Chasing goats

[Jonny outdoors]

I know most people dont like sharing information on hunting areas but I would like to try and get a mountian goat and I was wondering what areas will in 3 hrs drive of Abbotsford a guy could start scouting?

[pupper]

squamish, penticton, keremeos

[bighornbob]

Penticton and Keremeous are draw only and there like 50:1 at best. I think the squamish area is regular season.

BHB

[boonerbuck]

Duffy Lake Corridor is farther but if you draw, there are lots of goats. The time you save by easier access makes up for the shorter drive to the Squamish area generally.

[BearSniper]

Ok Bud:razz:

I don't mind helping a fellow Abbotsfordian........so here goes. It's public knowledge anyways.

3 years ago I went up the Goat [Milk] river FSR west of McBride B.C. for an open Goat season that starts Aug 15th.

Actually glassed the eastern slopes about 24 km down the road and could see the critters sunning themselves against the iron cloured rocks, about the 7000 foot level. Could even see kids. The trouble is, the roads are deactivated and the bridges are out, I couldn't get across the river to the east. I didn't have a chainsaw to drop a tree across either. So with no way across the river we were hooped. We drove, hiked, walked and glassed all over to try to see a spot to get across but alas-no luck. A pre trip scouting journey would have helped prevent that. But waht the heck, it was time in the outdoors.

Google earth has opened up new satelite images of the area and they're really clear.


If you can haul a small rubber raft up there you'll get across the river and then its a 4000 foot hike to the rocks where they are-lots of them.

I know its not 3 hours from home, but you could also carry a Blackie tag in your pocket as well as the chance to smoke a Wolf.

Other than that, you could get a water taxi to take you across the top end of Howe sound east of Squamish and hike up for a Goat. But a buddy of mine tried that a couple years ago and ran into too many Kitsilano hikers that were not friendly to hunting.

Just my thoughts. The Goat river basin is very wild and beuatiful, I hope to make it back there again.

good luck

[humble hunter]

Squamish is long drive for goats, the killer highway is dangerous. I would try around Chilliwack.

[guest]

I know most people dont like sharing information on hunting areas but I would like to try and get a mountian goat and I was wondering what areas will in 3 hrs drive of Abbotsford a guy could start scouting?Within any direction of Abby, you must get an LEH Draw, Region 3 and 8 have quite a population of Goat but you need to do your access homework. You will find most must be done via back pack. This species will test your nerve beyond any other game in BC. Sheep ( Rams ) get all the attention but Goat are really the hardest challenge to the hunter if you want a good one. Only take a Billy, they are very sensitive to harvest so Nanny's should be ruled out. They require study by the hunter to know the difference and to judge a good Billy ( over 8 inch ). Contact biologists or game wardens for further info. Good Luck and hunt them Billy's safely !! They live in pretty scary places....that is the good one's.

[slyfox]

Try getting a draw in reg 3 squamish has good numbers of goats but is one of the hardest areas in the province to hunt and chilliwack is closed for goat hunting. Reg three can be hard to get a draw the odds are like 4 to 1 and 5 to 1 reg 2 has a draw too but i think it's like 11 to 1 but if you dont want to drive more then 3 hours i guess you well be trying to draw there. If you want a goat draw try reg 4 a lot better odds like 1 to 1 and 2 to 1 and are not so hard to hunt them in that reg. Reg 3 does have draws with 1 to 1 but it crazy and dangerous hope this helps.Slyfox

[ryanb]

If you're trying to do a weekend hunt to get a goat, forget about it...even if it's "3 hrs drive of Abbotsford". Unless you know the area very well and it's in your backyard (no such thing in Abbotsford) you will need at least a week. I think you'd do better to spend some time driving, either way it's going to be a day of driving whether it's 3 hours or 12 because you're not going to drive somewhere in the morning and get your goat in the afternoon.

[Wolfman]

All the guys I've known who have gone for goats have told me the same thing: That its a lot of work and you gotta really put in an effort if you want to bag a decent billy.



Wolfman