Mountain goat Babine Guide Outfitters
Contributors to this thread:Mountain Goat
From: DEERAHOLIC
23-Sep-21
This is mountain goat hunt that takes place in Smithers, BC. It started on the 7 of September after getting vaccinated for covid and getting and all clear test sample from Walgreens 3 days before my trip and filling all the info in the ArriveCan app on my phone.
From: DEERAHOLIC
23-Sep-21
Started the journey with a 3 hour ride down to O'Hare from central Wisconsin on September 7 to stay in hotel with park and ride service and to fly out on the 8.
From: DEERAHOLIC
23-Sep-21
Vancouver Airport hotel room view.
Vancouver Airport hotel room view.
Was restless night and my first time flying solo so I was a little nervous hoping everything was going to go ok. Woke up at 04:30 and got ready and took hotel shuttle to airport at 5. This is where my inexperience came into play and asking wrong people for advice that I ended up missing my first leg of my flight to Denver. Well after getting everything straightened out with United airlines I was on my way and made my first connecting flight to Denver then off to Vancouver. I had to stay in Vancouver over night because of the screw up at the beginning of the day because I did not make the only flight that flies into Smithers, BC. I had to deal with Air Canada customer service to make sure I was scheduled to be on the next days flight and that was bad because I first had to deal with phone support then could not get through and ended up contacting my travel agent to make sure everything was a go for next day and it was no thanks to Air Canada. I got hotel room at airport and this picture is the view from my window.
From: DEERAHOLIC
23-Sep-21
Vancouver Airport hotel room view.
Vancouver Airport hotel room view.
Was restless night and my first time flying solo so I was a little nervous hoping everything was going to go ok. Woke up at 04:30 and got ready and took hotel shuttle to airport at 5. This is where my inexperience came into play and asking wrong people for advice that I ended up missing my first leg of my flight to Denver. Well after getting everything straightened out with United airlines I was on my way and made my first connecting flight to Denver then off to Vancouver. I had to stay in Vancouver over night because of the screw up at the beginning of the day because I did not make the only flight that flies into Smithers, BC. I had to deal with Air Canada customer service to make sure I was scheduled to be on the next days flight and that was bad because I first had to deal with phone support then could not get through and ended up contacting my travel agent to make sure everything was a go for next day and it was no thanks to Air Canada. I got hotel room at airport and this picture is the view from my window.
From: Ambush
23-Sep-21
Air Canada's motto is "We're Not Happy 'till You're Not Happy!"
But you did pick a great outfitter in a great area.
From: BOWNBIRDHNTR
23-Sep-21
Looking forward to this one!
From: kota-man
23-Sep-21
Loyd and Jack are great. Great outfit in game rich country. Enjoy…
From: ELK ELSEWHERE
23-Sep-21
Come on Matt, I know the outcome and I’m not giving any details but I want to see more a bit quicker!!
From: DEERAHOLIC
24-Sep-21
Kevin, You will get the story as fast as I can get it to you. Lol
From: DEERAHOLIC
24-Sep-21
Ambush, That moto is correct! And yes Lloyd and Jack and crew run one hell of a operation.
From: DEERAHOLIC
24-Sep-21
Taxidermy display at Smithers airport
Taxidermy display at Smithers airport
Got into Smithers, BC about 3:15 on September 9 and met my guide Lloyd and headed back to there lodge.
From: DEERAHOLIC
24-Sep-21
lodge
lodge
Got to the lodge and it was beautiful.
From: DEERAHOLIC
24-Sep-21
View from my cabin for the night then the next day we were headed out to go after the mountain goat.
From: DEERAHOLIC
24-Sep-21
Camp for the Goat hunt
Camp for the Goat hunt
Had breakfast the morning of September 10 at the lodge then off to the mountain. We had Little bit over hour Truck ride then same amount of time for utv ride then about 4 hour walk in. We setup camp and rested and scouted for the morning hunt.
