Airborne Billy

[BCbillies]

A few months back TSW and I booked a four day goat hunt for late in February. As the hunt neared the weather was shaping up to be exceptional and . . . goat or no goat it was going to be a great trip. Given it's been a few years since I cut a tag and the lack of sausage in the freezer, the first billy over two years old was going to be seriously considered.

By 4 pm the first day we made our way by snowshoes into the back of the valley and set up camp. While very few goats were spotted on day one an abundance of avalanches were witnessed and it became obvious that we had to stay out of the side creeks and gorges. The night was as still as the day other than the constant hooting from an owl and the odd avalanche thundering in the valley.

After a chilly and uncomfortable (some snoring was heard) night in the tent we were back at it the next day glassing for goats. With no billies spotted on day one we didn't feel the urge to climb the mountain blind. Again not much sign until early in the afternoon when we spotted a goat feeding on the top of a very low set of cliffs. Having never shot a goat from the valley bottom this situation was foreign to us. Once we confirmed it was a billy and assessed the options for stalking and shooting I settled on taking the shot at 310 yards. The 375 Ruger barked . . . and BIT . . . upon regaining some composure I squeezed off one more round to send him to the base of the cliffs. The billy was 3 years old and inspite of the fall he was in great shape! Thanks to TSW for another great trip and for helping bring home our first February billy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1tANq28je8

New gear review
TSW: Mystery Ranch pack - will come on many more trips.
BCbillies: Leupold Metallic Flip-up Scope Covers - Looks good . . . feels bad; 375 Ruger for goat - utility is great . . . WARNING - some difficulty may be encountered with the high angled shots!!!

One last comment - goats are tough!

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Feb_2010_Billy_2.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=18347&size=big&cat=500)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Feb_2010_Billy.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=18345&size=big&cat=500)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Feb_2010_Billy_1.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=18346&size=big&cat=500)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Feb_Goat_Hunt_Scenery.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=18348&size=big&cat=500)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Feb_Goat_Hunt_Scenery_2.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=18349&size=big&cat=500)

[BlacktailStalker]

Sounds like a good time, glad you got your goat :cool:
Was this a draw ?

[nano]

Nice goat, congrats!

[snareman1234]

Beautiful! congrats!

Great Vid, Where did the first shot hit? 2nd looked like it got the knee?

Join the ranks of the scope bitten lol

[whitetailsheds]

Nice read and view, thanks boys....and yes, i'd say "airborne" as well...bit of a drop.....

[Kody94]

Congrats on the February goat!! And thanks for sharing the story and vid.

Shooting prone and uphill with any 375 is askin' for trouble!! Shooting uphill causes you to creep the stock and doesn't give you a nice solid flat surface for the butt of the rifle (more likely to sneak on you a little). For uphill shots like that, I prefer to find a rest that allows me to sit up.

That's the first time I've seen a guy get a bleeding nose (internal) from scope bite! You sure you didn't break your nose?

[SURGE]

Great story and good pictures job well done congrats

[pitbell]

Pound for pound the toughest big game animal no question. Awesome video dude.

[JoshCampbell]

cool video, congrats on your goat, what draw area did u have?

[d6dan]

Right on BCbillies!. Congrats on the goat. Looked like a fun hunt with some nice weather.

[kennyj]

Congratulations on the nice goat.Great year for a Feb hunt.
kenny

[moose2]

Good job guys I really enjoyed the video, how far do you estimate the fall was.
Mike

[Blainer]

That was some great footage.
Looks like a fun adventure.Good on ya!
tfs

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Congrats on your billy! Cool video. Hope to get a late draw one of these yrs.

Hope you heel up well.
It looks like it hurt:-?.

PS...where all the snow??:-D

SSS

[luckynuts]

Congrats on a nice goat BCB, very cool story and vids. Glad you found it down low and not up in the chutes. Also glad it dropped for you otherwise you boys would have had a little work ahead of ya. Though I must say i was really hoping you would have connected on a booner, as you have been apart of so many other's getting their dream goats. Guess that will have to wait till next year. Hope that bite doesn't leave a mark:mrgreen:

W.

[yama49]

Nice pics and video, looks like that shot may have broken ur nose.. thx for sharing with us..

[MuleyStalker]

Good video. It's threads like this that get me through the winter:)

[Gus]

Good job BCB! Good video too, makes me anxious to get back up into the high country after them critters myself. Thanks for posting it up.

[Caribou_lou]

Good on ya boys! I have a passion for late season goat hunting.

[Alpine85]

Thanks for posting! Good job on a fun looking hunt.

[Moose72]

Awsome footage......Tenderized.

[Krico]

Finally, a smart goat hunter (not that hunting goats is smart:-|). Shoot them from the bottom, and let them roll to you:-D.

