Hunting adventures in the Rockies, that’s why I moved to BC!! Story of my hunt

[Call of the Wild]

Well well where to start? I really enjoy this forum from the vast amount of information on various subject to the great hunting stories and the many friendly people. I decided to share my sheep and goat hunt with you guys this year since its fun to read mountain hunting stories all year and many members enjoy them also. I'm not trying to compete just sharing my adventure and if I can stimulate guys dreaming to hunt sheep to get out sheep hunting that would be great because that was my case for years.

A little of history first, back in the day in Ontario as a kid I dreamed from time to time of "one day" going hunting for wild sheep but I somewhat knew I was just dreaming. Then in 2005 I moved to Alberta with high hopes of hunting bighorn sheep eventually. My brother and hunting partner from the beginning, we don't come from a hunting family, joined me in the West in 2006 and we started to talk more about our dream to hunt in the mountains. The following years we started to hunt more game from whitetail deer, elk and moose also mule deer and black bear for me.

Eventually my brother moved to BC and became an official resident last year. We then decided it was time to realise our dream to go sheep hunting. Having a choice to either hunt in Alberta or BC we decided he would be the hunter and northern BC would be our hunting ground for a backpack hunt for stone sheep or mountain goat.

Having no experience hunting in the Rockies we had a lot to learn from the required backpacking gear to the food, plus a lot of research to educate ourselves on sheep and mountain goat. All that was unknown for us and we didn't know anyone to help/guide us in the proper direction for such an adventure. We were and still are very ambitious to learn everything related to mountain hunting and also enjoy every aspect of the preparation. Our home work paid off and we did have a successful hunting adventure and a very comfortable 12 day hunt without missing anything. This year only minor modifications to our gear list was required to leave home the excess stuff, cut stuff we don't need and some improvement/upgrade.

I must admit I was hooked so bad, I had a feeling it would happen, I researched the hunting potential and differences of BC vs Alberta and finally decided to move from the Peace of Alberta to the Peace of BC this winter. Our hunt this year was an eleven day hunt from the end of August to early September and we both agreed I would be the first shooter.


August 27

My brother arrived at my place mid afternoon, both of us very excited and anxious for an other hunting adventure we left my house quickly. We didn’t bring all that food in the picture, probably three quarter of it. Our backpacks weighted 63 and 61 pounds all loaded up and we had to camp by the highway that night.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_01.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_02.JPG



August 28


The noise of big trucks woke us up quite early. It was a great day to drive in the mountains and the scenery was breathtaking. We saw a lot of wildlife along the highway in the mountains from a whitetail deer and a fox to mountain caribou and two bands of stone sheep ewes.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_03.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_04.JPG

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_05.JPG

[Call of the Wild]

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_06.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_07.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_08.JPG


After our first creek crossing I noticed one of the caps for the scope dial was holding but on an angle. Wondering if my scope was ok I fired a practice shot resting on a backpack at 100 yards. I was very relieved to see that my shot was two inches high, which is perfect since the rifle is zeroed at 200 yards.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_09.JPG

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_10.JPG

[Call of the Wild]

After a good day of hiking we made a camp for the night. My brother found a bear track in the sand by the creek.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_11.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_12.JPG

August 29

After a quick glassing session during breakfast, we loaded the backpacks to complete our hike with more creek crossing and an old forest fire to cross. What we didn’t know at that time is how hard it would be to walk thru that forest fire and how much it would slow us down.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_13.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_14.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_15.JPG

To our surprise the forest fire is all the way to where we planned to start our hunt. With dead trees on the ground and new re growth some parts were dangerous but we still manage to keep going. Exhausted we set up the tent on a light slope that night.

[325]

I'm loving it so far! Keep going!

[Call of the Wild]

August 30

Even if we weren’t where we planned to be at that point in the hunt our spirit was good, fog patches were present that morning and I managed to find a mountain goat in steep cliffs. A young goat with horns about the length of the ears, it wasn’t possible to determine if it was a male of female. The mountain scenery was amazing with the fog moving around.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_16.JPG


After breakfast we climbed for the top of the mountain but we had to clear the tree line first and the small shrubs that like to anchor on your feet. We were exhausted but knowing we only had half a day of hiking/climbing left to do was good news then.

