Leupold BX-4 Rangefinding Binoculars

MTN GOAT FEVER

SPOTTED OWL

Active member
Joined
Dec 15, 2000
Messages
328
Location
Enumclaw, Wa. USA
Since I'll never have another chance at
hunting mtn goats, just curiuos if anyone
out there has plans to hunt em, or has some
great story to tell. In Washington, they're
once in a lifetime since 99. I drew tags
in 84 and 99, with 2 nice billys taken. Each
hunt was a awesome adventure. If anyone
has some goat talk to share, bring it on. :D
 
Spotted owl, Yep I've hunted them twice myself.

Once with my younger brother in the Bitterroots in MT. It was a tough deal, that country is steep, rocky, and kind of dicey in places. We spent a few days scouting and he killed his billy on opening day. Looking back he should have waited for better hair, but then again, its kind of a gamble on being able to hunt late. It was 8 7/8 on each side with 5 inch bases. Not a bad goat.

I drew one in '98 and scouted about 5 days then hunted solo for ten days on my first trip. It was fun, covered a bunch of country and saw about 40 goats. I'd have to check my journal to be sure of the exact number. I located one huge billy on that trip. I put a good stalk on him and came out above him at about 50 yards. I just about $hit when I put my bino's up and he had only one horn. The one good horn I'm sure was over 9.5, probably closer to 10. The other was a stub about 2 inches long. I still have to wonder how in the heck he busted it?

I got to look at a bunch of goats on that trip and it was great. I decided if I didnt see a real good one, I wanted to wait until the hair was good and get one later.

I went again around the first of Nov. got lucky and hit excellent weather. My best friend and I headed back up into the same country I'd been hunting before. The general hunting season was on and we found some goats right away the first day. They were a long ways away, and we spent the first day hiking just to get where we last saw them. When we got there, the darn things had moved into another big basin. We found them right away but it was about an hour before dark. We also located 3 big 6 point bulls in the same basin, bedded in the open. We really had to talk ourselves out of killing the bigger 2 of those bulls, any other time they would have been dead.

We spent the night out on a 9,000 foot peak and at daylight we were right at the spot we last saw the goats. Of course they'd moved back even farther. We found them and we stalked to 50 yards. I killed a good billy with excellent hair, with a nifty shot from the .338, which broke the goats back and both shoulders, anchoring him in his bed. He was 9 on one side and 9 1/8 on the other, bases 5 1/8.

Spent the rest of the day packing him back and reached our rigs right at dark after a non-stop 8 hours of hiking, most of it downhill. Tired and wore out but happy.

I'll hunt goats some more either in another state or Canada. Cant have too many goats on the wall, at least not the last time I checked.

Heres a picture if it works.

gt2.jpg


<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1">[ 01-08-2002 11:19: Message edited by: BuzzH ]</font>
 
Hey Buzzy............if you woulda hired Butthead to guide you, you woulda probably killed a 14 incher!!! :eek: or at least had a long list of proven excuses to choose from;) That is the problem with you Montanny boys......you haven't spent enough time in yer trucks cruising the back country roads truck huntin' to know a shooter when you see one! :rolleyes:

Great pic bud.........the proof is in the pudding! :cool:
DS
 
Buzz,

YOU DA MAN :D Not many people will ever have
the opportunity to hunt these critters, not
to mention twice. Great story and pics. I have a couple of pics I'll send ya from my
99 hunt. Theres nothing like being up in the
alpine zone stalking these animals.Its addicting! My first hunt in 84 was for the
Pratt River area on Snoquamie Pass. After
scouting,I hunted the first 2 days with a
friend. We were unable to get close enough
for a shot both days. On day 3, I arrived
on the mountain alone. Of course I knew better then being alone on a hunt like this,
but I didn't want to miss a single day due
to possibly getting snowed out. I hunted all
day, and found myself high on a hogback ridge
glassing a rock basin. At about a hour before
dark, I spotted alone billy on a shear cliff
across from me. He was a nice one, but pretty
tough to get to. Being I was alone, and it
was getting dark, I passed on him. Not more
then 5 minutes later, I looked over, and there was a beautifull billy chewing his cud
right above the rock garden on a small bench.
I decided I could most likely get him without
breaking my neck. :D Anyway, I worked my way
across the rock garden, and stalked within
range.When I finally stuck my head above the
giant boulders to see if I was in range, I about wet myself. I was about 30 yards away,
and the goat was half asleep. I carefully
raised my 7mm mag onto the chest, and fired
away. The goat just jumped out of his bed
without even flinching. I walked over and
checked for blood. Theres wasn't any. Thats
when I began to question how anyone could
miss a animal at spitting range.:mad: It was getting dark, and I walked over to the adjacent ledge. I decided to wait 15 minutes.
About 5 minutes passed, and I heard some
clatter coming out of the tree above. Here
came my goat, full speed ahead runnning for
the cliff in a suicide leap. I opened up
on him, hitting him twice as he flipped over
and landed on a snag right at the end of the
cliff. He was upside down, and not a happy
camper. I finished him with a heart shot.
I then skinned him out, and came back the
next day for my trophy. I will always remember this hunt as the most exciting
hunt I will most likely ever get. If theres
anyone in Wa that would like some help hunting these animals, please look me up.
I'd be willing help someone out as much as
I can.

