2019 Goat hunt prep

[Dzel777]

Hello Guys,
I’m new around here.
Going on my first Goat hunt in British Columbia in September 2019, also first time to BC.
I’ve been obseively going over hunt gear list and tying to come up with anything else that might be handy. To save a lot of reading I won’t post the entire gear list.
Aside from the standard items what is a thing or two you wish you had, or what was more important then you originally thought it would be?
I’m from Nevada and do quite a bit of hike hunting and a few overnighters every year. Working hard to get into better shape, we have some steep mountains around here.
Thanks!
Dzell

 

[as.ks.ak]

Hello Guys,
I’m new around here.
Going on my first Goat hunt in British Columbia in September 2019, also first time to BC.
I’ve been obseively going over hunt gear list and tying to come up with anything else that might be handy. To save a lot of reading I won’t post the entire gear list.
Aside from the standard items what is a thing or two you wish you had, or what was more important then you originally thought it would be?
I’m from Nevada and do quite a bit of hike hunting and a few overnighters every year. Working hard to get into better shape, we have some steep mountains around here.
Thanks!
Dzell

I’d be happy to give you an opinion worth .02 if you throw your gear list out there-it’d be a lot easier for the knowledgeable guys on this to give you pointers if you nutted up and threw down your gear list.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[New Yoraska]

Been on only 1 goat hunt so far, on kodiak, and my 1 weird item is a kindle paperwhite.

It really helped pass the time when the weather was to bad to leave the tent and while I was waiting on my pilot. The newest version is now waterproof. Best part about it was that you never have to worry about running out of book

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

 

[Dzel777]

Sweet! Thanks for the Kindle advice! I wonder if I can double up and put books on the iPhone..

- - - Updated - - -

Gear list so far
SG Sky talus 6900
Snowy mountain/Nightforce .300 win mag
Kennetrek mountain 400’s
Or mountain uninsulated
Iphone and phone scope for razor

Standard pack contents

Hygiene- two single use no scent wipes, 1/2 roll tp, toothbrush and paste If overnight.

- basic first aid kit
- bandaids, gauze, tape, iodine (3 tiny packets) antibiotic ointment ( tiny single use packets) three painkillers, ibureprofen

- basic fire and survival kit
- waterproof matches, cotton balls, lighter,
12x12” tin foil, 30yds 10# braided fishing line (can be used as thread), 3 size 14 gold treble hooks, two large sewing needles, two aluminum tent stakes, small sawyer filter, 10 iodine tablets, cheap o space blanket ( emergency or kill tarp), small fenix flashlight that runs on one aaa batt., 30’ pink flagging, 50’ p cord
- Princeton head lamp (aaa)
- outdoor edge razor lite+ 2 blades
- outdoor edge filet/saw, + 1 filet blade

Clothes-
- Kuiu lightweight rain pants and jacket
- Kuiu down puffy
- Sitka cloudburst gloves

Optics-
Razor 85
Slik 134 with manfrotto head
Swaro bino Mount for Tripod
Leica geovids (carried in badlands chest harvest)
Leica 2000-b range finder carried on leash in front pocket.

One spare mag with 6 rounds for the rifle,
8 aaa batteries, 1 cr123 batt (rangefinder)

Water and food for the day.

If staying overnight or multiple nights-
1pr icebreaker boxers/ 2 days (I sweat a lot)
1pr Costco wool socks/ 2 days
Rei magma 10 sleeping bag
Thermarest neoair
Clothes would be dictated by temperature & forecast
But kind of standard is: t shirt, core lightweight hoody, Kuiu peloton 240? (The heavier one) full zip, Sitka apex pants (these are awesome for a wide temp range!), maybe Sitka thunderhead jacket if it’s cold or likely to rain.
Jetboil flash and one fuel canister
Sometimes I’ll carry 1/2 of a closed cell sleeping pad to use as a sitting pad (very light and handy if it’s wet or really rocky)

What can I do without? Anything I should have?
Thanks guys!