While climbing I spotted a mountain goat walking on a ridge at the top of the mountain, he bedded skyline. We kept climbing and eventually it became very steep. Here’s my brother taking a break in a steep spot while waiting for water to boil for our Mountain House Lasagna.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_17.JPG


I was ahead of my brother when I reached the summit of a cliff for a plateau, being exhausted I stop being cautious when I walked over the top and made too much noise in the shale rocks. At that moment in some small coniferous trees close by I spotted something white bedded, it was the goat we spotted earlier and when I saw a head moving I drop low to move in a low spot. When my brother reached the top I told him to join me quickly and explained him what just happened.

We then decided to grab only our hunting gear and to go up higher to cut him off in the event he wanted to go for some cliffs where he was earlier. We never saw him and decided to walk the edge of the area with trees in case we could spot him and also to set our self in a good spot to glass the mountain sides for sheep or goat.

After so much hard work it was a pretty good feeling to have action right when we hit the alpine. While glassing, a band of 8 female goats was feeding, being new to mountain hunting it was fun to watch. Eventually we spotted a lonely goat on the other side of the valley, after analysing him we determined he was a mature male mountain goat.

One thing we notice quickly once we were in the alpine was the presence of a large quantity of droppings and foot print in the rocks. That was enough to cheer us up, not that we were negative but just very tired and exhausted at that point.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_18.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_19.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_20.JPG

[Call of the Wild]

August 31

This day will be one I’ll remember for the rest of my life. We saw a lots of game and a day full of great emotions.

It’s a day that started very normally. When I woke up my brother wanted to rest so he stayed for more sleep. I couldn’t stay put so I loaded what I needed for a hunt and since we were running very low on water I left without having breakfast. What a mistake of my part, an energy bar would have been at least just enough but I had to rely on my ambition to fuel my body. I was heading for one of the highest peak of our mountain to glass an other valley.

At first light I glassed a grassy slope and after an hour I carried on with my slow climb, of course careful to not skyline myself and looking around for game. Eventually I found a group of mountain goat, I’m assuming it was the same group from the night before, and I also scared some ptarmigan.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_21.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_22.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_23.JPG


Once close to the summit I found a snow patch that would become our water source since I had the intention to make that area our camp. It was well located for a base camp to give us options to move around and glass the valleys in the area. There was also some sheep or goat trail in the rocks in the area, an other good sign that sheep and/or goat live on that mountain.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_24.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_25.JPG

[Call of the Wild]

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_26.JPG


I found a low spot to sit in to glass the surroundings. The scenery was amazing and I had a great view of the band of goat also. I counted 9 goats, all female with their young one, bedded on the edge of a steep shale rock slope. In the deep and wide valley in front of me I found a male mountain goat feeding on the edge of trees on a grassy slope. Just as I was going to take a picture of him, he bedded behind a tree.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_27.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_28.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_29.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_30.JPG

[Call of the Wild]

Back to the tent around 10:30 am, we again found the male mountain goat across our valley, he was bedded in a very steep shale rock slide on a mountain side. Since time was going by very fast and the fact it took us more days to reach our hunting area, I took the time to study him carefully before deciding to go hunt him.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_31.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_32.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_33.JPG


I finally told my brother he was worth to harvest since he meets my criteria by being a male and I was confident he was mature. So we loaded our backpacks with just what we needed for the day, including hunting gear plus the rain gear and warm clothes in the event we wouldn’t make it to camp for the night. This way we were light and efficient in our travel.

After discussing and analysing what was the best approach to the goat according to the wind and the land, we decided to climb part of the steep rocky mountain up to where there’s some vegetation on top of the rugged rocks, on the left side of the next picture, then once on top of those rocks walk to the island of similar rock toward the goat. This way there was no way he could smell us if the wind stayed put, I would have been about 200 yards of him with a straight shot instead of an angled shot and he would roll in the shale rocks most likely down to the creek plateau bellow. This way the damage to the meat, hide and horns would be minimal for a mountain goat.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_34.JPG

[pg83]

Awesome pics so far, can't wait for more!

[Call of the Wild]

Often events in life don’t go as plan and for this hunt again things went not according to our plan. I’m still amazed on how the following events happened.