From: DEERAHOLIC
24-Sep-21
herd of nannies, kids, and small billy
herd of nannies, kids, and small billy
Woke up at first light and had oatmeal and got everything ready for the first day of hunting. We hiked up mountain and tried making stalk on 2 billys but they saw us or smelt us and we ended up continuing on doing glassing and hiking to different vantage points. Toward the evening of first day we ended up finding a nanny bedded and made a stalk on her. We were 45 yards away and could of easily got a shot off but Lloyd said to pass. Moved on and came across a herd of nannies and kids with a small billy in it. Lloyd creeped up and checked out the billy and it was just to young so he said to pass on that one also. We were at 25 yard and easily could of had a shot at him to. We ended the day there so we could get down easily which I did not like going down because of how slippery and not tall enough boots to support the whole ankle. If you decide to do a hunt like this make sure to have like 10" boots it would help a lot for ankle support. Also this area was like a rain forest in certain areas which was like walking on moss that you sank in when walking. Finished the day with a generic freeze dried meal which is definitely not like mountain house. lol and headed for bed.
From: DEERAHOLIC
24-Sep-21
small billy at 25 yards
small billy at 25 yards
From: DEERAHOLIC
24-Sep-21
walk up the mountain
walk up the mountain
From: DEERAHOLIC
24-Sep-21
agony of defeat
agony of defeat
From: DEERAHOLIC
24-Sep-21
Happy to make it to the top on day 2
Happy to make it to the top on day 2
From: BULELK1
24-Sep-21
I've been waiting for a Babine Mnt. Goat hunt thread!
Looks like you are doing your best,
Robb
From: ELK ELSEWHERE
24-Sep-21
Nice pics so far Matt
From: ELK ELSEWHERE
24-Sep-21
Nice pics so far Matt
From: Oryx35
24-Sep-21
Looking forward to the rest! Thanks for sharing.
From: CatSlamfromNY
24-Sep-21
Looking forward to this. One quick question. You mentioned 1 hour on the UTV then 4 more by foot. The UTV gets parked in the woods somewhere and locked to a tree or something?
From: kota-man
24-Sep-21
Yes…they park them “hidden” from view.
From: CatSlamfromNY
24-Sep-21
Thanks Kota
From: Bou'bound
24-Sep-21
Run two trekking poles it is a lot better . Like 4WD.
From: DEERAHOLIC
25-Sep-21
CatSlamfromNY, yes it is hidden and the trail also has a locked trail entrance that only certain people have the key to.
From: DEERAHOLIC
25-Sep-21
On day 2 of hunting we started up the mountain and in the process Lloyd the guide seen 2 nice billys cresting the top of the mountain. We made it to the top and Lloyd peaked over the top and I was 10 yards in back of him and he saw one of the billys as he looked over. I pulled bow off the pack and stalked up to the top and peaked over and no goat. Looked down the peak of the mountain about 100 yards and saw them sneaking away. They must of saw Lloyd when he peaked over. The rest of the day we were pretty must stuck in area with fog and rain. We did end up seeing 6 billys within are viewing area when fog did clear. Tried making stalk on 2 that were bedded but did not feel comfortable going after those 2 with the terrain they were in. So we pretty much were stuck in original spot for the day and made game plan and where we wanted to be at for day 3 of hunting.
From: DEERAHOLIC
25-Sep-21
view from where I shot him from and him laying there
view from where I shot him from and him laying there
Day 3 of hunting started out with breakfast of oatmeal and great weather and a hike up the mountain where we seen the Goats the first day, but work are way around the mountain to where the goats where the night before. We had high hopes for today because the weather was looking not so good for the for seeable future. We made it to top and started looking to see if we could see any billys. In the process of glassing Lloyd spotted 2 billys where we seen the group of nannies, kids, and small billy the first day. We came up with a game plan to work away from them to get the wind in our favor and see what way they were going to come. Lloyd watched them and said they were heading are way quick and were going to be within range pretty quick for the rifle. There was no way we were going to get in front of them for a bow shot in the area that they were in. Lloyd looked over the goats very well and said the one that was in the rear was the one I wanted to take. After deciding the circumstances of the weather changing and making sure my legs would be in good shape to make it out after I took a pretty awkward fall coming down the mountain the first day I decided to use the rifle. Lloyd setup his pack for a good rest and we got ready for the shot. The goats were heading from my right to left and as I was scoping it out I could see the goat that Lloyd wanted me to shoot was the more dominate goat because it was pushing the other goat around and you could see the other goat was physically smaller then that one. We were using Lloyd's gun because he had it with just in case I did wound one with the bow and we had to finish it off. The goats were in range and Lloyd said 250 yards that he ranged and said to put it on his chest about 3/4 quarters of the way up his body. The first shot hit him and he started to stumble bad and Lloyd said to hit him again. Fired 2 more times and I was looking over a billy laying dead in and awesome spot to take care of and get out.
