Who has done a diy mountain goat hunt in the lower 48?

[Flynarrow]

Over the years I have taken 6 DIY all with traditional archery equipment. Idaho, Montana, Colorado. The first one was when I was 20 yo, the last one I was 72 yo. All solo. I don't advocate solo as I had a couple of scary close calls, but good choices knowing you are solo makes fewer serious mistakes. But with solid, but not necessarily expensive backpack equipment you should be able but being in shape is essential.

 

[Deleted member 48080]

My brother waited for hair when he had his tag, and it ended up almost costing him the tag.

We had a crazy early October storm that year. He, @Mthuntr and I spent a couple miserable days in a foot of wet snow and no visibility before pulling the plug on our planned week long trip.

He kept going back, but the snow made the hunt near impossible. Around Thanksgiving he made a last ditch effort. He had to chain up all four on his Wrangler to even get to the trailhead, and on the first day the sole of his boot literally fell off. He drove all the way back to Bozeman, bought a pair of Danner Pronghorns and went back and shot a nanny in waist deep snow.

If I ever get to plan another goat hunt I will be up there as soon as the smoke clears in September with a group of friends.

 

[LopeHunter]

Did a guided hunt in AK as that was the deal for that game unit. When I drew in CO, I did not go guided. I had my brother and two friends along. There were no roads that could get me to the top so had to go up from the base of the ridges and peaks. I think OR had roads to the top or near so is a hike down which is much less demanding. I also drew a tag in MT and had an outfitter drop me off 11 miles from the nearest dirt road and was solo in grizzly country. I did not fill the MT tag but was the most memorable of the three goat hunts.

As for judging the goat, you have males and females. Horns vary a bit as does face shape in older goats. If you can tell the difference between 8" and 9" or the base circumferences then you are a better person than I after two hunts. If you put 4 billies on the same ridge then I can pick out one that is longer and has more mass. If there is one goat on that ridge then all sorts of issues if the goat has unusual facial ratios that can distort the actual size of the horns and distance between the bases.

To me, the trophy is length of the hair. Well, the memories then the goat.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Talking to Catherine about this last night, what about the fire she asked. Hells canyon had a big fire last summer as did goat rocks. Not sure how it may have displaced the goats. Best guess is they will have followed the green up this spring and that has been very good.

 

[Ben Nicholson]

Guys, thanks again for all of your insight! I truly appreciate it! It's given me a lot to think about, and has helped confirm some of my concerns as well.

I can certainly see pros and cons to both DIY and using an outfitter and still have a lot of thinking to do regarding that. The one think I love about DIY is that I can bring some friends along so they can be a part of a goat hunt, something they might never get the chance to do otherwise. However, I do need to find out their level of commitment as I don't want to squander a once in a lifetime tag.

It definitely sounds like the late Sept/early Oct is the sweet spot for planning my hunt.

Again, thanks for all of the advise, its really helpful. It's certainly got me fired up to go goat hunting!

 

[Sheltowee]

For those of you who have knocked over a mountain goat-- how do they eat? What would you compare them to? I'm imagining a fairly strong flavor that might do well with Indian spices/preparation.

 

[Dreamhunter#1]

This would be a awesome hunt

 

[Carl]

For those of you who have knocked over a mountain goat-- how do they eat? What would you compare them to? I'm imagining a fairly strong flavor that might do well with Indian spices/preparation.

I would compare the meat to boots. On the two different goats I've had the pleasure of eating, even the burger was chewy.

 

[BAKPAKR]

I would compare the meat to boots. On the two different goats I've had the pleasure of eating, even the burger was chewy.

Mine had good flavor — and was very chewy.

 

[Gerald Martin]

I really enjoy the flavor of goat. But it is chewy and seems to be a great candidate for low and slow cooking.

 

[rmyoung1]

I’ve been a part of four DIY goat hunts (two of my own & two others with friends). All in CO. I’m another advocate for finding a good partner if you go self-guided. One maybe under-appreciated part of having company is the opportunity to get counsel from someone who isn’t blinded by the raging excitement that accompanies a rare tag. It’s weird what having a goat tag (or sheep tag) can make you do. I respect those guys who can hunt solo and keep their wits about them. I ruined my first goat tag by talking myself into something stupid because I knew the goats were “just up there.” I was alone and pushing my luck at dusk. A rockslide, a tumble, a night on the mountain alone, a twisted ankle, and I squandered a good tag. My second chance at a CO goat tag saw me a lot less stupid and more prepared with good company and a solid plan. Just a warning from a guy who had to learn the hard way. Not everyone is impulsive and dumb. Some of us are, though. Know thyself and plan accordingly. Goat hunts have a way of highlighting your weaknesses.

