Solo Goat

[broke]

Solo Goat Hunt

After spending much of the winter reminiscing about past hunting adventures and thinking of what 2023 will bring, I decided to post the tale of my 2020 solo goat hunt. Sorry if it’s a bit lengthy, as well as if there’s some technical difficulties with photos, but here we go…..



I don’t know if it was Covid restrictions, or just an internal yearning to do a solo mountain hunt but I decided in the summer of 2020 I wanted to do a solo goat hunt. A buddy and I turned an unsuccessful moose hunt into a successful goat hunt in 2018 and I do a couple backpacking trips with my family in the mountains every year. So, I figured I have the gear and the ability……….what the heck - let’s go for it.

I knew of a mountain from talking to an old placer miner that held goats and was in a GOS area. So I spent some time staring at the imagery, writing a list of supplies/gear and picked a date. I decided early September was calling to me. It would be a couple weeks after opening day (I don’t like hiking for days to hang out with crowds) and hopefully there shouldn’t be too much snow yet. The mountain had no trail that I knew of, but I figured I could drive fairly close to the base and then just planned to bush whack my way up to the alpine.

I got my gear all ready and laid out the night before. I got my kids a 6.5 creedmoor the year before for their first gun (compact stock for their smaller reach) and after finding it to be ~2lbs lighter than my Sako .308 (my one and only rifle I’ve ever owned), I decided I was borrowing their new gun for the week – thanks boyz! I packed up my pack and after a half day of work, I was off. A several hour drive got me to a nice rec site about 9 o’clock. Had a good campfire with a couple retired guys who were just camping and fishing in the area and then off to bed.

https://i.postimg.cc/cJnP6xtD/pic-1.jpg (https://postimg.cc/KKm0HyNL)
Gear (minus food)

Up early the next morning, drove the last hour and parked pretty close to the base of the mountain in a cut block. My pack was 58 lbs and I was planning on a 5 day hunt. I figured I had ~20 lbs that could have been easily shared with a partner (tent, spotter, stove, etc), but not too bad over all. The family and I had just done a few days backpack up Mt. Fitzwilliams (b/w Mt. Robson & Jasper) and with some other day hikes and I felt 58 lbs was quite doable.

https://i.postimg.cc/L6QWTYzC/pic-2.jpg (https://postimg.cc/2VvTj59h)
58lb pack

Around 7am I was off. The first forest type was a lovely thick balsam forest, followed by some more open but steep spruce, then transitioning to that lovely Rhododendron wall that lies below the subalpine and then into some thick stunted balsam again until the alpine opened up. A few steep, technical areas near the top, but mostly just a steady grunt.

https://i.postimg.cc/bwKF77V1/pic-3.jpg (https://postimg.cc/3kFBpcTw)
Bush whackin'

I managed to find a nice little open patch for camp with some level’ish ground and a small creek/seep nearby for water. By early afternoon I set up camp, had lunch and let the legs stop burning while I gazed down below where I had just come from. Accomplishing to just get there and always so great to see a new view from one mountain to those around you.

https://i.postimg.cc/mk85KhKr/pic-4.jpg (https://postimg.cc/Wqq8kpNR)
Home sweet home

https://i.postimg.cc/0j84t7W3/pic-5.jpg (https://postimg.cc/bDBLrSjH)
View from the 'front porch'

[broke]

With camp up and a few hours of light in front of me, I decided to pack some snacks and go for an afternoon scout. This mountain has one side that is fairly smooth and uniform slope from ridge to treeline and the other is about 3 basins with cliffs from the ridge line down to the valleys below. I hiked up from camp ~1km to the first basin to have a look. The nice thing with this approach is that once you get up on the ridge you can glass down into the basins/cliffs from above.

