My 2010 sheep, goat and caribou hunt

[MattW]

The hunt started with the usual over long slog up the highway to the hunting grounds. It was raining when we got to base camp but we could see goats on the hills already. There were four of us and the plan was to break into two pairs and head for the hills for a week and see what happened from there. On the first morning we all set out Pete and Nathan up their mountain and John and myself up ours. The going was steep and wet but we had found a good spot for spike by the end of the day with a little pond, firewood and good shelter. There were some game trails to get up to good glassing locations, things were looking good. Day two we got the lay of the land and did a lot of glassing. We found only pika. On day three we started looking into some further basins, glassing for hours and finding more pika. About noon we found a herd of caribou, cows and calves only. After watching them for a while we continued on over the top of a mountain, across a saddle and onto another peak looking into another bowl. We glassed it for a while studying all the suspiciously shaped and coloured rocks and patches of lichen. When we had finished studying those I randomly swung the spotter on to a mountainside to start an organized glassing. I peered through the scope only to see a large herd of caribou with a very big bull. We had just finished discussing how we might be a little far from base to be taking game but that was instantly forgotten. The next hour was spent clambering over boulder slopes to get within range of the herd. At 700 yards we ran out of cover and snuck towards them single file and straight at them to minimize the visible motion. At 510 yards they started to move out, not startled but moving out. It was now or never so we set up on a couple of rocks. We gave it the 1 2 3 shoot and John shot and I remembered that I hadn't taken my safety off. I watched Johns shot hit the caribou through my scope, just a bit far back. The caribou turned and headed up the hill quartering away, he paused and I fired taking him through the spine and ending things.
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii5/landrover88/smallcariboujohn.jpg
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii5/landrover88/smallcariboupicture.jpg

[CSG]

Beauty. Nice Rack.

[rburm]

wow thats huge!, congrats!!

[4 point]

Very, very nice!

[doubled]

Very nice bull. I bet the pack was fun.

[JDR]

I don't know much about caribou, but he looks big and wide, congrats!!

[MattW]

It was late and we quickly quartered and caped our bull, loaded up as much as we could and headed for spike camp walking well into the night using our little headlamps and the GPS. The next two and a half days were spent packing the caribou to base camp, 12km and 4300 vertical feet away. At base we found out that Pete and Nathan had taken a nice goat on their mountain and there were more. We spent the next day and a half at base camp. It was raining and socked right in. On our last hunting day John and I decide to do a one day assault into goat country, leaving at first light to try to get to goat altitude and come back with a goat in a single day. We got to the top of the mountain in steadily worsening weather. It was pouring sleet up there so we hunkered down behind some rocks to wait it out a bit. During one slightly clearer break I looked through a hole in the clouds to see a group of goats. We observed them for the next 20 minutes as they worked their way toward out perch. They stopped about 600 yards out and things cleared enough to start some serious evaluation with the spotter. They had other ideas though and decided to run straight at us. I picked out the two biggest as they ran and marked them in my mind. They ran right up to us stopping at what turned out to be 13 yards. I whispered to John which goat to shoot and I selected mine and we gave it the 1 2 3 shoot and both rifles fired simultaneously and 2 goats dropped stone dead. Then it started to snow.
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii5/landrover88/smallgoat.jpg
We took some quick photos and deboned our goats and made tracks down the mountain arriving at base totally exhausted. It rained all night and we packed up and went home.

[MattW]

Reading this I realize I've lost track of a couple of hunting days.

[Crazy_Farmer]

Great post so far. Real beauties in there. Congrats.

[MattW]

Very nice bull. I bet the pack was fun.
Thanks all. Yes the pack out was a tough one but we survived and now we know we can do it.

[MattW]

The snow didn't show up in the goat picture but it is the reason for the grim look on my face. It was a steep haul up and I wasn't looking forward to going down in the snow.

[pathfinder55]

Looks like a great hunt

[Farmer]

Great caribou and nice goat. This will be a trip you will remember forever.

[BlacktailStalker]

Thats a good haul of critters and a good haul to get them out, good for you guys.

