Is He A Shooter?

[dana]

Looking forward to hunting goats again this year. For the goat pros out there, is this billy a shooter?
http://www.monsterhuntclips.com/video/544/Big-BC-Billy

[silvertipp]

looks like a big bodied goat but you dont get to see the horns very good to make a real good decision

[Kody94]

I'd like a better look, but I'm gonna say "yep". Not the oldest goat I've ever seen, but a mature billy. The bases look good and seems like it carries the mass a little for the brief moment you get a side-view...length its hard to say...

[showtimebc]

mature billy, prolly 9 inch horns on him. solid goat for sure!

[Brambles]

Depends on what your looking for, is he an improvement over your last goat? HELL YEAH, can't get much smaller than that one.:neutral::biggrin:
Is he a big scoring billy? NOPE, probably not, can't see his length but from what I see there is too much air between his bases, looks like he holds weight well but someone was a little caffinated when they were shooting the video, and that makes judging difficult.

[BlacktailStalker]

"For most guys a goat like that is a shooter. For a very few, he's a goat that would be passed on. If you like him, go for him on opening day!" :lol:

The clip is titled "big bc billy" so it must be in your eyes !
Lookin' forward to pics.

[6 K]

I'm with Brambles on this one, depends on what your after. Of what I could see he's mature but not overly long or extreamely heavy horned. It is not a very good look at him though. I am in a bit of a goat dry spell, haven't got one since 03 so I might take him, but he's defineately smaller than at least three of my others from what I could see.

[d6dan]

He looks to be about 9". If its your 1st hunt and it doesn't matter how big,then by all means, but for me personally... i would'nt shoot that one. Keep in mind the ears are approx 4" to 4 1/2" long, so use that to estimate horn length, next, look at the bases of the horns, 6"+bases will have not much space between the 2 horns. I've used this method on goats in the field and have had good luck in taking 10"+ goats.

[sako_300]

The clip is titled "big bc billy" so it must be in your eyes !
Lookin' forward to pics.

My thoughts as well - if he looks good to you then thats what matters.

It's difficult to tell from the eratic cameraman...

[landphil]

If it's the camera man shooting then he'll have to get MUCH closer - and it will be easier to tell at 5 yds:biggrin:

[dana]

The joys of hand holding the camera up to your spotter. :) Anyone that has ever tried it, knows this footage actually could be way worse. ;) I filmed this billy in Sept of 2006 while lookin for a goat for my brother. If he is still alive, I think the 3 years of growth should push him well into the shooter ballpark. With very few goats in my unit, he definately is a target for me. Then again, it would be cool to get my 11 year old daughter on a goat this year with her Jr. Hunting Licence.

[Brambles]

Goats are ALL genetics, I've seen HOG 11" two year old goats and I"ve seen DINK 11 year old 8" goats.
If they don't got it odds are they won't get it.

If you've looked over a number of goats in your area and he's the biggest you've seen then you can't really hold out for something that doesnt' live there can you? It does look like he holds weight well and his bases arn't terrible. He's miles away from being a 50" billy but could be a 44". Might not sound like alot but 6" in goat terms is HUGE and VERY noticable.

Another thing is, this is YOUR goat tag. Not your sons and not your daughters so you don't have any excuse Not to hunt the late season for goats. Just like Mulies, if you want a crack at a good goat then go late season when they come down from NO MANS LAND and concentrate for the rut. They will be more goats in an area and you can pick through them a little better. Just gotta find where they winter and rut, keep an eye out for a black haired billy and BLAM

[Brambles]

here's a dink I video'd last year through my spotting scope, I had the hand shake mode on and it helped. This goat has tiny bases and HUGE catchers mitt glands

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v437/Brambles77/th_MVI_1497.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v437/Brambles77/?action=view&current=MVI_1497.flv)

[dana]

Brambles,
There is no late season in Region 3. Season starts Sept 1 and ends Oct 31. In this country you have to hunt early or else you ain't going to be hunting at all. The deep heavy winter snow hits early in Oct and then it becomes a timber hunt in the rhodo jungles of the ESSF or the club/alder pits of the ICH. These are timber goats for all but the summer months. The goat season is going to be tight for me as I've got 2 kids itching to whack and stack deer in Sept. Oct is my moose draw which I will try to get my daughter on a bull if the conditions are right. With only a couple weeks in Sept for goat, it'll be a take the first good billy I see if it is indeed just me hunting. This billy fits that standard. These units aren't known for booners. They don't see much for hunter success on Any goat for that matter. A goat like this billy definately turns my crank. But like I said before, my daughter might be hunting with this tag, and any goat will do. Sure, it'll piss off a bunch of wannabee's on this site if my daughter kills a nanny, but I don't really give a damn. ;)

[Krico]

Hunting late season makes for a much, much nicer cape - not a huge deal with other animals, but I think a thick, long late season cape is half the trophy itself when it comes to goats.

Just hunt as late as you can with your tag.

[Kody94]

here's a dink I video'd last year through my spotting scope, I had the hand shake mode on and it helped. This goat has tiny bases and HUGE catchers mitt glands

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v437/Brambles77/th_MVI_1497.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v437/Brambles77/?action=view&current=MVI_1497.flv)

That goat looks like a he/she. Billy body, billy glands, nanny-thin horns.

I agree with Brambles comments above, but can't dispute Dana's plan. Sux when you get so many LEH's eh? :razz:

Cheers
4Ster

[dana]

Yea it does suck. Geeze, I had plans to hunt GOS and hammer a 200 inch Highcountry muley for myself this year, then the LEH gods shined on me. :roll: :mrgreen:. Now, I only have to find one 200 incher for Cody and don't have to worry about finding a second one for me. ;) She's going to be a busy season. Youth season deer, high country goat, ruttin bull moose, late season muleys and even later season elk. On top of that the pups are anxious to tree some lions. With my daughter keen to shoot my tags and my son being camera man when he ain't whackin and stackin his own animals, it should be a season of a lifetime.

[leadpillproductions]

Shoot Him He's A Keeper!

[landphil]

The joys of hand holding the camera up to your spotter. :) Anyone that has ever tried it, knows this footage actually could be way worse. ;) I filmed this billy in Sept of 2006 while lookin for a goat for my brother. If he is still alive, I think the 3 years of growth should push him well into the shooter ballpark. With very few goats in my unit, he definately is a target for me. Then again, it would be cool to get my 11 year old daughter on a goat this year with her Jr. Hunting Licence.

Yeah, just razzing - and not so bad for through the spotter. I hope I didn't "get your goat":-P