So you want to hunt goats eh?!
There has always been a back and forth between the serious Goat and sheep hunters out there. Both claim that one is tougher than the other for a variety of reasons. Having done both i would say both sides have a good argument. But this story is about goats and the challenge going after one of these “white ghosts of the mountains ” can be.
(Other camera angle) hi folks, Spencer Remple, the moose whisperer here, bringing you exciting hunting and outdoor adventure stories from around the world. Today’s story is submitted by Ash Remple. He has submitted a story before and here’s a link to hear that awesome elk hunt and grizzly bear experience. But today we’re talking mountain goats so let’s get straight into the story.
Goat hunting brings all those wonderful elements of hunting together.. You have big rugged mountains , waterfalls and glaciers. Solitude, lots of solitude not many people want to take on the challenge or are stupid enough to go into some of these places. It usually includes some sort of death defying creek crossing , talus scrambles and white knuckle avalanche chute crossings . There are often burns where everything is sharp and dry and you end up with a face covered in soot making you look like you’re going to war .. If you’re lucky enough to find an “easy “ route up the mountain it almost always consists of 90% thorn bushes of some kind, inevitably the branch you grab as you scramble to catch yourself from plummeting down the mountain has the biggest thorns.
We were a few days into the hunt, we had been touring around the area in which we had a mountain goat LEH draw.
In canada we have an excellent wildlife management system where game populations are closely monitored. In some areas, and for some species where populations are lower, there is no open season. A predetermined number of tags will be allowed which hunters then apply for And obtain or win in basically on a lottery, pick your name out of the hat, system. (This is to ensure that populations are sustainable, not overhunted in a dwindling population and not overpopulated as to be hard on the environment or starving to death. There is a balance that both hunters and our wildlife management system seek to obtain. All right back to our story.)
It was mid October i believe, the weather was crisp but had no real snow up high yet. A perfect time to look for that elusive haired up Billy.
I can’t speak for all, but most goat hunters hold these animals with a high level of respect. To keep The populations healthy hunters need to be very attentive to the number of animals in an area and the age ranges, if there are no kids then there are problems. Hunters are also not necessarily required to but heavily encouraged to only harvest Billies, if you’re unsure if a goat is a Billy or Nanny only shoot with a camera. Responsible hunting ethics are a must!.
We had spotted a band of goats 5 total, 2 Nannie’s and 2 kids with a yearling tagging along. Then up high and I mean high was a really great big Billy he was standing on a ledge with the sun shining on a perfectly white coat , what a sight! Man that was a trophy but one to die of old age cause there was no getting up there!
We decided to keep glassing our way up the valley and sure enough we spotted a nice goat. We put the spotter on him and confirmed this was definitely a Billy. He was at the foot of a straight up and down section about 1/3 up the mountain.. which was still a stinking long way up! We made a plan to have one of us stay below as a spotter and two of us head up after him. We swung on our packs and headed down yes, that’s right down cause we had to reach the valley bottom before heading up… and yes that included one of those creek crossings that I hinted at before… we got to the creek, a fast flowing glacial creek , off came the boots and socks and man it looked pretty deep so the pants too! There’s not many colder things than a glacier fed creek, we were just hoping the level didn’t reach too high, you know why! We made it across geared back up and started up the mountain. We had made our plan to climb up valley from the goat as the wind usually comes up a valley as the day warms. You have to pay close attention to wind you can do everything “right” but you lose track of wind direction and you’re just on a hike not a hunt, it’s amazing how sensitive animals are to cent. The going was tough, steep brush thorns … yup this was a goat hunt.
About an hour or so of climbing brought us to the edge of a talus slope that ended at a sheer cliff. We were taking our time glassing, moving slowly, constantly scanning. No goat … our spotter had lost sight earlier as the goat had moved into some timber clinging to the side of the mountain. Well now what, we waited for quite a while then decided to cross the rock slide and try to get up higher. I have found when hunting in a pair it’s best to have one person watch while the other is moving. We did this as we slowly worked our way across and up the side of the slide. We were about 100 yards below the top of the slide with the cliffs towering above us, all of a sudden out walked that goat starting across the slide. I whistled to my hunting partner and pointed to where the goat had stepped out. I could see from my vantage point this was definitely the same Billy we had glassed, thumbs up and a shot rang out.
Now when goat hunting if you do get a shot it’s a must to think about where the goat will end up, too steep and they can slide or fall to where you can’t recover them. This was a good spot. There was a slight bench where the goat went down.. success!! … perfect spot… but then that goat gave a last kick and ever so slowly started to slide very slowly at first then with a little more speed! Crap! Here it comes.. I stepped to the side as the goat soared past within feet of me silhouetted by sky on all sides .. luckily there was a band of brush just below us and the goat quickly hung up in the brush below.
My hunting buddy hollered out “was that our Billy”?.. Well i hollered back “that sure was a Billy that sailed past me”!
We made our way to the goat, what a beautiful animal! It had a nice set of horns and a snow white coat all grown out for winter. We admired the animal and showed respect for the animal giving its life. We field dressed and carried down every bit of meat as this was going to be a delicacy. Man, we were thrilled! What a hunt!. Our spotter had seen the whole thing through the spotting scope and said if it was recorded that would have made a hunting highlight reel!
Well, a big thank you to Ash Remple for sharing that awesome hunting story. I’ve had the opportunity to hunt goat as well, and have my own stories of clinging to the side of a mountain rile on my back and prayers on my breath, but that’s another story.
Ash Remple was born in a tiny remote community, called Hauser in the west Kooteney of British Columbia, Canada. A beautiful area where Ash was able to learn to hunt everything from coyotes to deer to elk to grizzly bears and mountain goats. He learned under the tutorial of his father and uncle great accomplished local hunters. Has been known to say Nothing beats the challenge and beauty of mountain goat hunting. The price you pay is high, but the reward is immense. Hunting mountain goat will surely bring you into the most beautiful of God‘s country and give you an appreciation and love for all his creation.
Well, that’s Ash’s story and I’d like to hear yours. Send your hunting or outdoor adventure stories to info@themoosewhisperer.com, and let me share them with the world. Thanks for watching folks, more stories to come.