[MattW]

I should add that on the way down with the goats we had radio contact with Pete and Nathan at base camp and at times they could see us through the spotter. At one point when we were out of sight and still waaaay up on the mountain we fired a shot and when they radioed to see what was up we told them that we had dropped a huge moose. Fuuunnny. And this after Nathan was kind enough to help John and I (two crazies) get our caribou off the mountain.

[MB_Boy]

Nice pics....and nice animals!! Congrats!!

[shekarchi]

Why be a dick? It's legal.

...great looking animals, they are both great trophies. I can't wait to try goats one day...

[lightmag]

great job good experience, nanny or not!! now that you have one next time you can be more selective and take a billy, congrats!!

[KB90]

Congrats on an awesome hunt! Awesome Caribou.

[BromBones]

Sounds like time well spent!

Good job fellas.

[porcupine]

Congratulations on a good hunt and nice story. Bet your legs wee pretty sore at the end!

[MattW]

It is a nanny. It was in a group of only adults and I thought it was a billy based on the size. I was dissappointed in myself for taking it but I should say that it was dry and most certainly had no kids with it. It is still a trophy in my mind because it was a good hunt that is was taken on and it is an impressive animal. I can't throw it back so I'll enjoy it.

[BCHunterFSJ]

Don't worry about some of the comments. My only goat happens to be a nanny, and I'm glad I took her! Can't hunt goats anymore due to health reasons...

[f350ps]

Good on you guys, you took a monster Boo and a couple of 100% legal goats, be proud of yer accomplishment. Most guys can only dream of a hunt like that, me included. K

[Tenacious Billy]

Nice work, nice goat!

[Dannybuoy]

It is a nanny. It was in a group of only adults and I thought it was a billy based on the size. I was dissappointed in myself for taking it but I should say that it was dry and most certainly had no kids with it. It is still a trophy in my mind because it was a good hunt that is was taken on and it is an impressive animal. I can't throw it back so I'll enjoy it.
Sure enjoy it ... it sounds like you guys realy worked for it and the caribou
All I was thinking was Holy Moly thats a huge hole blowed thru that goat .
Sounds like a great hunting trip !

[d6dan]

It is a nanny. It was in a group of only adults and I thought it was a billy based on the size. I was dissappointed in myself for taking it but I should say that it was dry and most certainly had no kids with it. It is still a trophy in my mind because it was a good hunt that is was taken on and it is an impressive animal. I can't throw it back so I'll enjoy it.

Congrats on a successful hunting trip Matt W. Looks like you had a great time. Thats a good first goat and you should be proud of it, regardless of what some people say..Heck, my first goat was a nanny too. I remember a friend of mine said to me along time ago,"you can always better it next time"..And I did and you will too:wink:.. Thanks for sharing your story and pics..

[trigger]

awesome goat and caribou. thanks for sharing

[shantz]

Congrats on the successful hunts. great pics and story.

[goatdancer]

"It is unlawful to hunt a female mountain goat accompanying a kid or a female mountain goat in a group that contains one or more kids". Page 26 of the latest regs. By no means am I pointing fingers or making accusations, just stating the regs. This issue has been kicked around on many earlier threads. Having hunted goats under some pretty horrible conditions, I applaud your efforts under such adverse weather conditions. It looks like you worked your butts off to harvest the bou and the goats.

[Angel]

Did you read that in the regs?.....I did - I also watched the "Is it a Billy or is it a Nanny" video the ministry so graciously rents out for free. Nevertheless, mistakes happen. The guy already said he thought it was a billy. The goat is dead now, he didn't break any laws and chances are he'll take a little more time on his next hunt to ID the goat. So why are you busting his balls????

That is just what some people like to do on this site. The so called "Experts" would never ever make a mistake, so they like to bust balls. Remember over the internet there are alot of experts and people get pretty tough :wink::mrgreen: .

Either way it was a legal hunt, so it was a good hunt. Some people have big issues with Griz and Black bear hunting and others with different species.... but if its legal then its legal. Pretty straight forward if you ask me. Just follow the letter of the law and your fine.

[srupp]

ooops's happen..Great hunt and wonderful trophies.

