Am I doing it right? camp hunting

[llloyd]

My three buddies and I won an LEH goat hunt up near golden. None of us have camp hunted before so I want to see if I have the general gist of how its done right. We're looking at doing 3-5 nights.

Everyone loads up a good backpack with quality gear.
- goretex shell
- warm fleece
- lighweight
- base layer

We hike to a base camp where we set up our tents sleeping bags etc, put the food sealed away from the camp.

Then we do the actual hunting in pairs. Make sure we have basic stuff on us that oculd get us by overnight like the fleece/goretex, firestarters, siltarp, bit of food but leave the larger things like tents, sleeping bags, stove, water filter (rather than tablets) at the base camp. Check in by radio with other group periodically and have plans. These would just be day trips from the base camp, never plan on overnight.

[BigBanger]

Sounds good.

[BiG Boar]

Sounds pretty good. However its a bit more complex. I would say to add emergency gear to your day pack, like first aid and a lighter (waterproof).

Also, your number one thing next to good boots is going to be a great spotting scope. Not a bushmaster from crappy tire. You want to be able to spot goats with your binos and then identify if they are worth going after, and if they are billies. Know the difference between billies and nannies.

Lots of hike in gear lists on the site, do a search. You need to go in prepared or you wont last in there very long.

[JeremyCarrano302]

Ya sounds good

[llloyd]

Tags

Clothing
Backpack
Footwear/Boots
Base Layers
Waterproof jacket
Waterproof pants
Fleece jacket
Fleece pants
Lightweight shirt
Lightweight pants
Hat
Gloves
Hiking socks

Firearm
Rifle
Scope
Ammo
Sling
Ear Muffs


Electronics/Optics
Emergency beacon
GPS / Radio
Range finder
batteries
Binoculars

Accessories
First aid
Water purification
Knife
Game saw/axe
Calls
Firestarter
Handwarmers
Tarp

Bear spray
Bear bangers

Meat
Cord for hanging game
Game bags/Cheese cloth
String or Tape for Tagging
Latex Gloves

Night
Tent
Lean to
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad

Food
Water filter
Cooking stove
Spork/Utensils

[llloyd]

Any example of a good spotting scope to start looking at? Thats one area I haven't considered until now.

[Tuffcity]

never plan on overnight.

That sort of thinking can get you killed. Always plan on an over night. It might not be a sleep filled, comfortable overnight but have stuff to survive an overnight.

RC

[llloyd]

ya i meant "never intend on overnight but be prepared for it"

[Amphibious]

bear spray? Bear Bangers? YOU HAVE A RIFLE.

[BiG Boar]

Definitley a good start to the list. I would definitley do at least a weekend run to see how small you can keep your pack, and to see if you can do it. There is more to it than meets the eye. Also, some guys freak out when tenting in bear coutry, so its a good way to know if your partners will make it for a week, and if everyone has the right gear so that you dont have to head out after 2 nights and wet sleeping bags.

A spotting scope will save you thousands and thousands of miles on your boots, because you can just look and see if its worth making the 7 hour trek up the mountain. You wont even know if its a baby goat or some snow if you dont have a quality one.

I would get the best one you can afford.

[trapperRick]

Dancing girls?

[Krico]

bear spray? Bear Bangers? YOU HAVE A RIFLE.

Drop the ear muffs too.

Throw in a head lamp.

Think about when you want to hunt. Different times of the season offer different challenges and benefits. Early season is warmer, which means lighter clothes and sleeping bags, but finding water can be an issue. Goats will be higher on the mountain and coats will not be very nice yet, but getting around on the mountains is not so bad. Late season you're packing warmer clothes etc., also crampons are recommended, less hours of daylight to hunt in, weather(fog) is more likely to come in to play, but the goats likely will be lower on the mountain and have much nicer coats.

Never drop down into a shute you cannot climb out of, or did not use to climb up. What looks like nice timbered slopes below can be riddled with hidden cliffs. If you cannot climb out the top, you're going to be there for a while.

There is no one single way to do it right. Just be prepared. It's fun. Though chances are at some point you'll be standing there soaked in sweat, full of devil's club, cold (or hot), hungry, thirsty and exhausted wondering why the hell you thought it was a good idea. By the time you're back home though, you'll want to head straight back.

[Tenacious Billy]

Ear muffs when out hunting will give you a serious bout of the "ghey" - so make sure you leave those at home.

[llloyd]

haha but what if your ears get cold? j/k, i think my buddy put that on the list since he wanted to buy a new rifle too and was making a list of *everything* he needed including range gear. really.

