2015 Quest for goats

[ElliotMoose]

Haven't seen much for goats this year on HBC, so I figured I'd post up some pics and updates for all the goat guys out there as we continue our quest for a big billy.

4 years ago while hunting elk in the EK, my buddy and I kept eying up this valley off the main logging road on our way in and out of camp. It was two mountains/ridges running parallel off the road and curved out of sight but it looked like it could possibly open up into a basin at the end. After 3 days of hot weather and no luck, we were sitting around the campfire after our morning hunt wondering what to do. We looked at each other and said you know what, f*** it. Let's get up into that valley. We loaded up a day pack and headed out. We parked our vehicles on the main road and slid our way down a steep nasty bank, holding trees on the way down trying not to fall and finally made it down to the creek. Off come the shoes and boots and over we go

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Once across the creek, we headed towards the mouth of the valley. Almost immediately we were into elk and grizz sign. Right on! We made it to the mouth when out of nowhere we stumble upon an ancient old horse trail that heads straight up the ridge on the left through the thick timber. We decide to follow. All the logs cut for the trail were 10+ years old and there was dead fall all over, reassuring us that no one had been in there. The trail was steep switchbacks until it reached about half way up the ridge then it headed straight back into the valley. This is the view we had. Our side was thick timber where the trail was and the other side which it paralleled was all gnarly open cliff faces

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[ElliotMoose]

We pushed onward following the trail which basically sidehilled halfway up the mountain back towards the end of the valley. The trail was pounded hard and littered with good deer and elk sign, but also heavy with bear sign. We had been hiking about 4 hours when we decided it was time to turn back if we were to make it out to the road before dark. We could see that the valley did in fact open up into a basin/bowl at the back end and we were stoked on our find, eager to get back. On our way back, we heard rocks falling from the cliffy ridge on the other side. We take a second to glass and low and behold, goats!

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We didn't make it back in there that year but the decision was made that we would put in for goats the next year as neither of us had taken one before. With pretty low access in the zone the odds were fairly low and I ended up drawing a tag that year

[ElliotMoose]

The last weekend of September we headed out for our annual elk hunt. The first two days were designated to our elk spot and after no luck and warm temps again we decided to head out the following morning at first light. This time I brought waders so we could cross the creek without having to step on the slippery rocks in the glacier water. Cross the creek, through the alders and up the trail we go. We flagged our way in to the trailhead through the alders this time as last time our way out was just a lucky guess. 2 hours into the hike, we hear rocks falling. Look across the valley and we see goats. It's a nanny and a kid

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We continue our hike. Another 30 mins up we hear rocks again. Look over the valley and we see a lone goat, grazing on a rocky bluff. We are still very new to this goat game but by the research we had done we determined he had all the characteristics of a billy. GO TIME! I get set up.

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[ElliotMoose]

Now Im shooting 165's out of my 30.06 which I have comfortably taken game with out to 300+. I put my range finder on the goat and range him at 411... Pretty long poke for me. After determining it impossible to get any closer as we would have to hike down to the creek and back up the other side to him being in his view the whole time, I decided to take the shot. We sat there for about 15 minutes until I was calm and collected. I have him in the crosshairs on my 400 yd reticle and squeeze. BOOM cracks the 06. Dust flies below the goat and he stands still in shock. BOOM! Again. All of a sudden the Cliffside comes alive. 500 yards away near the top of the mountain, goats start scurrying up escape routs like ants on an ant hill. The billy takes off straight up the steep slide. My buddy watching through his spotting scope says I shot at his feet. Complete miss. He's zig zagging up the Cliffside now and pushing past 500 so I decide to hold off on a 3rd shot while we helplessly watch them scurry out of reach. Brutal. We sat for a bit and talked about how we could have done it differently before making our way back to the road. Here's the sketchy part. On our way out as we are walking down the trail, I hear a strange noise. I put my hand up signalling my buddy to stop. I hear it again and this time its clear. It's the bone chilling roar of a bear and it echos off the thick timber sending chills down our spine. We had crossed over a bunch of grizz sign on our way in so we knew it was time to go. Now. By the sound, this thing was less than 150 yards from us. I had always heard that a gunshot is like a dinner bell in that country and my guess is that this bear was coming in for a free meal. With only two long barrelled scoped rifles on us, we quicken the pace and take turns walking backwards until we reach the trailhead and eventually the truck. It was then decided that we wouldn't go back up there without defender of some sort. We got back to our truck and there was a message written in the dirty window. "BUCK DOWN" - It was from the boys at camp who knew where we were heading in. Returned to camp to find a tasty little buck strung up and we had tenderloins over the coal fire that night.

