Swampthing & his 2010 Solo Goat Hunt

[Caveman]

I was on a limited entry griz hunt during the fall of 2009. I was hunting a valley bottom and spotted a lone goat way up the mountain, just below snowline. I spotted this goat over two weekends decided that next year I would hunt him. September 2010 came and I was having a hard time getting a long weekend to go on my goat hunt. I figured I would get an overnighter in on a weekend. Saturday morning came and I was on the road at 5:30am. I arrived at the base of the mountain at 8:30. It looked a lot bigger than I remembered. I set my sights on a peak and and guessed it at 3 hours away. The bush in the valley bottom was very thick. Three hours into my hike I just broke treeline, halfway to my peak. The steep stuff was still in front of me. A half hour further and I got my first of many leg cramps. I used to work a very physical job that kept me in reasonable hunting shape. Two years previous I took a job as a manager and now spend my days on the seat of my truck. I had done no training for this hunt. I took two aspirin and continued. At noon I still wasnt there and the cramps hit hard again in both legs. I stopped for two more aspirin and a bit of lunch. I did some glassing and found a sow Grizzly with two cubs playing in a grassy basin across the valley side I was climbing. I considered turning back at this point as I still had a ways to go and was running out of steam. I had told a few people I was heading out for a hunt this weekend and didnt want to tell anybody I wimped out. Off I went again, slowly. At 3:30 pm I still wasnt at my peak. I was worn out and still fighting leg cramps. I found a spot resembling flat and set up my little north face tent. I emptied everything I could out of my pack. Water was running low. I had a full one liter bottle and what was left in my hydration bladder. I put my water filter, stove and kettle back into my pack and once again set out for the peak. Even with a lighter pack I was sucking wind bad. The mountain got steeper. I once again considered calling it quits for the night. I looked to my left and saw a saddle on the ridge above me that would be easier to get to than the peak looming above me. I sidehilled towards it, every step being a forced effort. Twenty five yards from the top I saw a well worn trail with goat tracks in it. This gave me a second wind. When I reached the ridge I saw a beautiful, huge basin on the other side. I crouched to move across the skyline and fell down in pain with severe leg cramps. I got up and skylined myself across the top and found a spot just downhill to rest. This basin was everything I hoped it would be. I scanned it with the naked eye as I removed my kenetrek boots and socks. I was overwelmed by the view I had, which made the climb worth it. I got comfy and raised my stiener binos for a closer look. Imagine my surprise when the first thing I see is a bedded goat, and it was on my side of the basin. The goat was brilliantly white and didnt appear very big, nanny I figured. The goat was staring right at me, having watched my stealthy entrance into this basin. I couldnt see any other goats with it. It was 5pm. I had hiked over 8 hours and found a goat in 8 seconds of hunting. I continued glassing the rest of the basin, looking for a billy. Spotting nothing else I put my attention back to the nanny. I ranged it a 433 yards. I needed a closer look. I made a plan to get up and walk right back out of the basin like I had seen nothing. I figured this would spook the goat but not too bad. I dropped out of sight and moved as quickly as I could to get closer to the goat. I belly crawled over the ridge. The goat was standing, quartering towards me and "he" looked magnificent. There was no mistaking his blocky , muscular body. He was alone. I considered my options. Here was my quarry but I hesitated. I was physically spent, but mentally still in the game. I ranged him at 286 and decided to take him. After all, that was the purpose of this exercise. I tried to steady my 257 weatherby ultralight over my pack and realized I was in the middle of a case of goat fever. Perfect. I took 5 deep breaths and tried to calm myself. I thought about my rifle. I had bought it two weeks previous and had only fired it 15 times. The new zeiss scope had done what I told it to and I had the rifle sighted in with 3 groups fired. Two more groups confirmed zero. I choose to bring this rifle over my very accurate and well practised with 270 WSM. I was nervous about it now. The crosshairs settled and I squeezed off a 110 grain accubond handload. The goat took the bullet hard and turned around, quartering away from me. I aimed at the off shoulder and squeezed off another. The goat absorbed this one and started lumbering off. I shot again, missing. The goat stopped broadside. Perfect, I thought. Now I could put one through both shoulders. I did just that and he kept his feet under him, turning uphill. Tough, I thought to myself. I now had a spine shot which dropped him. He bagan sliding but stopped after 20 yards. What a rush. I took the last sip out of my hydration bladder. I sat up and took in the moment. The work was about to begin. I needed water, which I could see in the bottom of the basin but it was too far to get to. I had to drop down a steep avalanch chute to get to my goat. He looked good. Ten inches I figured, surpassing my now second best 9 3/4 billy. I grabbed him to move him for pictures and leg cramps struck again. Because of this I failed to get good field photos. I hadnt considered a mount but his coat was so beautiful I couldnt leave it behind. I began dismantling him. Time was short and I worked quickly. I caught myself handling the knife poorly and forced myself to slow down. I didnt need an accident. It was 7pm when I cinched the straps on my eberlestock dragonfly pack. I swallowed two more aspirin, choking them down as I had no water. I was very de-hydrated. I put my headlamp in my pocket as I new it would be dark when I got to my tent. The climb up the avalanch chute was killer tough. I made it to my tent at 8pm, utterly exhausted. I drank half of my precious water, wishing I had more. I lit a small fire and sat reflecting on my day. I was in my mont bell sleeping bag at 8:40 pm. The pack out the next morning was very trying. The added weight made my decent precarious. It took 3 hours to reach water, which I needed badly. I was back at my truck in 5 hours. I took the time for a few pictures and boiled a pot of coffee for the drive home. It took 3 days to re-hydrate myself. My goat had 10 and 10 1/2 horns and was only 5 1/2 years old. He is a hard earned trophy.