Buzz,

I'll e-mail you a couple pics from my 99
hunt. Maybe you can do me a favor and post
them.

Thanks,

Bryan
 
Spotted Owl wow good story.Always wanted to hunt goats but the price was so high that I thought I would save my money till I could hunt Dall sheep.By the way are you a logger by trade? Spotted Owl Like that handle,be even better if your a logger.Bill
 
Spotted owl, please send those pictures I'd like to look them over. Can NR put in for goat in Washington? I dont know if I would, just curious. Cant apply for MT for 3 more years. Beings how it took me 18 years to draw a goat, I figure I'll be in my late 40's before I draw again. Wyoming is a joke as far as goats are concerned, hardly worth applying.

Good story, by the way. My brothers goat did the same thing, crashed off a cliff going full bore after being hit twice in the lungs. I got the whole thing on video too. Luckily it didnt break the horns at all, darn things are tough.
 
Owl, what was the unit you put in for in 99, im going to apply for that one and if i get drawn, ill probably be on the phone getting some directions from you.
 
Bill,

Thanks. Good guess on my occupation. Nope,
I'm in a family business wholesaling dairy
products in the Puget Sound area. I guess
I'm a milkman. :D Buzz, I'll shoot you a
couple shots from my 99 hunt. Its not quite
as nice as yours, but not bad. In washington,
you can apply as a non resident, but with about 30 tags left in the state, you'd
have to be pretty darn lucky. Of course if
you drew, I'd guide ya to a booner.:D:D
 
BUZZZ>.... I totally pictured you looking different :D :D

YOU look like a german DRUNK ;) HEHE

BTW, thats not a 200 class SHEEP ;) OHHHHHh it's a goat.. Just goes to show ya how I score.......
 
Goat hunting is great. I've been on a few hunts myself. Hunting goat is the only time where I felt that I was in danger of my life on some of those "hills". Cant wait to go again. If I dont get drawn for a good dall sheep area, I might just find myself up there again this year.
 
Moosie, german drunk?, HAHA.

I tell you, us Norwegians get no respect.

I was actually after a larger goat, but, some damn backpacker scared away the big one I was after. Thought I was going to have to call my lawyer.
 
:D :D :D ...good one Buzzy!
and I can already tell you what the lawyer will be suing you for........he'll go after you and Greeny to buy Pug a new liver, because you two caused him to severly damage the one he had, ........cause you know everytime you guys bust his chops, another shot splashes down the ol' gullet! :eek: :D
DS
 
buzz what canyon did you hunt goats in when you were in the Bitterroot? Did you goat come from the Bitterroot also? Damn I sure would like to get a permit for one someday, but when its comes to drawing special tags I am about as lucky now as I was on prom night!

ol pugs sheep wouldn`t get a second look in the east fork or rock creek, now would it? but then nothing big comes from montana

You think when the cops come after greeny yooper will be leading the charge? I picture Barny Fife with his 6 shooter and one bullet when I see yooper as a cop, but then again he isn`t a real cop now is he!
 
280, my brothers goat came out of Kooteney Creek, back in there about 12 miles. Just a few miles from the Idaho line. Just about as tough a hunt as you'll find in MT for goat, in my opinion.

My goat came from a SW Montana unit. I cant really be more specific, a buddy of mine found those goats, so I aint at liberty to say which unit. He was good enough to take me in there a year or two before I applied in that area (I had always applied for the Flints or a Bitterroot area). He even gave me the green light to apply, and was somehow even happy for me when I drew my tag. He was also with me when I shot it and helped pack goat meat one hell of a long way. I was a nice guy and gave him half the meat HAHA.

To top it all off, he hasnt drawn that area yet himself. Nothing like having good friends. I owe him big and I'm sure I'll be paying the fiddler when he does draw.
 
Great Goat stories guys.I hope to hunt goats in Wa one day also.I'll have to look the maps over to figure out which area is best.Up deer hunting we see goats abouv us on the cliffs here in Western Washington but they have closed that area to goat hunting here in the past few years.
 
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