[ElliotMoose]

The next weekend, my buddy was busy so my brother and I headed back up for another go. Anticipating a longer shot, I packed my Dad's 7mm for this trip as I am comfortable out to 400 with it and my brother packed his defender loaded with slugs. It was a cool crisp late September morning and we were across the creek at first light. Halfway to the trailhead we hear hooves crashing in the bush. I jack a shell in and shoulder my rifle thinking elk. We finally get a glimpse and it's a cow calf moose. Good start. Hit the trailhead, up the switchback, start the sidehill back into the valley. Not even 45 mins up the trail at our first glassing spot, we spot a lone goat bedded down on a bluff.

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We sat and ate our sandwiches and watched this goat chew it's cud for 20 or so minutes. After not seeing any other goats around, we determined it was a billy. I ranged it at 426 yards. A good poke no doubt, but one I was comfortable with shooting the 7mm on a solid rest. I sawed a branch off to use as a shooting stick and got set up.

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[ElliotMoose]

After a long wait, the goat finally stood up. A minute goes by as I settle my nerves. I got the crosshairs on it and aimed for the front shoulder as it was standing completely broadside. Inhale, slowly exhale, squeeze, BANG! The 7mm barks. I lift my head to see the goat tumble off the 25 foot cliff and roll another 20 feet before getting caught up in a tree. SWEET! All of a sudden 400 yards down from the creek bottom comes a sow blackie with 3 cubs in tow and they are headed straight for my goat. SH*T! I jack one in and send dust flyin 30 feet ahead of her hoping she'll think wiser. Thankfully, she turned on a time and took off the other way directly up the steep slide. I am still amazed at how fast she moved through what I would consider goat country. We shared a couple high 5's, cracked a beer and had a smoke... both oblivious as to what we had just gotten ourselves into.

[ElliotMoose]

We sat for a few minutes debating how to go about getting to the goat. After finishing our beers we started straight down the steep hillside through the thick timber towards the creek bottom which was a sh**show on its own. We refilled our water bottles in the creek and sat, exhausted, looking up at what we had to hike to retrieve the goat.

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[ElliotMoose]

Now, we're both 6 foot 4, 240 pound drinkers/smokers/eat bacon 4 days a week kinda guys.. so we get about 15 or 20 feet up this shale which is slipping out from underneath us every step and we're both just dyin. Definitely a few choice words being used as I cant believe Im doing this for a bloody goat. My brother, wearing flat bottom shoes with no ankle support like an idiot, was real pleased with how the afternoon was turning out. Still, we pressed on.

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We finally made it up the steepest shale portion and sat for a minute to catch our breath.

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[ElliotMoose]

After some jerky and a smoke we continued up. Finally after over an hour of straight uphill, we made it to my goat. As I said before we are rookie goat hunters and even though we did our research before the trip and intended on taking a billy, it ended up being a big old dry nanny when we got up to it. I have incredible respect for these animals and the places they call home. This was one of the most physically challenging hunt I have ever done. Ill hump moose quarters out of the swamp all day. Climbing up a mountain where you need to grab things above you to climb up, now that's some exhausting sh*t.
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[ElliotMoose]

I ended up missing my target of a shoulder hit and pulling 4 or 5 inches right, smacking it in the neck. Still a quick kill and at 400+ yards I'm happy with the shot. We deboned it, loaded up our packs and set out for the truck.