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[Caveman]

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[Caveman]

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[Caveman]

Great Story and great trophy Bob, Congrats!!

[Rattler]

Congrats on a well earned trophy.

[MichaelB]

Awesome story and photos! I had big plans for a solo goat hunt and was rained out the whole trip. This story made me feel like I was successful. (I live vicariously through the forum!)

Thanks for posting! Congratulations.

[shawnwells]

great story congrats man...

[d6dan]

Good story and nice Billy.. I felt like I was right along side of you. Goats are always hard earned..Congrats.

[Amphibious]

Congrats, very fine goat :)

[goatdancer]

Congrats. Very nice goat. Makes you forget all the work it took.

[Tenacious Billy]

Nice Work! Tough hunt for a tough animal.

[porcupine]

Great story and a great goat. It sounds like yu went through h**l to get a H**l of a goat. I bet you remember this hunt for the rest of your life. Congratualtions.

[Derp]

nice goat! congrats

[ianwuzhere]

awesome looking goat! good on you! great pix. Does goat taste good? Ive never tried it..

[Rodd]

Great Solo Hunt with a super trophy for the wall! Good Job on keeping the desire, when the legs were burning/Cramping! Its a mental game just as much as a physical one..... That goat should be close to 50inches eh?

[BimmerBob]

Great read, congratulations on the fine trophy. I must admit, I peeked at the pictures first and then went back, sounds like a tough couple of days, good on you for sticking with it for an awsome trophy and campfire stories for a lifetime!

[Buck]

Great story .Those goats can really take the lead.I have never seen or heard of one stone dead on the first shot they always kick off the ledge somehow.Congrats

[Kody94]

Congrats on a great hunt and a great billy Swampthing! Really enjoyed the story and photos. Helluvan accomplishment, and one for the memoires!



Those goats can really take the lead.I have never seen or heard of one stone dead on the first shot they always kick off the ledge somehow.Congrats

Buck: It is pretty rare alright. But I managed to drop one in its tracks with my 6.5 Gibbs though, and it was a heart-lung pass through. That said, I also spined one with a 300 Win mag once, and it still managed to drag itself over a 500 foot precipice with just its front legs...

