Bowsite.com

-Eric

Goats in that country have a very tough life, so don’t expect a coastal class goat. I would suggest any P&Y class goat would be a good one and don’t hesitate to chase it.

October can be winter in the high country around Mcbride.

I was expecting the terrain to be milder in that area and less steep than other places but I guess not.

Hey ambush, how’s that grizzly ban going with the locals?

Hopefully your guide has a rifle with him and you have a green light on any and all wolves.

I’m also of the opinion that outfitters should include a black bear for the price of the tag and small processing fee. We are over run with the calf killing buggers!!

How’s the weather that time of year? The historical data seems to put temps in the 40’s.

Emery is a local and is unguided.

I had a great convo today with a previous client that was successful in my area (rifle) with RVO a couple years back. He had lots of solid first hand knowledge about what to expect in camp. I feel like I'm being obsessive about hording as much info as I can come across but it helps me feel more prepared so I'm gonna run with it. I've been walking up and down the 5 flights of stairs at work with my boots and pack on and getting cardio in on my treadmill regularly. I think I'll have the fitness side of the house covered come show time.

Is it normal to be this anxious about a hunt? I feel like I've got a huge test coming up in 6 months that I HAVE to pass!

Looking back to where we got my goat, I think we could have worked around them and gotten in position for a bow hunt, assuming they cooperated when leaving their beds.

Do you know if you’re hunting the NE or the SW side of the Fraser River?

Good luck - it’ll be an awesome hunt!

Skinner Country, I wouldn’t have an issue staying put and/or being uncomfortable over night if it means putting me in the right spot the next day for a shot opportunity. In fact I think I’d really enjoy the “suffering” aspect of an overnight on the mountain!

Silver, I’m not sure which side of the river we’re hunting. Daniel said the weather would dictate that decision so I left it at that.

From the sounds of things I’m gonna be hoping for lots of snow to get the goats down. I fly weather satellites for NOAA so I’ll have my eyes peeled a couple weeks out from my hunt for any possible storm fronts near McBride.

Do all you can! Throw a weighted pack on when you do that hill with 45 lbs or so and hike with the boots you will be hunting in. I had my kennetrek boots broken in well on flat ground until I put weight in my pack on a 30% incline treadmill and I was wrong. Also I would recommend taping with leukotape prior to hunting. Best bet to avoid blisters and boy do they suck.

Thanks for the update Ambush!!

Regarding fitness, yes, cardio is the foundation to solid fitness IMO. That said, I wish I would've focused a little more on strength training for my goat hunt. The reality in the country I hunted was that you never were really able to move fast enough to wind yourself (I was doing a lot of cardio prior to the hunt, so obviously that helped too). However, my legs were definitely straining under the load of my pack and battling the steep terrain. Others' miles may vary, but that was my experience.

I second the Leukotape recommendation. I was even wearing it during my hunt...and I still got a blister. Living in Louisiana, we don't have a much of an opportunity to train on sloped terrain. I did everything I felt I could...jack the treadmill incline up, hike stairs till I was blue in the face, etc and thought my feet were conditioned and my boots were broken in. What I couldn't replicate was walking downhill on sloped terrain and how that might feel in my boots and on my feet. As such, I managed to get a blister on the outside of my pinky toe that nagged the hell out of me for the rest of my hunt. So, two lessons...get off the stairs and on terrain if you have the opportunity and Leukotape not just your heels but anywhere you might feel friction.

Beyond that...keep doing what you're doing and good luck!

Practice shooting up , down and across slopes. Learn to religiously check your sight level before shooting.

You will get within bow range of goats, with patience. Do everything you can to be able to execute that shot when that opportunity comes.

Important, as others have suggested, to be ready for virtually any type of shot. That being said, I spent a lot of time shooting at distance and ended-up shooting mine within 4 yards (strange feeling and not something I could honestly say I was properly prepared for).

