2014 British Columbia Hunt
Contributors to this thread:Mountain Goat
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
I booked with Elk Valley Bighorn Outfitters out of Cranbrook, BC last winter. I've always been in good shape, but I took it to another level for this hunt and am glad I did, actually there were times I wished I had done more. Ran my first full marathon in May with a time of 3:20. At the beginning of August I was wearing my boots, hitting the stepmill and incline treadmill, and adding weights to my packpack almost weekly.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
I live in Fargo, ND and the easiest/cheapest was to drive to Winnipeg, MB then fly to Calgary, AB then on to Cranbrook, BC. Everything went smooth and on the morning of October 7th, my guide picked me up at 7:30 and we were off to base camp, arriving at noon.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
We went out to glass later that afternoon and I was pleasantly surprised at the number of goats we were seeing. I quit counting at 20. Day 2: My buddy that was with was hunting Bighorn Sheep and it would be his final sheep needed to complete his slam. We went with him and his guide for the day to help him find sheep. We did, but all very far away and/or not legal.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
Day 3: My guide, Nathan, and I went for about a 10-11 mile hike, and again saw a lot of goats! They were either WAY too high to get to, weren't in a very stalkable location, or weren't big enough.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
Day 4: We again went sheep looking for my buddy. For the most part, the goats were't in the same area that we were looking for sheep. We also saw a few grizzlies on this hunt, today was a sow and a gorgeous blonde cub.
From: t-roy
24-Nov-14
Keep it coming!
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
Day 5: We spotted a nice goat in a stalkable position about 8:30am. He was 2-3 miles away, and 2,000-2,500 up. Nathan is 12 years younger than I am, in good shape, and experienced for his age. We clicked well together. At 1:00 we had made it to the top and were on the backside of the mountain. Circling back and peaking over we found the billy about 300 yards away. The wind was questionable, and he was bedded almost underneath an overhanging rock. We at one point were within 20 yards of him, but I couldn't see him due to where he was laying. He eventually heard or smelled us and moved out. Here he is a 30o yards. SOOOO close today!
From: Badlands
24-Nov-14
I was just thinking that Bowsite needed a little sprucing up on this slow Monday morning. Just what the Dr. ordered.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
This is a view from about where we started, just to the right of the fog is where we went up and over, then came around the top a little further to the right.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
It was about 2:30 when we started the hike down. Nathan had never been this way before and it got nasty. We got hung up in cliffs, and the thick alders were relentless. Upon getting to the bottom Nathan said "Wow.....not many of my hunters would've made it down that, I would've been calling a helicopter for most of them." That made me feel good.......a few minutes later that changed. He was looking at me funny........then says "I am not kidding you right now, you have no arrows left!" I turned to look at my quiver......empty, gone, all of them. I had my bow strapped to my pack as you can see in this picture which was taken on the hike up that day, I couldn't see what was going on behind my and quite honestly there were times I didn't care as my safety became my major concern many times down that mountain. All I could do was laugh........something I will always remember from this hunt. No worries......I have more arrows back at camp.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
Day 6: We were up early and were moving to a different camp. Elk Valley Bighorn has 7 different spike camps which was really nice. After about a 40 minute pickup ride, we unloaded the horses and rode in about 2 hours to spike camp. After getting situated Nathan and I headed out to do some scouting. After 7-8 more hours on the horses we returned to camp at dark. One of my biggest concerns that I talked about with the outfitter prior to going is how to carry my bow. He suggested a pack that I would strap my bow onto, which I had. The problem was while riding, the bow stuck up too high and caught up in branches.....A LOT! So I ended up putting it in the scabbard on the side of the horse........this wasn't much better as Gallute (my horse) decided that he would use the side that the scabbard was on as a wrecking ball against any tree that came within 2' of him. I can't tell you how many times that 800lb horse slammed my bow into a tree. My knee was bruised from it getting slammed into as it sat between the scabbard and the horse. This spike camp didn't have a target, plus we returned in the dark and left the next day in the dark so I couldn't double check the sights or anything else before we left early the next day........ Here is a pic of the spike camp.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
Day 7: Shortly after getting enough light to see, we spotted a nice billy.....and yes, he was a long ways up. Here is a long range shot from where we started and where we needed to go. Can you see him?