Nicely done. Who bled more, you or the goat?

[BimmerBob]

Thanks for sharing, nice shot! Scope bites hurt in two ways, the physical and the pride, good on you for sharing. Did the one horn break on his way down or was it damaged prior to the fall?

Well done!

[TSW]

Finally, a smart goat hunter (not that hunting goats is smart:-|). Shoot them from the bottom, and let them roll to you:-D.

Nicely done. Who bled more, you or the goat?

Ha! we learned from your brother how to get 'er done in terms of letting them come to us! Also, I was telling BCBillies that there was a good chance there was more blood in the snow where we shot from than in the goat's hair!!


Thanks for sharing, nice shot! Scope bites hurt in two ways, the physical and the pride, good on you for sharing. Did the one horn break on his way down or was it damaged prior to the fall?

Well done!

The horn was clearly deformed from a past injury. Up close you could see that it had healed up a bit, kinda like it had been melted with a lighter.

All in all a great trip, amazing weather, great food, great company and lots of laughs. Another cool note, we were camped right on a well beaten grizzly trail, where you could see the foot prints worn into the moss, very cool. And we found a bunch of griz hair on a tree near our tent...glad we were there in Feb and not May!

And I've never been on a hunt where I never broke a sweat bringing the goat back to camp! Thanks for the good times!! Always a treat to spend time in the beauty of the mountains!!

[killman]

Ouch, that' looks like it might have smarted! Great Vid and story.

[todbartell]

nice goat! no pain no gain!!!

[BCbillies]

Was this a draw ?
Yes. All open areas here close on Nov 15th.


Beautiful! congrats!

Great Vid, Where did the first shot hit? 2nd looked like it got the knee?

Join the ranks of the scope bitten lol

Not so pleased with my shooting - first shot was rear spine and second was the knee. Haven't practiced with the 375 under these conditions especially with the second shot.:wink: Gonna learn from this experience and make the necessary adjustments including the trigger.


Shooting prone and uphill with any 375 is askin' for trouble!! Shooting uphill causes you to creep the stock and doesn't give you a nice solid flat surface for the butt of the rifle (more likely to sneak on you a little). For uphill shots like that, I prefer to find a rest that allows me to sit up.

That's the first time I've seen a guy get a bleeding nose (internal) from scope bite! You sure you didn't break your nose?

I like your suggestion . . . I wasn't thinking of the recoil at the time. The nose was bleeding internally and externally but mostly internally. Not broken from what I can tell . . . I knew that big snoz was going to get in the way one day!


Good job guys I really enjoyed the video, how far do you estimate the fall was.
Mike

I'd guess a couple hundred feet.

[Vanman1985]

Nice video!!! I think most of us have felt the wrath of creeping up on the scope at one time or another..... I would love to hunt those animals one day!!

Thanks for sharing

[coach]

Great video! Thanks for posting. It looks like that goat sure saved you a lot of work by falling to the bottom of that cliff. I hunted goats for the first time last fall and put long hard stalk on a big billy but didn't connect. I can't wait to try again this year.

[tomahawk]

Good video, ouch on the nose.

[Tenacious Billy]

Nice work BCB & TSW! Your tenacity never ceases to amaze me!!

[Gateholio]

Great video!:-D

The KING clearly packs a bit of a punch when applied to the nose! Ouch!

Congrats:-D

[gerrygoat]

When I went to see BCBillies it only took one look at his nose to see shots had been fired ;) Nice billy lots of character with that deformed horn, he had an eventful 3 years of life that's for sure :)

[180grainer]

Nice goat!!! And considering the caliber, that's a good shot at 310 yards.

[6 K]

Good shooting BCB! You were looking to take home two trophies from that hunt hu.:-D I find you can only get close enough to the scope to see the whole view then back off a bit on them up hill shots. Having said that, I believe my scar on top of scar still out ranks your newest owee.:mrgreen:
Congrats guys, I thought of you often this weekend but was on a hot pursuit of my own.

[Brett]

Looks like you guys had lots of fun and stories for a lifetime, one day!

[shaner338]

Great vid! Congrats on the goat and hope the scope eye is healing!!

[wolverine]

Nice looking goat. Of course they're tough.... look what they survive in 24/7. Something that we tend to forget from time to time about all wild animals. They're all tough... they gotta be. Congrats on your successful hunt.:)

[Mik]

Great Videos. Man it looked like you were in pain! (and sorry, but i did have to laugh) only 'cause ive "bin there dun that" before. Congrats on the Goat and thanks for sharing.

[BCbillies]

Great Videos. Man it looked like you were in pain! (and sorry, but i did have to laugh) only 'cause ive "bin there dun that" before. Congrats on the Goat and thanks for sharing.