From: DEERAHOLIC
25-Sep-21
Walk up photo
Walk up photo
After shooting him I had a lot of emotions and giving Lloyd hand shakes and high fives and thanking him so much for all his hard work in getting me the chance to take a goat of a lifetime. After getting down to the goat we realized this goat was huge and Lloyd said it was his 5 or 6 biggest goat that he has ever gotten guiding. Also one thing that I never expected was that we would have cell signal where we were at where we killed the goat and called up my hunting buddy and shared the story in real-time with him and telling him I wish he could of shared the experience with me. It was one of the only spots that there was signal to.
From: DEERAHOLIC
25-Sep-21
From: DEERAHOLIC
25-Sep-21
From: DEERAHOLIC
25-Sep-21
From: DEERAHOLIC
25-Sep-21
Here are some views I took while I was let it sink in that I harvested a mountain goat and was on cloud 9.
From: DEERAHOLIC
25-Sep-21
From: DEERAHOLIC
25-Sep-21
From: DEERAHOLIC
25-Sep-21
From: DEERAHOLIC
25-Sep-21
After taking many photos the goat was deboned and put in game bags and the cape was done for a shoulder mount. We headed back to camp 2 very happy guys that we got the job done. On day 5 of goat hunting we packed up as much as we could and headed back to the UTV. It was not as bad as the walk in but the moss that you encounter out here is very slippery and it was very wet from raining during the night and on and off as we were heading out. Got back to main lodge and first thing we did after getting goat hide and meat taken care of was get a warm shower and a great meal. On day six we went into town to register the goat and it was a 10 year old billy with 10" horn on one side and 10 3/16 on other. Wow !!!!!
From: DEERAHOLIC
25-Sep-21
On the evening of day 6 I asked Lloyd if we could fish for some sockeye salmon because they looked very cool and I never caught one. He said I needed to get license and it was the last day it was open if I wanted to give it a try. Well it was one cool fishing trip that I got to do and notch another thing off things I never did before.
From: DEERAHOLIC
25-Sep-21
The rest of the trip I moose hunted with either Lloyd or Jack and we hunted them in the boat , truck, and spot and stalk but we never did see any moose. We seen a lot of grouse and like 17 bears. One was a really nice bear and if I would have gotten a tag would of had a really good chance to spot and stalk it. Also while moose hunting with Lloyd we came across a pool of sockeye that were trying to go up the stream to spawn but were blocked by a beaver dam. Lloyd jumped into action and was going to open it up so salmon could continue up stream to spawn but in the process on the shore where he was going to get onto the beaver dam he found a fish flopping with its head bit off so we had just scared a bear away. A little nervous. lol But he did what he needed to do and the rain came the following day so they should of been able to continue there journey to spawn.
From: BULELK1
25-Sep-21
You did Great
Congrats,
Robb
From: DEERAHOLIC
25-Sep-21
Robb, Thank you, That hunt is the best hunt I have ever been on with a great outfitter hands down.
From: JL
25-Sep-21
Well done sir!! Thanks for taking the time to share the story and posting up the pics.
From: t-roy
25-Sep-21
Sounds like a trip of a lifetime. Congrats on your success and the memories you will have for the rest of your life!
From: BillyD
25-Sep-21
Great stuff Matt! Congrats on a fantastic Billy and an awesome adventure. Lloyd/Jack do it right - first class operation and even better people. Fond memories made - well done!
From: Earltex
25-Sep-21
Congratulations on an incredible trip. Goat hunts are tough. Happy to see you close the deal on a giant billy.
From: T Mac
25-Sep-21
Well done all around. That is some beautiful country, great adventure and a week in your life you will never forget. Congrats!
From: buckeye
25-Sep-21
Good deal, glad you got a great goat.. thanks for sharing
From: Ambush
25-Sep-21
Congratulations on a top notch Billy!! At 10X10X10 he's in a special class! Bonus that he's haired up some already for a beautiful mount.
Hope you post up a final score. The former world record came from the exact area. Having hiked, camped and hunted that range, I can appreciate your appreciation of "being on top".