The first basin had no goats, so it was now a hike up to the mountain peak. From there I thought I could see the full second basin. As I was hiking up towards the peak, I noticed clouds starting to drift across the peak. The higher I climbed the more clouds would drift over, the lower down they would come and the thicker and longer they’d stay. I felt in a race to get to the top before it totally socked in. I literally hit the summit, peered over the edge, saw 3 little white dots down in the bottom of the basin below and within ~5 seconds the cloud/fog socked in on me. A couple minutes later a brief opening came to view and I saw the 3 dots again - goats for sure! But within mere seconds the clouds socked in around me and that was that. As the clouds thickened, the drizzle started and fairly soon after a nice steady rain was testing my rain gear. I stubbornly sat it out for about 3 hours until I concluded this was not going to let up and I decided to head back to camp.

https://i.postimg.cc/tTGwxKh9/pic-6.jpg (https://postimg.cc/GBzX0S7f)
Fog setting in

https://i.postimg.cc/HkKfpcnc/pic-7.jpg (https://postimg.cc/cvRDhJQ0)
Dinner and a movie

About an hour and a half later I was cooking up a nice dinner, warming with a hot coffee, and enjoying a movie in the tent. Fun fact - while packing I was trying to decide b/w my book and my iPad with movies. Both weighed within 1 ounce of each other. I figured the iPad would last for about 4 movies, so I went with that. Was kind of fun sitting in my tent on a mountain with no one around for miles, sipping a coffee and watching a movie with the sound of pouring rain on the fly outside. Something I’ll always remember. Lights out and the sound of rain drops to lul me off to sleep.

[broke]

Up early day 3. A nice hot breakfast (I find if I pre cook scrambled eggs before hand and cut in some precooked bacon, all I have to do on the mountain is warm it up). A bit heavier and only lasts for the first couple days, but a real enjoyable meal before you have to move into the realm of oatmeal and breakfast bars.

https://i.postimg.cc/j569QMXP/pic8.jpg (https://postimg.cc/0MQc9dhy)
Breakfast of champions

https://i.postimg.cc/KYBsx0Cw/pic9.jpg (https://postimg.cc/4K411QfQ)
Morning coffee with a view

Boots on, pack ready (lunch, spotter, first aid kit, inReach, and rifle) and back up across the alpine meadows and up the scree slopes for the ridge line. I get above the first basin and peer over the edge. Still nothing in this one; either along and bowl shaped cliffs or anywhere in the scree or valley below. Alright, back up to the peak for door number 2.

https://i.postimg.cc/htJ53DsS/pic10.jpg (https://postimg.cc/TK60KXBS)
Heading up the ridgeline

As I’m climbing up the ridge (backside of course - I’m not silhouette’ing myself) heading for the peak I notice some clouds starting to drift over the peak. This was exactly like the day before. I’m like, come on, please don’t sock in again. I don’t want to spend a whole nother day in the tent. Oh well, let’s get going.

I figure rather that summit the peak again, I’d wrap around side-slope and get a good view of the second basin with a little less effort. As I start coming around the mountain and start to see the top of the next ridgeline, I see 2 white spots! At ~800 yards, it looks like they’re different size and with a quick peek through the binos, it’s clear one is about half the size of the other. A nice healthy looking nanny & kid. They’re up and feeding ahead of where I want to go, so I decide to watch them for a bit. The clouds keep coming in and out, so I figure when they come in and block our view of each other, I’ll scurry quietly closer towards them and when the clouds clear off, I stop. Do this a couple times while they feed ahead and up and as I get a bit more around the mountain, all of a sudden I can see 3 more white dots bedded down on top of the cliff.

https://i.postimg.cc/4NxMVbhH/pic11.jpg (https://postimg.cc/4njBTcPX)
Goats

[broke]

The heart starts going now. Binos confirm they are all the same size, but not much more than that. I set up the spotter and it looks like potentially a couple billys. The one on the left is facing away and I can’t see the head at all. The middle one looks like a young billy (but hard to tell for sure) and the right one definitely looks billy’ish. I make sure every time I go goat hunting to spend a few days online. Some of the states have good online goat ID info with pics and test. Please make sure if you try goat hunting for the first time you take the time to learn how to ID properly, as taking a nanny vs a billy can have big effects on populations.

https://i.postimg.cc/DfgHSYmK/pic12.jpg (https://postimg.cc/hhXpws9C)
Nany/kid

https://i.postimg.cc/d19HTLs9/pic13.jpg (https://postimg.cc/phpYwVn9)
Left goat

https://i.postimg.cc/SRNZLkjb/pic14.jpg (https://postimg.cc/k6zFqrxT)
Middle goat

https://i.postimg.cc/0QvXQpsQ/pic15.jpg (https://postimg.cc/GBMxgT9w)
Right (my) goat - def billy