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[ElliotMoose]

We decided that instead of hiking straight down to the creek and back up the other side through the thick timber to find the trail, we would just hike down to the creek and follow it out to the road at the point where we crossed and my waders were still sitting. A little sketchy going through the alders down at the creek and seeing grizz track in the creek bed, but man were we happy to plunge our faces in that cold water.

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7 hours after I took the shot, we made it back to the truck. Blistered and beat up, but with heads held high looking back at what we had just achieved. We did back straps over the fire that night and all we had was olive oil and montreal steak spice but I must say it wasn't bad at all. I ended up doing most of the goat in the slow cooker, sausage or in curries etc. and was pleasantly surprised. We both swore that we would never chase goats again......


TO BE CONTINUED

[.264winmag]

Congrats on your first goat! I laugh, with you however, as I too remember when I first got into mountain huntin. Totally unprepared for what we were to encounter right from gear choice, animal I.D. and the longer shots that seem to be presented. It's a quick learning curve, and becomes very enjoyable once you learn some tricks and get the gear and shooting figured out. Still haven't mastered the whole I.D. of goat thing. I too took a nanny for my last goat, haven't been back out for them since. Tired of staring at little dinky 8/9" horns on the next mountain over, just to hike for hrs to find it's a nanny lol. It's a skill, I'd like to go with a veteran and get some tips. Mountain goats are amazing animals and live in some stunning country which makes it really fun. Nice work and nice shooting for that distance resting on a bucked off tree branch!

[fuzzybiscuit]

Congrats on a great hunt.

Thanks for posting the story and pictures!

[shanevg]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. I never get sick of goat hunts!

[Daybreak]

Great story, well written and a pleasure to read. Outstanding photography too. Thanks for taking us along and I'm sure there is a billy right around the corner for you, that is if you break that promise to never do it again.:)

[CoreShackJack]

Enjoyed the photos through your spotting scope. Was squinting right along with you. Congratulations on your success and for sharing what its like to hunt them goats!

[ydouask]

Enjoyed your goat story. Seeing goats and getting goats.... two very different things, eh? :smile:

[lovemywinchester]

Great thread! Lots of fun to read. I can feel the chills from the grizz encounter.

[ElliotMoose]

Thanks fellas! I'll continue posting tomorrow. Needless to say, we were drawn back to the high country. You addicts out there know exactly what I mean. ydouask, you nailed it. My newest story is a perfect example of that

[HarryToolips]

Fantastic pics and story, congrats on your goat!!

[Elkaholic]

Fantastic story. Great photos, thanks for taking us all along on your goat hunt. And for just putting the raw story out there, missed shots happen, missed ID's can happen. But you still had a great time. I can't wait for the next part.

[ElliotMoose]

So. Fast forward to the next season (last year). That crazy early September snow storm hit and we couldn't wait for our first trip of the season. As we were seemingly spending more time in the mountains, I decided to call it my early Christmas and hit my local gear store. Brand new eberlestock pack, vortex spotting scope, better hiking boots, jetboil stove & mountain meals, alpine sleeping bag etc. I felt like I was loaded for war when we packed the truck.

Finally, the day came and we set out. Snow capped the mountains and the leaves were just starting to change colours. My favourite time of year. We had still yet to make it back into the basin at the end of our "goat valley," but there was all kinds of elk track heading back there on the old horse trail we were using. We decided to make it our mission to get back into that basin. No goat tag in hand, but hopes were high that we would bump into some elk and/or a high country mulie.

