Doubled-up in SEAK

[Mark at EXO]

I was fortunate enough to return to SE AK for another mountain goat (my prior hunt). This time I was along for the ride as a 2nd tag holder, in case we got the opportunity to fill two tags, but Jake was the primary hunter.

As it turns out, we had one good weather day between rain/fog leaving and snow coming in, and were presented with an opportunity to double on goats.

Jake's billy ended up being 12-years-old, which is old for goats in general, but is especially old for harvests in this area.



Both goats had great coats and measured 9+ in length.



The setting didn't suck for photos!

We did a full podcast recap of the story, which also shares some footage of the hunt film that will be released later this year: https://the-experience-project.com/alaska-mountain-goat-hunt-breakdown/

I have always been fascinated by these creatures and the places they live. Having hunted them twice now, my interest in them and appreciation for them has only grown!

 

[Antares]

Dang, guys! Get some! A 12 yo billy is nuts. Old man of the mountain!

 

[FAAFO]

Great photos, thanks for sharing

 

[taskswap]

I'm going to regret asking, but on a scale of 1..10 how physically challenging would you rate one of these hunts? For reference, IMO, I'd call elk a 7. You have to be prepared for altitude and it's very common to have 1500-2000' climbs say from a base camp to a ridge or to get back out of a valley you dropped into. But if you pick your routes carefully I personally think anyone in even modest shape can do it, even if they might move a little slower than somebody used to it. On a successful hunt I personally do probably 20 miles over the course of a week if I know the area, maybe double that if I have to scout a ton the week before, and maybe 10000' total elevation change over the whole week. Sounds like a lot, but per-day it's not a big deal.

Those photos of you on those peaks with what looks like 9000' down to that river make me wonder how much of that you're doing. I assume you're camping somewhere near your target altitude, but still, what do you figure you put in on a successful hunt, in terms of miles / elevation change?