Archery mountain goat

[Byron_idaho]

I drew a mountain goat tag and wanting to get it done with my bow, any advice from fellow hunters who have harvest a goat with a bow would be awesome on how these animals behave and how much pressure they’ll take before blowing out.

 

[Bighorse]

I've shot a few goats and was thinking about trying one archery style too. Pressure....well if they see you and smell you they will respond. That said, it doesn't mean they will leave. It does mean they will put themselves into the nasty of nasty and make sure one eye is on ya. Which can be used to your advantage, after all you just humped up a giant hill and need to rest your legs. So lay low and get the wind in your favor with an optimal glassing angle. That goat will eventually chill and wander somewhere that has sweet grasses and delicious water. Or he'll wanna find his favorite dirt bed or snow patch.
My point is... plan your hunt long enough to stay on the mountain for a few days. You don't wanna rush these things.
They don't blow out like an elk or deer where I hunt em.....they are animals though and if your zone has human predation and the animals are conditioned to respond more robustly to humans than it's perfectly responsible on their part to exit post haste at the first wiff of any Well Known Rokslider.

 

[dtrkyman]

Saw some guys somewhere wearing a goat suit and killing them with bows, not recommended during rifle season!!!

Would love to hunt them one day.

 

[MattB]

Get above them and they are not that hard. Getting above them may be however.

 

[squirrel]

Ive gotten a couple and been bow range of gobs of them. The country they inhabit lends itself to getting close to anything. sheer walls huge rocks cliffs ledges etc. Now how to navigate this in a manner to not die is where the challenge is. And it is a real challenge, with real consequences if you foul up. ALWAYS carry stout rope. NEVER go down blindly what you are unable to go back up (Ive learned this one more than once, never fatal, yet...)

Have fun and don't fall, it will ruin your day.

 

[Coveyleader]

Try to arrow them in a place where they can run a bit without taking a fall. This can very difficult depending on where the goat calls home, but if you want to recover a goat half way intact, don't shoot him in the cliffs. I've only arrowed two, so no big sample, but both went nowhere with good shots and both were under 20 yds.

 

[squirrel]

Try to arrow them in a place where they can run a bit without taking a fall. This can very difficult depending on where the goat calls home, but if you want to recover a goat half way intact, don't shoot him in the cliffs. I've only arrowed two, so no big sample, but both went nowhere with good shots and both were under 20 yds.

You probably should have put VERY DIFFICULT in caps!! Lots of em its very difficult to hunt them where the hunter doesn't get busted up, let alone the deceased goat! I lost a couple inches off of my last goat and it was in comparative mild country. A little bad luck can really hurt.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Mountain goats are really easy to bowhunt, from an approaching close perspective. Really easy to get within 20 yds or less and the terrain lends itself to that sort of thing. Plus, goats aren't jittery, like other animals and will oftentimes let you walk right up to them if you're already pretty much right on top of them. I've killed plenty of them with a bow and I'm 80% successful on archery mountain goat. There's reasons for that and ease of approach is one of them.

 

[Dalen88]

i agree with what had been said, also i watched the one i got for a while till he was in a stalk able position and made my stalk from above, shot was from 50 yards, first bow kill,so im sure you will be able to get it done with some luck on your side!

 

[Byron_idaho]

Ive gotten a couple and been bow range of gobs of them. The country they inhabit lends itself to getting close to anything. sheer walls huge rocks cliffs ledges etc. Now how to navigate this in a manner to not die is where the challenge is. And it is a real challenge, with real consequences if you foul up. ALWAYS carry stout rope. NEVER go down blindly what you are unable to go back up (Ive learned this one more than once, never fatal, yet...)

Have fun and don't fall, it will ruin your day.

Thank you!!

 

[Blockcaver]

Hunted them in CO and arrowed a couple. Good close shots. They are tough and often do not run after the shot, but don't go down in 8-10 seconds like a deer or elk on a double lung shot would.

I've had a couple billies seem wild and wary, then others will let you approach close even when they know you are around. Spend some time scouting with your camera and see what you can get away with in your goat area.

Good luck! My first P&Y animal was a billie.

 

[sheephunt]

Tried it for the first four days on a hunt in British Columbia last year. The terrain was so awful. After day four I switched to a rifle knowing that I would likely never be on a hunt like this again. Just turned 50. Not saying that means anything, but goddamn it was one tough hunt! I got my goat and it is definitely a hunt that I will cherish forever!!!

PS: the goat I shot was attainable with my bow but I did not have it. Am I sorry? Not really, as I still worked harder for that goat than any other animal in my life.

 

[Bighorse]

I've always enjoyed the option of a solid central nervous system hit on goats with a firearm. Base of the skull, between the eyes, upper Thoracic spine all dump a goat where they stand, there's a tactical advantage to that . Those shots are very feasible if you're stalking like an archer and inside 100yrds.
I once stalked a goat to 50 yrds, had him in the crosshairs, waiting for him to move just above a large scrub brush outcropping to drop the pin. I wanted to make sure he wouldn't careen down into the abyss. As I waited two black bears approached from below hot on the scent of the small goat band and it's young kid. They were huffin an puffin like two wolves, skinny like wolves too. Interestingly enough, they appeared to be workin in tandem to outflank the goat band. Ungraceful and as noisy as they were, the billy turned in haste for the cliff domain. I took a little video of the bears and rolled out not too upset cuz the day was hot and humpin woulda been rough. Anyhow, not archery but I still advocate for archery style execution with firearms. Get in close and call the shot. Got this one at 50 yrds last year and put him down on a flat spot.