 

[Bruce Culberson]

Trekking poles?
Snug leather gloves (like roping gloves) good for going through club, and for when you go in 4-wheel drive.
Where and with which outfit are you going?

 

[JP100]

What rain gear is this?? 'Kuiu lightweight raingear'???

I would take that ultra stuff, its paper thin.

 

[Decker9]

I will echo a couple things here.

Hiking poles, or at least one pole, especially for coming out heavy.
Leather gloves, a must imo.

Your outer layer, wether it’s soft shell or rain gear, being the tough stuff!! I’m not to familiar with kuiu light weight rain gear, but the goat mountains will shred anything that’s not tough.
I always wrap a bit of duct tape on my pole, it usually gets used for patching holes in my gear so they don’t rip worse.

I would personally take a couple more blades for your knife, cutting along bone while deboning can dull your knife quick. A big old billy, will sometimes have a lot of dirt in his fur too, sucks breaking down a animal with a dull blade.

I think you’ll find that you won’t use your flashlight really, once dark comes, you’ll be reaching for your headlight. I’d leave the flashlight if your backpacking in, just my opinion.

Croc’s are a nice thing to have also, especially if there’s any creek crossings.

I’d also throw in that cell foam seat, sure nice when the ground is cold and damp. Makes a good knee pad too when breaking down your billy.

Even if you don’t plan on sleeping on the mountain, be prepared to!! When dark comes, things can get hairy quick. Unless you 100% know your route down, staying put until daylight is sometimes the safer bet.

What outfit will you be hunting with??

Mountain goat, is BC’s ultimate hunt imo.

 

[Dzel777]

I will be hunting with Lord River Outfitters out of Williams Lake area. Hunt Dates are 9/1-9/10, outfitter has offered to go in early if I can get there early, I plan to take him up on the offer and be there 8/28.
Also, I will have a non hunting companion (girlfriend) with me.
The hunt will take place off horses and backpack style camping.
Great tip on the leather gloves, that seems like a must.
I do have trekking poles and use them regularly, thinking of upgrading them from the cheap aluminum’s I’m using now. Anyone have a recommendation for a rugged and reliable set?
Not sure of the line of the Kuiu rain gear, it is now discontinued and no longer on the site. It is the “ paper thin stuff”. Will these just get torn up?
Decker9, would you recommend packing up the sleeping bag and maybe a lightweight bivvy every morning when leaving the tent in anticipation of spiking out?

Thanks for the info and ideas!

 

[as.ks.ak]

I will be hunting with Lord River Outfitters out of Williams Lake area. Hunt Dates are 9/1-9/10, outfitter has offered to go in early if I can get there early, I plan to take him up on the offer and be there 8/28.
Also, I will have a non hunting companion (girlfriend) with me.
The hunt will take place off horses and backpack style camping.
Great tip on the leather gloves, that seems like a must.
I do have trekking poles and use them regularly, thinking of upgrading them from the cheap aluminum’s I’m using now. Anyone have a recommendation for a rugged and reliable set?
Not sure of the line of the Kuiu rain gear, it is now discontinued and no longer on the site. It is the “ paper thin stuff”. Will these just get torn up?
Decker9, would you recommend packing up the sleeping bag and maybe a lightweight bivvy every morning when leaving the tent in anticipation of spiking out?

Thanks for the info and ideas!

I’m sure your outfitter will square you away with your daily plans/intentions as far as packing up your bag or not.