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
Here is a spotting scope shot of him taken from the same place. From the previous picture, he is to the right of the tight group of pine trees that are right of the snow patch on the distant mountain.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
2.5 hours later we are up there and on the other side of the ridge. We move, peak over, nothing. Move, peak over, nothing. Move, peak over, nothing. Move, peak over.......there he is, bedded and facing away at about 75 yards. I want to get down about 20 yards to a "level" shelf that is about 2'x2'. If I can get there, I will feel great about this. I will be in plain sight of the billy the whole way, but off I go. Halfway down, as I'm barely holding on to prevent a nasty slip of several feet, he looks up at me and I'm pegged. He stares for a while as I try not to move or fall to a painful rock below. Finally he looks away. I get to the shelf and range several times. 52 yards line of sight, 35 yards with the angle. Chip shot....at least I thought. He is still looking away and relaxed, but bedded. Nathan says to shoot him in his bed if I feel good. I stand, draw, anchor, tip, tip, tip some more until I find him in my sight. I feel like I'm gonna either fall off this cliff or shoot myself in the foot.....maybe both.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
My pin is rock solid on him......the shot is off and I instantly knew I was low......really low. Too low to be "normal". The goat takes off and that is that, my heart sinks as I realize the dream I have had to take one of these amazing creatures just slipped away. It would be the ultimate to take one with a bow.....and I just blew my chance. I retrieved my arrow which is clean as a whistle, and the bhead is bend and dull from the rock or whatever it was it slammed into 3" into the dirt. The hike back down was again not so fun. It was painful cuz of what just happened, and it got nasty again. Upon reaching the bottom, I had lost another arrow.
From: bdfrd24v
24-Nov-14
On edge of seat...reading
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
My dream is still a dream.........but I am still in the game!
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
And the views are simply breathtaking!!!
From: Woodsman416
24-Nov-14
Great story! Keep it coming!
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
We check out a view other basins but don't see a mature billy. We go back to camp a bit early and I pile up a bunch of dirt, get a paper plate from the cabin, range 40 yards and shoot the one bent bhead/arrow. It's a foot low. I shoot 3 more times, each time the shot felt perfect, each time it was a foot low and buried in the dirt without even touching the 8" plate. I spent an hour till it was too dark to see trying to get things back. One shot, walk to the target, pull the arrow, adjust, walk back. Shot one shot, pull the arrow, walk back. Over and over. As darkness overtook the valley.......I had one sharp/good arrow, one dull/bent arrow, and a bow that was not sighted in to where I wanted.........this sucks. I had brought 7 bradheads and arrows on this hunt. Never in my life did I think I would need that many. If I get 7 shots at a goat and miss them all, I don't deserve to get one. What I didn't factor in was this brutal country taking them from me in the form of stealing from my quiver. In hindsight I should have strapped them into the quiver better, but I didn't even think of it. Now 5 of them lay somewhere on mountainsides, cliffs, or waiving back and forth in an alder bush. The end of day 7 was a slap in the face...