 

[samuel_284Win]

I would do a mtn goat hunt diy again, just would always be sure to have 2 or 3 friends/family members that are willing to endure some suffering and willing to walk into some wild country with you.
Plenty of info our there to educate yourself on.

Read 'A Beast the Color of Winter' before your hunt. You will appreciate goats and their life much more after you read that book and have a more enjoyable hunt because of it. Made my hunt so neat because I went into two drainage/basin systems with a head full of knowledge and legs and lungs that were willing to act on that knowledge.

Best of luck and lets us know how your hunt goes down!

 

[Firehead117]

For those of you who have knocked over a mountain goat-- how do they eat? What would you compare them to? I'm imagining a fairly strong flavor that might do well with Indian spices/preparation.

Agree with chewy but decent flavor meat imo. Worked best as burger and taco meat for us.

I went the DIY route on my goat last year but being here in my home state of CO only 2 hrs from the house was huge factor. Family&Friends scouting and on the hunt were a plus. Solo would not be fun imo even in good weather. Not knowing OR I assume lots would be depending on the terrain and you knowledge of their location of the herds.

As for hair… I like all lengths of hair of a successful goat harvest. Took mine second day of season on 9/7 … still waiting on the mount to be finalized but very pleased with my experience.


Judging sex is a legit worry but practice up online. The AK site was helpful. Also Goat Alliance twitter had some good weekly challenge posts I found helpful.

 

[marksjeep]

We did a last minute DIY pack-in hunt a few years ago. I got stupid lucky on the tag and the success, and having some good friends along was a key factor in that luck. Absolutely agree with above, understand your friends schedules and know their commitments if at all possible. I had 5 days with these guys, then we were going to have to pull out. That's what they could commit to at the last minute and I was thankful to have it. As much as it pained me, I knew there was no way I could be on top of the mountain hunting and wrangle my 3 mules in camp at the same time solo, so I had made the decision to pull out with them and eat the tag with several days remaining in the season if it came to that. The plan was that we would split up so the animals and camp were cared for by two of the guys, and the rest of us would hunt hard, worry free, for those 5 days. Have a plan. Make those decisions in advance. I was fortunate in that this was an either sex management tag and hunters were specifically requested to take the first mature goat off the mountain that we could. A little less pressure than what you have in your pocket. Be safe, good luck, and enjoy the hunt!

Link to recap from the hunt below.
https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/last-minute-mountain-goat-hunt.308941/

 

[abqbw]

I’ve been on two. Both in UT. First one my friend had that tag and shot a B&C goat. Huge bases. Second I had the tag during 2021 and mostly hunted solo and didn’t kill anything. It was rough. Lots of early snow.

 

[MTGunner]

Heed what Gerald Martin and littlebighorn have recommended. Mountain goat hunting can be dangerous and/or life threatening. At times not for the faint of heart. Get into the best condition of your life. Practice, practice and practice shooting at different angles. Late season goats have great hair But snow conditions can be difficult. Earlier season goats afford some semblance of ease but not always. Took my goat in mid Oct. His hair was nice and full albeit not real long. I spent three days in the mountains, three days of arduous hunting, to get my goat. Loved it. MTG

 

[MT Bound]

I've been on one MT goat hunt but was not the tag holder. Take a friend or two, make it a fun experience
I'll probably get flamed for this, but I just don't see what the excitement is over goat hunting, I.just.don't.get.it..... I'd rather be chasing a mature bull elk up some steep and timbered ridge at 6,000 ft, but that's just me.

 

[SwaggyD]

I was lucky enough to win the Colorado RMBS goat tag last year. @Dsnow9 and a few others were a TON of help for me. I was unable to scout prior due to my niece getting married in Colorado in early September. I went with 2 buddies in early October and had a blast. One of the most memorable hunts I've ever been on.

 

[BuzzH]

I hunted solo for about 16 days and looked over a ton of goats early. Was looking for 2 specific goats that I saw while hunting unlimited sheep the year prior. Never could turn them up, but lots of others. Stalked one billy and was about to shoot it, turned its head and was missing about half of the passenger side horn.

Shot mine in early November and it had awesome hair was with a friend of mine on that hunt.

My Brother drew a tag in the late 80's and we hunted one day. Started about 4 in the morning, found a good billy about 2 PM about 11-12 miles in. Got it killed and back to the trail by maybe 5 PM and hiked out to the truck. Got out around 12 PM. Don't know if I could pull that off these days. That was mid-September and hair was OK, but not great.

 

[Letthemgrow]

Over the years I have taken 6 DIY all with traditional archery equipment.

I don't know if I've read about a greater hunting accomplishment on this forum. Congratulations, I bet you have some incredible memories.