Last minute goats wisdom

[CSG]

Hey guys,

I am headed out this weekend for my first ever goat trip. I have done a ton of reading on here and the web about goat hunting but I thought I would reach out and see if there was any last minute wisdom on HBC that may help me out this weekend. I have studied all the quizzes on how to identify billies and nannies and I have that covered. I am thinking more along the lines of

-something you would never goat hunt without, rope, spotting scope, rangfinder etc etc
-tips you've learnt about goat behaviour
-general wisdom about goat hunting/stalking

Any advice is appreciated

Thanks

[Kopper]

Um, few things come to mind:
-spotter and rangefinder are both top items to have on a goat trip, I even pack a compact spotter at all times
-when the sun first hits the hills in the morning is a great time to glass
-don't concentrate solely above treeline, lots of goats are in the cliffs within the trees and that becomes even more so once the rut hits
-sounds silly but if you are having troubles differentiating a goat from a rock it's usually a rock
-hope your boots are broken in!
Most importantly good luck

[CSG]

Thanks Kopper22, the sun first hitting the hills is a new one to me but it makes total sense

[khoffnbud]

glass, glass, glass, you could watch an area for hours and nothing, turn away to grab something outta your pack and boom theres a goat, they can and will appear outta thin air

[BCbillies]

No amount of reading will ever prepare you enough for most goat hunts. The best advice is to gain experience by putting boots to dirt. Goats are tough and so is the country they live and die in. Physical and mental training will be your biggest advantage. Shot placement is key to anchor them and don't stop shooting till he's down for good. A solid pair of boots with a good sole and ability to feel the rock and have confidence in your step is critical. A good pack with some cloths/sleeping bag to keep the meat off of the bottom of the pack is important. Hiking poles with wrist straps are worth their weight in gold. Be fully aware of what's below before you pull the trigger. Hunting goats is more braun than brain.

[Rackmastr]

No amount of reading will ever prepare you enough for most goat hunts. The best advice is to gain experience by putting boots to dirt. Goats are tough and so is the country they live and die in. Physical and mental training will be your biggest advantage. Shot placement is key to anchor them and don't stop shooting till he's down for good. A solid pair of boots with a good sole and ability to feel the rock and have confidence in your step is critical. A good pack with some cloths/sleeping bag to keep the meat off of the bottom of the pack is important. Hiking poles with wrist straps are worth their weight in gold. Be fully aware of what's below before you pull the trigger. Hunting goats is more braun than brain.

Some great advice right there!!!!

[NorBC]

glass, glass, glass, you could watch an area for hours and nothing, turn away to grab something outta your pack and boom theres a goat, they can and will appear outta thin air

x2

If it's really hot check shady spots. If you find Nannies, and kids look up! Seriously way up.. I doubt you're very concerned about making the book, but if so.. Ears are usually around 6", and tip of nose to base of horn is around 9" . should help you judge a mature billy. Take lots of pictures, and enjoy the country.

best of luck !

[BCbillies]

Be positive throughout the hunt and at the same time anticipate the what-ifs. Pessimism can easily do you in mentally and lead to trouble. Be prepared to spend the night on the side of a mountain.
The location of goats is highly dependent upon weather conditions and time of year. Fog rolling in and out can greatly assist in a stalk.
A good goat hunt will deem you useless around the house for 5 days following your return!

[dabber]

Good advice so far. Remember goats can go were you cannot go. So be sure to check out the terrain before you shoot as you might not be able to get to it.
The best advice I was given when I first went goat hunting was a Billies horns look like your thumb and a nannies look like your baby finger both might have the same length but one has a larger diameter.
I'll say it to, good fitting boots that your toes don't hit the end when going down step terrain.
and walking sticks help when going up and down.
Goats are the best and so under rated. Looking forward to hearing about your trip.

[dabber]

[QUOTE=BCbillies.
A good goat hunt will deem you useless around the house for 5 days following your return![/QUOTE]
Only 5 days, shit I'm useless alot longer than that. Glad to hear I'm not the only one that has this problem.

[CSG]

BCBillies, some solid advice in there, hearing the way you talk about goats also gets me really pumped for this trip! Love the challenge

It should be warm up there this weekend, any other tips for that sort of weather? Would you expect to see goats on south facing slopes still or would they move to north facing slopes? Down in the trees more?

[Rackmastr]

A good goat hunt will deem you useless around the house for 5 days following your return!

Hahaha so true! I killed my first goat last year on a solo day-trip from the house. I could hardly make it up or down the stairs that night and the following couple days I was pretty useless!!! Went out and did it again with a buddy a couple weeks later and gotta say I still love that feeling of accomplishment!

[junkyard_g]

good socks and moleskin just in case. happy feet = happy hunter.

