Another Idaho Goat tag holder

[Ron Wright]

Hi,

I have also came across this site while scouring the web for Goat info. I see some familiar handles and it looks like there is a lot of Idaho Goat hunts on this forum. I am slowly reading through these past threads with much enjoyment.

I drew a Goat tag for one of the Sawtooth wilderness units this year (2014). I have made two weekend scouting trips so far, going in about 8 miles or so each time.

My first trip was to cover ground and see what I'm capable of in that terrain. I was hoping to glass goats from the trail. I saw one Goat that was on the move and couldn't get a good look at him.

I regrouped for my second trip and read through this paper with the intent on narrowing down the habitat a little more specific to mature Billy's. I found a high basin with year round snow drifts, lot's of shade, good looking feed, and good escape terrain. I watched this Billy all evening and he was the only goat in the basin.

http://vimeo.com/102552630

The video is blurry. I have been watching it full screen, HD, and pausing it to get the better frames. He looks good so far, I would like to think he is over 8", maybe even closer to 9", but lacking on mass. He has a big body, even by himself, he looked big against the terrain. He is in a very hunt-able location, which is a big plus. I'm going to hunt this Goat unless I find something noticeably better on my next trip. My main concern at this point is the weather. This area is way up in elevation and we usually have a snowstorm in late September, which will stick in this basin. I think as long as he is in his summer routine he will be in this basin, snow might push him out to more of the southern exposures.

What am I looking at here? All feedback is welcome, especially if he looks smaller than I think

 

[fishing4sanity]

Welcome to Hunt Talk. I've only seen a handful of goats before so I can't help in the evaluation department, but there are some very knowledgeable goat guys on here. I'm looking forward to more scouting and hunting pics though, good luck!

 

[npaden]

LOL! I laughed out loud when I heard the mosquitos and you swatting them!! That was something I wasn't prepared for on my scouting trip and thankfully after setting up camp the first evening I was able to drive back to town and get some 40% DEET spray that was my salvation!

That looks like a good billy to me. One thing I've read on judging them is that the larger billies have bigger heads, bodies, etc. so you might actually misjudge their horn length and mass.

That guy looks like a beast and would get a bullet headed his way from me in a heartbbeat if I saw him in my unit in Wyoming during hunting season.

P.S. - welcome to the forum. We are beyond the year of the goat here on HuntTalk now, it's flat out becoming an epidemic!

 

[IdahoRob]

He seems good. My guess would be a younger goat (3-5 years old) as he lacks that old horse face look and mass. The older goats just look old, this guy deserves a closer look for sure though.

 

[Ron Wright]

I had forgot my mosquito juice, so that part of the trip was miserable....lol
I think I was about 400 yards or less from this Goat, so I regret not getting way better footage. Lesson learned there.

In looking through old posts of successful hunts, it's almost just a crapshoot in comparing Billy's. Some that look smaller are 9+" and others that look huge are also 9+". They are all trophy's! I think the best thing to do is just find a big bodied Goat. Whatever the horns happen to measure is an added surprise. My goal for the hunt is a mature Billy and it looks like he is that for sure. Now I just need to get him before the snow screws it up!

Despite me breaking the rules and walking out in the open on a sunny slope to get set up for evening glassing, this herd of Elk came out and fed about 100 yards away shortly after I set up.


Got rained on in the morning, as soon as I put on my rain gear it stopped for the day.

 

[brymoore]

After looking at 50+ mountain goats last week in Glacier National Park, my thoughts are that if you wonder whether it's a billy or nanny, pass. When you see a big billy, there's no doubt about it. I can't help much on horn size.

 

[Ron Wright]

I've heard that in the past and would agree now that I've seen a mature Billy. I've seen goats here and there in the past few years, but none of them have ever stuck out like this one. He may not be all that old,but there is a definite difference in stature that I can now start to recognize with a mature Billy versus the small one's I have seen in the past.

Congrats on the Sheep tag

 

[T Bone]

Congrats on the tag!

I just returned from a 4 day pack trip through the Sawtooths. Beautiful country.

I wouldn't hesitate on that billy. They are tough critters to judge. I've found that if you can get two animals together, I can compare size and features.

Good luck!