On the second morning of our hunt, it was go time. 4 of us loaded up day packs and set out. We crossed the creek once again at first light. Through the alders, up the switch back and start sidehilling up the valley. Finally we make it past our farthest explored point. 5 hours after leaving the truck, we reach another switch back heading directly up the steep stuff to the left. This is it! This will take us up into the bowl. We sit down to eat our sandwiches and glass the cliffy ridge parallel to us before we enter the bowl and it disappears out of sight.

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[ElliotMoose]

As we are glassing, one of my buddies pipes up - "Goat!" Now, we had already glassed a couple of "goats" on the way up that ended up being white rocks or patches of snow so I had my doubts. After closer inspection, it does in fact look like a goat way up high feeding in a grassy patch. I took out the spotting scope for a better look and sure enough, it's a goat. To me it looked like a nanny by the shape of it's face, any goat guys out there wanna shed some light? Taken at about 1300 yards through the spotting scope so sorry for the clarity.

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[ElliotMoose]

Cool to see, but we're not chasing goats so we continue our journey. As the switchback climbs, we find ourselves in some prime looking elk country. Spaced out trees, waist high willows and STEEP. After an hour and a half on the switchback, we finally bust out of the timber into the open bowl. What a beautiful spot. We continue on until we find a clearing with a nice view to take a seat. By this point we were starving so we fired up a small fire and did a little caveman cooking.

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After we filled our bellies we got to exploring the basin. Lots of great spots to call and glass from. Bumped a couple mulies way up top but only caught the ass end of them. This one hillside really caught my attention. Thick timber on the right bordering a steep grassy hillside. I could just picture a big bull coming out of the timber at prime time.


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[ElliotMoose]

By now it was almost 3 o'clock. We had to start heading down the mountain if we wanted to make it to the truck by nightfall. None of us really felt like travelling through the head high willows that were down by the creek closer to the truck in the dark, especially with the amount of bear sign we had seen in there so we started hoofin er out. Our whole hike down we fantasized about building a shelter up in the basin so that we could spend nights up there. As it was now, even if we left the truck half hour before first light we still wouldn't make it back to where we had seen the most elk sign until well after noon. To have a morning and evening hunt up there would be unreal. With how tired we were just from the hike up I couldn't even imagine packing an elk out in the same day.

We made it down the first of 2 switchbacks and started our sidehill out of the valley. Halfway to the second switchback, we hear some rocks falling. We start to glass but cant see anything moving so we press on. 100 yards later, we hear it again. Glassing the cliffy ridge on the other side we see a goat come into view and start grazing. Right away we notice the size of it's shoulders. The thing looked like a damn buffalo. We got out the spotting scope and the rangefinder. 640 yards ... using the timber as cover, we still could have closed a lot of distance between us and the goat to get within shooting range. Where the f*** is our goat tag now!!!

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[ElliotMoose]

After snapping a few pics, we continued on. We made it to the trucks about an hour before dark but we were all too exhausted to even think about a night hunt. Every time we make it to the truck at the end of that hike, I swear that Ill never do it again. The next day was a sad one as we had to pack up and leave camp. We never made it up there again that year as I used my remaining time off to help my brothers hunt their moose draw at our cabin in region 3. We ended up dumping a nice meat bull on the last day of the draw period.

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[ElliotMoose]

Fast forward to spring 2015. My Kootenay hunting partner and I debated back and forth until we finally decided that he would put in for goats this year. Wouldn't you know it, results come out and we now have a goat tag in our pocket. This time we were going to really do our research. We want that big billy and are going to put in the work until he is on the ground. The season started with a summer scouting trip.


TO BE CONTINUED ....

[Bear Chaser]

Great thread.

[ElliotMoose]

Thanks Bear Chaser. Bums me out that not alot of people post up detailed stories anymore. Those old stories are what keep me sane during the off season.