Lastly (& most importantly) really focus-up and enjoy every moment. Looking back, the goat itself (respectfully) was just one part of a ridiculously cool experience.

Have fun, be safe and go make some fond memories.

I really appreciate all the Vets here that have taken their time to give me advice and insight. It's been a dramatic help. Thank you!

I'll keep the thread updated with pics and my progress as service allows.

Good luck Eric. I'm sheep hunting when you come in, but hopefully we can meet up on your way back through. I'd love to see your goat and hear the story.

Kuiu Yukon Rain jacket and Pants, Kuiu Guide Jacket and pants, Kuiu Super Down Pro jacket and pants, Kuiu Peloton 130 LS crew-t, Kuiu Peloton 200 zip-t hoodie, Kuiu Peloton 97 fleece neck gaiter, Kuiu Peloton 97 fleece beanie, Kuiu Kenai beanie, Kuiu Yukon Pro gloves, Kuiu bino harness, Helly Hanson Lifa Merino shirt and pants, Cabelas ECWS bottoms, Hunt Guard top, Stone Glacier Sky Archer pack, Kenetrek Mountain Extreme boots w/extra laces, Kenetrek liner socks and over socks, Kenetrek boot gaiters, Leupold RX-1600i rangefinder, Leupold Cascade 10x40 binos, Vortex Intrepid spotting scope, Sirui tripod, Leki trekking poles, Mountain Hardware Hyper Lamina bag, Klymit sleeping pad, Thermarest Z-seat, Leukotape, Mathews Halon 32, 12 Black Eagle Carnivore arrows, 6 Rage Slipcam broadheads, 6 G5 Montec broadheads, Stan Perfx release, Arrow Tube, Spyderco knife, Headlamp, Uline painters suit, Passport, Batteries.

Thanks again Rod!

Also if you aren’t used to walking with them be careful to not snag them on the other leg and trip. Tight Gaiters are a big help with crampons.

Arrive: I get to Prince George around 3:30pm and met Dan, Shawn and Zach at the airport, collect my gear and off we go. The scenery impresses right from the jump. Easily the prettiest place I've visited. We get to Dan's place, have a hot dinner and Shawn and I headed to camp. Zach was an Aussie and was chasing White Tail and Black Bear and stayed on at Dan's place. He came up with a mid 130's class deer and the bears didn't read the script. Shawn was from Mississippi and was after Moose and Goat with the bang stick. He took a 44" Moose on day 5 and a nice nanny on day 9.

Day 1 (Saturday): After a hot breakfast at the Sandman Inn we were off. I can't speak enough to the views. Every inch of this place is a post card. We get to the hill and spot goats instantly! Nanny's and Kid's but to see goats inside of the first hour had me on cloud 9. We shuffled down the road a bit and there they were, 6 Billies and 2 were absolute smashers! They were high in a bowl and the plan was to observe for the first couple days to try and establish pattern before we made a play. With rain and snow planned for Monday and Tuesday we planned to stick to watching before heading up to make camp.

Day 2 (Sunday): More of the same. The goats are high in the bowl with the Nannies and Kids being closer to the edge of the lip and in a prime spot for a stalk from above. We watched and waited......

Day 3 (Monday): Rain and fog and lots of it! Visibility was next to zero but we still headed up to see if we could get eyes on the goats. Sure enough we picked a couple of Billies out that had set up shop near where the Nannies and Kids had been the day before. At this point I'm ready to bust. I've been training for ~18 months in preparation for this one and I was ready to run up the hill. With the weather socking in the mountain we spent that evening looking for a Wolf to tag but didn't have any luck

Day 4 (Tuesday): The weather for Tuesday was clear but had a cold snap moving in that night. Dan advised that we wait it out since the weather was forecast to break Wednesday through Saturday and staying on the hill in those temps could prove dangerous. The plan was to watch them for the day, put them to bed, head up first thing Wednesday and hunt from above for 4-5 days, weather allowing. I was HYPED! They had been in the same general area for days on end and I could see an opportunity playing out in my head. I had goats in my dreams that night.