Here descending our mountain side for the mountain side the goat was located on.

Walk down

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_35.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_36.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_37.JPG


Walk/climb up

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_38.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_39.JPG


Every experienced mountain hunter knows the landscape of the land changes once you’re in it. Even knowing about that and some experience related to it, we completely forgot to turn toward the goat. We were so focused on our safety in this dangerous cliff that we kept climbing and forgot we were there to hunt.

[killer_shot]

Gotta love that open country and yes BC is where the adventure is at feel blessed to be born here. thanks for sharing your story !

[Yak]

Great story! Thanks for the pictures, hopefully next year I will be able to get out on my own first goat hunt!

[Call of the Wild]

Eventually when we were very high without really realising it, I looked down our cliff and here’s what I saw where we were an hour earlier.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_40.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_41.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_42.JPG

Oh Ya a big fat grizzly sow with two cubs. I instantly told my brother to look down and I took some pictures, then we had to find a spot to drop our backpacks so they wouldn’t roll down and get ready in the event she would charge. All that in a spot where both of us were not very stable on our feet. When the sow crossed our tracks she became very nervous and turned back to where she came from. Seeing a grizzly bear with two cubs in their natural environment is a highlight moment of our hunting adventure. The two of us were really happy that didn’t ruin our hunt.

Less than half an hour later we were on some flat land again. This time on top of the mountain we tough, earlier at the tent, was not possible to climb. So we stopped for a Mountain House supper, enjoyed the wonderful view of the surrounding peaks and valleys. Not long after reaching the top, we found the mountain goat we spotted on August 30 right by our tent. We suspect he saw the grizzlies as well and at that point didn’t find his hiding hole very good any more. He walked right by our tent to cross the mountain side we faced, a great opportunity to observe how easily a mountain goat moves in alpine country.

The tent and the mountain goat

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_43.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_44.JPG

[Call of the Wild]

After supper I spotted a mountain caribou very far on a snow peak. We then decided to walk the ridge of our new mountain to see some new country while we were there and eventually I found our goat bellow feeding by the creek.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_45.JPG


Eventually we started to walk down half way the mountain to be equal to the goat and walk toward where the goat liked to go bed in the cliffs. My brother was leading and spotted the goat, so we found a place to take off our backpacks and to get ready for a final approach. The goat was bedded and facing away from us at 300 yards in the shale rocks, half way between him and us was a patch of solid rocks. Our goal was to reach that and then wait for him to stand up for a shot at about 150 yards.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_46.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_47.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_48.JPG


After 10 minutes of slowly moving toward the goat, he turned around to bed facing us. The following fifteen minutes were somewhat long since we couldn’t move anymore. There was a big rock beside me blocking the view of the goat, so I started to glass the surroundings, the first goat we tried to hunt was again visible feeding and an other goat was now skyline on the other side of the mountain plus two mountain caribou were feeding up high by the creek’s head.

Eventually our goat walked down to the creek to feed again. At one point he was 270 yards on some flat ground but at an angle of about 50 degree and since I had nothing to stabilise myself, I passed that opportunity. My brother suggested that we should keep moving and get closer to where he always went back to bed after feeding. We again worked together to cover some ground, one was glassing and saying "Go go" or "Stop" depending if the goat had view of our area while feeding. The water in the creek was making a lot of noise and we knew our noise in the shale rocks would be covered by it. Our strategy worked for quite a long time and eventually we got detected without stressing him, he kept feeding but climbing away and also looking in our direction often. I ranged him at 325 yards and slightly higher than us. It was impossible to rest on the solid rocks where I was so I climbed 15 yards to check if I could find a good rest with the same result.

So I decided to sit down and rest my elbows on my knees, which was not easy with the distance, the excitement and the fact I was in a slope. The hunt is on video but I only have internet with my phone right now, when I can I’ll add the video to the story.

I took two quick shots that hit right by his hooves without knowing it. Then I fired a third shot that totally missed him and I saw the impact in the rocks. A fourth shot and the goat was still standing and climbing, I started to think that I was hitting too low. After a few seconds I fired a fifth shot and the goat started to run right away. Then I put the second magazine in and told myself "that’s your last shot, focus and relax that one must count or it’s over", so I aimed for 400 yards in the scope and fired a sixth and last shot.