I personally suggest a long walking ice axe. Sturdy as all get out and can be used in so many different ways. SMC makes the one I use. It’s probably my only real cheat code besides saying the best thing you can take with you is mental toughness. Goat hunts can be real man makers.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dzel777]

aasmith11,
I have read a fair amount about the ice axe and see it mentioned all the time. How does this thing differ from trekking poles? Would you advise carrying both? I hear you on the mental aspect, trying to get a bunch of brutal hikes in before we go so that is less of a factor.
Last weekend was 2000' elevation gain 60* slope the whole way, icy, snow, and rocks. Girlfriend killed it! I did ok tooView attachment 83435
Hope the attachments worked!
Dzel777

 

[Decker9]

I will be hunting with Lord River Outfitters out of Williams Lake area. Hunt Dates are 9/1-9/10, outfitter has offered to go in early if I can get there early, I plan to take him up on the offer and be there 8/28.
Also, I will have a non hunting companion (girlfriend) with me.
The hunt will take place off horses and backpack style camping.
Great tip on the leather gloves, that seems like a must.
I do have trekking poles and use them regularly, thinking of upgrading them from the cheap aluminum’s I’m using now. Anyone have a recommendation for a rugged and reliable set?
Not sure of the line of the Kuiu rain gear, it is now discontinued and no longer on the site. It is the “ paper thin stuff”. Will these just get torn up?
Decker9, would you recommend packing up the sleeping bag and maybe a lightweight bivvy every morning when leaving the tent in anticipation of spiking out?

Thanks for the info and ideas!

Couples who hunt together, stay together, so I hear!! Lol. That’s awesome you have a partner that’s willing to join you!!

A big thing Iv found/learnt with snagging hazards, is knowing your moves. With goat hunting, there’s a lot of prone snagging hazards, knowing where your body is, recognizing the hazards, will surely save you some gear.
Iv torn up a few sets of helly Hanson’s, among other gear. Iv had good luck with the cloudburst gear from sitka, although, last season I did rip out my side zip from a snagup, gotta love warranty lol.
I’m sure your kuiu stuff will work fine, just be cautious when climbing through blowdown and such. That little bit of duct tape on a hike pole, I highly recommend.

For poles, I don’t have any good recommendations really. One pole I can say stay away from tho, the black diamond distance flz. They look great, compact and light weight. Iv had 2 poles from 2 sets of these fail me, the last one was last season, a 22km hike out with 100lb pack, one pole helped, but 2 would have been better. I have since replaced them with a BD telescoping poles, but haven’t had a chance to test them.

I wouldn't go as far as packing a sleep system when headed up the mountain (unless you do plan on sleeping up there), but I would recommend some extra layers and a tuke. A good base layer, and rain gear, and some good insulation (those SD jackets are amazing things), I always have a sil tarp along as well, warm clothes and the shelter of a tarp, you’ll be golden. More less, even if the weather looks good, I’d keep this gear in my bag.

 

[Bruce Culberson]

I like the Black Diamond poles with flick locks. I'd recommend to steer clear of poles that twist lock as they seem to work loose then collapse on you when you aren't expecting it....

 

[as.ks.ak]

aasmith11,
I have read a fair amount about the ice axe and see it mentioned all the time. How does this thing differ from trekking poles? Would you advise carrying both? I hear you on the mental aspect, trying to get a bunch of brutal hikes in before we go so that is less of a factor.
Last weekend was 2000' elevation gain 60* slope the whole way, icy, snow, and rocks. Girlfriend killed it! I did ok tooView attachment 83435
Hope the attachments worked!
Dzel777

Pic didn’t work for me.

The trekking poles are great. The reason I lean towards the ice axe is for a multitude of reasons. This is actually a quote from BRWNBR on another thread on here. He’s a master guide here in AK and uses his exclusively. Sometimes he says he takes two!

“Things they’re great for:
Digging a tent site.
Removing rocks, flattening an area.
Tent stake
Tarp pole
Backpack stand
Reaching up to grab
Lowering down to help someone else up
I have stabbed them into hills for clients to use at foot pegs to step on
There are no latches so they don’t get caught if your using them in rocky areas
No latches so they never slip while you have weight on them
Kill small animals with them
Stronger than a trekking pole
Self arresting on a fall
Great shooting rest
Making water holes if all you have is a trickle
Takes the weight off going down hill/resting
Helps take weight off when climbing
Sturdy third point of contact”

Personally, being able to use it to dig in and pull myself up over cliffs or being able to excavate a tent site and being able to pull a buddy up with it, are all things you couldn’t do with a trekking pole. And those reasons are also what I’ve used it for most. Self arresting on a fall, also a very realistic task for this tool.

