Mountain Goat field judging

[The Hedgehog]

No picture of the hippie touching the goat?...or the yoga ladies?

Wish I would have. I've told that often and I realize how far fetched it sounds - but I swear it is true. Two friends were along and witnessed it.

 

[BuzzH]

Wish I would have. I've told that often and I realize how far fetched it sounds - but I swear it is true. Two friends were along and witnessed it.

I know better than to question your stories...I was just positive you would have snapped a couple pictures.

 

[recurveman]

Story time.. A few minutes after shooting that goat above, a hippie rock climber walked up and said, "Why did you shoot that baby billy? I used to ski with that billy, see I even saved some of his fur and carry it around with me." I let him touch the goat while he shed a tear. I gave him a tutorial how to age them by their horn rings. He walked off sobbing. Then, after skinning, boning and loading him into our packs, my friend Kevin looked down to the base of the mtn with his binoculars and said, "Hey get a load of this - there's 20 women doing yoga by our tent!" He wasn't joking. We were hunting way too close to Big Sky. Looking back, pretty sure I could have killed that goat with a spear, a hammer, or maybe even a rope. I never tried to get very close because I didn't want to push him. He was with another billy when I shot him. The other billy never got up after I shot. We were 300 yards away, and by the time we loaded up, talking, and walked toward my goat, at about 150 yards, the other goat finally stood up. But he only turned the opposite direction and laid back down. It wasn't until we were about 15 yards away when he got up and walked off. I killed a hippies buddy and interrupted a yoga class - not something you can usually expect on a goat hunt.

I would have asked him to help me carry this off the hill once I'm done cleaning it........help is help

 

[Fire_9]

Pretty frikkin fantastic. Can't really fathom how much hiking I did from July-October that year, but a SHIT ton. Killing it was simple, but the hunt started in late June and that goat didn't come without a lot of sweat. But no, I did not expect to see a mountain climber or team of ladies doing yoga that morning. It didn't ruin anything for me. Pretty funny actually.

I just looked back and that was my 34th day in that mountain range looking at goats. I fished 9 different mountain lakes, and when the time was right, killed the biggest goat in the unit. 24 hours later was with a friend who killed another 9.5" billy, 10 miles in one way from the opposite side of the unit. My goat was 4 miles from the trailhead, probably the easiest place in that unit to kill a goat. It just so happened to be where the big one was that year. It's very unlikely to be that way this year.

This is no surprise coming from you but this is how these tags should be treated. You were fortunate enough to live close to be unit you hunted but most tags don’t get enough time devoted to them.

 

[Lawnboy]

This is obviously a nice older billy goat - But how good?

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Any input from those who’ve hunted goats multiple and spent time evaluating size, age and horns would be appreciated. First weekend hiking through the hills looking for goats turned up a half dozen nice billies but this was likely the best we saw. Very cool animals..

I’ll bet a case of root beer he’s over 10 ( I don’t drink). I put him at 10 1/4”. I don’t know much else about field judging goats. Knowing the area I would say he’s in the top 5% for length.

 

[Dinkshooter]

I'd listen to the Costco Prostaffer for sure!

He has a giant horse head (the goat, not Lawnboy) and looks like a shooter goat to me!

 

[Dinkshooter]

Make sure you carry tissues for the next freaking hippie.

 

[Gerald Martin]

He's definitely 10". I'd suggest seeing if the granola bar goat feeding hippie is still rock climbing and can tell you how long his horns are.

 

[BuzzH]

Make sure you carry tissues for the next freaking hippie.

And a camera...

 

[The Hedgehog]

I let some Asian tourists look at some goats through my spotter yesterday. Her boyfriend couldn't see them. I didn't suggest that he remove his Ray Bans, I should have taken a photo for Buzz.

Once again, lots of goats seem to like the smell of lattés and sushi.

 

[----]

Good luck this weekend! Looks like you'll have good weather. Lack of smoke this summer has been great for glassing.