The goat was perfectly still and broadside looking in our direction when fired with confidence. This time I hit the goat exactly where I was aiming, right in the shoulder to drop him in his tracks. He instantly felt down and started to roll down for a short distance without moving again. I was very happy even if my first shots weren’t good. I ranged him after and he was now at 376 yards and the video shows the whole hunt very well and how excited we were afterward.

After the fact I think for my two first shots, the goat might have been farther than what I ranged or I didn’t used the proper lines in my scope for 325 yards. What ever the case is my shots were too low and they would have been ok if I had the proper elevation. I was calm and concentrated for my last shot and I also aimed higher.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_49.JPG

We back track to our backpacks before going to the goat. I harvested my goat at 7:45 pm and we were at the goat at 9:00 pm, there wasn’t much light for good pictures then. Now beside the goat we understood why we got busted, we probably didn’t blend in anymore in the shale rocks but it must have been impossible for him to find us in the shale rocks that are mixed with big solid rocks. Then it was time to gut him and darkness came quickly, we were on our guards since we knew three grizzlies were in the area and my brother was singing some funny songs for the purpose. I guess that’s what happens when you’re on a happy mood!!! We were on high alert for the walk down to the creek to wash my hands and back to the tent. We went to sleep tired at 1am.

[Call of the Wild]

September 1

After a good sleep, we woke up to some snow around us and had a hot breakfast. We knew it would be a work day if the grizzlies didn’t find an easy meal. Happy to find the goat we took some pictures and the work started to pack the meat. Back at the tent we had a great meal of mountain goat tenderloins with Montréal Spice and a Mickey of spice rum with ice tea.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_50.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_51.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_52.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_53.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_54.JPG

[Call of the Wild]

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_55.JPG



September 2 & 3

We decided to leave even if we still had two days of hunting left. We manage to get out somewhat faster but it was still a very hard and long hike with heavy backpacks.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_56.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Sheep_goat_hunt_57.JPG

September 6

After the compulsory inspection of the goat we stop at my taxidermist. I had the opportunity to explain some sheep horns features to my brother and look at horns and antlers in the shop, you know how that goes.

My goat is a 5½ year old billy with horns 8 1/8 long, I’m very happy with our hunt. We hunted hard, we never had a taught of stopping instead we kept going even when difficult situations came up, saw a lot of game, learned a lot again for the next hunt and harvested a good billy mountain goat.



We didn’t see any sheep during our hunt even if we were in an area with good sheep population. We mostly stayed in the same valley once we reached the summit and with the amount of time spent glassing the only sign of sheep we saw was droppings and game tracks in the rocks which can’t be identified between sheep and mountain goat.

I want to finish my story by thanking first my brother, we get along so well and he's a great partner. Can’t wait to go out hunting again for sheep this time bud. Also every experienced sheep hunters I discussed with from this forum and other sources, you guys are an excellent source of inspiration and I appreciated the knowledge you shared.

Thanks for reading my story, I hope you enjoyed it.

[knockturnal]

*claps hands* Awesome!

Next time you head up, bring a mickey of sourpuss.....then you can have snowcones. an old hiker taught me that one.

[ianwuzhere]

awesome read- love the pix- just great!! makes me wanna head out rite now-keeper comin! Congrats..

[Jagermeister]

A very enjoyable read and well illustrated with great pictures. Damm, wish I had a brother.
Thanks for sharing your experience.

[ex bc guide]

congrats on your goat!

[ElectricDyck]

Thanks for the pics, nice looking goat!

[madrona sh]

Nice hunt congratulations.
Friendly tip: Don't put your hide in a garbage bag, put it in something that gets air like burlap.
Again great trip and great writeup. I really liked the sow below you two.
Cheers

[Marc]

Awesome story and adventure, wish I had better legs to do something like that. Did the walking sticks make a big difference?

[srupp]

FREEKING AWESOME!!!!!...Thoroughly enjoyed the adventure..

steven

[knockturnal]

Awesome story and adventure, wish I had better legs to do something like that. Did the walking sticks make a big difference?

i know that you were talking to him, but .....