If everytime someone gets POUNDED with rude and insensitive comments regarding their accomplishments folks wont want to post...

This hunter realizes the preference to select male goats... and it just didnt work..this time...its NO ONES BUISNESS TO BEAT HIM UP WITH DISPARAGING COMMENTS...

the first PERFECT HUNTER here that has never ever made any mistakes can start the stone throwing...I want to meet this Mr perfect..I sure in the hell cant start claiming perfection so I cant stand and critisize others..this hunt is over its not shoot and release...many will learn from this hunt...how many goast will be killed by wolves cougar and ???

The point by stoneslinger is accurate..and well documented..but no 10 pound sledgehammer needed to drive home the point..imo

Lets learn and move on...preaching is over living begins..lol

Steven

[goatdancer]

In the writeup, he stated that it was a group of adults, no kids. Therefore it was legal.

[fusion]

Sounds like you guys had an excellent hunt. Congrats on the nice bou & goats. If I busted my ass on a hunt like that, I would not hesitate to take a nanny for a first goat if the sircumstances were right. (no kids present)
Good on you guys!

[Kody94]

It is a nanny. It was in a group of only adults and I thought it was a billy based on the size. I was dissappointed in myself for taking it but I should say that it was dry and most certainly had no kids with it. It is still a trophy in my mind because it was a good hunt that is was taken on and it is an impressive animal. I can't throw it back so I'll enjoy it.

That's a good enough answer for me. It ain't the end of the world, and it shouldn't completely ruin your hunt.

It should be avoided however, and its not hard to get straight if you've done your homework. So, as far as the guys being hardnosed about it, well, consider it free education (and/or encouragement to study up) for folks that shouldn't have to learn nanny ID the hard way like MattW has.

[Kudu]

ooops's happen..Great hunt and wonderful trophies.

If everytime someone gets POUNDED with rude and insensitive comments regarding their accomplishments folks wont want to post...

This hunter realizes the preference to select male goats... and it just didnt work..this time...its NO ONES BUISNESS TO BEAT HIM UP WITH DISPARAGING COMMENTS...

the first PERFECT HUNTER here that has never ever made any mistakes can start the stone throwing...I want to meet this Mr perfect..I sure in the hell cant start claiming perfection so I cant stand and critisize others..this hunt is over its not shoot and release...many will learn from this hunt...how many goast will be killed by wolves cougar and ???

The point by stoneslinger is accurate..and well documented..but no 10 pound sledgehammer needed to drive home the point..imo

Lets learn and move on...preaching is over living begins..lol

Steven


What Steven says is true - this is not shoot and release......

I'm always surprised to see how many on this site have "water walking capabilities" - strange that they even humble the rest of us mere mortals with their awesome presence...............


To MattW and his hunting mates - well done chap's - that was a great read and it sure sounds like you had a great hunt - I too hope to do that one-day

[Blktail]

Very impressive story and results!

Why do you stupid fracking loudmouth a-holes continue to hijack guys threads with your negative comments. This is a thread about a guys successful hunt.

If you want to criticize, start your own Gad Dang thread. Then the people that want to read about a great hunt don't have to sift through all your BS.

Otherwise save your opinion for when someone asks for it.

Jerks!:mad:

[Shade Tree]

Excellent caribou gentlemen, I hope I can find one that good next week.

[mntbowhunter]

Great hunt, great pics. Nice goat man, too. The first time I went goat hunting I didnt even know the difference between a billy and a nanny. I arrowed the first lone goat I could get close to and it turned out to be a nanny. I dont shoot nannies anymore and now the difference is pretty distinct, but I have no shame in it and neither should you. Great job!

[srupp]

hmmm the point WAS made and the hunter accepted it that he should have did a bit more homework and less excited...a mistake...it happens gents..