[broke]

At this point the nanny and kid have made their way up to the group and bedded down with them. I’m quite certain the right one (of the 3) is a billy and I’m pumped. I decide at ~500 yards with a pretty good side wind, I need to get closer. The clouds are still rolling in and out, so each time they come in thick enough to block our view of each other, I scurry another 30-50 yards closer. There’s a really nice flat rock at the bottom of the little saddle I’m aiming for. About half an hour later (mini scurry by mini scurry), I get to the bottom of the saddle and where I want to be. It’s 176 yards to the goats and the wind isn’t as fast on this side of the mountain.

Through the CORE course and other mentors, I was always told it’s unethical to shoot a bedded animal. That and it might not provide the best shot. So, as they’re all bedded down and it’s still morning (and I have no where else to be), I will just watch the group and enjoy the moment.

https://i.postimg.cc/5Ny764Zw/pic16.jpg (https://postimg.cc/mtxNnsZD)
View

https://i.postimg.cc/GhfMY0C6/pic17.jpg (https://postimg.cc/TprqM4hc)
View while killing time

I spend the next 2 hours enjoying life. This is what it’s all about. 5 goats in front of me, all bedded and relaxed. Beautiful mountain views. Clouds are drifting higher and clearing off – sun might decide to stay. Perfect. I stare at the 3 over and over, but it’s pretty clear that the right one is definitely a billy and is the biggest. The kid decided to get up, take a little stroll, feed a bit and go back to mom. Just like my kids, they get antsy just sitting around. About an hour into my sit, the middle goat gets up, repositions and back to bed. I take some scenery pics and enjoy the view, but keep turning back, waiting for the right billy to get up.

[IronNoggin]

Loving This One!!!

[srupp]

yup its a gooder already...
are your boots miendle Canadas?
Steven

[Evanguy]

Wow man. That's awesome

[broke]

Sorry all, lousy work getting in the way. Will continue shortly.

Srupp - after a dozen years I wore out my miendle's. I now have a pair of Lowa (forget the exact ones - tibet I think) and absolutely love them. They're so comfortable.

to be cont.......

[broke]

All of a sudden, after 2 hours of chilling, it’s ON in a second. I look back to the goats (after only glancing away for a few seconds) and not only is the right billy up, but he’s turned 180 degrees and walking. Oh crap, how did that happen so quick. He stops right behind the middle goat perfectly for a few seconds, as if to test my nerves. I can confirm that throughout this whole time, none of the goats know I’m there. Now he takes a whiz. Can’t tell if it’s a girly squat or a manly piss (this is sometimes a helpful ID method, but not always). And now he starts walking again. He steps between the middle goat and the left goat and pauses for a sec. BANG!!! One shot through my kids new 6.5 and it looks good. Action the bolt for another round just in case. They’ve been bedded on a nice flat grassy spot on the top of a pretty big cliff. If he decides to make a run for the cliff, I need to stop him fast. I really don’t want to have to carry him all the way back up that cliff. Fortunately, he saunters about 10 yards away from the cliff, stands for a few more seconds and falls over. He wriggles a couple times, lays his head down and that is that. The other goats are now up and not sure what is going on. They decide to slowly walk over to the cliffs, but appear to be in no rush. I keep the crosshairs on the downed billy in case he tries to get up, but he’s done. After a couple minutes of no movement, I get up from my prone position, the adrenaline is pumping hard and I throw a huge fist pump into the air!!! My first solo goat is more than successful!!!

https://i.postimg.cc/dQ4NskSs/pic18.jpg (https://postimg.cc/grLH4JWQ)
Goat down (left)

I stand there for a few more minutes just to be safe. The other goats have now scrambled their way down onto the cliff and have wrapped around the face out of site. Just one lying there now. I hike back to where I dropped my pack and then head up to the goat. I get up to him and there he lies. Top of a cliff on a mountain all by myself. This is what it’s all about..…!!!

