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Mountain Goat Gear

Mid-August bowhunt for Mountain Goat next year out of Smithers, BC. This will be my first mountain hunt, or backpack hunt for that matter. As I research gear, the options are limitless. Due to the physical conditioning and lack of experience in this type of hunt, I will be starting from scratch on all my gear other than bow. To the guys that have been there and done it, what specific gear from clothing to pack and sleep system have you found that simply works the best? Maybe more importantly, what gear have you tried that you found shortcomings with?

Assuming it is an outfitted hunt, your outfitter should provide a gear list as a starting point. Research various MT Goat threads on the forum, maybe that would be a good follow up step. An angle correcting rangefinder would be one to consider. With few exceptions, most of them are pretty good, but opinions will vary. Find one that works well for you. You have ample time to experiment. It's never too early to start physical training, as well as shooting uphill and downhill at pretty steep angles. Being a Flatlander, depending on the elevation that you live at, I found the Wilderness Athlete products to be quite helpful. You will probably get a wide variety of opinions on some products....the good news is that hopefully you'll find the research process to be an enjoyable part of your preparation.

Guided or DIY? Lots more info needed. Buy quality gear. I like PUR tablets to treat water. Do not skimp on a sleeping pad it makes a huge difference.

High end boots, and be in shape!

I have a few gear lists. I am looking more at the specific models and brands of an item that you found performed best.

Trekking poles.

If your guide has a better spotter/tripod combo, don’t take your’s. If your’s is better, make him carry it instead of his. Have a compatible attachment for a cell phone so you can both look simultaneously.

Bug net, Ben’s 99% deet, and treat outer layers in permethrin. Permethrin seems to help on skeeters for me. Gnats/black flies/white sox are a different beast. I hate them. :)

Treat your feet right. I wear a thin Injini toe sock liner with a thin merino sock over these days. Take spares and a set of crocs or similar. Soggy boots suck for camp chores and long glassing sessions.

I have some spendier bags but have started packing mainly a cheaper Big Agnes synthetic that has an insert for your sleeping pad. Not always perfectly level, and sliding off pads all night isn’t that fun anymore! It’s a tad bulkier than down options, but if you’re splitting gear with guide who cares.

Rain gear and pack are personal preference. I generally wear Kuiu Yukon these days but after a few hunts it winds up being the equivalent of a lightweight soft shell, no matter what you treat it with. If it’s raining you’ll get wet, if it’s sunny you’ll still get wet (sweat). Is what it is.

As Medicinemann said, most guides will have a great gear list. They know what is required for their specific hunt. What is necessary for one hunter might not be necessary for you and vice versa, for this reason I wouldn't necessarily rely on another outfitter's gear list or a gear list you find online unless you know you will be hunting them in the same style/camp setup/etc.

Assuming you're going guided since you're from Illinois, I would start with the guide's gear list and call his references who have gone on the same hunt during the same time of year and ask them if there's anything that wasn't on the gear list that they found/would've found useful.

Don't fall into the "sexiest gear" trap. Lots of stuff works great that is half the price of the sexiest and shiniest. When I went on my goat hunt I fell into the trap and bought all sitka gear, shiny pack from a popular brand, etc. Wasted a TON of money doing so. Go sexy and nice on boots, but it's totally unnecessary as far as camo goes. Don't skip as far as items go, for example if an outfitter says you'll need an insulating layer - get an insulating layer - but instead of spending $500 on a _____ brand puffy or wool mid-layer, there are gonna be a pile of cheap options out there that are perfectly fine. For example, my sitka warming layers never get touched anymore because I found that a $40 five-button military wool sweater works better and is simpler. The bottom line is it's likely a 10 day hunt at most, and one that they routinely did 40-50 years ago in blue jeans, work boots, and flannels. Sexy stuff is nice and if you're made of money then by all means go for it, but if I could go back I would go in the best boots I could afford (I have kenetreks and love them), an alice frame pack, nice trekking poles, and the rest of my gear would be nearly all military surplus stuff for a fraction of the price of the sexy hunting-influencer-sponsor gear companies.

Again, this is coming from a poor hillbilly, but the shiny stuff will usually only increase comfort minimally - if at all. The thousands of extra dollars you'll spend on it might very well be worth it to you if money is no option, but the thousands of dollars you'll save by going military surplus won't make or break your hunt or comfort (a goat hunt is going to be uncomfortable regardless) and is likely better allotted towards gifts for a wife/family member so they let you go on another adventure hunt again in the future :) and don't listen to KB, it's not like he's a P&Y Mountain Goat World Record holder or anything ;)

Forgot to add, carry 2-3 spare arrows not in the bow quiver and a small case/pack of extra broadheads. Haven’t broke/lost all of mine in the quiver yet, but there’s been some close calls. Probably a matter of time.

Goat hunts are good place not pinch pennie’s on gear.

Most valuable piece of clothing… core light weight hoody. If i was walking 90% of the time i am down to this layer… Good Gaitors are must as well, creek crossing, shale slides…they were worn daily. Same goes for durable light weight gloves. Another must is a bow sling/cover, i use it with my strapped to my pack. Your cams will get the shit kicked out of them on goat hunts in BC and cover helps a lot.

Optics I take my own, Bino, spotter and tripod. Get the best you can afford.