Anyway, back to the story. I had surgery early in the summer as I messed up my knee on my sled over the winter, so an early season scouting trip was out of the question. August rolled around and I was finally good to go. After a couple phone conversations, my partner and I planned a scouting/camping trip. We decided we were going to build a spike camp up in our "goat valley." I went to home depot the day before and got all the supplies. This was gonna be rad. I brought my roommate who is new to hunting on the trip as we had quite the load and needed another pack mule. We made it to our usual base camp on friday night and got into the whiskey pretty good... Slept in next morning, made a big breakfast and loaded our packs for a night on the mountain. This was the first real test for my new eberlestock pack and I have to say for how much weight I had on there, the pack was super comfy.

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We threw them over our backs and realized the haul we were in for. Hiking conditions were rough as it was pretty hot and the air was thick with smoke from the washington fires. We descended down the bank to the creek and filled up our water containers.

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[ElliotMoose]

5 hours up the trail, we found our spot. It was in the timber about half way up the second switchback. Roughly a 45 minute hike from where it opened up into the back basin. Perfect. We unloaded the packs and just sat for a bit to take in the view from camp while we ate lunch. This was the first time that we had hiked in and not seen a goat on our way up, we figured it must have something to do with the smoke. After about a half hour, we got to work. Once we had it started, things began rolling along quickly. Two hours later we had the finished product. A camp in the mountains, miles from civilization. Even built a fire pit and benches. For just a couple hatchets, handsaws, a few tarps and some and rope, we could'nt have been happier with the outcome.

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[ElliotMoose]

We ate our mountain house meals, sipped on a flask of whiskey and watched the sun go down before we headed to bed. Woke up the next day and it seemed the smoke had moved out a bit. We all had to be back by a decent time so we decided that instead of hiking up to the basin, we would just chop some firewood for our next trip up and put the finishing touches on our makeshift wall tent before heading back down the mountain. While taking a wizz I looked over at the cliffy ridge parallel to us and noticed a white spec at the very highest point. Too far to tell from the naked eye so out comes the spotting scope. Sure enough, about 800 yards directly above where we saw him last year, stood our billy. Way out of range and impossible to get to, but at least we knew he was there. Managed to get a pic through the spotting scope. After watching him for a bit we loaded up our packs and began our descent down the mountain, already anticipating our return for opening day.

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[375shooter]

This is a really good story with awesome pictures!

[ElliotMoose]

We returned to base camp on the night of September 10th. Did a little hunt that evening and the next morning, then loaded up our packs and set out for our spike camp. Temps were high and winds were howling but hey, you cant shoot an animal sitting in the tent. Once we got to our spike camp we had a quick bite to eat, unloaded our gear and headed up the mountain for a quick night hunt. We hiked up into the basin and found a fork in the trail that we had never seen before. It led us up a ridge where we had a spectacular view of the whole upper basin. After glassing the cliffs for goats and the few small slides for elk, we let out a bugle. Waited about 5 or 6 minutes and even though the wind was howling and it was now starting to become a nasty sideways rain, we all heard the distinct sound of a faint bugle and a chuckle down in the thick stuff. The weather really picked up now so we decided to leave it and head down to the spike camp.

The next morning we woke up before dark and the wind was rocking the tent hard. We all elected to sleep in. Woke up at 8 30 and things seemed to have died down. Boil a little water, get some oatmeal going and start up the mountain. Not 100 yards from camp, my buddy looks back and sees a white spot at the highest point on the cliffy ridge parallel to us. The same spot we saw the billy a few weekends prior. Got out the spotting scope and had a look. Sure enough, it looks like its him!