I take a bunch of selfies and prop my phone camera on my pack to get some timer shots. This would be the first time I could of used a hand. Pictures in the bank and now it’s about lunch time. So, with lots of time in front of me, I decide to enjoy the moment before the work begins. Spend about 20 minutes eating lunch (landjager with crackers and cheese, some dried fruit, a bar and some water). I look at the mountains ~10km off to the west, look back at my billy and just take it all in. This is therapy.

https://i.postimg.cc/cJyX9Q6m/pic19.jpg (https://postimg.cc/sMmY1GYQ)
As it lies

[broke]

https://i.postimg.cc/k5QwkBbd/pic20.jpg (https://postimg.cc/XZvw5NL2)
Exit side (entrance hole was lower as goat was above me)

https://i.postimg.cc/K8g0D9cj/pic21.jpg (https://postimg.cc/NKB8gkHv)
Selfie

https://i.postimg.cc/JnKxzvx6/pic22.jpg (https://postimg.cc/njjBdd6B)
As it lies

https://i.postimg.cc/T1w9L0HR/pic23.jpg (https://postimg.cc/WFBrxGvK)
Timer pic

https://i.postimg.cc/fLM5ZDcS/pic24.jpg (https://postimg.cc/Lq0j3d0m)
Close up

[broke]

All right, the photo shoot is over, now it’s time for the work to begin. I find I can bone out a deer with someone helping to hold legs up and stuff in under an hour, but I’ve never boned out a whole animal completely alone. Not too tough, but a bit tricky here and there. Used some parachute cord tied to a rock to hold up a leg helpful at times. Boneless method works so well. Skin off the one side, backstrap off, bone out both legs, neck, etc. Flip, rinse, repeat. Took me about 2 hours all said and done to have all the meat in the game bags. I’m not sure how many solo goat hunters have taken out the heart and liver, but I figured in for a penny, in for a pound (or in this case, in for 56 lbs, in for 60).

https://i.postimg.cc/qMNwpm3w/pic25.jpg (https://postimg.cc/56ML3SpQ)
Almost done boning

https://i.postimg.cc/t4PzxYDV/pic26.jpg (https://postimg.cc/Yvrgc25p)
Heart & liver

With the goat my buddy and I got in 2018, he got the head and I got the hide (rock beats scissors). So, already having a nice tanned goat hide on my couch at home, I decided this hide is staying here and I’m just taking the meat and head home. Not a huge billy, so just a European mount would be perfect for me and therefore minimal head and hide to pack out. I figure the meat and head weighed about 60 lbs. Added to my pack, spotter, rifle, other gear, probably about 80 lbs on my back. Not so bad. And thank goodness I’m on top of the ridge/cliff and not down in the basin below. I now realize too that the 3 dots I had seen yesterday in the valley bottom (right before the rain socked in) were the 3 I now saw today up on top of the cliff. Thank goodness they climbed all that elevation for me – thanks goats and rain clouds, I owe ya.

https://i.postimg.cc/gjTKvhf3/pic27.jpg (https://postimg.cc/Zv63mWYq)
Loaded up and heading back

[broke]

So, off I head. Down through the saddle, up and side sloping around the mountain with the peak. Up to the next ridge and along to the first basin. As I crest the last ridge, I can see my tent down below. Only a few hundred yards to go. It was only ~3km from where I started packing the goat to camp, so not too bad all in all. I pass by my camp and go a few hundred yards down to the timber. Figure it’s good to keep the meat away from my tent and also it’s nice to hang it up in a tree. Climb the tree, hang the meat bags and head and back to camp.

https://i.postimg.cc/fbNfjDgq/pic28.jpg (https://postimg.cc/5XszfdJ8)
Unloaded

https://i.postimg.cc/QMJkfw28/pic29.jpg (https://postimg.cc/bGdtJCYW)
Meat pole

So, meat hung up, sweaty clothes changed out, nice dinner in my belly (dehydrated homemade moose stew with dark chocolate for dessert and a hot chocolate), nothing to do but watch the mountains across the valley and re-live the day’s events in my mind over and over. Also going through my mind is how am I going to get everything in my pack and can I carry it all out in one shot. I’ve only eaten a few pounds of food, so probably looking at ~115lbs. I’m not a huge guy and in my early 40’s, so 115 is a pretty heavy load for me. Don’t really want to do 2 trips either though. Sounds like a tomorrow problem. Into the tent, watch another movie and off to sleep. It’s gonna be a big day tomorrow…