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
My buddy and his guide got to within 175 yards of this ram. They looked at him for 2 hours.......in the end the determined him to be 1/4" too short and had to walk away. (Rams need to be full curl to be legal)
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
Day 8: We are up and on the horses before sunrise. We have a 3 hour ride to get to another place we want to check out and we want to be there at sunrise. The weather is now becoming an issue. The first 6-7 days were PERFECT. Almost too nice as the big billy's all seemed to be way up high as the weather had not forced them low with sun and 60-70 degree days. Well today was off an rain, wind, and temps in the 40's. At sunrise we spotted a a nice billy way up.....again. He was so high and the terrain looked so brutal and steep I could tell even Nathan didn't want to try for him. We decided to ride for another hour and if we didn't find any other billy's, we would come back and try for him.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
The previous picture was NOT taken on day 8 as I have 4 arrows in my quiver, when in reality I had 2. But you can see how far my bow stuck out from the horse and how inviting it was to a tree to bang into.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
I need to stop right here. If you are totally against any gun kill whatsoever, please stop reading and move on. Unless anyone knows me, my financial situation, my goals, etc etc etc. and are in my shoes, please do not judge. To the elitest bowhunters that think a stick and string is the ONLY way to get things done, notice I have the DEBATE FREE tag on this thread. For those that enjoy reading about a guys dream come true.......please come with. To Pat, if you feel this is no longer acceptable to Bowsite, I completely understand if this thread disappears. Best regards.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
An hour further we spotted a BIG BILLY way up in the rock cliffs. He was the biggest we had seen in 7 days. As Nathan and I discussed going after him, I questioned the stalk. Nathan said "We can get to him, but it will be a rifle shot." Given I wasn't 100% comfortable with my banged up bow, and the fact that I was down to one arrow. All I said was, "That's fine, let's go." I set my bow on the ground by the horses, and slid the gun out of the scabbard. This wasn't just any gun, it was my Dad's gun. He was my hunting partner and my hero for the first 22 years of my life till God decided he needed him more and took him from us at the age of 48. I have used this gun before and it holds such a special place in my heart. Honestly, if felt good to throw in on my shoulder and start the hike up. Like Dad was with me........again.
From: Second Shot
24-Nov-14
I am on the edge of my seat here. Gun kill or not, bring it on. You have lived my dream and I want to know how your story ends.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
2 hours later we are closing in. I wanted to get closer, Nathan thought the goat would bust us and take off. I wasn't aware how spooky goats can be when they see something below them. The day before as we stalked the goat, we had some bolt from over 700 yards away. We saw them bedded and when they took off I asked Nathan if they were spooking cuz of us, he said they were. I was amazed. On the other hand if you can come in from above, they don't seem alarmed much at all. I've been told that their predators usually don't come at them from above, which makes sense. We are at the very outer limits of what I feel comfortable with using a rifle, but to save the details of a rifle kill on a bowhunting forum, I will cut it short. As he lost his footing, he free fell about 100 feet, then continues to slide and roll another 250-300 yards down the mountain. He was pretty banged up when we found him, but nothing a taxidermist can't fix.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
For YEARS I have dreamt of hunting these white beasts. And that's all it was and all I thought it would be.......a dream. It was a hunt I couldn't afford, but one I HAD to do. A hunt that I doubt I will ever be able to do again, it truly was one I considered a once in a lifetime hunt. A lot of you can understand and relate. As I walked up to that beat and broken up billy, I was in awe. The size, the hair, the horns, the hunt.......everything. The disapointment I felt just 24 hours earlier was nowhere near my mind. I was humbled.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
We made quick work of the goat as the ever present thought of a grizzly was in our minds. As it turns out, a friend of Nathans was getting mauled by a grizzly not too far away on this same day. He lost a leg, but did survive after 4 surgery's. Always have someone on bear watch! Here is Nathan and I. Great guide!
From: bdfrd24v
24-Nov-14
Awesome hunt. Very happy for you.
Shame about Nathan's friend. Nature, is well unpredictable.
