Reg 4 Goat Hunt

[Ron.C]

We’ve been home for a couple weeks, and finally have a bit of time to get this posted. I’m not a great story teller, but will do my best.We headed out to Reg 4 for a goat trip. Hoped to get into some elk at some point and perhaps take a couple meat deer when the Whitetail Doe season opened.We backpacked the approx 8 km into our hunting area. Once there, we spent the rest of the afternoon spotting the slopes surrounding the valley we were in.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/spotting.jpg


The next morning, we were off at first light with the intention on sitting and glassing the area we thought had the best odds of holding goats. On our way to that area, we stopped to glass a slide we had to traverse. Jamie took a second to glass a slide at the opposite end of the lake and spotted a goat. On closer look it was a lone Billy, in a very accessible spot . It took us all of about a millisecond to agree we need to go for it. We hauled butt to close the distance to the base of that slide. We pulled the spotter out and had a great look. Ranged him at about 470. We then “rapidly” climbed about 1500 feet in the timber adjacent to the goat to get a better shot angle and close in a bit closer. When we slowly emerged from the timber, we spotted the Billy drinking from a seep on a small shelf at the top of the slide. Ranged him again, he was 315 yards, and slightly higher than our position.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Goat_before.jpg

It was all very slow and deliberate. We caught our breath from the rapid ascent. Jamie got a solid rest and made his scope adjustments, while I set up the spotter to have a close up view. Jamie said he was ready and squeezed off the shot. I watched as his bullet hit upper third, shoulder and the goat dropped instantly and slid about 100m down the scree.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Goat_After.jpg


Was without a doubt, the most exciting moment in all the years either of us have been hunting. Not that it was in any danger of disappearing, I quickly snapped a pic of the smile on Jamie’s face seconds after he put down his first Mtn Goat
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Happy_hunter.jpg

[Ron.C]

So, we packed up the gear and headed over. Before we touched his goat, we pulled the stove out and brewed up a coffee. We just sat there, drank our coffee and took every bit of it in.
After we finished our coffee, pics were in order

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/success3.jpg

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/success_2.jpg

[CSG]

Congrats! great pictures, makes me feel like I am there

[Rattler]

Way to go guys. Congrats on the billy.

[JDR]

Congrats to you and your friend!! Great story and pics, thanks for sharing!

[islander7mm]

Wow what a cool hunt. Beautiful spot.

[kennyj]

Beautiful goat, and fantastic story and photos! Thanks for sharing your adventure.
kenny

[Ron.C]

So day three after Jamie's goat was cold storage, we shouldered our packs again and headed back in for my goat.

We got in and the first afternoon spotted a lone goat bedded at a distance on an inaccessible cliff. We headed over and tried to get in close. All we could see was its legs handing off

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/found_one.jpg
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/waiting_for_the_shot.jpg

We saw an adjacent slide area/rock the allowed us to set up and hopefully wait out the goat. We climbed a very steep slope and rock that had a precarious lean. I was in the prone position waiting for the goat to come off its perch. The goat showed itself at about 130 yards. Great shot opportunity, but it was a big lone Nanny. I passed as we wanted a second Billy. But we laid there and enjoyed watching her a little longer. Then I learned that going down a mountain is worse then going up. I'm not a fan of heights. Ya I know, what am I doing goat hunting? But obsessions can make us do crazy things
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/steep_decent.jpg

[Ron.C]

We keep at it. Over the next couple days we had other opportunities. Had one large Billy at 225 yards. Unfortunately he was on the crest of a peak and we had no idea what was on the other side. I was more than comfortable to make that broadside shot. And it was a beauty. But I didn't want to shoot not knowing what was on the other side of him. We could have recovered him if I dropped him, or if he rolled our way, but that was no guarantee. So we passed on that shot and made a "stalk" around that mountain to try and come up on him from the other side. We ran into another lone nanny at under 100 yards, passed on her and never saw the big boy again.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/relocating.jpg

The following day, we spotted a bunch of goats in the next valley. It would have been a long haul and require spiking. We tried a couple ways to access the valley, but danger and common sense kicked in. We spent the rest of the day trying and at the end of the day, found our way to access the new area.http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/high_country.jpg

We then talked about how to do it and discussed trying it the following day. Unfortunately at this point, the mountain bit us in the ass. During our descent to camp, Jamie rolled his ankle very bad. We made it to camp and decided to pack the goat hunt in. The next day,deciding not to press a bad situation, we hiked out to base camp. The normal 4 hour hike took us all day. But Jamie was a champ and made it under his own power. Hiking poles were worth their weight in gold that day

[bangbangkhan]

Congrats on a successful hunt!!