A landmark study published by Dr. G. Neureuther in 1981 proved that use of "ski poles" while walking reduces the pressure strain on the opposite leg by approximately 20%. Furthermore, while walking on level ground, poles reduce the body weight carried by the legs by approximately 5 kg every step. Move to an incline, and that reduction increases to 8 kg. This translates into tons of weight -- yes, tons -- for even a two hour hike.

[quadrakid]

One of the best threads in a long time,thanks for sharing your trip.

[ydouask]

Thank you Call of the Wild. Your enthusiasm is contageous. We in B.C. are so blessed with hunting opportunities and scenery that we may occasionally forget the effort required by folks like you to take advantage of it. Great to read of your adventures with your brother. You will , I'm sure, continue to be successful in the future. Please share those stories with us too. Again, thanks.

[Call of the Wild]

Thanks for the great comments guys!!! Like I mentioned in the story if a guy from Ontario moves out west for the hunting opportunities and realise his dreams, you young BC boys can do it to. All it takes is a dream, a lot of research and planning, dedication, some hard work and to live your life with passion.





Nice hunt congratulations.
Friendly tip: Don't put your hide in a garbage bag, put it in something that gets air like burlap.
Again great trip and great writeup. I really liked the sow below you two.
Cheers

Can you explain exactly what you mean? Thanks for the tip. I know it’s the worse thing to put hot meat in a bag and the same thing goes for the hide. I try to take really good care of the hide and the meat. I had an extra 5 pounds of salt stash at the base of the mountain plus some at the truck, so my hide was well salted in the mountains and at home I dried it good then added a lot of fresh salt. I had to wash the hide in the creek after de-boning and with the weather we had at that time the hide (hair and skin side) didn’t dry in the mountains very much. So I packed out a heavy hide with a lot of salt on it and it will make a beautiful mount.




Awesome story and adventure, wish I had better legs to do something like that. Did the walking sticks make a big difference?

Oh ya the sticks made a huge difference, Knockturnal is quite right. They help a lot while hiking but they made a difference in the burned forest to stabilise us also while climbing and going down again I’d recommend climbing poles. If you notice in the last picture of the story, we were walking down and the sticks made it possible to walk safely in those big rocks. A lot of the rocks were not stable so having a three point contact was very beneficial to test each step. That section slowed us down a lot.

[slednecksbrown]

Awesome read with great pics! Should be in a magazine for others to enjoy

[Bear Chaser]

Great story. Lots of cool pics there as well.
Thanks for taking the time to post it all.

[Freshtracks]

Yes I'll say this was one great read, with awesome pics. Tip of the hat to your bro and you for a determined hunt. Congrats on a well earned billie ... one that'll make you smile every time you glance at the mount. Looking forward to more of your trips.

[Hiker]

Excellent photos! Thanks for bringing us along on your hunt. Nice looking Goat, Congrats!

[pescado]

Good read, thanks. Congrats on a great trip and your Goat. To do it with your Bro is an added bonus.

[greenhorn]

You guys are awesome!

I like your comment about the terrain looking different once you get into it. I recently got back from a hunting trip in the Peace where we did alot of hiking, some of it up steep stuff like in your pics.... you just don't know what the hiking will be like until your boots deep in it!!!

[Whonnock Boy]

I enjoyed that thoroughly. Thanks for the read, and congrats on a successful hunt and adventure!

[Darksith]

top notch story telling, congrats on the successful and enjoyable hunt. Great pics. I wish all the stories were like that, can't wait to see the video.

[silvertipp]

that was a great read & hunt congrads

[Springer]

Like sledneck said , this is magazine worthy.....Thanks for letting this Albertan join the adventure by reading this lengthy story , full of suspense,action and photography of some amazing country. I tip my hat two both of you.
Congratulations , way to get er done.

[luckofthedraw]

Good job boys, a great read. I can't wait to talk a buddy into a hunt like this....stuff dreams are made of.

[moose2]

Great story and pictures you made it easy to read and I looked forward to every new paragraph. It was like being there . Nice looking goat as well. Thanks for taking the time to post your hunt I really enjoyed it.
Mike

[toyordie]

that was a great read thanks for sharing it, that is one nice goat

[jonz]

Good stuff congrats.