Day 5 (Wednesday): The alarm wasn't needed. I woke up at ~4:15am and was pure giddy with excitement. We slammed breakfast and hit the road. This was it! We had a plan, the goats seem to have a solid routine and we were finally heading up. Prior to going up we made a quick pass to check on our boys and make sure they were still there before we pushed up the mountain. My heart sank!!! They had moved down the mountain 1500ft and to the right about another 1500ft into the middle of a cliff face in a completely unreachable spot. I was crushed but still excited. We glassed the goats that day and hoped one bedded in a stalkable spot. It never happened.

Day 6 (Thursday): I wake up with a very uneasy feeling. The hunt is more than half over and we hadn't left the truck. The goats had moved into a really awful location for a stalk with the bow and I felt like we were winging it. I'm very much a planner so not having a clear path made me anxious. We set up and watched the goats mill around in that spot all day. Another day peeled off the calendar. I had a Moose tag and suggested that tomorrow morning we check on the goats and if they weren't playing ball that we get out and chase Moose.

Day 7 (Friday) After breakfast we head back to the goats. After locating a good Billy on a different side of the mountain we watched him for a bit and as if on cue he walks down to a small point under a little knob and plops down! That was it!!! A good goat in a spot where I'd have a pretty steep downhill shot which looked to be 25-30 yards!!! It was on!!! we suited up, I strapped the Mathews on my pack and we headed to the canoe to cross the river. To my horror no sooner had we gotten to the boat we threw some eyes on the Billy and he was on his feet. He stood there starring into space for a few minutes before casually walking off into some cliffs and into the trees. I felt sick. They just weren't bedding down and staying put. I don't think we ever saw a Billy bed more than 15 minutes at a time. We checked on the other goats that still seemed to be content with life on the cliffs and they were still there. It was time to chase Moose. We went to a cut block and called for hours but nothing showed.

Day 8 (Saturday) At this point the very real idea of coming up empty was haunting me. Of course I understand how tough goats could be and knew there was a much greater chance of me eating a tag sandwich than actually killing a goat but was hoping that all my training would improve the odds somewhat. The goats aren't in a doable location, more weather is coming in and time is getting short. We headed up to check them out and more of the same. Nannies and Kids exactly where you'd want a Billy and yet they were still in the cliffs. The 2 bigger Billies had pushed damn near all the way back up the hill in a totally inaccessible location. Moose was the move. We hit a couple spots. Called, waited, nothing. This scenario played out over the next 3 days with another goat bedding in a somewhat marginal spot, us gearing up again and him moving off after being bedded briefly and heading to an inaccessible spot.

We never got to stalk a goat or see a moose.

Obviously I'm super disappointed after having done so much work preparing for the hunt but the whole "it is what it is" adage applies. I knew going in it was going to be a tough hunt and it was. With a rifle this was over on day 2 or 3 and I'm happy that I stuck with my plan of only bow hunting the goats and not using the rifle. Daniel was top shelf in my rookie opinion. I've never hunted goats or this type of terrain and have nothing to base my opinion on but he seemed to go above and beyond to make my hunt a success. Overall it was a hell of a time but the animals did what animals often do and didn't cooperate.

My goat hunting days are far from over and I WILL take one with my bow!

Cheers fellas! I really appreciate all the advice and encouragement along the way. You guys are world class in my book!

-Eric

It will make your future Goat Success that much sweeter and more appreciated.

“I’m as calm as a Hindu cow”. I’m gonna hafts steal that one! :-)

you've never hunted goat. seeing them is nothing. seeing one you can get to is rare. Getting to the rare one is torturous. then getting a shot is icing on the cake. there is no reason why goats go many of the places they do. they would be just as safe in places that would be 10 time easier for them to get to, but they still go to the most insane places you can imagine.