 

[JLS]

He's definitely got some body mass to him. I think you are correct in that he's going to tape out around upper 8" to possibly 9" or so. He's not real heavy in the horns, when he looks directly at you there is noticeable space between the horns. A really heavy billy with 5" or more bases will not have any real noticeable space between the bases.

I don't know how this stacks up quality wise for what your unit offers?

 

[Ron Wright]

Biggest Goat harvested in the unit was 9" with 5" bases.

I don't know how this stacks up quality wise for what your unit offers?

 

[bkondeff]

I, like Ron, am a lucky Idaho Goat tag holder. Actually lucky enough to have the only tag in my unit. I looked over a goat that looks like this guy's brother, but didn't get close enough for a pic worth posting here. Got the same ear scratch confirm that Ron did on sex, no missing those jewels, even at a mile. Anyway, I am positive the body was of a mature billy, but like Ron just unsure on horn's. One thing I noticed in pics of big billies is that many had turned grey on lower half of horn.

Not sure about Ron but anything over 8" with a good coat and shoulders/neck like a bucking bull is what I am after.

I was hoping I could convince those who have killed or have verified pics of goats of known length to share the pic and the data for comparison, particularly of side shots.

Brian

 

[brymoore]

Here's two of the biggest billy's I saw at GNP. The one looking to the left was the biggest the biologist had seen in his research. He must be some type of repeat offender. His right side was spray painted orange.

 

[Buck Fever]

Good luck man, should be a great hunt in some incredible country.

 

[idahobow]

I can't seem to draw a goat tag in idaho to save my life.... so heres some pictures from last week in GNP that i took to get your heart going.

 

[Ron Wright]

Nice pics!

Looks like there is more of noticeable gap between the horns then I though there would be. I was confused by this when looking over the Billy, I was thinking nanny from some angles due to the apparent lack of mass. The Balls are obnoxious and so far the easiest way to tell a billy from a nanny at a distance.

Idahobow, thats a big old Billy, I notice the difference in the nose and the hump on his back. He looks to be well over 9" to my novice eye. I now see the difference in body structure too. The Billy I found looks younger, but more well fed.

I'm real anxious to get back out and see if I can find another mature Billy to compare. I am still curious to see if I can even compare two mature Billy's from different trips in the first place.

BK, I think you found an 8'+ mature Billy. I couldn't see horns, but based on the apparent body size he looks old enough to be sporting 8"+ horns. I showed my Taxidermist the video of the Billy I found and he estimated 8.5-9 inch range.

I'm not sure on my standards anymore. A mature Billy is what I wanted initially and it looks like I found one. I have a little time before the season so I want to try and see if I can find an older one and see if I can even tell the difference. Half the fun of this Goat hunt is over analyzing the Goats

BTW,
I have noticed a few flights of Geese in the air the last few weeks, probably residents, but if they are not and coming from the north already we might be in for a hell of a winter.

 

[oregonhunting]

To compare I think this is a good size goat. Body and horn size.

 

[nvborn]

Check you PMs, RonWright.

 

[Ron Wright]

Hiked in to another remote spot and found a small Billy. I can tell a difference in body mass and movements, which is what I wanted to find out. I'm pretty sure it's a young Billy, but it could be a Nanny. This was another lone goat in a very hunt-able and stalk-able location. I'm not finding goats on the cliffs, but below them in more of the Bucky areas. Not seeing any bucks though. I might hike back in here and stay longer when I get a chance. I had a 360* view of prime habitat for all the Game animals, but only enough time to glass a small part of it. I heard a Bull Bugle in the morning, but didn't have time to check it out.




Boone & Crockett Mushroom




This Goat is about 3/4 of mile out, the video is blurry. I have to say I am disappointed in the performance of my 65 mm Vortex Viper when it comes to looking over Goats and digiscoping. It's hard to get a clear view of horns over a quarter mile.



http://vimeo.com/103727686

 

[Baerman]

The goats are probably in the shade. As it cools they will go back up high. I recall a guy who had a Frank Church tag last year having a similar issue.

 

[npaden]

Is it just blurry when digiscoping or when you are looking through it too?

In the video it looked like there might be some heat waves causing distortion?

I need to get my digiscoping set up better myself, I had better luck free handing my iPhone over the scope than using my regular rig. I'm looking into buying a Sony RX100 camera but they aren't cheap.