Idaho Goat hunt

[jjentringer3921]

I was fortunate to draw a goat tag in central Idaho. I will not list the specific unit, but happy to share via private message. I'm looking for advice from anybody that has experience hunting goats in the mountain west, or even better if you've hunted them in Idaho. Seems like there are quite a few members here on rokslide that have experience hunting goats so I thought I'd reach out. Any and all help is welcome. As you'll see by the questions, I'm new to the goat hunting game and have a lot to learn in the coming months.

A few things I'm currently trying to work out:
1. Season dates are August 30-November 12? Anybody with experience hunting goats in central idaho recommend trying to hunt them earlier in the season to avoid access issues with snow? Or do a lot of people wait until the last 2-3 weeks of the season to hunt them in pursuit of a better coat?

2. When do you start to see that coat grow? Would the last week of September be a little early for a good coat? Would you recommend waiting until a certain date to harvest an animal?

3. Is coat going to affect the looks much of a shoulder or pedestal mount? Or is this really only relevant for full body mounts/rugs?

More goat specific questions:
1. Are male goats likely to remain in the same area in October/November as I find them in August, or do male goats roam?
2. Are goats similar to deer and elk in that they are more active in the morning and evenings? Are they daily waterers?

Other:
1. Any good taxidermist recs for goat in the Idaho or Utah region?
2. Also if you have a cool goat mount, post up a picture if you don't mind. Looking for ideas of what to do if I harvest an animal.

Feel free to PM me.

 

[Antares]

Congrats man, pumped for you!

If you don’t already have A Beast the Color of Winter by Chadwick, I’d recommend getting a copy. It might offer some insight on your questions about hair growth and movement.

 

[jjentringer3921]

Congrats man, pumped for you!

If you don’t already have A Beast the Color of Winter by Chadwick, I’d recommend getting a copy. It might offer some insight on your questions about hair growth and movement.

View attachment 712468

Thanks for the recommendation. I went ahead and ordered it.

 

[JH-MTN-HUNTER]

I would aim last week September early October, I depends on the year but it’s a balancing act, you want to go when the hair is good, but depending on the the unit don’t wait to long and not be able to get into the country you want to if we get an early few heavy snows. Would love to help more if ya want to shoot me a PM

 

[inkedspot]

Congratulations, good luck!!

 

[jjentringer3921]

I would aim last week September early October, I depends on the year but it’s a balancing act, you want to go when the hair is good, but depending on the the unit don’t wait to long and not be able to get into the country you want to if we get an early few heavy snows. Would love to help more if ya want to shoot me a PM

PM sent

 

[Brimel]

Kudos and all the best!

 

[Butcher8]

good luck!!

 

[Pater]

It will be a blast. I drew a goat tag in the Idaho panhandle last season and ended up taking a nice billy with a great coat the first week of October. Weather was never an issue, but I’m sure that will change year-to-year. Where I was focusing my hunt, I never saw a mature billy with nannies. They seemed to be a ridge or two away from the nannies. I would put eyes on as many goats as possible. The more you see, the easier it is to spot a mature billy. Good luck. I hope you get a great one.

 

[Jason Snyder]

1. Depending on access I would think mid October is your sweet spot.

2. Early October seems to be when coats really change.

3. Yes.

 

[jjentringer3921]

It will be a blast. I drew a goat tag in the Idaho panhandle last season and ended up taking a nice billy with a great coat the first week of October. Weather was never an issue, but I’m sure that will change year-to-year. Where I was focusing my hunt, I never saw a mature billy with nannies. They seemed to be a ridge or two away from the nannies. I would put eyes on as many goats as possible. The more you see, the easier it is to spot a mature billy. Good luck. I hope you get a great one.

Great, appreciate the advice. I love hearing prior tag holders get excited about their goat hunts. Hopefully mine is as memorable as yours. I'll be certain to PM you and let you know how the hunt went.

 

[jjentringer3921]

1. Depending on access I would think mid October is your sweet spot.

2. Early October seems to be when coats really change.

3. Yes.

I appreciate the advice. Sounds like I need to focus on October. I have a chunk of time off the last 10 days of September and again starting October 14th so I may just hold off until October to shoot one. I'll be in there there either way in September chasing elk versus goats. If I find a billy in a good spot it might be hard to pass up the opportunity but we will see. I would like to get one with a decent coat.

 

[ndbuck09]

Wait til end of sept/early october and if you can do it, be flexible when you head out, waiting for a good weather window of a handful of days. I found that the billy's were pretty much in same area they were in july august at the beginning of October.

Sundance Taxidermy in Boise.

A huge part of the hunt is trying to determine if the goats you're seeing a mile away are nanny's or billys. Obviously kids around help but even still. Do a lot of work on being able to identify between the sexes.

 

[jjentringer3921]

Wait til end of sept/early october and if you can do it, be flexible when you head out, waiting for a good weather window of a handful of days. I found that the billy's were pretty much in same area they were in july august at the beginning of October.

Sundance Taxidermy in Boise.

A huge part of the hunt is trying to determine if the goats you're seeing a mile away are nanny's or billys. Obviously kids around help but even still. Do a lot of work on being able to identify between the sexes.

Appreciate the advice! I took a look at their facebook page and didn't find any mountain goat mounts. Looks like they have some nice looking sheep and pronghorn though. I'll reach out to them, see if they have any prior mount pictures they can share. Thanks

 

[Bado20]

Never hunted goats in the Rockies but hunt them in coastal BC a lot so take my information for whatever it's worth.

Coat is going to change a lot in early October and that makes a big difference if you want your mount to have a specific look.

Goats are not nearly as crepuscular as deer and elk, they will feed intermittently throughout the day. Also, they are completely white so early season they aren't hard to spot bedded. When you're glassing them late season they blend in really well with the snow - Oftentimes its more successful to glass for tracks in goaty looking spots near cliff faces and then following the tracks - there's a goat at the end of the tracks more often than you'd think.

Do your research and practice sexing them off of physical characteristics. However, if you are targeting an old mature billy before November, behavioural cues will tell you if a goat is worth going after from a long ways off. Prior to the rut, the mature billy's will be alone or in a pair and will be on the most rugged parts of the mountain. Nanny's, kids, and younger billy's will be in larger groups in the higher quality feed areas, easier to access but if there's a big group of goats you are unlikely to find a really old mature billy in there. The males will join up with the larger bands in the rut in November.

One other thing to keep in mind for trip planning is if the weather is not great you can get fogged in easily and depending on the terrain that can make hunting impossible and also make it very challenging to get out of the cliffs safely.

Good luck.

 

[Griswold]

First week of October is the best. Hair is long enough, could be sunny or snow. Scout your butt off and get to know the unit.
Find a mount that shows the chest the most to get a grasp of how big a mature Billy is.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Look for solitary goats with a horse face.

 

[IDVortex]

These pictures make my desire to go to BC even more.....

 

[naneumranch]

Did you received your online class and test last week?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jjentringer3921]

Appreciate all the advice! Really looking forward to getting up there.

Yes, I completed the online class and it was excellent.