I wake up at 6am. How lovely is it that when I wake it’s raining. And not just raining, I mean absolutely pouring! I’m thinking about the first 1.5km which has some really steep and technical, rocky components before I get into the ‘less’ steep and brushy forested areas. I’m a little nervous about packing out all that weight, down steep slippery rocks and faces and being all alone. I weigh the pros and cons of 1 trip vs 2 trips and err on the side of caution. It’s gonna be a grind, but only ~6km out. Also, I have another day planned to be here, so worse comes to worse, I can pack out the meat today and then get camp out the next day. All right, it’s decided – I’m going to do two trips. If the weight was less, the terrain not so rugged and slippery with the rain, or I had a partner, I would have elected to do one grunt out, but the risk of being injured on the mountain alone is more than I’m willing to take.

[broke]

So, light underlayer goes on, rain gear next. Once a good breakfast is in the belly (2 oatmeal packets, some dried fruit and a bar) and I psych myself up, I’m up and on my way. Got my first aid kit, inReach, bear spray and pack. Down to the meat tree and load. The scrubby balsam carpet is especially wet, but not as drenching as the next ‘layer’ of rhododendron which is face high. Down the slippery rocks bushwhackin’ I go. Funny how the little creeks on the way up are flowing pretty good now and the moss is so squishy. I make it down to the truck safe and sound in pretty good time. The meat and head go into the cooler with some frozen jugs.

https://i.postimg.cc/7PsX8vfb/pic30.jpg (https://postimg.cc/XX59dzK0)
Meat in the truck (Fat Tug IPA for later)

It’s still just before lunch, so I have a snack, another internal pep talk and back up the mountain. As I’m heading up, the rain at least slowed down to a light pour and by the time I’m halfway up, it’s now just a drizzle. I get back to camp early-mid afternoon and the sun is out and it’s now a beauty day! I’m drenched to the core, but who cares.

https://i.postimg.cc/85kd9wGh/pic31.jpg (https://postimg.cc/4KMhh6md)
Packing up camp

I hang the rain gear to dry out while I tear down camp. Put on some dry clothes and I’m like a new man. Life is good. Saddled back up with camp and I’m back on the move. Down the mountain I go again and even though this load is almost as heavy as the last, it’s feeling pretty light. The last couple kilometers are not steep, but the legs are now running out of juice. By the time I make it to the truck, I’m draggin’ it pretty hard.

https://i.postimg.cc/KvCNjn72/pic32.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
Last leg of the 2nd trip

[broke]

I toss my bag into the truck, pull myself into the cab and hit the road. It’s only late dinner time’ish, but I just munch on snacks and keep on chuggin’ the water. About 2 hours into the drive home, I have to pull over to take a leak. I pull over and try to get out of the truck but my legs don’t seem to work. I must look like a crippled old man as I crawl out of the truck, take a whiz and then try to get back into the truck. Legs all seized up, but it’s all good. It was a 15-20km day, down the mountain with ~70lbs, up the mountain and back down with ~55lbs. In the moment I ask myself why I do these types of things and remind myself to never do it again. Then with the magic of time, I forget the pain and the muscles have healed and I think to myself – that wasn’t so bad, we should do that again.

I get home after midnight and surprise a sleeping house (who isn’t up and awaiting my arrival – I’m not expected home till tomorrow). I’ll have to wait until morning for the family to gather round while I regale the tales of the hunt. (Kidding – I have young teens and a wife who don’t fully appreciate every single little detail of the story above – just the short version/highlights please dad).

Next day I unload and unpack everything. A family tradition I had growing up, hunting with my dad was to eat liver the next day after getting an animal. I’m not sure if goat liver is normally that tasty; maybe it was all the extra calories I burned getting it down the mountain, but it was quite excellent. I’d be curious to know how many goat and sheep hunters have packed the heart and liver out.

https://i.postimg.cc/Y9XNHg2T/pic33.jpg (https://postimg.cc/9R7wPD7B)
Mtn goat liver - yum

I butcher all my own game and did so with the goat a couple days later. Steaks, roasts, stew, some burger, and some sausage. Nice to try an animal I don’t harvest very often in multiple different forms. The meat might not quite beat a calf bison, but it is actually pretty decent table fair. This was a young animal which likely helps to. Every bite tasted like gold to me at least.