If you’re flying, you’ll have to throw it in with your gun because that’s the only place it’ll fit. But other than that, that’s the only downside I’d say it has. I’ll throw some pics of it in use below, mainly because it’s fun to share.

Okay, that’s enough. Haha


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JP100]

+1000 for axes!

Why I don’t use trekking poles!?! | Hard Yards Hunting

On the rain gear I would get some heavier duty stuff.
Especially if your going to be a horse hunt.
Ultra light gear aint worth much when its ripped up

 

[FlyGuy]

I just picked up one to try out. goHUNT had the BD whippet ice axe/trekking pole combo on sale for around $100 at thanksgiving, might check to see if its a deal they still have going.


You can’t cheat the mountain

 

[Decker9]

+1000 for axes!

Why I don’t use trekking poles!?! | Hard Yards Hunting

On the rain gear I would get some heavier duty stuff.
Especially if your going to be a horse hunt.
Ultra light gear aint worth much when its ripped up

Good article!! I think I will pick one up for my upcoming goat hunt next week, I can see it having some good use!!

 

[jack88]

My First Lite rain pants took a beating on the way down after I shot my billy. I would thin out the first aid kit to just ibuprofen, every guide I've gone with has a small pharmacy with them. Still best to take all your first aid stuff with you up there and then sort it out at base camp before you head out or talk to the outfitter about it before you fly up there.

 

[Decker9]

My First Lite rain pants took a beating on the way down after I shot my billy. I would thin out the first aid kit to just ibuprofen, every guide I've gone with has a small pharmacy with them. Still best to take all your first aid stuff with you up there and then sort it out at base camp before you head out or talk to the outfitter about it before you fly up there.

Hmmm, I would honestly be packing my own first aid kit, on any hunt. First aid is one thing a person doesn’t want to fool with. In that first aid kit, be sure to have steri strips!! I guided a goat hunt a few years ago, while deboning, I stabbed my havalon through my shin, and had nothing but bandaids, 5 days later when I flew out after the hunt, the infection was nearly to the point of having to split my calf open to let the swelling out, 5 days of IV antibiotics helped. It was a huge lesson I learnt, I use to be one of those “it won’t happen to me” kind of people. I believe if I was able to close up the wound, I would have been able to keep the infection out. Take your own first aid, just my opinion.

 

[Dzel777]

Bruce, copy on the collapsing pole thing.. This has happened to me several times with my twist locks, fortunately it hasn’t happen when all my weight is on the pole!

Aasmith, awesome pictures and great advice! I can’t wait to be there! I’ll be driving so no worries on dealing with flight restrictions. I definitely want to bring home all the meat and honestly don’t mind driving, only about 19 hours or so.
I’m thinking I’ll pick up an axe and try it out on some of the steeper hikes around my house.

I’m not much for relying on other people for things like that, even if they are the guide. I also have a little bit of ems training so the kit stays. I’ve debated throwing in more trauma, or puncture/ blowout items.. but never really could figure out where to stop if I start down that road.
Decker9, scary story man. I definitely hear you on the “it won’t happen to me thing”
This type of cut wound is probably very common, something I think I should be more prepared for.
I do have a couple butterfly bandages, but I think having a “small” laceration kit would be a good idea. Strips, superglue, extra dressing, maybe a couple antibiotics.. There’s that road I was talking about..
I’ll tell you, I like this site a lot more then the other one I trudged around for the last 6 years.
Much more my type of crowd around here!
Thanks for all the great feedback and participation!

 

[Bruce Culberson]

Gonna have to try an axe, once the 100cm are back in stock.
Rokslide continues to feed my gear obsession lol