BCbillies
11-13-2009, 01:05 AM
Three years had past since my nephew's inaugural summer goat hunt and he was ready for a return trip out west to try the late season hunt. We both drew the same zone and in July we had booked a week long goat hunt for early November. Due to significant family health issues I cancelled the hunt late in September and after 13 straight years of hunting goats I was prepared to forgo the season. By the end of October things began to improve and my gracious wife gave me the thumbs up for a 3 to 4 day hunt provided the house was in order. On the evening of Nov 7th Dustin arrives and shortly after a good friend (& fellow HBCer) shows up at the door with his encouragement for the day, a 10"+, 12 1/2 year old billy.
We head out early the next morning and hike our way to the back on a valley and set up camp. In the vicinity of our camp we spotted 15 goats with 3 billies . . . two of which were near the mountain peaks hanging out with the nannies. The third billy skylined himself on a bluff midway on the mountain and just before dusk headed down the mountain and disappeared into the timber. If nothing else showed we would make our move towards this billy at first light. At this point ignorance was bliss for Dustin. :mrgreen:
Day two arrives with a fresh blanket of snow and we work our way up the slide alder and a strip up timber. By noon we are out of the timber but the slide alder is woven thick and we are still two hours from the desired bluff. At this point Dustin says "if I would have known it was going to be like this I would have said your nuts to climb this!" I tell him "this is fall goat hunting . . . that's what we do for fun around here"! :wink: We break for lunch and do not spot the billy but look the other direction and see other goats on a high bluff. A nanny and kid, another nanny and then three billies making their rounds coming in and out of the brush and onto the open face. I ranged the distance at 380 yards but it appreared much farther with two major gorges separating us. The one billy dorned a good set of daggers that looked like a solid 10" + goat. I put the video camera on him and zoomed in at 40x and thought what if!!! If we could only get up onto that bluff it could be a repeat double header for billies.
We make it down the mountain before dark and scout the options of getting to those billies. While Dustin is not too optimistic of any options I am thinking it can be done. I insist that we will try and if it gets to nasty we can turn back. We head back up the mountain at 8 am and by noon we are in the zone. :-D Over night another blanket of snow has fallen and no fresh tracks are visable. The bluff is extremely slippery and the feeling is not so good. We slowing peak over the edge and 50 yards below is a grassed ledge with four goats peering into the canyon. It's good to have found the goats but I am thinking we are screwed. We are looking at a nanny and a kid, another smaller goat (nanny) and then the big billy. The billy moves off the edge and beds closer towards the face we are on. At first glance I can't see how we can retrieve a downed goat but the more we move through the timber on the bluff the more optimistic I become. With much excitement I whisper "It looks like a short thin strip of alders dips down to the ledge . . . I think that billy is dead!" I inform Dustin that billy is his and that he should take the spine shot at the 50 yards. The shot echos in the valley from the 300 wmag and the billy's life has come to an end. After a short struggle he gets up and another shot puts him down for good. We work our way down to the billy and see that we have taken a dandy. Initial look at the horn growth puts him in the 12 to 14 year range. This goat was approaching his last winter and it wasn't going to be a pretty one given he had no teeth and no fat on his body. We had taken the monarch of this valley and a goat hunt that will forever be in our memories. We made it down the mountain by 8 pm and had lots of fun maneuvring, sliding, skidding, grunting, groaning in the dark with solid packs. The next day we worked our way out the valley a little wet and worn but very satisfied knowing we were packing the monarch of this valley home. The billy was aged at 13 1/2 years old with horn length of 10 7/8" and 10 1/8". If you like I can try and download some video! :wink:
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Nov_10_2009_Billy4.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=16206&size=big&cat=recent&limit=recent)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Nov_10_2009_Billy3.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=16205&size=big&cat=recent&limit=recent)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Nov_10_2009_Billy1.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=16204&size=big&cat=recent&limit=recent)
We head out early the next morning and hike our way to the back on a valley and set up camp. In the vicinity of our camp we spotted 15 goats with 3 billies . . . two of which were near the mountain peaks hanging out with the nannies. The third billy skylined himself on a bluff midway on the mountain and just before dusk headed down the mountain and disappeared into the timber. If nothing else showed we would make our move towards this billy at first light. At this point ignorance was bliss for Dustin. :mrgreen:
Day two arrives with a fresh blanket of snow and we work our way up the slide alder and a strip up timber. By noon we are out of the timber but the slide alder is woven thick and we are still two hours from the desired bluff. At this point Dustin says "if I would have known it was going to be like this I would have said your nuts to climb this!" I tell him "this is fall goat hunting . . . that's what we do for fun around here"! :wink: We break for lunch and do not spot the billy but look the other direction and see other goats on a high bluff. A nanny and kid, another nanny and then three billies making their rounds coming in and out of the brush and onto the open face. I ranged the distance at 380 yards but it appreared much farther with two major gorges separating us. The one billy dorned a good set of daggers that looked like a solid 10" + goat. I put the video camera on him and zoomed in at 40x and thought what if!!! If we could only get up onto that bluff it could be a repeat double header for billies.
We make it down the mountain before dark and scout the options of getting to those billies. While Dustin is not too optimistic of any options I am thinking it can be done. I insist that we will try and if it gets to nasty we can turn back. We head back up the mountain at 8 am and by noon we are in the zone. :-D Over night another blanket of snow has fallen and no fresh tracks are visable. The bluff is extremely slippery and the feeling is not so good. We slowing peak over the edge and 50 yards below is a grassed ledge with four goats peering into the canyon. It's good to have found the goats but I am thinking we are screwed. We are looking at a nanny and a kid, another smaller goat (nanny) and then the big billy. The billy moves off the edge and beds closer towards the face we are on. At first glance I can't see how we can retrieve a downed goat but the more we move through the timber on the bluff the more optimistic I become. With much excitement I whisper "It looks like a short thin strip of alders dips down to the ledge . . . I think that billy is dead!" I inform Dustin that billy is his and that he should take the spine shot at the 50 yards. The shot echos in the valley from the 300 wmag and the billy's life has come to an end. After a short struggle he gets up and another shot puts him down for good. We work our way down to the billy and see that we have taken a dandy. Initial look at the horn growth puts him in the 12 to 14 year range. This goat was approaching his last winter and it wasn't going to be a pretty one given he had no teeth and no fat on his body. We had taken the monarch of this valley and a goat hunt that will forever be in our memories. We made it down the mountain by 8 pm and had lots of fun maneuvring, sliding, skidding, grunting, groaning in the dark with solid packs. The next day we worked our way out the valley a little wet and worn but very satisfied knowing we were packing the monarch of this valley home. The billy was aged at 13 1/2 years old with horn length of 10 7/8" and 10 1/8". If you like I can try and download some video! :wink:
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Nov_10_2009_Billy4.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=16206&size=big&cat=recent&limit=recent)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Nov_10_2009_Billy3.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=16205&size=big&cat=recent&limit=recent)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Nov_10_2009_Billy1.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=16204&size=big&cat=recent&limit=recent)