I like how your dad was "a part" of this hunt. Makes it extra special. I hunt all seasons, with different weapons. A good hunt my friend.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
We made it down and about an hour back. At dark we were at a public cabin along a lake where we decided to stay for the night. Day 9: The next morning it was 3 hours back to spike camp, 2 hours back to the road, truck and trailer, and 40 minutes to base camp. As we were leaving early that morning in the rain/snow and fog. I looked back towards where I had killed my goat. There was snow visible through the holes in the fog and I couldn't help but feel a huge sense of relief. Spotting goats would now be a nightmare, and I couldn't imagine trying to navigate those rocks with a slick layer of wet snow on them. The sound of leather rubbing together and the clippity clap of horseshoes on rocks was relaxing as we went down the trail. We spend the day unpacking and organizing, taking care of the goat hide, and relaxing. It had been a long few days with a lot of hiking and early mornings, it felt good to unwind a little. About mid afternoon Nathan and I decided to go out again and do a little glassing. I also had an elk tag...... Here is my buddy Dale (the sheep hunter) and I as we left the morning after I shot my goat.
From: Burnerman
24-Nov-14
Thanks for sharing. Great thread and don't ever think that you have to justify your choices to the keyboard heroes.
From: g5smoke21
24-Nov-14
Awesome hunt and read...thanks for sharing and congrats
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
Days 10 and 11: Nathan and I got up early and climbed up mountains to get through the timber which would open up to "slides" the elk feed in. We never did see any elk, but there was a lot of sign. There is a 6 point rule here, so we are looking for a 6x6. We had only saw one in the first 11 days, that was back on day 4. I told Nathan I wanted to kill a goat first, or use up my entire hunt on goat hunting, the elk could wait. Now with my tag on a goat's horn, I was content, but I still had a few days to hunt so what better than to spend it elk hunting in this spectacular yet brutal country!
From: Hollywood
24-Nov-14
Congratulations on a great goat hunt!
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
Day 12: We load up the horses and are on our way early again. After a 30 minute truck ride, we unload and head up on horseback. Up, and up, and up some more.....thank goodness for horses! We get to our glassing knob where we had planned to spend the day about 2 hours later, at about 10:30am. We did see a cow and 2 calf's about 6-700 yards away. We also spotted a bighorn ram about a mile and a half away. About noon we decided the ram needed a closer look. If it was legal, Dale and Mike could come in the next day and try for it. Tomorrow is the last day of our hunt. Under the rainbow is the area the ram was in......pot of gold maybe?
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
The hike over to check out the ram was brutal. 80% of the way was boulder fields and shale. We slipped, slid, and stumbled our way across. Ryan, the head guide for Elk Valley Bighorn was with us today and he is an animal. He literally could run across those rocks and not touch them. I was amazed...... 2 hours later we were within 3-400 yards of the ram....and he was too short. Dangit. We headed back to our knob, getting there about 4:30 and quite honestly, I was tired. A lot of miles and a lot of climbing the last 12 days......but it wasn't over yet! After reaching the top, I turned around to look back at where the cow and calf's were earlier in the day and immediately saw elk. They were across the valley we had just come up, but much higher on the mountain. Nathan got out his spotting scope and a few minutes later "Bull!" And he was a perfect LEGAL 6x6! With the sun starting to get low we had little time to lose.....we baled off that knob and were climbing up the other side of the valley within minutes. The climb up was harsh, my legs were heavy and my lungs were burning.
From: CurveBow
24-Nov-14
AWESOME!!!!! Congratulations and thank you for sharing. Great write-up, great photos! Did I mention - Great photos!
Its about the hunt and what is important to you. Regardless of weapon, great experience I'm sure; one that will last a lifetime...
Now, I'm hoping that there was something in that "pot of gold"!
>>>>-------->
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
The area the elk were in an area mixed with spotty pine trees and brush, but open enough to spot them occasionally. We got to a good vantage point where we thought we were close and got set up. A few minutes later the wind swirled, and I mentioned to Nathan that it was at the back of our necks. Soon.....we say one cow go through an opening that was maybe 8' wide. Then another cow, then a calf, then the bull. He magically stopped perfectly in that little opening and looked back. Dad's trusty gun barked again. The elk ran up the mountain behind some trees about 30 yards, we could only see glimpses of him......a few seconds later we saw him fall and crash! The shot was perfect and he crashed hard! Here he is as we found him.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
After cutting down several trees and rolling him out....here he is. My dream hunt that turned out beyond my wildest dreams!