 

[onpoint]

"few minutes after shooting that goat above, a hippie rock climber walked up and said, "Why did you shoot that baby billy? I used to ski with that billy, see I even saved some of his fur and carry it around with me." I let him touch the goat while he shed a tear. I gave him a tutorial how to age them by their horn rings. He walked off sobbing. Then, after skinning, boning and loading him into our packs, my friend Kevin looked down to the base of the mtn with his binoculars and said, "Hey get a load of this - there's 20 women doing yoga by our tent!" He wasn't joking. We were hunting way too close to Big Sky. Looking back, pretty sure I could have killed that goat with a spear, a hammer, or maybe even a rope. I never tried to get very close because I didn't want to push him. He was with another billy when I shot him. The other billy never got up after I shot. We were 300 yards away, and by the time we loaded up, talking, and walked toward my goat, at about 150 yards, the other goat finally stood up. But he only turned the opposite direction and laid back down. It wasn't until we were about 15 yards away when he got up and walked off. I killed a hippies buddy and interrupted a yoga class"

Couple this with -

"It depends on who you are I guess and what’s important to you. I cannot think of a single better place for me right now".

and Bozeman does seem to be just the right place for you

Hunt for goats in the basin between Beehive Lake and Upper Spanish Lake or between Diamond and Chilled (for a couple such places) there may be fewer sobbing rock hippies and yoga girls. 'Course, that may be actually what you're looking for, little pieces of comfy Bozo in the high country..........

Hope you guys find a good one. Great place to hunt goats.

 

[The Hedgehog]

Onpoint - i like how you quote me out of context. But regardless -

No goats here, or nice lakes..

 

[onpoint]

You can't be quoted "out of context" if the stuff being written isn't penned SERIOUSLY.
Geesh people take everything so frikkin' literally - on a forum full of wise asses??.....
Yeah, I'll be not enjoying the crappy area we live while I'm fishing today, and I never really appreciated hanging out with a shit ton of goats right below that gap at the rear of your photo at Beehive

Reread the last line of my last post - that was in all seriousness................................

 

[The Hedgehog]

and Bozeman does seem to be just the right place for you

My bad - It actually wasn’t out of context at all..Nothing more I’d have preferred than quick place to fill up my growler, grab a rainbow roll, or dump out my Via for a shot of cappuccino in boiling water..

You wouldn’t even have found me complaining yesterday about an $11 side order of fries.

 

[HSi-ESi]

I've been following along closely - as this is the one area I want to hunt goats in (applied here for over 20 years). I think it's awesome that you and your son are getting the opportunity. I'm looking forward to seeing / hearing the story and pic's. Hopefully you can find that billy first thing, itchy trigger fingers can be tough to control - especially when you are young.

 

[Irrelevant]

While looking at the areas you guys are talking about I saw this CF. Is it really like this (the high density of roads and trails) or is onX just skewing the reality?

 

[Deleted member 16014]

Story time.. A few minutes after shooting that goat above, a hippie rock climber walked up and said, "Why did you shoot that baby billy? I used to ski with that billy, see I even saved some of his fur and carry it around with me." I let him touch the goat while he shed a tear. I gave him a tutorial how to age them by their horn rings. He walked off sobbing. Then, after skinning, boning and loading him into our packs, my friend Kevin looked down to the base of the mtn with his binoculars and said, "Hey get a load of this - there's 20 women doing yoga by our tent!" He wasn't joking. We were hunting way too close to Big Sky. Looking back, pretty sure I could have killed that goat with a spear, a hammer, or maybe even a rope. I never tried to get very close because I didn't want to push him. He was with another billy when I shot him. The other billy never got up after I shot. We were 300 yards away, and by the time we loaded up, talking, and walked toward my goat, at about 150 yards, the other goat finally stood up. But he only turned the opposite direction and laid back down. It wasn't until we were about 15 yards away when he got up and walked off. I killed a hippies buddy and interrupted a yoga class - not something you can usually expect on a goat hunt.

If anyone is on instagram, very nearly this exact yoga in the mountains thing is happening today on Aron Snyder's account. It's hilarious, other than they spooked a couple really impressive bucks.