[sherpa-Al]

Give your hunt details to someone you trust. If you need assistance, the details must be transferred to the search team accurately. In the heat look low. During a full moon goats will travel all night, they will stay put most of the day resting. Within 100yrds a good billy will be obvious, if you have to try and identify billy/nanny, let him grow. Be prepared to retrieve your goat from the nastiest sh#t on the mountain, goats live around these areas because predators will not follow them there, when you shoot them, guess where they're going. Work on your mental toughness, being able to grind it out will often pay off in a sucessful hunt and get you home safely. Take care of your feet, carry some strong soap, when your feet get hot and sweaty, stop, wash them and let them dry, blisters will end a hunt.
Al

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Be positive throughout the hunt and at the same time anticipate the what-ifs. Pessimism can easily do you in mentally and lead to trouble. Be prepared to spend the night on the side of a mountain.
The location of goats is highly dependent upon weather conditions and time of year. Fog rolling in and out can greatly assist in a stalk.
A good goat hunt will deem you useless around the house for 5 days following your return!

Listen to this man....especially looking at his new avatar pic!:cool:


SSS

[kitnayakwa77]

Be prepared to push hard and cut the mental safety net. If you want a goat, go get a goat. It is not supposed to be easy. Also I have noticed they bed between 10am and 2pm generally, lot easier to connect with a bedded goat then a goat on the move. Forget that stuff about horn curvature to differentiate nannies from billies. A billy will have horn mass, usually will be alone or at least there will no kids around (but not always), and will have a noticeably big body size.. Make sure you take a shot in a good place so your goat is retrievable. Enjoy the mountains.

[ThinAir]

Listen to this man....especially looking at his new avatar pic!:cool:


SSS


There is a lot of good info to be had from BCbillies that's for sure! I don't know anyone else that has helped pack out more booner goats than him.
Speaking of avatar pics.... what about yours SSS!?:)

[untilthelastbeat]

Doing some research and thread cruising, starting to prepare for another reg 3 goat hunt this year. Let's revamp this thread with some more knowledge. One tip I found to save my ass was to bandage or tape your feet BEFORE blisters occur. Dont wait until they happen to try to fix the problem. I tape my heels before the hunt starts. Luco tape stays on for about a week without issue.

[Haydenmk]

Great idea! Let's get this thread going.

[Ron.C]

If you dont have some collapsable hiking poles, highly recommend it. It may be hard on the lungs going up but its murder on the knees coming down, especially with your gear and boned out goat on your back! And be careful. Not much margine for error up where allot of goats live and its too easy to find yourself making bad decisions and taking too many risks that can quickly cost you everything. I say this from experience and its pure luck that Im not dead from a near fall off a cliff edge that I should never have been on during a solo goat trip. Make sure you come home safe. Good luck, goat hunting in addictive!

[Danny_29]

Don't pass water. Never know when you'll find some again...fill up every chance you get and drink until your full.

[untilthelastbeat]

Thought of another one today that seems simple but can put a damper on your day. Clip your toe nails with clippers before you go. Pretty shitty to have a nail digging in on a hunt only to rip it off below skin line.. take good care of your feet before and during your hunt.

Here's one that could have saved us a day. Make sure you know how Billy's and nanny's piss before you head out. Watching them for a while can save you alot of boot rubber in the end.

[RJHunter]

99.9% Mental. Laugh through the tough stuff and remember your having fun!

[wildcatter]

Thought of another one today that seems simple but can put a damper on your day. Clip your toe nails with clippers before you go. Pretty shitty to have a nail digging in on a hunt only to rip it off below skin line.. take good care of your feet before and during your hunt.

Here's one that could have saved us a day. Make sure you know how Billy's and nanny's piss before you head out. Watching them for a while can save you alot of boot rubber in the end.

Right on, that is so overlooked about the toe nails, be it a hunt or just a hike.
And do it at least 3-5 days before you head out in case you nick one of your toes, otherwise you gonna be in some hurt.

[Treed]

Thought of another one today that seems simple but can put a damper on your day. Clip your toe nails with clippers before you go. Pretty shitty to have a nail digging in on a hunt only to rip it off below skin line.. take good care of your feet before and during your hunt.

Here's one that could have saved us a day. Make sure you know how Billy's and nanny's piss before you head out. Watching them for a while can save you alot of boot rubber in the end.


Thought of another one. Only sell genuine scope not knock offs
that you pass off as real. So hard to see the difference between them with a cheap Chinese knock off.

[Astepanuk]

My one piece of advise for a new Mountain hunter is to test your gear. I've seen so many people try and set up their tent for the first time on the side of the mountain in a 50km with not having a clue how it goes together, or trying to get that new fancy stove working.

[wiggy]

Never turn your back to the mountain climbing up or down. Especially with a pack and if it’s steep. If the pack or your back hits the rock it can push you forward. You don’t want that !!!!!