Hi folks, my friend Billy is one of the two lucky winners of LEH 8-09A Mountain Goat draw. He has only hunted once in his lifetime; it was 2023 spring black bear hunt that I supervised him. Upon drawing this once-in-a-life-time tag, Billy asked for my help to plan this hunt. So, "helping Billy get a Billy" becomes my most important task in fall 2024.
I know this hunt is not easy and will likely be the hardest hunt of my life, and here is what I prepared so far (for my group of four):
1. Legality:
All group members have 2024 annual permit; tag hold purchased a goat tag and printed the LEH pdf file.
All trail maps of Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park printed.
All group members are briefed on Billy / Nanny identification, and know the legal hunting period is from September 20 to November 30.
2. Info Inquiry:
I asked for info back in June when the draw result was released. I received PMs and text messages from "knockturnal" and Marvin (aka "BCbillies").
I checked on Facebook group "Rocky Mountain Goat Hunting" but did not find much info.
I watched many goat hunting videos to learn more about goat hunting in general.
3. Equipment:
Rifle: 30-06 and 300 WSM both zeroed at 200 yards and have ballistic. graph/table printed and saved electronically.
Optics: Leica bino with built-in rangefinder, Zeiss spotting scope.
Packs: One metal-framed rucksack per person.
Watercraft: Can get one if required.
4. Group Members:
Vincent (me): 10+ years hunting experience, successfully hunted black bear, black-tailed deer (Haida-Gwaii and Vancouver Island), white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk (Rocky Mountain and Roosevelt), moose, big-horn sheep (a friends lucky draw in 2022).
Nick: 2 years of hunting experiences, hunted black bears and small games
Billy (tag holder): only hunted once.
Walter: only hunted once.
5. Fitness Level:
Vincent (me): Active serving military officer, daily job is military HR admin, average fitness level measured in Canadian Armed Forces standard.
Nick: Works in a manufacturing business, daily job is half-technical half-labour, can carry a 250lb bear on his back, more fit than me.
Billy (tag holder): A bit overweight for his height, not very fit.
Walter: Very skinny, okay cardio but very little strength.
6. Scouting / Fitness Check:
September 7, 2024: My group left Vancouver at 6AM and arrived at the Northern parking lot of Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park at 11:30AM. My group hiked from the parking lot to the end of Goode's Basin trail. Due to the extremely high temperature (33 degrees), each group member parked 4L of water on top of two meals. I also packed my two optics. The hike was about 10km round trip with 450m elevation change. Walter quit about 3.5km in; he said he was exhausted and had to make his way back; the rest three of us continued. Billy slowed down dramatically when the slope was steep; we took multiple breaks to ensure he was okay. We had one meal at the end of the trail. Heading back was a bit easier due to the down slope, but my group still moved pretty slow. Saw one rattlesnake and some moose scat. All water consumed by the end of the hike, and the hike took us 6 hours (including breaks, meal time and glassing time). Goat spotted: zero.
September 8, 2024: Billy and Walter took a day off for rest; Nick and I went to the Southern parking lot of the park to hike the Mountain Goat Trail (with the hope of seeing some goats). This trail was more physically demanding, and I knew there was no way Billy and Walter could make it to the campsite. Nick and I did not want to have the rest of the group waiting for hours, so we returned as the weather changed from cloudy to rainy. We saw two mule deer doe, but goat spotted remains to be zero.
7. Future Plan:
I attempted to analyze the reason why I did not spot any goat; it was not the first time I glass and I have very sharp vision. I was always able to see the very bottom roll of all vision checks I have done in my life, and I was a private pilot prior to joining the military. My best spotting record was seeing a stationary moose 1km away, stalked to 300m and let it go because I did not draw moose that year. Maybe the hot weather was one of the reasons why I did not spot any goats? I don't know, but I'm slightly discouraged.
To honestly face the reality of Billy (tag holder)'s physical capability, I do not consider "start training now" a feasible option. I think "knockturnal"'s suggestion to take a watercraft across the lake and dock at Commando Bay might be the best option. My next scouting trip was previously scheduled on September 21, but now I am considering moving it to a later date to have colder temperatures / better chances.
What do you think? Please feel free to leave comments and critiques; I am willing to learn from anyone. If anyone has previous experience hunting goats in this region, I highly appreciate your help / info in advance.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by BCbillies