Boots, make sure you have pair that are known variable. Use them before hand and makes sure they work for you. then prepare for the worst. Make sure you have leuko tape with you. pre tape known spots before the rub.

Take a good look at non traditional mid layers…think active insulation. Save your down puffy for when you stationary.

I’ll echo Don’s comments about a sleeping pad and carry it a little further. It’s easy to fall into a “lightweight/minimalist” trap - the first mountain hunt I did I know I certainly did, and had a light pad, and a light mummy bag. I spent most of my time sliding off my pad and tossing and turning! Since then I’ve upgraded to a heavier but much more comfortable system and have slept so much better on the mountain (personally, I like the Big Agnes sleep systems that integrate the pad with the bag).

This is a thread I did last year with every single item I take on a mountain hunt. I have been informed that I didn’t list rain gear though! My current preference is Kuiu Kutana in that department.

—Jim

Good, stiff boots are a priority for me. I've got a pair of Scarpa Triolet's that have been on about 20 sheep and goat hunts. They are so stiff that if you try to bend them, they won't. There are good boots out there, just get really stiff ones.

I’ll add to my post above that aside from getting great boots, the above posters have hit the nail on the head with the sleeping system comments. You’re gonna be in one or the other 100% of the time on your hunt. A poor sleeping system is gonna make you dread climbing in the tent and poor boots are gonna make you dread leaving it. Gear that you’ll only use a fraction of the hunt is typically gear you can skimp on and not really regret it, worse case scenario you suffer through a couple hours of using “good” gear instead of great gear - this is not the case for boots and sleeping gear. Also, make sure your bag is rated well below what temperatures you’ll expect. Almost froze to death on Kodiak Island because I thought a 30 degree bag would be good enough for a spring bear hunt. Dumbest gear decision I’ve ever made. Everyone else would wake up cozy and well-rested and I had slept a couple hours total between shivering and teeth chattering attacks. Take some of the money you save by skipping the brand name super sexy camo and push some of it towards boots and a sleeping bag/pad

Good information so far. For those asking, this is a guided hunt with Babine. I do have a couple basic gear lists from guys that have been there and done it.

Big Agnes sleep systems are one thing I have been looking at. Question on the fill. Is there any downsides to a down filled bag that would make you choose synthetic fill instead?

Good boots and leukotape for blister prevention

Down is usually lighter but can struggle in wet conditions. That said, Big Agnes does treat their down to be water resistant and keep its loft. To be fair, I don’t know that I’ve ever used my BA bags in really, really wet conditions (even my goat hunt staid pretty dry), but I’ve never had an issue with their down losing loft.

I’ve hunted those mountains quite a few times over the years and you can expect from energy sucking heat to snow squalls in August, sometimes in the same day. Bugs can be a real issue, so have a head net and gloves. Leather wrangler gloves are best for moving through the Devils Club. Calf length gaiters are a must for me.

There was very little snow left when I drove through there a couple days ago, so water may be an issue. I have never treated the water, but you may want to take along tablets. I hate hydration bags and hoses so I start out with Gatorade and just use the empty bottles for water as I find it.

Babine invested in a freeze drier, and make their own mountain meals. So no super salty lasagna or chili-mac MH. Which brings us to another small but important kit item. I have a large ziploc bag that contains three small bags. One has Clorox wipes, one has unscented baby wipes and one has toilet paper. For toilet paper I cut the end off of a roll of the half sheets of Bounty paper towels. MUCH stronger than regular toilet paper and those little pockets do pick up more. And on a damp morning with wet hands, that flimsy toilet paper is not the “breakthrough” your hoping for. Oh, and the Clorox is for your hands, not tender parts.

Forget those stupid Sporks. Worst of both worlds! Get a large, long handled titanium spoon. Also have a sturdy straw handy for drinking out of rivlets and rocks.

Have tweezers and nail clippers in your personals bag.

Make sure your rain pants have long side zippers so you can get them on and off easily without removing your boots. Put them on before you get wet. Sounds simple, but it’s often ignored advice. I’m guilty.

I always have a Kuiu hooded down puffy and the down pants in my pack. They can also be worn to bed to up the temp rating of your bag. U never go into BC’s mountains without Icebreaker pure merino long sleeve top, long johns and liner socks. Easy to strip down just to those if it’s hot. They really are a the perfect material for every condition!

Lots of goats in those mountains, so don’t get discouraged if it’s not going the way you hope at first. It really can take just ten minutes when it happens. Patience , patience, patience when it’s called for.

On Sheep and Mnt. Goat hunts I have started to carry ankle and knee braces, they weight basically nothing but sure come in handy when needed.

Good luck, Robb

"On Sheep and Mnt. Goat hunts I have started to carry ankle and knee braces, they weight basically nothing but sure come in handy when needed."

Good call Robb I actually wear a knee brace and have an assortment of them put away for those when needed . If one needs a higher end one I like the ones Neenca makes .

Thanks for the recommendations guys. Lots of little tidbits that should be helpful on where to focus.

It's good that you are starting more than a year ahead of the hunt working on your gear. Gives you more opportunity to buy used and discounted gear. I mountain goat hunted with Babine in 2022. I know you said you already have some packing lists but if you need another I can send you mine and make sure it has brand and names for the gear on the list. PM your email address to me if you want me to send your list. I had a great hunt and highly recommend Babine.

Thanks Ken, I sent you a pm

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