[killman]

Ear plugs are a good Idea. Just incase your buddy snores, also makes it so you can't here the mice outside your tent that sound like Huge Grizzlies in the dark.

[behemoth]

I would suggest that you be prepared to break camp every day until you see a goat that you want to stalk.
Nothing worse than climbing 500 metres and seeing a better goat over the next ridge, but youve gotta go back to base camp cuz its getting dark.
I made this mistake on my first goat hunt, it wasted valuable time and probably cost us the goat.
Also, do a search on this site, there are a couple of threads that discuss packing lists for these types of trips

[llloyd]

I dunno i think bear spray makes sense. I can pull it off my belt alot faster in a panic than I can get my rifle off my back and load it. Don't get me wrong though, I'll have black bear tags as well and let the situation dictate which I might use :)

[brian]

You'll find with hiking camping that you'll adjust your gear/ how you pack over time to reflect what you really need and how you'll use it. So I'd suggest gearing up with the basics and then going for a series of dry runs through summer and into fall (especially important to see how the gear holds up in bad weather) and see if your gear suits your needs. Even some good long day hikes with your gear is better than going in untested.

[ryry4]

Flashlight/headlamp and a gps and or compass are a must in my books.

[buck nash]

All my electronics (gps, flahlight, camera, walky-talkies) run on AA batteries, that way I don't have to have tons of different spares, and in a survival situation I can prioritize which item is most important to keep powered.

[RiverOtter]

If you don't mind me asking, what unit near Golden did you draw?

I spent quite a bit of time in 4-36 for elk/goats in the 90's and did several back pack trips into different drainages.

[RiverOtter]

I may be a little old school, but I never doubted the water quality of any creeks in that area, and never had a single issue in the dozen or so trips I made into the backcountry around there. That and most of the streams had so much glacial till in them that they'd plug a water filter right quick like...

[llloyd]

If you don't mind me asking, what unit near Golden did you draw?


We drew 4-35B

[RiverOtter]

Haven't hunted that unit, but I'm sure someone who has will help point you in the right direction to save you some time outta the gate.

Any chance of a summer scout trip?

[Jagermeister]

I think that each of you should purchase a Spot and activate them.

[jsdboy]

do NOT use inflatable matresses in the base camp. I had a miserable experience with those last year while camping. the nights got a bit chilly (-12 to -15 C) and my skinny little body could not warm up the cold air in the mattress. ended up being much more comfortable just sleeping on a few wool blankets my wife tossed in the car "in case of emergency" bless her heart

[llloyd]

ya we're hoping to get up there on a long weekend to scout it out. in the meantime take a look at some closer to home like keremeos get a feel for the terrain.

[o2fish2day]

There is a good article in BC Outdoors this month for sheep hunting (everything in two backpacks - two guys)

[bayou]

My three buddies and I won an LEH goat hunt up near golden. None of us have camp hunted before so I want to see if I have the general gist of how its done right. We're looking at doing 3-5 nights.

Everyone loads up a good backpack with quality gear.
- goretex shell
- warm fleece
- lighweight
- base layer

We hike to a base camp where we set up our tents sleeping bags etc, put the food sealed away from the camp.

Then we do the actual hunting in pairs. Make sure we have basic stuff on us that oculd get us by overnight like the fleece/goretex, firestarters, siltarp, bit of food but leave the larger things like tents, sleeping bags, stove, water filter (rather than tablets) at the base camp. Check in by radio with other group periodically and have plans. These would just be day trips from the base camp, never plan on overnight.
Im guessing from what you post non of you have been to this area as well, curious as to why you picked this area and what time you are planning your hunt.
From what you post you may be better off camping at your truck and day hunting or stay in one of the local hotels and day hunt. Pack a tarp and warm coat and if you decide to sleep out one night, light a fire and you should be ok. Theres 2 outfitters working the area one from the north and one from the south. KNP boarders lots of the basins and ridges so get a good map and be aware of were the boarder is. Some one mentioned glass from the highway which is good but in lots of cases you will have to cross private land to get to the mountain so be aware of that as well may be better to try and get access before hand.

[BlacktailStalker]

do NOT use inflatable matresses in the base camp. I had a miserable experience with those last year while camping. the nights got a bit chilly (-12 to -15 C) and my skinny little body could not warm up the cold air in the mattress. ended up being much more comfortable just sleeping on a few wool blankets my wife tossed in the car "in case of emergency" bless her heart

Then I guess you better upgrade to an insulated sleeping pad like a Neo.

