First goat hunt

[Gnatboy911]

I agree with what’s already been said regarding borrowing/renting a good spotter if you can. On a side note, Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game has a test on their website that goes over determining sex. If you got a few minutes, you should check it out.


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I'll check it out, thank you!

 

[AK Troutbum]

I'll check it out, thank you!

Mountain Goat Identification, Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Mountain Goat Identification

www.adfg.alaska.gov

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[Gnatboy911]

Mountain Goat Identification, Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Mountain Goat Identification

www.adfg.alaska.gov

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Perfect, saved me a google search. Thank you!

 

[vandalpride]

I'm headed on my first goat hunt this year too but in Utah. Good luck on your hunt!

 

[Gnatboy911]

I'm headed on my first goat hunt this year too but in Utah. Good luck on your hunt!

Thanks, good luck to you as well. I'm excited, but quite anxious at the same time!

 

[Dexter Grayson]

Hey man, drawing a goat tag in CO is not an easy task. If you need a spotter, I'll let you borrow my Vortex diamondback. It's cheap but it gets the job done. Should be cheap to mail back and forth.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Of all things to skimp on for a goat hunt, optics are not the thing to skimp on.

 

[Gnatboy911]

Hey man, drawing a goat tag in CO is not an easy task. If you need a spotter, I'll let you borrow my Vortex diamondback. It's cheap but it gets the job done. Should be cheap to mail back and forth.

Wow thank you so much for the generous offer. I'll keep you in mind if I can't find something to borrow locally. I really appreciate it!

 

[Jimss]

I would beg, borrow, or buy a spotter! I would try my hardest to find an almost new set on the classified section of this and other websites, Craigslist, etc. It's an investment of a lifetime....especially if you guy Swaro or Leicas.

I've been on around a dozen goat hunts over the years in Colorado and Alaska. I'd say that 99% of guys just starting out goat hunting have no idea how to distinguish nannies from billies. There's no way I'd do a goat tag justice without a spotter...especially if I wanted a decent billy. You'll likely have trouble distinguishing nannies from billies….immature billies from nannies....and mature nannies from immature billies without a scope even after you have been around them for a while! Once nannies start getting longer hair they are pretty tough to tell from billies.

You may find it tough distinguishing goats unless super close with binos! A spotter will definitely save you lots of time and miles of hiking. I can tell the difference between goats at around 3/4 of a mile away with a spotter but likely wouldn't be 100% confident distinguishing immature billies from nannies with binos until I'm around 200 yards . An 8" billy is considered a dink and a 9" billy is considered a monster in Colo so not much difference! If you get within 100 yards with a spotter you can count rings....you definitely won't be able to do this with binos.

There are a lot of tips that I've picked up over the years that would help with your hunt. If interested you can send me a pm and I'd be glad to send you a mtn goat fact sheet that I put together quite a few years ago. It is super detailed about goat habits, behavior, field judging, distinguishing nannies from billies, mature billy vs nanny/kid hangouts, etc. in Colorado.

Thinking back to the years I've drawn sheep and goat tags....many of my best memories were the super exciting things I saw while scouting! WIth that said.....enjoy your summer in gorgeous, high, alpine country! Take advantage of your tag and spend as much time enjoying goats and goat country as possible!

 

[BAKPAKR]

When I drew a Montana goat tag several years ago, I debated on buying a spotting scope but did not. My brother and I wound up spending the better part of a day making a great stalk on what turned out to be two small patches of snow that we spotted a few miles away with binoculars

 

[cb4128]

congrats on drawing the tag! This is definitely a bucket list hunt for me, in for advice and following along

 

[Gnatboy911]

I would beg, borrow, or buy a spotter! I would try my hardest to find an almost new set on the classified section of this and other websites, Craigslist, etc. It's an investment of a lifetime....especially if you guy Swaro or Leicas.

I've been on around a dozen goat hunts over the years in Colorado and Alaska. I'd say that 99% of guys just starting out goat hunting have no idea how to distinguish nannies from billies. There's no way I'd do a goat tag justice without a spotter...especially if I wanted a decent billy. You'll likely have trouble distinguishing nannies from billies….immature billies from nannies....and mature nannies from immature billies without a scope even after you have been around them for a while! Once nannies start getting longer hair they are pretty tough to tell from billies.