[mijinkal]

Congrats on a successfull hunt! I loved every minute of your story! This is what HBC is all about!
I think you've inspired me to go goat hunting in the next few years!

[Red_Mist]

Well done boys.

[BlacktailStalker]

That was a good read and I'm glad you and your brothers plan to hunt BC came together like that.
If your intention was to possibly inspire others who may be on the fence as to, jumping off the deep end, persay, into hunting northern BC, I am sure this will help them.

[d6dan]

Great read,pics and detailed story. Good Billie for your 1st one. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us.:-D

[whitetailsheds]

Well done! Great read and buncha photos! Thanks for taking us along!

[Caveman]

Awesome read, great pictures, superb adventure,thanks for sharing. Congrats to the two of you on a great hunt!!

[Mik]

Those photos are amazing, looks like a lot of steep country, Congrats on your goat,and thanks for posting a great story.

[4 point]

Very good story with great pictures. Makes one feel like they are there with you. Good job!

[835]

Wicked thread!
great story and pic content!

[Call of the Wild]

Here’s a PM madrona sh send me regarding game hides in plastic bags, I tough to share since it’s very valuable information.

madrona sh

Hello, My tip was in regards to hair slipping. Putting the hide in plastic will get the bacteria going that causes hair slippage. Flesh your hide really well and take your time it always pays of in the end. Salt your cape or hide well and if your in for a while shake the salt off and brush it off and resalt.
You want the salt to suck out the moisture. I trap on the west coast of Vancouver island and had to learn to maximize my pelt value. So roll it up and put it in your pack or wrap in burlap. Just don't use
plastic. BUT you should always ask your taxidermist what he wants actually.

I just know that at the fur market the pelts of wolf and bear are usually not worth any money because of poor handling.

Cheers


Call of the Wild

I think I miss understood you last night. Here’s how I handle the hide, let me know if I need to improve some aspect. I’ll probably post this with my story so if there’s young and/or new hunters who want to go out hunting in the mountain they can have more information on how to take care of their hide.

I was showed years ago how to properly skin black bear by a good friend and former guide in Alberta. After taking the hide off the goat I put it in a garbage bag until I got to camp to properly skin the head in a more comfortable place. After capping I stretched out the hide, the hair facing the ground and the skin facing the sky, then I added the salt evenly over the body and also made sure the ears and the face had their share of salt. Before going to sleep I placed the hide the same way but with the tarp some what wrapped around it to shield the rain/snow.

For the hike out I folded the hide skin on skin evenly and then yes I did place it in a garbage bag. Once we got to my salt stash I salted the cape, a 1.5 litre bottle of compacted salt, and let it dry in the sun while we lunched. Once at the truck I replaced the salt with an other 1.5 litre bottle of salt that I purposely left in the truck. The next day at home I placed the hide on the deck to dry out the hair and skin sides since it was not too hot with a lot of wind and clouds. Once the hair side was mostly dry I was very generous with the salt and the hide was perfect the next day when I dropped it at the taxidermist.

After hearing horror stories of guys loosing their sheep or goat hide, I tried to take real good care of mine. I’m aware garbage bags can ruin a hide but I still put my hide in one since it rained on us. I’ll take any advice you have, a guy can always learn and improve.

Thanks


madrona sh

Sounds like you did it right. Heat and moisture are your enemy because the bacteria that cause hair slippage thrive in those conditions. The main thing is you want the cape or hide to be able to drain and not hold heat. I personally would not use the garbage bag due to those two factors.
Great hunt and you have a beautiful animal to show for it.
You should send your story in to be published because you sure can write.
Cheers

[Canadian Hunter]

As good a read as it was hearing it on the phone. Good job man, awesome story and pictures are breathtaking. I know in the next couple of years your going to want some time to chase stone's too. Very well delivered to the forum.

[Ghillie]

Who else cant see the pics? :( Great story, wish the pics were working though..

[Jetboater]

cant see em!

[Ruger4]

cant see em!

x3...................

[Call of the Wild]

I'm in elk camp right now but going home for few hours later. I'll try to fix the problem, I don't know why the're not showing.