Montana Mountain Goat

[----]

Well I passed goats on the opener, no one to blame but myself now if I eat the tag.

Just waiting for my pack mules to show to pull the trigger...

 

[Oak]

Well I passed goats on the opener, no one to blame but myself now if I eat the tag.

Dink will tell you that you only "passed" if you had the opportunity to pull the trigger but did not. You cannot say you passed if you chose not to pursue the animals and get within rifle range.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Dink will tell you that you only "passed" if you had the opportunity to pull the trigger but did not. You cannot say you passed if you chose not to pursue the animals and get within rifle range.

Oak he was within a mile and a half. A little Kentucky windage and 87 clicks on the scope and it could have been "Booyah!"


Good thing you passed Randy. You might have gotten pressed into service as an elk hunting pack mule if you no longer had a goat tag.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

Good thing you passed Randy. You might have gotten pressed into service as an elk hunting pack mule if you no longer had a goat tag.

I might have had to pick up an elk tag if that we're the case, Randy is my lucky charm.

 

[----]

Good thing you passed Randy. You might have gotten pressed into service as an elk hunting pack mule if you no longer had a goat tag.

I might have had to pick up an elk tag if that we're the case, Randy is my lucky charm.

I may or may not have found a very active wallow on the way to camp...

 

[IdahoBugler]

You guys are going to have a great trip. Good luck.

 

[----]

Some more picture from the weekend.

These cliffs are only about a mile from the trailhead, and always have 20-30 goats on them. They also look pretty dang safe there. Luckily it's only been nannies and kids on them so far, but I might have to man up and be one with the goats if a billy decides to move in there-

Here's the view from where I think we'll camp. The cirque has a very cathedral feel to it. The view out the tent flap definitely won't suck-

This basin has no FS trails in or out of it, and damn near gets cliffed out from the bottom. We got really lucky on the way out though and found a great trail that somebody with horses must've cut at one point. There's a lot of tags in the unit so I was hoping to find something more secluded, this should fit the bill.

Here's a zoomed in view of the cliffs in the camp canyon. There's a big lone goat I think was an old nanny bedded on the edge of the timber to the left, and a group of three nannies and kids bedded in one of the cliff bands on the right-

Pretty sure I saw two billies in here a couple weeks ago from the bottom, hopefully they show back up again in a couple weeks. If not we'll be hiking to the top of the basin everyday and glassing into the adjacent cirques and canyons.

 

[LCH]

Looks like an awesome place to be. Enjoy it and good luck.

 

[mtlion]

Randy I'm so bummed I have to miss this one. Not a good year for me.

 

[----]

Randy I'm so bummed I have to miss this one. Not a good year for me.

You've got a pile of points don't you? Let's do it next year.

 

[smalls]

How productive are you at work this week?

Good luck buddy, can't wait to see a tank on the ground!

 

[mtlion]

You've got a pile of points don't you? Let's do it next year.

Goat License (9 bonus points)

 

[npaden]

Good luck Randy.

No snow there yet? I heard that the Beartooths got up to a foot at higher elevations earlier this week.

Less than 3 weeks for me and I'm on pins and needles!

 

[Gerald Martin]

I may or may not have found a very active wallow on the way to camp...

I may or may not encourage you to shoot the first goat we see so I can unleash the Hoyt while the mules are still @ camp. Ross, I called a jake in for you at the bear hunt, care to return the favor on a raghorn?

 

[----]

How productive are you at work this week?

Good luck buddy, can't wait to see a tank on the ground!

Man you don't even know... I've still got seven days in the cubicle before I'm unleashed. Thankfully topo maps and google earth are part of my job so it's easy to hide.

Good luck Randy.

No snow there yet? I heard that the Beartooths got up to a foot at higher elevations earlier this week.

Less than 3 weeks for me and I'm on pins and needles!

This got hit hard too. All the high basin grasses were matted down and really muddy. Creeks are overflowing big time and the trail was a sloppy mess. The Gallatin looked like spring run off Monday morning.

It snowed a bit Sunday night again too, but had melted by the time we got up to the top of the mountain. Spanish peaks look like they might have gotten it a bit worse. Forecast says chance of snow every night for the next week.

 

[WV Hunter]

Good luck, Randy. Looks like an awesome place.

 

[----]

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

I may or may not encourage you to shoot the first goat we see so I can unleash the Hoyt while the mules are still @ camp. Ross, I called a jake in for you at the bear hunt, care to return the favor on a raghorn?

I will pack my calls!

 

[Lawnboy]

Randy I found a nice one just above the house the other night. If your plans change and you need a backup this guy isn't in a bad spot at all......relatively speaking of course

 

[kansasdad]

Clever countdown device Randy11!!

Have you made your list and checked it twice? Aired up your tires for the fifth time this month? Waxed your boots and waterproofed you tent (again!) and watched the minute hand at work
S L O W L Y spin out the remaining moments of slavery while anticipating the freedom of the open road and a goat tag in your wallet. (Did you pack the tag tape?) Looking forward to the adventure unfolding here on HuntTalk.