You may find it tough distinguishing goats unless super close with binos! A spotter will definitely save you lots of time and miles of hiking. I can tell the difference between goats at around 3/4 of a mile away with a spotter but likely wouldn't be 100% confident distinguishing immature billies from nannies with binos until I'm around 200 yards . An 8" billy is considered a dink and a 9" billy is considered a monster in Colo so not much difference! If you get within 100 yards with a spotter you can count rings....you definitely won't be able to do this with binos.

There are a lot of tips that I've picked up over the years that would help with your hunt. If interested you can send me a pm and I'd be glad to send you a mtn goat fact sheet that I put together quite a few years ago. It is super detailed about goat habits, behavior, field judging, distinguishing nannies from billies, mature billy vs nanny/kid hangouts, etc. in Colorado.

Thinking back to the years I've drawn sheep and goat tags....many of my best memories were the super exciting things I saw while scouting! WIth that said.....enjoy your summer in gorgeous, high, alpine country! Take advantage of your tag and spend as much time enjoying goats and goat country as possible!

Thanks for the tips and advice! I’ll send you a PM for sure.

 

[Mtncowboy]

I have been along on a couple of goat hunts and I liked having a spotting, even though it added weight to my pack. Best of luck to you!

 

[Jimbob]

I have only hunted one season here in BC but I did take a sheep and a goat. Here is my take:

If this is a super rare tag and you might only hunt goats a couple of times then get a spotter. You want to make this hunt count and you don't want anything holding you back, no what-ifs. Like mentioned above, a spotter will significantly help your hunt. Buy a decent spotter used on the classifieds and sell if after the season if needed. Seems like you will even be able to get your hands on one for free.

On my goat hunt, I watched my son's billy at 340 yds and no way was I sexing it correctly with just bino's. With the spotter I could see his balls, 100% confirmed. When the billy bedded we were able to make the climb and be certain we were headed after an animal we wanted to kill.

Having said that, I would do a goat hunt without a spotter. I can hunt goats every year within a 45 min drive of my house so I don't have the same pressure to make it happen. It might mean I stalk a few goats that I don't end up killing but I can deal with that. Also, horn size is just not important to me right now. A HUGE goat and a small one are barely distinguishable. It's not like moose/elk/deer where mature animals are drastically more impressive. So I don't need a spotter to find a "trophy".

 

[Gnatboy911]

I have only hunted one season here in BC but I did take a sheep and a goat. Here is my take:

If this is a super rare tag and you might only hunt goats a couple of times then get a spotter. You want to make this hunt count and you don't want anything holding you back, no what-ifs. Like mentioned above, a spotter will significantly help your hunt. Buy a decent spotter used on the classifieds and sell if after the season if needed. Seems like you will even be able to get your hands on one for free.

On my goat hunt, I watched my son's billy at 340 yds and no way was I sexing it correctly with just bino's. With the spotter I could see his balls, 100% confirmed. When the billy bedded we were able to make the climb and be certain we were headed after an animal we wanted to kill.

Having said that, I would do a goat hunt without a spotter. I can hunt goats every year within a 45 min drive of my house so I don't have the same pressure to make it happen. It might mean I stalk a few goats that I don't end up killing but I can deal with that. Also, horn size is just not important to me right now. A HUGE goat and a small one are barely distinguishable. It's not like moose/elk/deer where mature animals are drastically more impressive. So I don't need a spotter to find a "trophy".

Thank you for the tips and insight!

 

[snider6464]

Congrats! Did this hunt last year and I think it depends on what you are looking for in quality and how much time you have. If you are happy with a decent Billy then I would just roll with what you have. Most people spend one day or 2 days on this hunt. Tons of goats but tons of people. Easy to spot them with binos from a long ways off, then spend time getting closer to get a better look. They are very tame in these areas, so you can take your sweet time and evaluate every goat. Some monster nannies in this area, but finding a great Billy will be very tough. The biologists will ask you to shoot a nannie in this area because they are trying to cut down the numbers drastically. Let me know if you want to run up and scout this summer and I can bring my spotters.

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