3 ½ year old billy, 8 2/3” horn length, 5 ½” bases (more than a trophy for me & being solo), 4 days on the mountain, half a bazillion calories burned, many memories that will last a lifetime, and somehow against all odds – an internal yearning to do it again. For some of us it truly is an obsession. I don’t know when I’ll go for goat again next, but I think I’ll take a buddy when I do.

I’m looking forward to 2023. I have the green light (from wife & work) to take 2 weeks this summer/fall and I’m going to strike out on my first ever sheep hunt. I’ve been dreaming about sheep for years and this year I will begin my sheep hunting career. Better late than never and mid-40’s is never too late, right…??? I’ve settled on stones in BC and look forward to piecing the when, where and with whom together shortly.

I hope you all enjoyed hearing about my adventure and appreciated the pics. Take care.

Brian

[srupp]

ABSOLUTELY PERFECT !...loved the story..the photos your style...lol only thing that sucked was that goats luck or lack of it.....

couple things that excelled was your willingness to put the meat so high..
the photo of your goat and you..GREAT goat beauty horns.
Thank you for your wonderful contribution I APPRECIATED IT ALL...

Cheers
Steven

[KootenayKiller]

Thanks, Brian. What an adventure, and an awesome write-up! Looking forward to your next story

[Alpine Hunter]

Excellent story! Congrats. A successful solo mountain hunt is very rewarding. Good luck with your sheep hunt.

[landphil]

Awesome! Great photos and write-up of your adventure too.

[BimmerBob]

Nicely done Brian, excellent recap of your hunt and along with the pictures really put it up there for us. Thanks for taking the time to write the story and share the pictures with us, you (and now us) will remember this one for the rest of your life and it will only get better in the memory bank with time. Congratulations on a great solo billy!

[M1SF1T]

Great story. That's what it's all about.

[jimzuk]

Awesome story thanks for sharing. Looks like a beautiful area. How did you get the meat up into the tree?

[ElectricDyck]

Great story and pics! Perfect hunt!

[broke]

I first tried pulling it up with a rope over the branch, but with ~60lbs and para cord it just cut in and didn’t work. So I climbed the tree and pulled it up to me and tied it off. Good size spruce so easy to climb the branches. I decided to pack it a few hundred metres below the tree line (had to go downhill anyways eventually) because I wanted it far from my tent (for bears) and also so there were larger trees for me to climb.

[ydouask]

Well done Brian, really enjoyed your hunt, thank you.:smile:

[Patman7]

Congradulations! Great determination and patience! Really enjoyed your writing!

[tuchodi]

Great story and pictures. Sure brought back good memories from some of my goat hunts. I never did solo hunts always with a buddy who I hunted with for 50 years. Both of us now are flatlanders for hunting.

[Arby's]

What an amazing adventure. Thank you for taking the time to write it out! I loved reading it.

[Livewire322]

Awesome story and awesome photos! Thanks for sharing with us

[TheObserver]

Thanks for sharing your story and pics, nice work and congratulations! Cool how you talked to the old miner liked that part, awesome looking back country there! That fresh Liver looks delicious

[Knute]

Thanks for taking us along on your successful solo adventure.

Well told tale with excellent pics, doesn't get much better than that.

Good luck with your planning and next hunt, get a nice sheep and report back ;)

[high horse Hal]

a good morning read with coffee, thanks for taking us along

Don't know how much you talked to the prospector, but years ago we had a long visit in a camp with a couple guys, then when out on a hike we chuckled how we were beafin an moaning about stuff they encountered as everyday life

[kennyj]

Great story and photos!!
Thanks for sharing your adventure.
kenny

[cuervosail]

A terrific story with a wonderful outcome for all your hard work. Thanks for sharing. Good to see some hunting stories on HBC. Good luck with the sheep hunt. I can say that after having done a couple solo sheep hunts, you won't be disappointed! I look forward to hearing all about your next hunt.

[Ron.C]

Awesome read. Great story and pics were great.

Currently training for another goat hunt myself and threads like this sure help with the motivation.