From: Julius K
24-Nov-14
Congrats!
From: willliamtell
24-Nov-14
Off
Bummer about the quiver and the horse. They are good at doing that to equipment. If you had to do it again, what would you change? Obviously check your bow after the equine abuse, but have you discovered a way to pack your bow so it is lower on a horse? How would you lock down your quiver going through brush?
Congrats on sealing the deals. Agree that you were up against it and as we all know, taking game with a rifle is a lot more certain than with a bow.
From: Mark Watkins
24-Nov-14
John, Congrats on setting the goal, persevering and achieving a lifelong goal (s)! All with your Father (and his gun) being with you....How cool is that!
A great hunt and great story!
Thanks!
Mark
From: elmer@laptop
24-Nov-14
Loved following along. Great adventure! And nice animals!
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
Thanks guys. williamtell - I don't know yet how I would do the bow/arrow thing. I really needed my hands in this country, even my treking pole, so carrying my bow in my hands was not an option. If I would have strapped my arrows onto the quiver, I worry they would've broke or been bent. They fit in my quiver TIGHT and I was amazed they got ripped out. The force it took to get them out certianly would've done damage had they been strapped in somehow. As far as on the horse.......in hindsite the only thing I could think of would be to carry my bow on my lap as I rode or in a sling. I've used a sling before on a horse and it worked well. Throw it behind me so it rode more on my back then on my shoulder....... Live and learn.
From: georgemcg
24-Nov-14
tried every way on a horse. found this to be best. Great Story !!! congrats
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
We needed headlamps to load the meat onto the horses, it was dark, and we had a long way to go. I worried our headlamps would go out before we got out and we were on a trail that none of us had been on before.........miles from the truck and trailer. It amazes me how those horses and mules know there way back. 4 hours later, after what felt like miles of steep decline down the mountain, walking on river rocks, several river crossing that we just blew through in our boots......too tired to get on the horses or worry about getting wet, we were back. We were all beat. Between the hike to look at the bighorn, the hike back up to the elk, then the hike out, I hurt. It was a good hurt.......really good. We got to camp and were having supper about midnight. Here is Ryan, me, and Nathan after we reached the horse trailer about midnight.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
Day 13 -The last day: We slept in......had a late breakfast, and recovered. It would be the last day, and I was going to take a minute to breathe, and let this place soak in. Dale and Mike went hard after sheep till the very end, but weren't able to find a legal ram in which to kill. Here they are......enjoying every minute, kill or no kill.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
Mike and Dale again. Two of the best guys you could ever hunt and spend time with.
From: SDHNTR(home)
24-Nov-14
Cool story. Congrats on the animals. So you got to go on a goat hunt and stay in a cabin? And you look mostly dry! I'm so jealous.
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
LOL SDHNTR! Yes......it was nice! :)
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
I am so unbelievably lucky and blessed to have done this. This hunt lived up to EVERYTHING I had hoped for......and then some! Everything from the adventure, to the guides, wranglers, cooks, scenery, animals, country, food, physical challenges, mental challenges, cabins, stock, on and on and on...... Yes, I would've loved to shoot something with a bow, but the ultimate goal was to come home with a lifetime of memories and an animal I can look at for the rest of my life. I did just that and couldn't be more happy!
