Goat down: KPen, AK

[akhunter87]

I'm an AK resident and had a bunch of goat experience on Kodiak with mixed success, so thought that the Kenai Peninsula would not be that different.

Well...it's different...

Flew out of Lake Hood, which is an experience - I knew it existed but I have never seen so many planes on floats in my life.

I went guided for the first time in my life (since I don't really know much about the area and the Kenai is a long ways from where I live) and we had a couple of nice days at the beginning of the hunt where we climbed the basin around camp. I must say that this area east of Seward is much more steep than most all the goat hunts on Kodiak I've been on, and there was multiple places I thought I was gonna fall off the mountain....pucker factor was high.

Did not see much up high at the time and weather was starting to come in, so we headed down so we did not get stranded up top. This turned out to be a great decision, as it rained roughly 5 inches over the next 3 or 3.5 days.

So hunting the beach it is! The beaches in this area are very rocky with huge boulders, and some with orange or green algae on them. Over the course of the week, we came up with a *new* definition for turtling, where you fall off a rock onto your back with your pack acting as the "shell." Many miles were spent climbing over rocks as the tides allowed, scanning the rocky cliffs for goats.

Did I mention it was wet? Really, really wet...and this is coming from someone who grew up in one of the rainiest areas of the Pacific NW. Eventually we started seeing animals, including a TON of bears...so put one of them down as I had a tag for it. There were so many damn black bears in this area.

Finally, Friday morning an opportunity presented itself when we saw the rear end of a goat feeding, watched it for a while and then shot it. Purposefully shot it in the backside so it would come down the hill easier (it was about 225 yds up at a roughly 50% angle.) It was still alive and got stuck in a tree (of course), so waited until it unstuck itself from the tree and shot it again. This time it came down the hillside.

All in all, a great hunt despite all the moisture. What would a goat hunt be without a good helping of misery? It ended up being about a 8.25 inch billy, very happy with it.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Congratulations on the GMU 7 billy!

 

[JColony]

Congrats!! Sounds like quite the adventure!

 

[AK Troutbum]

Congrats man, and yeah, the KP can be pretty unforgiving, plus Lake Hood is the busiest float plane lake in the world, so no surprise there. Sounds like it's time for some goat tacos!!

 

[Dragonfish]

you must have been out the same time my son and I were. Wish i'd have packed a snorkel.

brutal rain, makes for heavy hides coming out as well!

 

[akhunter87]

Congratulations on the GMU 7 billy!

Thanks, 6D though

 

[akhunter87]

you must have been out the same time my son and I were. Wish i'd have packed a snorkel.

brutal rain, makes for heavy hides coming out as well!

Haha probably. It was definitely rainy and yet I was mostly dry, except for the gloves, I had brought leather gloves for climbing up and down the mountain and those got soaked every time I went outside.

Then Saturday....it was just gorgeous as if no storm had even been there.

 

[akhunter87]

Congrats man, and yeah, the KP can be pretty unforgiving, plus Lake Hood is the busiest float plane lake in the world, so no surprise there. Sounds like it's time for some goat tacos!!

Yep for sure. I'd never flown out of Hood before, but it was neat to see. Goat tacos is gonna happen soon.

 

[Sourdough]

Lots of Mt Goats on Kenai Peninsula. Most days (not all) I can watch 16 to 20 from the cabin, on the hills from the back windows (West); and front windows (Southeast).

The last 15-20 years there have been more Mt Goats then Moose. The Mt Goats get hit and killed on the road as they cross to lick the salt and minerals on the rocks along Turnagain Arm.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Lots of Mt Goats on Kenai Peninsula. Most days (not all) I can watch 16 to 20 from the cabin, on the hills from the back windows (West); and front windows (Southeast).

The last 15-20 years there have been more Mt Goats then Moose. The Mt Goats get hit and killed on the road as they cross to lick the salt and minerals on the rocks along Turnagain Arm.

Goats on the road along Turnagain Arm? Are you sure you’re not referring to the sheep? I’ve never seen a goat on the arm down by the hwy.


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[Mykolaivka887]

Thanks, 6D though

Awesome! Chenega Bay area, I presume. Way to go!

 

[Dragonfish]

Haha probably. It was definitely rainy and yet I was mostly dry, except for the gloves, I had brought leather gloves for climbing up and down the mountain and those got soaked every time I went outside.

Then Saturday....it was just gorgeous as if no storm had even been there.

Saturday was great! we came down Friday in the downpour, but we got 'er done, so not complaining!

 

[Sourdough]

Goats on the road along Turnagain Arm? Are you sure you’re not referring to the sheep? I’ve never seen a goat on the arm down by the hwy.


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I have over the last 53 years harvested "and" processed 21 or 22 Alaska Mountain Goats. I have a fairly good comprehensive grasp of what an Alaskan Mountain Goat looks like. We back in the early 70's could harvest (2) "TWO" Alaskan Mountain Goats per season.