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d180/chrisbrien/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps9xl0yjdj.jpg (http://s35.photobucket.com/user/chrisbrien/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps9xl0yjdj.jpg.html)

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d180/chrisbrien/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps1prguksn.jpg (http://s35.photobucket.com/user/chrisbrien/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps1prguksn.jpg.html)

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d180/chrisbrien/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsdpcbtnkq.jpg (http://s35.photobucket.com/user/chrisbrien/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsdpcbtnkq.jpg.html)

[ElliotMoose]

I read online that if it looks as though his bases are touching you have a good billy so I figured this guy was one worth taking. Problem is, he was at 1200 yards at the very top of the mountain with nothing but cliffs below him, not to mention the wind had picked up again. Even if by some miracle shot we hit him, he would tumble roughly 1000 yards down the cliff turning him into a bowl of soup. With no other option, we proceeded up the mountain. Another couple hundred yards up with the basin now in view, we take a quick rest as we just made it up the steepest part. While chowing on some jerky my buddy says "goat!"

Out comes the spotting scope and sure enough, at over 2000 yards at the farthest end of the basin between two groups of trees stands this absolute MONSTER of a goat. If I didnt know any better, I would've said it was a white buffalo standing up there. The things shoulders looked 4 feet wide even from where we were standing.
We tried getting a pic through the spotting scope but it was impossible with an iphone while the spotter was at full zoom. We knew just by looking at this guy that we had to at least get a closer look and see if we could make a play so we continued up the trail. An hour later we found ourselves at the top of a ridge, glassing where he was standing. There's patches of timber all over that hillside and the wind was now blowing over dead trees so he must have went for cover as he was nowhere to be seen. We could see a large nasty weather system moving in and we didnt want to get caught up in it so we headed down to spike camp, packed up our bags and headed back down the mountain. The weather came in fast and heavy so we packed up camp and headed for home.

Heading back up there today right after work... Weather looks good. Cant decide whether to head up to the spike camp or try our elk spot as the goat tag is good until November 30 and this will be my last weekend to hunt elk in the EK...

I'll post when I return Monday.

[argyle1]

damn good story, sure reminds me of when I was young enough to say that if I can pack it I deserve to have it

[375shooter]

I read online that if it looks as though his bases are touching you have a good billy so I figured this guy was one worth taking. Problem is, he was at 1200 yards at the very top of the mountain with nothing but cliffs below him, not to mention the wind had picked up again. Even if by some miracle shot we hit him, he would tumble roughly 1000 yards down the cliff turning him into a bowl of soup. With no other option, we proceeded up the mountain. Another couple hundred yards up with the basin now in view, we take a quick rest as we just made it up the steepest part. While chowing on some jerky my buddy says "goat!"

Out comes the spotting scope and sure enough, at over 2000 yards at the farthest end of the basin between two groups of trees stands this absolute MONSTER of a goat. If I didnt know any better, I would've said it was a white buffalo standing up there. The things shoulders looked 4 feet wide even from where we were standing.
We tried getting a pic through the spotting scope but it was impossible with an iphone while the spotter was at full zoom. We knew just by looking at this guy that we had to at least get a closer look and see if we could make a play so we continued up the trail. An hour later we found ourselves at the top of a ridge, glassing where he was standing. There's patches of timber all over that hillside and the wind was now blowing over dead trees so he must have went for cover as he was nowhere to be seen. We could see a large nasty weather system moving in and we didnt want to get caught up in it so we headed down to spike camp, packed up our bags and headed back down the mountain. The weather came in fast and heavy so we packed up camp and headed for home.

Heading back up there today right after work... Weather looks good. Cant decide whether to head up to the spike camp or try our elk spot as the goat tag is good until November 30 and this will be my last weekend to hunt elk in the EK...

I'll post when I return Monday.

Hey ElliotMoose! I've been following your hunt. Did you get back and finally get that big billy?

[Sylus]

Out comes the spotting scope and sure enough, at over 2000 yards at the farthest end of the basin between two groups of trees stands this absolute MONSTER of a goat. If I didnt know any better, I would've said it was a white buffalo standing up there. The things shoulders looked 4 feet wide even from where we were standing.

Holy crap!! Sounds like a brute, I bet he will haunt your dreams for a while.

[kennyj]

Great story! Hope you get the big guy. Thanks for sharing your adventure.
kenny