[Rodd]

Many Grizzlies in the area, beware. I have a tag for I'm assuming the same area 4-35b. I have lived near Golden most of my life. I would recommend a good spotting scope, and spot the billie before you go hiking un-necessarily.. In the early season the Goats are in the alpine, but by late october they start to come down onto the ledges and cliffs down low. Anywhere you go in that area has trophy Goats! Be patient, and wait until you see the one you want, in an area you can kill them without losing them off a huge cliff, and then expell all your energy to get up and get em. I generally haven't actually hiked more than one full day per Goat. Only because i spot before I go. If you have any questions on where to start, write me a message, and I'll help you guys out.

[Moose72]

bear spray? Bear Bangers? YOU HAVE A RIFLE.Thats what i was gonna say. Extra weight.

[ryanb]

One thing to keep in mind, if you are climbing UP something, and are thinking to yourself "this is a bit sketchy", it is going to be doubly so, if not suicidal, coming back down.

[Bobfl]

Let me tell you from someone thats being there. Take what you want but keep keep in to 25lbs and 50ft of rope per person. Buy a one spot, you'll need it if you get hurt. You will be climbing most the day and definately camping over night. Bone your meat and hang it 100yds from where you camp. For a tent, use a survival tent, which is open on both ends, weight 1/2 lb. As for comfort forget it, there's no comfort on a mountain. What you carry up the hill, add 100 lbs , because that is what you will carry down the hill. You must have 50 ft of rope. You may have to repel to your goat. If you get hurt, it will be coming down the slope, going up is easy.
Good luck.

[bforce750]

I here there are big goats are in africa,dont forget your snuggie.

[6616]

Many Grizzlies in the area, beware. I have a tag for I'm assuming the same area 4-35b. I have lived near Golden most of my life. I would recommend a good spotting scope, and spot the billie before you go hiking un-necessarily.. In the early season the Goats are in the alpine, but by late october they start to come down onto the ledges and cliffs down low. Anywhere you go in that area has trophy Goats! Be patient, and wait until you see the one you want, in an area you can kill them without losing them off a huge cliff, and then expell all your energy to get up and get em. I generally haven't actually hiked more than one full day per Goat. Only because i spot before I go. If you have any questions on where to start, write me a message, and I'll help you guys out.

I have shot 6 goats in 4-35B over the years and most of them I walked right from my front door and once I was home by noon with a goat in my pack, I've never hunted goats before Thanksgiving weekend. 4-35B is actually one of the easiest goat hunts in BC if you know the area around Golden.

Do you know where I live Rodd? I bet you could have done the same from your Dad's former house on C____ Road.

[Rodd]

I have shot 6 goats in 4-35B over the years and most of them I walked right from my front door and once I was home by noon with a goat in my pack, I've never hunted goats before Thanksgiving weekend. 4-35B is actually one of the easiest goat hunts in BC if you know the area around Golden.

Do you know where I live Rodd? I bet you could have done the same from your Dad's former house on C____ Road.

Not sure who this is??, but I bet I know you? haha! especially if you know I grew up on C___ Rd. Yes we did kill some beauty's in less than a day for sure! I agree with you about the before thanksgiving its tougher and the goats are higher, at least the majority of them.

[6616]

Not sure who this is??, but I bet I know you? haha! especially if you know I grew up on C___ Rd. Yes we did kill some beauty's in less than a day for sure! I agree with you about the before thanksgiving its tougher and the goats are higher, at least the majority of them.

My name is Andy, my son's name is George and you and Todd used to go skiing with him.

I used to wait until Thanksgiving mostly for the hide quality, Sept "bald" goats aren't near as pretty as the shaggy ones. I used to go up the bluffs above Alfano's.

[ve7iuq]

A quote--"
There is no one single way to do it right. Just be prepared. It's fun. Though chances are at some point you'll be standing there soaked in sweat, full of devil's club, cold (or hot), hungry, thirsty and exhausted wondering why the hell you thought it was a good idea. By the time you're back home though, you'll want to head straight back.
__________________

It is plain to see that you are an experienced goat hunter and mountain traveller!

[Tenacious Billy]

Let me tell you from someone thats being there. Take what you want but keep keep in to 25lbs and 50ft of rope per person. Buy a one spot, you'll need it if you get hurt. You will be climbing most the day and definately camping over night. Bone your meat and hang it 100yds from where you camp. For a tent, use a survival tent, which is open on both ends, weight 1/2 lb. As for comfort forget it, there's no comfort on a mountain. What you carry up the hill, add 100 lbs , because that is what you will carry down the hill. You must have 50 ft of rope. You may have to repel to your goat. If you get hurt, it will be coming down the slope, going up is easy.
Good luck.


Get a real tent..............