[Ron.C]

Once at basecamp, we spotted several goats and I made a long stalk/climb solo. Jamie watched the "herd" of goats that included a very large Billy and second decent billy. After several hours, I managed to get into a small secluded slide. From the base, Jamie watched for me and saw a lone goat come out of the slide, and it was a third smaller billy.I was right behind him and had had him at 40 yards, but passed hoping to see once of the bigger ones. Figured he was only a couple years old and a real small goat. Not really what I was after. Hours later I found out the heard exited the area about 30 minute after I started my long climb. This was just a lone straggler.

later that day, I had my last chance. I did a solo shot at a long Billy. I climbed a couple thousand feet, traversed some nasty timber to get within 175 yards, but the goat had climbed about 50m. and wasn't accessible. Even though we had seen a Griz on this slide and I was hoping to be spending the night up there roasting goat meat over a fire. but It wasn't in the cards.

We finished the hunt trying for an elk, with no luck. We did call a Griz with elk calls which was cool. And we ended up shooting 4 whitetail does on our last day which was the doe opener. Was a great hunt

[yama49]

Congrats Thx for sharing

[ElectricDyck]

Sounds like a hunt to remember! Thanks for the scenic shots!

[vortex hunter]

Good work the story and pics . thanks

[coach]

Not a great story teller??? I beg to differ! That was a very well told story complete with outstanding pictures.. Thanks for taking us along on your journey, Ron. Great stuff! Congrats on a successful hunt.

[ydouask]

Congratulations on taking a beautiful Mtn. Goat and taking the time to thoroughly document and enjoy the hunt. Beautiful pictures.

[kayjayess]

Ron,

Great story and amazing pictures. Congratulations to you and Jamie on a very memorable hunt.

Kyle

[nazarow]

Great story and pics. Thanks for sharing.

[GoatGuy]

Great stuff and good on ya for passing up the nanny, and sticking to your guns.

[Rhyno]

Beauty pictures! I love getting up into the country that goats call home! Congrats on the goat, good call passing on the nanny, I am sure a big billy is in your future.

Great story as well, thanks for posting.

[Fisher-Dude]

Good story and pics! Thanks!

[MB_Boy]

Well done! Thanks for taking us along! Love that country!

[ElliotMoose]

Great pictures and nice goat. That is a beautiful spot you guys have up there

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Great story and a great mix of beautiful pics thrown in!!

SSS

[Duck Buster]

This was an awsome hunt shared with a good friend. Thanks for all the comments, you know it is funny that shooting the goat, although a very high point of the hunt, was such a small part in this adventure that was a year in the making. Good luck to all, may your freezers fill up.

[field marshal]

Great story and pictures, Ron and Jamie. Good luck is a direct result of some very hard and skillfull stalking. Congrats, to both you guys. Cheers-----Field Marshal.

[44inchStone]

Awsome pics, great story and memories to last you a lifetime.
I have a handful of goats, of which each one had their own degree of difficulty. Hard, difficult and crazy!!
You and your buddy are a team, although you didn't connect on your goat, the time in the mountains with your friend is irreplacable.
Next time is your turn!!
Congrats on a fine hunt.

[Getbent]

Brutal story teller...beat it! Just wish I had a story to tell and told it that bad...

Just kidding, right on great stuff thanks for taking us along...I am sure you will connect next time.

Thanks!

[CanadaHuntress]

Congrats! Beautiful pictures

[180grainer]

Looks like a nice goat. Congrats.

[riflebuilder]

Was that Connor Lake?

[Ron.C]

Was that Connor Lake?


No its not.............

[Twig-Chaser]

Nice Goat! Thanks for sharing your hunt

[Argali]

Great photos and story. Thanks for posting.

For those that wish to speculate on the location based on posted photos or information in the story - that is really not cool. Undoubtedly some here know where these photos are from or can figure it out but the OP obviously does not want the precise location revealed on internet. Please respect that.

[.264winmag]

congrats guys! unreal country:) thanks for sharing

[mcmullmar]

Great pictures and story! Thanks for sharing