After 35 years oif hunting I have not shot a goat...partially just because I have difficulty in distinguishing the boys from the girls from a distance..yes not enough practice...I may even get a goat tag for our upcoming adventure...however the point has been made and lets just concentrate on the positive...

lol I for one do NOT rush home and post photos...that can be for certain...lmao..


cheers
steven

[dana]

Congrats on a great hunt! Sounds like a hunt to remember! I wouldn't worry about the Jackass remarks on this site. It don't matter what it is, there will always be those that just can't say anything nice. Contrary to what some here say, yup a nanny can be an animal to be proud of. Got my son's nanny hanging above the computer right now as I type this. He was only 12 years old and killed it in a unit that is lucky to see 1 goat harvested every 5 years. I don't care what the naysayers have to say, I am very proud of my son for killing that goat. And even after all the hate spewed at me on the internet since that day, if I had a chance redo it, I would do it all the same.

[sawmill]

Back to the ORIGINAL topic.....Way to go!that is some hard damn hunting,excellent Bou and goat,be proud,not many guys can or even want to put in that kind of work.:mrgreen:GOOD ON YA.

[steel_ram]

If the MOE really that worried about hunters shooting Nanny Goats they'd make it illegal. It's clearly not in the regulations. If a nanny doesn't have a lamb clinging to it's hooves, it's obviously dry and a detriment to the herd, and should be culled.

[sawmill]

I would`nt say 'culled'....maybe she was just ugly and didn`t get layed that year,prettier ones showed up:mrgreen:

[Dannybuoy]

If the MOE really that worried about hunters shooting Nanny Goats they'd make it illegal. It's clearly not in the regulations. If a nanny doesn't have a lamb clinging to it's hooves, it's obviously dry and a detriment to the herd, and should be culled.
Not any kind of goat expert but this sounds like a very valid point !
Either way I'd say these guys worked their butt's off to get a couple of real nice trophy's !

[KB90]

I'm no expert but there seems to be some misguided comments about goats and nannies. You can't compare does to nannies.


If the MOE really that worried about hunters shooting Nanny Goats they'd make it illegal. It's clearly not in the regulations.

And yes the MOE's are concerned. If it wasnt important This regulation would not have been created. People should read up about mountain goats and how important a matures nanny role is. It is not the same as other ungulates.

1) Proposal: Protection of Female Mountain Goats. Rationale: Mountain Goat populations are sensitive to the harvest of females. This regulation ensures conservation objectives are met, while maintaining Mountain Goat hunting opportunities. Regulation: There is no open season for a female Mountain Goat accompanying a kid, or a female Mountain Goat in a group that contains one or more kids.

Nor would they waste their time with this: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/wildlife/hunting/docs/goat_orientation_08Utah.pdf

They can't make illegal, so many people make the mistake, and that is simply because of no education.

[KB90]

If a nanny doesn't have a lamb clinging to it's hooves, it's obviously dry and a detriment to the herd, and should be culled.

That is not right at all. Read up on how important of a role a mature nanny plays in correlation to goat populations.

If people keep shooting nannys there will be some drastic changes to goat hunting opportunities.

[steel_ram]

Why would a "proposal" stop a hunter who has spent incredible sweat, money and time to put himself infront of a beautiful trophy, that just happens to be a female, not pull the the trigger. CO's can do absolutely nothing about it. It's not illegal so it's OK and no one should be criticizing another until it is. As long as the doors open, one can use it.

[KB90]

That isn't a proposal it is now regulation.

[dana]

The changes are coming anyway. And you know what, it ain't the rich heliskiers that will be feeling the change. Just like the mountain caribou, economics and politics get in the way of the truth. Hunter harvest on mountain goats in a lot of areas of this province is very very dismal, and yet it is the hunters that are to blame for the low numbers right? Really how does a harvest of less than 2% of the tags allocated equate to hunters being the problem? No, there are deeper issues at play here.

[KB90]

If they had no way of regulating killing female deer due to dificult identification, but it was legal, would you kill does if it meant it could ruin deer hunting for everyone and forever?

Even though a little bit of education would make it possible to correctly identify?

[BigBuck155]

thats a very nice looking bull you got there... congrats on the hunt

[OutWest]

Nice job fellas! Sounds like an awesome hunt and a great pay off after a lot of hard work!

