots at?

Sorry about all the questions, but I know next to nothing about Goat Hunting and have been offerred a swap hunt, Goat for a Himalyan Tahr. Now when it comes to Tahr, then I know what I'm talking about.
I have been told the two hunts are very similar.

Look forward to your comments.

I hunted with Bert How in NZ. Very funny guy.

In Alaska I have photographed goats in the Chugach Mtns. I a have also photographed them in the Mt. Evans are of Colorado, but they are practically tame there. But the eleveation is much higher.

If you are a Kiwi Tahr hunter you will have to check your GPS every day to make sure you still aren't at home.
Of course you won't see as many helicopters flying around and we all talk funny so maybe it won't be too difficult to tell what you are hunting.
My advice is take the swap and have a great day.

i have been goat and sheep huntin in ak.

$6,000 to 7,000 is a common price.

early oct. for long hair or later.

by law u need a reg' guide.

not sure how much the non res' alien lic or tag costs? non res
is $85, yours will be more, and that is about to increase as well.

i would expect an avg. shot in the 200-300 yd. range, further and u loose too much velocity. it is hard to get close to them and they will take a pounding like a german tank. i rec' .300 w.m. w/ 200 n.p. hot load in a light wt. gun. your 7 mm will probably do, however these goats can go 300-400 lbs. and are tough. i always want to use plenty of gun. if i do get an opp' i want all the odds in my favor i can get, so i can not just hit them, but flatten them on the spot with authority. some guys even use .338 w.m. and say they are tougher than brown bears.

i would think that the 2 hunts are similar and u should take advantage of this opp.

good luck.

I have hunted tahr on the South Island and also sheep in AK. I have also photographed sheep a lot but not hunted them.

In my opinion, goat and tahr hunts are similar. Even the scenery is similar; both are incredibly beautiful. Both hunts can be awfully wet.

You will not see as many goats as tahr. Judging trophies is similarly difficult.

If anybody ever wants to see if a guide is registered in Alaska, you can do a search using the Occupational Licenses website. It will also give you the license number, status (assistant guide, guide, master guide such as Mr. Shoemaker is, etc), if his license is current, and in what areas they are registered to hunt.

The website is: Search for Occupational Licenses

Regards,

Bill

Yeah,
I'd definitely rate those three animals in the same box. I've had an invite to hunt Marco Polo in Kazakhstan.
Biggest problem is getting hold of a rifle over there that isn't a Kalashnikov. One of buddies has just been over there doing a bit of fact findinng and scouting, saw some very good animals, and picked up a couple of skulls (Locals reckoned they were wolf kills.)
There are some good pockets of Chamois around Hamner, not big numbers, but chances are you'll bump into a good one, as you did.
I'll be doing a scouting trip in that vicinity, from Jan 3rd.
West coast has bigger numbers, but the weather is a little more fickle.

These Mountain Goats must stand out like Dog's Balls unless they're in snow, or mixed snow terrain?