[Twobucks]

Great goat - where in the province are you? I don't mean GPS co-ords or anything, just a zone. . .

[BlacktailStalker]

I was waiting for this, good for you, smasher of a goat and great write up :cool:

[swampthing]

Thanks for posting the story for me Caveman. I owe you a Goat "spot". This was an open season region 7 hunt

[Caveman]

Thanks for posting the story for me Caveman. I owe you a Goat "spot". This was an open season region 7 hunt

No Problem! You do realize I'm going to hold you to that!

[quadrakid]

Great goat,positively super writeup. Well done.

[Vanman1985]

Great story and a great goat!!!!!

[jonz]

Congrats! Well earned.

[Mik]

Although im not sure i would go on a solo goat hunt, Congrats on a fine goat!

[JDR]

Great story and pics! Congrats on your trophy!!

[ydouask]

Heck of a hunt and great story. Now that you're home and watered up, have you given any thought to doing anything differently? There's no room for error hunting goats is there?

[swampthing]

YDOUASK, Those are questions I like to answer. I have been wandering around alone in the woods since I was 8 or 9 years old. I have always been comfortable alone. I have good "woods feet". I rarely ever trip or fall. When I am far from the road in goat country I take my time. I have scared myself on occasion though. When I am alone I dont push as hard as when I have "back-up". Another reason I like to hunt alone is that I get to do exactly what I want when I want. When I backpack alone I do get a rush out of it. I dont fear the big bears, but I do think about them all the time. I went on a solo griz hunt this spring and was succcessful. This hunt was a real rush. I was on high alert all the time. Even though I like to hunt alone, I like to share a camp. I have two awesome hunting partners back in Kamloops, where I was from. We shared many great camps. Up in PG I havnt found a person to hunt with yet. As far as that goat hunt, I would have taken more water, trained and took more days to hunt. There was water there but it was out of reach in the condition I was in. I see you are from the west koots. I spent many years working that area and really enjoyed it. My first goat sightings were in 4-16 while looking for mulies. Have a good season.

[Rubberfist]

Nothing kicks your ass like a goat hunt!

Good job on a very nice billy.

[smoothbor]

great photos and story Bob, good to see you are having a succesful year so far, grizz, elk, moose and wolves now a goat good job, call ya later pal

[moose2]

Congratulations on a beautiful trophy it sounds like you deserved it. Hunting the mountains passes out lots of challenges , but I think thats what makes us keep going back. Great story and a really nice goat.
MIKE

[fozzy]

That's awesome! Great story and photo's, thanks far sharing with us. Hopefully we'll have a goat story to post in a couple weeks.

[Venginator]

nice goat! I got a big one years ago, the hunts are worth it!

[Jelvis]

Wow! Way to go swamp, that is cool. You've got a real desire to hunt and it shows. Your a real outdoors man, a good example of tenacity and get go and no giving up.
Jel ( a Man's Man ) Awesome solo hunt. Congratulations you did great.

[swampthing]

Thanks for all the comments guys. I love that in this forum you can talk hunting 24/7. I am fairly new to PG and dont have the "boys" to bs hunting with all the time. I really appreciate all my hunt bc "hunting partners", you guys are awesome. Jelvis, my hunting escipades started about 35 years ago in Kamloops and I know we must have crossed paths before. I was a Westsyde boy and know many of the places you type about very well. Have a good season all.

[kennyj]

Congratulations! Thats a great goat.
kenny

[MattW]

Great goat and a great story. Those goats sure don't make it easy.

[nature girl]

Hey Bob those legs still sore from 4 years ago. The memories I bet you would do it again. Nice goat. So did you get a head mount done?

[NorBC]

Good read. Gets me excited, one week today!

[Jelvis]

Here's a real hunter folks read this one.

[wideopenthrottle]

very nice horns on that one..well done

[Deeboe]

Bob, your stories put Shockeys editor to shame.... Beauty pics and a beauty trophy. You should be deep into the RedFern Trail by now--looking forward to reading about that one next. Be Safe.