I am curious though, how did you manage to kill a goat without being outfitted with any camo Kuiu/Sitka/Firts lite.....:lol:

Seriously though, well done and thanks for taking us along

[mooseknuckler]

Most excellent hunt, stories, and pictures broke!
I packed out goat liver and heart. The liver was great and I also thought it better than the deer, moose, elk liver that I've had.

[IronNoggin]

Absolutely EPIC!!!

Well done all round!

Congratulations!

Cheers,
Nog

[HarryToolips]

Well written story and great pics, and a great animal to boot congrats!

[moosinaround]

Yup, excellent contribution to HBC threads. This is what it is all about! Every last bit of that animal was earned, and that is why it tastes as good as it does! You seemed to take a lot of the trip in, and made it about reflection, and absorption of nature! That is what is lost today by outdoor enthusiasts! Thanks for making it as much about the time spent in nature, the great organic food, and not just the trophy! Well done, and thank you for sharing!! Moosin

[ramcam]

Great story Brian, congrats on a great adventure.

[mauser]

Thanks for sharing, definitely a bucket list hunt for me.

[broke]

Thanks for all the kind words everyone; much appreciated. I love the mountains and enjoy every minute I can up in the alpine. And happy to share my story. I find it helpful when others provide their thoughts and experiences and little details of things I may not have considered myself (take a book or ipad for the many hours/days you might be socked in your tent, food tips - fresh/wholesome food the first couple days before going dehydrated makes a big difference over a long trip despite the extra couple pounds, fleece and multiple layers are key in the mountains, scout out water sources before setting up camp, etc). I certainly am no expert, but happy to share what's worked for me.

I am a big believer in wool (lower elev hunts) and fleece (mountain hunts) and having lots of layers to add/drop. Making sure you aren't soaked with sweat will help you sit those extra couple of hours. A top notch outer layer/rain gear is critical to staying dry. I have light, black, mountain hardware rainpants and an arc'teryx raincoat. Both have kept me dry in soaking situations, both sitting and moving/packing. Don't cheap out on the rain gear.

And yes, it is much more about the whole experience than the inches (although a nice rack is always enjoyed when it pans out). The 'roughest' and most challenging hunts are the ones I always think about afterwards. I barely even remember the one time a shot a deer on the side of the road and drove home. So, don't shy away from the struggles and plan a tough hunt (just be prepared) -- it will suck hard at the time, but you'll never regret it.

Thanks for reading and glad you enjoyed it. And as the old adage goes - the year you do your first sheep hunt is the year your future first ram is born.....so that means somewhere up north a nice little thinhorn male lamb with my name on it is about to be born. :)

[Jrax]

excellent write up! thanks for the sharing story and pics. Got me all excited

[bottles]

Well done. Congrats on an amazing hunt, and thanks for posting it up.

[longwalk]

Great hunt and a better story and pics. I commend you on your writing style, very fluid. You would make an English prof proud.

[kitnayakwa77]

excellent write up and pictures! I really enjoyed it, thanks for taking the time to share...

[Treed]

I totally had that feeling of being up in the alpine, weather blowing in and out. Most beautiful place in the world even when it’s the hardest. Amazing story and great decision making at every point. Thanks so much for sharing it. By the way, if the story had gone on for another 5000 words I would have loved it, you had me hooked from the first page.

[decker9]

Incredible achievement and story, and photos, and billy! He’s gorgeous! Huge congrats to you Broke!! I don’t think there’s a better feeling of accomplishment then tossing that loaded pack onto the tailgate of the pickup is there? My hat is off to you sir!!

Mountain goat liver is such a hidden gem!!. Iv got to feed on my share of goat liver, and the energy boost Iv noticed every single time is nearly unreal. In my thoughts, it boils down to the nutrition that’s packed into that mountain grass/feed that a goat digests, maybe? I haven’t noticed it nearly as much in moose/deer liver, plus goat liver tastes 10x better also.

Damn, now I’m craving a feast of goat liver and onion!

[whitlers]

Wow what a great story! That sounded like an absolute grind! Good for you and congrats on the Billy! Brought back memories of my brother in laws hunt this September. Love chasing goats.

[broke]

Just bought my license and tags for the year. Where else can you get an elk, whitetail, mule deer, moose, mountain goat, mountain sheep, and bear tag -- all with open seasons??? Gotta love BC!!