As to any knowledge of what an Alaska Dall Sheep looks like, I harvested my first of many Dall Sheep in 1971 on the upper Noatak River near where the Ambler River flowed in, while on a personal five-week multi species study and hunt. The following year 1972 in the same location I harvest my second Alaska Dall Sheep on a personal six-week multi species study & hunt.

Roughly at that time I decided to become a Licensed Alaska Hunting Guide. Over the next thirty plus years I successfully guided many Dall Sheep hunters.

In all possible honesty I don't accurately know, but my best estimate is that between Alaska Dall Sheep that I have personally harvested and those my hunters harvested, I have personally processed 39 to 41 Alaska Dall Sheep.

Perhaps you may assume I have a foggy Grap of what an Alaskan Dall Sheep looks like. I am comfortable with my ability to identify the "distinction" between an Alaskan Dall Sheep from an Alaskan Mountain Goat.

The Alaska DOT at the "Silver tip Station" accidently kills some Mt Goats while plowing snow on the Hope Road.

I will venture a "wild" guess that your experience with either species on an Alaskan Highway is mostly the part just south of Los'Anchorage, Alaska. While I am speaking & referencing the 16-mile Hope Highway, on the south portion of Turnagain Arm, where I have lived for most of the last 53 years (but not all).

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I have over the last 53 years harvested "and" processed 21 or 22 Alaska Mountain Goats. I have a fairly good comprehensive grasp of what an Alaskan Mountain Goat looks like. We back in the early 70's could harvest (2) "TWO" Alaskan Mountain Goats per season.

As to any knowledge of what an Alaska Dall Sheep looks like, I harvested my first of many Dall Sheep in 1971 on the upper Noatak River near where the Ambler River flowed in, while on a personal five-week multi species study and hunt. The following year 1972 in the same location I harvest my second Alaska Dall Sheep on a personal six-week multi species study & hunt.

Roughly at that time I decided to become a Licensed Alaska Hunting Guide. Over the next thirty plus years I successfully guided many Dall Sheep hunters.

In all possible honesty I don't accurately know, but my best estimate is that between Alaska Dall Sheep that I have personally harvested and those my hunters harvested, I have personally processed 39 to 41 Alaska Dall Sheep.

Perhaps you may assume I have a foggy Grap of what an Alaskan Dall Sheep looks like. I am comfortable with my ability to identify the "distinction" between an Alaskan Dall Sheep from an Alaskan Mountain Goat.

The Alaska DOT at the "Silver tip Station" accidently kills some Mt Goats while plowing snow on the Hope Road.

I will venture a "wild" guess that your experience with either species on an Alaskan Highway is mostly the part just south of Los'Anchorage, Alaska. While I am speaking & referencing the 16-mile Hope Highway, on the south portion of Turnagain Arm, where I have lived for most of the last 53 years (but not all).

LOL!!!

 

[thinhorn_AK]

"Soooooo" What exactly did expect, when you "FLAT OUT" accuse someone of not knowing one species from another species. You got exactly what you disserve.

I didn’t accuse anybody of anything. I see your writing skills have not improved though.

 

[Sourdough]

I didn’t accuse anybody of anything.

That is true, Sorry.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I have over the last 53 years harvested "and" processed 21 or 22 Alaska Mountain Goats. I have a fairly good comprehensive grasp of what an Alaskan Mountain Goat looks like. We back in the early 70's could harvest (2) "TWO" Alaskan Mountain Goats per season.

As to any knowledge of what an Alaska Dall Sheep looks like, I harvested my first of many Dall Sheep in 1971 on the upper Noatak River near where the Ambler River flowed in, while on a personal five-week multi species study and hunt. The following year 1972 in the same location I harvest my second Alaska Dall Sheep on a personal six-week multi species study & hunt.

Roughly at that time I decided to become a Licensed Alaska Hunting Guide. Over the next thirty plus years I successfully guided many Dall Sheep hunters.

In all possible honesty I don't accurately know, but my best estimate is that between Alaska Dall Sheep that I have personally harvested and those my hunters harvested, I have personally processed 39 to 41 Alaska Dall Sheep.

Perhaps you may assume I have a foggy Grap of what an Alaskan Dall Sheep looks like. I am comfortable with my ability to identify the "distinction" between an Alaskan Dall Sheep from an Alaskan Mountain Goat.

The Alaska DOT at the "Silver tip Station" accidently kills some Mt Goats while plowing snow on the Hope Road.

I will venture a "wild" guess that your experience with either species on an Alaskan Highway is mostly the part just south of Los'Anchorage, Alaska. While I am speaking & referencing the 16-mile Hope Highway, on the south portion of Turnagain Arm, where I have lived for most of the last 53 years (but not all).

I didn’t realize that goats frequently made it down to the road over there, but I guess you learn something new every day, eh? On a side note, that’s a pretty impressive résumé you got there, you should be very proud of yourself. Congratulations on all your years of success!


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