Hopefully you pick a taxi with lots of goat experience. You both deserve that.
From: Bou'bound
25-Sep-21
what was the caliber and load you used to take him.
From: ELK ELSEWHERE
26-Sep-21
That sounds like a fantastic hunt Matt, congratulations on a fine goat!!! Nicely done
From: Altitude Sickness
26-Sep-21
Great story and hunt. Congrats on a great goat
From: DEERAHOLIC
27-Sep-21
Thanks guys on the congratulations!!! It was a trip of a lifetime for sure!!!
From: DEERAHOLIC
27-Sep-21
BillyD, Could not agree with you more Lloyd/Jack one hell of operation and I am sure glad I got to experience it. In my mind if 5 was the highest for excellent hunt and experience it would be 10 that is how much I enjoyed this hunt.
From: DEERAHOLIC
27-Sep-21
Ambush, I will post score when it gets done and I left the cape and horns up there with a Taxidermist Lloyd recommended because I want it done right. Thanks
From: DEERAHOLIC
27-Sep-21
Well on the last day in camp they had a nuisance bear that was wondering around the cabin area. Lloyd asked if on wanted to see how his dogs worked and I said heck yes. He sent out 2 of his dogs first then the other 2. After a while Lloyd thought they might of lost him but they continued on trail but he did grab one dog off and seen that the dogs were getting the scent of numerous bears. Well after at least 3 hours they were going to pinch the bear down at the lake edge and Lloyd took off with utv and got in front of the dogs just before lake and the bear popped out of the woods behind us. He jumped out of the utv and sent the dog he had pulled off earlier after him and in less then 5 minutes he had it treed and the other dogs joined shortly. That was one cool experience to cap off the trip.
From: DEERAHOLIC
27-Sep-21
The return trip home started at 4:55 pm departure from Smithers airport with no issues. Caught connecting flight in Vancouver where i went through customs and departed for LA. From there to Chicago O'Hare airport where we landed about 6:30 on September 21. Went to baggage claim and waited and none of my luggage arrived. The attendant for United had asked what I was waiting for and told him and he went into action. He had asked if I went through customs and I told him yes I did. He told me he was going to monitor the claim as long as he was on the job because I had a cooler with meat in it along with my bow and large duffle bag. Headed to the hotel where my truck was parked for the park and ride and headed to Wisconsin on my 3 hour ride home. Just before I got to the Wisconsin border I received a call from the attendant at United that helped me and said that they found my luggage in LA that never got transferred and that they were flying it to Chicago first flight out and were going to fly into central Wisconsin airport and drive it down to my home. Well after a long day and numerous calls making sure it was still in route my bags arrived at 8 pm that night and the meat was still good. Thank goodness!!!!
From: DEERAHOLIC
27-Sep-21
Bou'bound, I was .270 short mag and Lloyd thinks it was 140 grain was not positive when I asked him.
From: Ken
27-Sep-21
Congratulations on a great goat and thanks for sharing with us. I was supposed to mountain goat hunt with Babine around the same dates as your hunt. Due to covid, my daughter's wedding was postponed. The re-schedule date was too close to my planned hunt dates so Lloyd let me move the hunt to next year. I am super excited about next year's hunt.
From: Potro
27-Sep-21
Congrats !!!!!! Nice trophy and great adventure.
From: deerhunter72
27-Sep-21
Awesome adventure and a great looking billy goat! Congratulations
From: DEERAHOLIC
28-Sep-21
Ken, You will have a great experience with Lloyd and Jack and the Babine crew. Any questions that you may have do not be hesitate to reach out and would be glad to answer.
From: DEERAHOLIC
28-Sep-21
And for the record they do have pretty good moose hunting but the prime time is normally September 20 to beginning of October. I flew out on the 20 and the crew of moose hunters were coming into camp after I had left. They shot one that night go figure. Lol
From: Ken
28-Sep-21
"Any questions that you may have do not be hesitate to reach out and would be glad to answer."
I'll contact you as the date gets closer. Thanks.
From: maxracx
28-Sep-21
Congrats on a great goat and a great looking adventure.
From: txhunter58
10-Oct-21
Good thread
From: Bowboy
10-Oct-21
Congrats and thanks for posting!