From: OFFHNTN
24-Nov-14
In closing.......I have been applying, and will continue to apply, for a goat tag in several US states. As the years went by, the desire to go on a goat hunt grew more and more. I am more of a DIY guy, but the lure of these white beasts was too much and I got sick of waiting for a tag. I can't say enough about Elk Valley Bighorn Outfitters and how well it is run. It is owned by Anna Fontanna. If that name rings a bell, she and her husband Bob started this outfit. Bob was tragically killed by a cape buffalo in South Africa several years ago and they had won several awards for the quality of their animals. Anna has kept it going ever since. Ryan Damstrom is the head guide and runs the day to day things at base camp, as well as guides hunters. He is one of the most knowledgable sheep guides around and from what I can gather is getting quite a reputation. I believe he has guided the provincial sheep tag hunter the last 2 years. He just finished this year up with two Rocky mountain bighorns over 190"s! As far as the goats, I heard this area held the highest goat population per square mile than any other. I can believe it, on the days we mainly glassed and didn't go for a stalk, seeing over 20 goats was normal. Not all of them were billy's, but goats nonetheless. One morning, I sat in one spot and counted 34 different goats. Amazing. Please send me a pm if you'd like more information. I would do it all over again in a second with Elk Valley Bighorn Outfitters. God bless and shoot straight with whatever weapon is in your hands! Thanks for following along as well as for keeping this civil amongst your fellow hunters.
John Lien
From: HUNT MAN
24-Nov-14
Thanks for posting. I love it. HUNT
From: Bou'bound
24-Nov-14
great job and thanks for taking us on the trip with you and your dad who was most certainly along side you every step of the way.
From: Nick Muche
24-Nov-14
Thanks for sharing! I know all too well both of the feelings you described about a useless bow and then complete happiness a short time later, happened to me this year on my goat hunt. Congrats on your success. All the best, Nick.
From: huntmaster
25-Nov-14
Congrats on both animals!! Elk has been giving me fits that past couple years and I just booked a Goat hunt so you covered both of them for me.
Congrats again!
From: Surfbow
25-Nov-14
What a great hunt! I'm jealous!
From: bowbeck
25-Nov-14
Awesome hunt!!! Thanks for sharing and a huge congrats!!
From: ridgerunnerron
25-Nov-14
CONGRATS! Super hunt, story, personal feelings, pics, etc! Great that you got your animals!
From: skinner creek
25-Nov-14
Outstanding write up and even better goat. Being and outfitter that hunts goats i can appreciate what goes into a hunt like that.
From: cubbies77
25-Nov-14
Congrats and thanks for the thread!!
From: Rockbass
25-Nov-14
John,
Thank you for sharing your adventure. You have a great writing style and took some amazing photographs.
Sounds like you worked extremely hard for both of your animals. Way to go!
I met Bob and some of his crew a few times at the SCI Convention over the years and a friend of mine mounted a monster grizzly one of his clients took. All good people.
Congratulations again.
Terry.
From: Charlie Rehor
25-Nov-14
Thanks so much for the great write up and your photo's are also terrific. I didn't go on a mountain hunt until I was 53 and I'm so glad I did it while I still could. You younger guys making it happen when you have your youth is really cool!
Get inspired guys!
From: mtoomey
26-Nov-14
Nice!
From: kota-man
26-Nov-14
What a great hunt/story John...I've hunted that area, great country for sure. Congrats on your FIRST once in a lifetime hunt!
From: OFFHNTN
28-Nov-14
Thanks everyone. Rockbass, yes, ALL great people! Bob's uncle is still the camp cook up there. He was with Bob when he was killed.....actually standing 2' from him when the Buff charged and told us what happened. I think he's 78 years old now and still works his butt off around camp.
Charlie, why is it when a guy is young and in good shape he can't afford to go, and when he finally CAN afford to go he is too dang old and out of shape?!
kota-man, I think my wife is on to my "Once in a lifetime" talk as I've managed to go on those hunts more than once........but I really meant it with this one. :)
From: Hawkeye
28-Nov-14
Incredible and well done!!!! Thanks for sharing an epic adventure.
From: SteveB
28-Nov-14
Loved the whole thing. The weapon you used didn't matter to me. I know EXACTLY what you felt taking an animal with your dads rifle...not much like it! A big congratulations! I turn 60 this year and trying to decide if I could still do a goat hunt. It would be a one time deal for me and I would likely carry my father in law's rifle who never got the chance to go. Are you going to get a lifesize mount?
From: DcoleinPA
28-Nov-14
This was great! Awesome job to everyone involved.