Don't be sorry, I laughed pretty hard also . . . just not right away. :confused: Having these events on video helps relive the hunt and all the emotions! Some pretty dumb things are said and done in the heat of the moment and when we can laugh about it that's what makes us go back for more. Instant replay on the video camera has provided some good campfire entertainment. :lol:

[ryanb]

Dude, you're wearing a T-shirt...in region 6...in February!

Thanks for breaking up the doldroms of winter with the good story.

[shoot to kill]

assisted suicide? ;)

[Ambush]

Gotta love a gun that can draw blood on both ends. I think I've seen that same semi-dazed look on a Chuck Liddel's face. Maybe you should name that gun "Rampage".

You guys are for sure the "Goat-Masters" and you keep proving it.
Congrats and thanks for putting the "hunt" back in Hunting BC.

[behemoth]

BC Billies you are always good for some great goat pics from time to time. Thanks for sharing and congrats!
I also dont feel so bad about the scope bite I got this year now ;)

[SKYLINE]

Don't be sorry, I laughed pretty hard also . . . just not right away. :confused: Having these events on video helps relive the hunt and all the emotions! Some pretty dumb things are said and done in the heat of the moment and when we can laugh about it that's what makes us go back for more. Instant reply on the video camera has provided some good campfire entertainment. :lol:


With TSW around there is usually no shortage of laughter thats for sure!!! Great story and video as usual. Just watched some old footage tonight and it totally helps relive the hunt. Congrats on your first non-typical.

[TSW]

Congrats on your first non-typical.


:lol: Love it!!

[Dmytro]

Good shooting! What bullets did you shoot?

[.308win]

Awesome video man!! Can't belive its horns survived the fall!!! Congrats on a beauty Billy!!!

Perry

[BCbillies]

Good shooting! What bullets did you shoot?

260 grain Accubonds. 76% retention on the bullet recovered. One blackie and one goat now and the "King" and I are still working things out . . . hopefully it will all come together on the spring grizz! :)

[Gateholio]

Got a pic of the recovered bullet?

Where did you recover it from?

[Dmytro]

260 grain Accubonds. 76% retention on the bullet recovered. One blackie and one goat now and the "King" and I are still working things out . . . hopefully it will all come together on the spring grizz! :)

That's what shoots best in my Ruger African so far. Plus it has very good BC relative to other options in 375.

What scope did you use and what magnification was it set to? Wondering what your eye relief was for these shots.

Was it just one of the shots that kissed you or both?

[BCbillies]

That's what shoots best in my Ruger African so far. Plus it has very good BC relative to other options in 375.

What scope did you use and what magnification was it set to? Wondering what your eye relief was for these shots.

Was it just one of the shots that kissed you or both?

I plan to continue using this bullet other than grizz hunting in the creeks.

The scope is a Leupold 2.5 - 8 x 36. I had it set at 8x. Lost eye relief on the uphill angle and the lens cover (Leupold Alumina) didn't help either. Lose about 1/4" with the cover and the latch extends out the side by 1/4". May consider taking the cover off if faced with this scenerio. I was only kissed by the first shot.

[Dmytro]

So you had 3.6" eye relief optically minus your lens cover. My current scope is similar- 3.5" fixed minus a cover.

There are also extended eye relief scopes like the Swaro 1-6x24 or Leupold 2.5x20.

[Johnnybear]

Congrats big time on the goat BCB!!! Great video as well. Nice to see guys taking the time to video their hunts. Good job as usual. Thanks for sharing.

[Gateholio]

I plan to continue using this bullet other than grizz hunting in the creeks.

t.

I'm wondering if the 260 AB is a good bullet for tough game.:confused:

I get wonderful accuracy with them in my Alaskan, but I've heard of them not going all the way through a broadside (small) moose, and now you had a goat stop one, and a couple of other "lack of penetration" posts I've read.

The only animal I shot with one was a just under 6ft black bear, frontal shot, went end to end...I dug the bullet out of the rear ham under the skin.:confused:

I thought that was pretty good, but these days I am hmmmmming a little about using that bullet for big moose or big bears....

[Dmytro]

Do you think it would have been better with a 375 TSX?
I don't know what to think because these shots were made at over 300 yards and assuming equal energy at the muzzle for 260 AB and 270 TSX by the time they reach that goat the energy of AB would have exceed that of TSX by almost 25% just based on the BC calculations. So which one is better- sharp copper with full retention or AB which retained 3/4 of the weight but hit with 1/4 more energy?

