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2020 Montana Goat Scouting

BigHornRam

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Joined
Nov 15, 2004
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"Land of Giant Rams"
I lucked out and drew a goat tag this year. Second goat tag in 20 years. The big 3 draws have been kind to me over the years, this tag probably had the lowest odds, at around 1% chance. It's in an area I have never previously been to, but had glassed from a distance antelope hunting one year. Several people here have shared some great tips with me, and the area biologist was very helpful.

The last 3 days were my second time over there scouting. I covered a lot of ground and learned about the roads in the area and what to expect when getting from one end of the range to the other.

It was warm and the goats were not very active. The first evening, spotting from a fair distance they started to move around some. I spotted a lone goat feeding just below a peak that looked to be mature. I keep going back to check on him from time to time while glassing other areas. After awhile another goat moved into the area, laid in a dirt strip and started dusting himself. It was noticeably smaller than the first goat.

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Bigger goat is in the middle of the snow patch to the right, and smaller goat is in the dirt strip just to the left. I spotted 4 other goats briefly while they were on the move that evening. Good day of scouting on day one.

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That’s some awesome luck. Thanks for sharing. Pictures really give you a sense for how incredibly steep that country is.
 
Day 3 woke up to crisp 34 degrees! Hiked into another area that is known to have some goats. Bumped into a cow moose on the trail and spotted 4 elk in the distance. Trail forked at a beautiful saddle, and I took the one going to the goat peak.

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Came across a chute and decided to venture up it.
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Recent large goat track told me this was a good place to keep an eye on.

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Forest service rental cabin back at the trailhead.
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This is going to be a fun hunt!
 
Awesome stuff! I've wanted to go on a goat hunt here in MT ever since I camped at Ferry Lake. Looks like beautiful country and you seem to have the locating down. Should be a great hunt. Keep us posted please!
 
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