The outfitter is Jim Phillips and he's out of Sitka, Alaska. The hunt is to take place from Oct 31 to Nov 7. This will be my first m.g. hunt and just looking for any advice. So far I've been told to be in the best shape of my life. The good thing is I have 4 months to train or at least procrastinate. I'm also going to be in the market for a ss rifle. Any suggestions - caliber etc? Also, anyone hunted with Mr. Phillips or maybe know of him. So far all the references said they had the time of their life and it was the hardest/proudest hunt they have ever done. Thanks

well bluefin,
have to tell ya, it was the fastest darn hunt that ole guide ever seen. me and my brother in law went somewhere between Seward and Sitka-where there was no more land but air. I was the "front" man, could not take a rifle so I took my .44 mag and lead the way after the drop.

Them Redwing boots that have the "crepe" soles work fine for walking but if it weren't for tough ankles and good knees I would have crashed the old fashioned way on them mountain tops. Still figure them were the best boot for the money. Not to heavy, light and okay when they were wet but sure a tough one when it was time to take the "hike" down.

We deboned the meat to assure "hassle-free" from the officials and it was sure a beautiful trip and I don't use that word "lightly".

Going from our base camp with a tent that withstood "heavy winds and rain" to a "spike" camp with a small 2-man was cool. The food we carried was the "dehydrated" stuff, make sure to take quite abit of water or you get "plugged up"

Brother-in-law wore one of them "sperm suits" is what we call them on the drilling rigs and it worked. I watched him sneak up to about 300yds on a 9 1/2" billy with his 300 H&H and it took 1 shot and of course down the mountain it went. Had to get to it before the fog came rolling back in and haul it out, time it left was maybe 40 minutes back and soon to come back. Was maybe a total of 2-3 hrs before the fog settled again but by that time we deboned it and had er down to "safe" walking.

Guess you better prepare for rain, have good ankle support, pay attention to when you make the decision to take the hunt "confirmed", make the kill and get out. That is the way it was with my unprofessional guided hunt. I live in the back woods and my brother-in-law figure after his point man friend from Nam went under a triple by pass that I would do-he was right.

This was a "drop-hunt" and free from any ideas from a guide-got to be able to read the land and the air.

good huntin!

Shots are sometimes long but often they are quite reasonable. Depending on your preferences, something along the lines of a 7 mag to a 300 mag is about right. Tough bullets are important as there is a lot of wet hair to go through. Many have said that the goat is one of the toughest animals they have ever shot.

As you've been told, you simply cannot be in too good of shape for that country. Sounds like you might be boat based? Perhaps you'll get one low in the cliffs. Hopefully you don't have to hike up through the devils club.

I don't believe my MG experience was the norm but you do want to be in the best shape of your life. Where I failed was I only worked on lower body and cardio fitness. The Climbing I was in was hand over hand and using ropes and I had not prepared my upper body enough so I fought cramps in my biceps and forarms the hole trip. By day four a fall almost killed me and I got tired of being told don't do this or that or you will die, so my hunt ended early. I have spoke to several people since only one was in as good a shape as I was in, and none had any recolection of using ropes or climbing near vertical cliffs to reach thier goat. They showed me pics of thier hunt and told me of the hell they went through and thier pics look like a city park compared to what I went through. Make sure your guide is mentaly fit as well as physically.

Well, it's not uncommon for wild locals to hunt in that manner but pretty unusual for a client to be asked that. Who did you go with? Did the references or hunt info give you an indication that was coming?

Dang Smarter,
That sounds a little over the top for anything I would knowingly sign up for. Who was your guide - Rambo? LOL I have been warned to be in shape.

I've hunted all over the US, (including 41 years in Alaska) and once in Africa. My opinion, a goat hunt is the toughest. Take a look at the Trophy Rooms on this site. How many Goats are there? Not many.
I've killed a dozen or more. In the 60s, we could shoot 2. I used to go meat hunting for them East of Seward. The pic above is the last one I shot. I found him in the trees below the rocks. Easy hunt. I would give you my bank account information before I would tell you where I shot that goat!
I have used crampons and ropes before to hunt them. If you want a head, be careful where he is when you shoot. I've got several horn mounts, no head mounts. They fell over the cliff and ruined the cape.
Get a good rain suit and boots. I've worn a new pair of boots out on one goat hunt. Going up is easy, Coming down with a loaded pack is a bitch.
Get solid leather boots, none of the synthetic crap. Soak them in water and wear them for a couple days until they dry out. They will then fit. Cinch them suckers up like your saddling a mule. TIGHT. If your foot moves in the boots, you will get a blister.
Rifle:
I started shooting them with a 244 Rem. Bad decision. Not big enough. I shot one once, 5 times behind the shoulder and he jumped over the dang cliff! I would use a stainless 300 HH, Win or bigger, they are tough buggers. I settled on stainless Browning "A" bolts.
I hope you have a terrible hunt and don't shoot anything! Otherwise, your screwed. You will be back to Alaska and wind up being a goat nut!
(Of course, I'm kidding with the last paragraph) I wish you good luck.