[Gateholio]

Do you think it would have been better with a 375 TSX?
I don't know what to think because these shots were made at over 300 yards and assuming equal energy at the muzzle for 260 AB and 270 TSX by the time they reach that goat the energy of AB would have exceed that of TSX by almost 25% just based on the BC calculations. So which one is better- sharp copper with full retention or AB which retained 3/4 of the weight but hit with 1/4 more energy?

I really don't know the answer...

The .375 TSX bullets are pretty "tough" they are made with the assumption they will be busting big buffalo bones. The Accubonds would seem a better choice for most north american game but their lack of penetration has me questioning them. Not condemning them, mind you.

I have some 300gr AB's and I wonder if they would add to penetration.

I don't view energy figures as being very important in the grand scheme of killing things with bullets.

If Barnes would just listen to me, we would have the ultimate north american .375 bullet- A 240-260gr Tipped TSX:wink:

[ThinAir]

Great job BCB. Getting a kiss from a 375 is not that enjoyable I would suspect:-D

Goats are the toughest animals going. Your video shows it so well....after the first shot he was looking for whatever "bit" him.

I think there have been many goats that were shot and assumed "missed" because the hunter watched as they walked away.

Good job boys.

[BCbillies]

I really don't know the answer...

The .375 TSX bullets are pretty "tough" they are made with the assumption they will be busting big buffalo bones. The Accubonds would seem a better choice for most north american game but their lack of penetration has me questioning them. Not condemning them, mind you.

I have some 300gr AB's and I wonder if they would add to penetration.

I don't view energy figures as being very important in the grand scheme of killing things with bullets.

If Barnes would just listen to me, we would have the ultimate north american .375 bullet- A 240-260gr Tipped TSX:wink:

I would think the 300g would add to penetration and I may work up a load with these. I really wanted the give the 260's an honest try for goats as they would have the least drop. I still firmly believe the greatest factor is not the energy, bullet or the calibre but the shot placement. To date I have had much better shots and kills with my 270 and 300 wmag than the 375 but we're still in the "dating" stage and working things out. If I get a good frontal shoulder shot this spring on a grizz in the 100 to 200 yard range then I can comment better on this bullet. Before now and then I have some work to do.

[Gateholio]

Shot placement is always going to be number 1, without a doubt....And I am by no means condemning the Accubonds. I'm just contemplating if they run out of steam too quickly after expansion. :confused:

[Kody94]

I've worried about the Accubombs with the 375 Ruger too.

The Hornady factory 270gr SP's are way too soft IMHO.

I had great success with the 270gr Swift A-frame in a 375 H&H in Africa. I look forward to trying it out on game with my Ruger.

I bought some of the TSXs to try too.

[BCbillies]

Great job BCB. Getting a kiss from a 375 is not that enjoyable I would suspect:-D

Goats are the toughest animals going. Your video shows it so well....after the first shot he was looking for whatever "bit" him.

I think there have been many goats that were shot and assumed "missed" because the hunter watched as they walked away.

Good job boys.


This guy makes most of us look pretty smart! :confused:

http://s268.photobucket.com/albums/jj12/BCbillies/?action=view&current=firearmsafety.flv&newest=1

Back to the goats . . . like Shockey with that goat taken in Terrace about 4 years ago at 20 yards . . . no flinch or indication whatsoever of a hit . . . just walked away. I think I need to see this video again . . . maybe I missed something the previous 10 times!!!

[Dmytro]

This guy makes most of us look pretty smart! :confused:

http://s268.photobucket.com/albums/jj12/BCbillies/?action=view&current=firearmsafety.flv&newest=1



That's a funny video! :mrgreen: The eye relief on that rifle must have been measured in feet if he had to hold it like that! :mrgreen:

Have you tried to shoot 375 Ruger from your hip? I did a few rounds and my fingers hurt for couple days after that.

[gerrygoat]

This guy makes most of us look pretty smart! :confused:

http://s268.photobucket.com/albums/jj12/BCbillies/?action=view&current=firearmsafety.flv&newest=1

Back to the goats . . . like Shockey with that goat taken in Terrace about 4 years ago at 20 yards . . . no flinch or indication whatsoever of a hit . . . just walked away. I think I need to see this video again . . . maybe I missed something the previous 10 times!!!

Funny video :)

I'm with BCbillies for grizz in the creeks I want a bit more bullet than the 260 gr Accubond although it would work fine. I do like the Accubond though. I hope Nosler comes out soon with the E tip in 375, I'd be all over it like BCB on a big billy :)

[Maxx]

Great video, and pictures....congrats on the billy. As for the 375 Accubond, the 2 shots from my 375 H&H I put into my moose last year both exited, and he fell over. I always assumed that the Accubond was an improved partition but it appears most here don't agree. For bears, I will be using the 270 tsx.