Getting the smack down by the mountain... or, my Chugach goat hunt in pictures.

Bighorse said:
Kodiak, Kodiak, Kodiak!!!! Keep beating that drum. The deer are better there, the bears, and now the goats. It's working out wonderfully. .
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Having only hunted goats on Kodiak and the Kenai Peninsula I have nothing to compare to say if its better or worse than southeast as I have never done it. I know its fun on Kodiak and the Kenai, am I sure its fun as well on the southeast and hope to get down there to check it out sometime.
 
Bighorse said:
Kodiak, Kodiak, Kodiak!!!! Keep beating that drum. The deer are better there, the bears, and now the goats. It's working out wonderfully.

POW had a huge die off. The Mistys are too rugged and the goats too hard to hunt. Brown bears don't get big down in SE either. Lets not forget the Chugach is too rough and unpredictable for a goat hunt.
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Hahaha. Way to spread the propaganda.

I was down in the Mistys twice this year. No doubt there are some really really tough to access goats in that country, but they aren't all up in the steep and nasties either. Access from Fairbanks is tough for me for other reasons. I already spend too much time away from the family, and the long mob / demob is just added time to the trip.

Bighorse said:
Yk that soil substrate looked horrible for a teppe pitch. I use construction steel spikes when doing a drop camp on beaches. I've even got sand and snow stakes to use when appropriate. I too have had a failure using the combined carbon hiking poles. One time on an alpine ridge I really struggled with that and used the loose segment very similar to the supporting repair you displayed. I like the sod skirt for the uneven ground types.
FYI.....when I flew into the Chugach we had two four season free standing shelters at the airstrip as back up. The Tepee wasn't deemed dependable enough for any kind of serious weather prior to departure. Bummer deal with the weather! You'll get one someday.
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You aren't too wrong on the soil type. With the tipi I'm always looking for soft enough ground that I can drive all the stakes without having to adjust around too many rocks, but that isn't always a good thing. However, I had a bag of 8" Groundhogs, drove them deep, and they froze in solid so the tent wasn't going anywhere at that point. The sod skirt, or at least higher stake points, I think is critical to a good weathertight floorless pitch, but I'm just not willing to put that money into an SL-5. Just too many compromises I think.

In our case, the SL-5 wasn't a serious part of the shelter plan. More of a last minute thought to tell you the truth. It was great for drying gear out the last couple nights and cooking out of the snow, but the Hilleberg was primary. I actually slept in the SL-5 two of the nights, but the Nallo was warmer and dryer so I ended up setting both up at the end and using the SL-5 as the kitchen. It was a very good two tent system used that way.


Yk
 
Tough stuff, YK. I saw how nasty Chugach goat country is first hand... not anything to mess around in, that's for sure. Great photos and story.

Tanner
 
Thanks for your write-ups and photos. Great looking country but Mother Nature threw you two a curve ball. Nevertheless, being with your Father had to make lifelong memories.
 
Wow what a kick in the can. I seen that storm and I was wondering if you were out there.
 
Too bad on the hunt - but the camping/scenery sounds great...good luck next time!
 
I keep coming back and reading this thread (ok, mostly just looking at the pictures). Getting beaten by the weather just sucks.
I've been there a few times, but never on a fly-in hunt, which has to be even more demoralizing.

Good for you in getting after it and it sounds like you were right where you needed to be. Mother nature just wouldn't cooperate.
 
I admit, the pictures are a lot better than the story. The story (and the actual events) were pretty boring when it comes right down to it! Not the first (nor likely the last) time I've been weathered in some place, but it doesn't make it any funner.

What really hurts is that I was originally scheduled for Sept 28th, but field work really piled up this year and I decided I needed to actually see my family for a week before I headed out for personal play and so I pushed it off for 5 more days. I don't regret the call I made there, but the weather that entire week was gorgeous!

A few more photos, just because.

Flight in.



Lots of goats in this photo... getting to them would have been a trick.



I'm sure there are some people that will recognize this strip.



A lousy shot of a goat that watched over our camp. Almost in range, but shooting one up there would have been stupid.



The first night.

 
This was before things starting getting serious.





I still like liquid fuel when it gets cold.



Traveling



The lonely camp after dad made it out the day before



Trying to spot goats in-between snow storms. NO idea what I would have done if I would have seen one. Those mountains weren't at all safe!



All right, I'll quit now. I love the big mountain trips, but sometimes it doesn't work out quite like I planned.

Yk
 
I'm locked in a people-pen (cubicle)... please post all the pics you want!
 
Tanner said:
Man, that sure looks like a Supercub to me... :)

Tanner
Click to expand...

NO idea what you are talking about. :D Man, and I was so careful to keep the N Number out of the frame!

Tanner, where are your pictures from the year? I know you have to have some....

Yk
 
Last edited:
Great writeup and thread...thanks for sharing.
Thoughts...
Some areas are simply not worth an October hunt.
Heck, I've had Kodiak October hunts that were a total wash due to weather, can't imagine the chugach.

These days I go early to mid September. Too much work logistically to not increase the odds.
Also, I won't head into any goat country without a bomber 4 season free standing tent. A Rab or integral designs MK series is must-take gear.
 
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