[dana]

Stoneslinger,
Just to let ya know I reported your posts to the mods. There are rules on this site. Your slamming a hunter who killed a legal animal is breakin those rules. Maybe you can keep it up once the mods delete your posts. Then we will have the pleasure of seeing 'banned' under you name. ;)

[BIGHUNTERFISH]

The following is a quote from a man that has been hunting longer than most of you have been born.I think he sums up trophy hunting perfectly.


To most hunters,a trophy is simply an animal that engenders affection.It is proudly displayed on a wall,whether it has small horns or antlers ,or one that is outstanding .To some an animal earns more respect if it was taken with some degree of difficuly,or if it was taken with a bow or blackpowder rifle.Believe it or not ,one of my most memorable muledeer trophys was a big doe I'd taken with a bow after a tough pursuit.

Jim Zumbo

[Elkhound]

Thanks for the report a post people. This one is locked. Only so I can edit and take care of a few things. Then I will unlock it as this thread deserves to keep going. Great hunt and congrats on the goats and bou.

[Elkhound]

Stoneslinger,
Just to let ya know I reported your posts to the mods. There are rules on this site. Your slamming a hunter who killed a legal animal is breakin those rules. Maybe you can keep it up once the mods delete your posts. Then we will have the pleasure of seeing 'banned' under you name. ;)

Dana Oh Wise one.

Ok people....play nice This was a legal animal. Dont like the regs.....do something about it. At the very least start a new thread about animal ID and the pros and cons on Nanny harvest. Dont just sit back with Keyboard Courage and attack someone, thats just weak

[dana]

Elkhound,
I been on the other end so many times with people happy to see the word 'banned' under my name, I just want to see how it feels from their perspective. ;)

[K-1]

So who tagged the Caribou.

[MattW]

John cut his tag for the caribou but we think of it as a shared animal. Thanks all for the comments and PMs. Here's a picture looking between the antlers at the ridge we glassed from when we spotted the caribou. To the left of the picture the bowl goes much further and it was a long way around from where we spotted him to where we could get him. Even the ridge is a couple kms away although I'm not sure the picture shows it that well.
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii5/landrover88/caribouview.jpg

[Mik]

That is an awesome Caribou, the rack is huge! The Mt. Goat in my opinion is an even greater kill, and to get 2 in one day is fantastic. Congratulations on all the animals.

[KB90]

I keep coming back to look at that beauty bull. Again congrats. Did you guys cape it for a mount?

[nano]

Congrats on the great trip!

[MattW]

I did cape it but didn't plan very well. I hadn't thought about taking a caribou that far back, just sheep (which we didn't ever see) or goat. Either of those would have been a single trip back to base where I left the salt. With the caribou we felt we had to give priority first to the meat and then the antlers for legalities and by the time we got back for the cape it was done for.

[sawmill]

Now you have an excuse to go back!Great story and I really enjoyed it,thanks for that!

[swampthing]

Good effort men. You sure stirred up the pot with this thread. My first goat was a nanny. I thought it was a billy. I try to be selective now but my last goat was also a nanny. It took off running at long range. My partner said "he is huge, take him" as I was getting into shooting position. It was my longest shot ever. I was disapointed to find a nanny, but only for a second. A uff hunt is always a reward.

[Martin_Hunter]

Great job.

[MattW]

Mik, that's a huge bull in your name photo. Thanks again all. I know what you mean swampthing. We'll be heading back for sure. It's a big trip so maybe not next season but soon. After spending several days packing down that caribou and eating backpack garbage while doing that it was nice to get back to base and eat some real food. The guys caught a few of these as we got down and fried them for lunch and we grilled up some caribou for dinner.
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii5/landrover88/fish.jpg
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii5/landrover88/steak.jpg

[coach]

Awesome caribou! Looks like you guys had a great hunt. Congrats. Foggeddabout the peanut gallery comments regarding your goat. That's stuff for a different thread. It sounds like you did a lot of things right. Keep the posts coming. I can't wait to get out on my goat draw in the next month or so.

[Coming_out_heavy.]

Is Caribou meat any good?

Nice pics!

[srupp]

nice looking fish food...yummm after the freeze dried stuff..
steven

[MattW]

The caribou has been delicious.