Mountain goat now, or sheep later.. maybe never

[Mdfowlman2]

I’ll try to make this shirt and sweet. Like many of you I’ve dreamt of a Bighorn Sheep hunt since I was a very young boy,with mountain goat being a distant second choice. unfortunately I didn’t get into the point game 25yrs ago like I should’ve, so I’m stuck with BC as my only option.
Fast forward, I’m 38 and feeling the pressure to “shit or get off the pot” on the big mountain hunts, I have almost pulled the trigger on booking a mountain goat hunt because from what I see sheep hunts are maybe out of my price range $20-$25k, but the mountain goat hunts are less and quite doable.
Question is do I go on the mountain goat hunt now and likely have to squash the sheep hunt idea or wait and potentially never make it on the sheep hunt or mountain goat hunt ?
Also anyone know of any “affordable”(in sheep terms) outfitters in BC?

 

[cbeard64]

I’m not aware of any bighorn hunt within your price range (unless maybe if you are a BC resident).
I will say this about mountain goats: I have taken all 4 sheep and have always had sheep fever. But I drew a WY mountain goat tag in 2018 and it’s that goat that hangs above my fireplace. I loved that hunt every bit as much as my sheep hunts. They are incredible animals. IMO they don’t take a backseat to any animal and are the best bargain in North American hunting.

 

[z987k]

People also say Mt. Goat doesn't taste very good, but my goats have all been incredible. Use them exactly like you would sheep. Steaks, shanks, frenched roasts, make the grind into gyros and kafta, etc.
Sheep is better, but goat is right there.
I like the fur on the goat more to, especially if you're not one to spring for a full body. Just get a really nice soft tan done and it's an amazing blanket.

 

[North River]

I guided sheep hunts for 6 years and was big sheep snob. Goats were a second class citizen. Sheep go to heaven, goats go to hell. Then I moved to goat country and hunted them because I had to. Too far from sheep country. Demeaning.

They grow on you. They’re actually an amazing animal that can thrive where sheep can’t tread. Meat can be good or bad depending, but I’ll take good goat over any sheep. It’s now my personal hunt of choice. And I hunt them every year and look forward to it. I guess I’ve slipped from the heavens and fallen far bellow…. But WTH it’s good fun.

 

[North River]

The only trophy I have on my wall

 

[Scottf270]

I have never hunted sheep or goat but have had to make decisions on what animals I hunted based on money constraints. My advice is this.
Do some sole searching and really decide what animals trip your trigger. I would then put all my effort and resources on the top one. None of them are gonna get easier or cheaper.
At times, because my top animal seemed so far away, I hunted lesser animals to fill in the gaps. While I enjoyed these hunts all it did was put me further behind on the animal and hunts I really wanted.
I will say that sometimes your wants and desires change and that's okay. Life is not constant and neither are we. And in the end, I guess there are no wrong choices.
I will also say this. Go on the best hunt in the best area with the best guide you can. I have failed miserably at mt. lion hunting. I have had no luck at all. I started in 2002 and have been on numerous hunts and spent well over $20,000 and still don't have a big tom.
I hesitated on a guy around 2010 that was $8,000 when everyone else was $4,500. He's now $15,000 which is what my 2010 moose hunt was in NWT. It's great when you go on a cheaper hunt and have success but it can cost you more in the long run if you fail.
Main thing is, chase your dreams and live your life. You only get one.

 

[jdmaxwell]

Go on mountain goat hunt. Don't wait. Do it while you can and enjoy

 

[TheGrayRider]

Only you can make those decisions after careful thought, planning, and consideration.

Alaska dall sheep hunt (Brooks Range) - 190 days, 17 hours, and 20 minutes…but who is counting?

Very blessed, grateful, and thankful for the opportunity to return to hunt in sheep country. Truly majestic animals in beautiful and wild terrain.

Nothing gets cheaper or easier over time. And remember, you can’t take it with ya! Happy hunting to all, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.

 

[9.1]

The earlier you make your memories, the longer you'll have to enjoy them.

 

[Mdfowlman2]

The earlier you make your memories, the longer you'll have to enjoy them.

That’s an incredible quote and outlook!

 

[ReddingArcher]

I haven’t hunted goats yet, but plan to. On my way back from my NWT hunt this year I was talking to a guy in the Norman Wells airport who had also been on a sheep hunt, I want to say it was something like his tenth sheep, he said he was done sheep hunting and going to hunt goats from there on out. You can do 2-3 goat hunts for the price of a sheep hunt he figured. I asked if mountain goats scratched the itch like sheep do and he said absolutely.
You have to figure out what is going to make you happy in the long run. If you go in a goat hunt I’m sure it will be an amazing adventure but are you going to have any regrets if it makes you miss out on a sheep hunt?

 

[Theringworm]

At 38 yoa, you are plenty young and able to do either now or over the next 15+ years so long as you don't let yourself go. I did my first mtn goat hunt 2 years ago at the age of 46. Hoping to check off a sheep hunt for my 50th, but looking like it'll be when I am 52-53 due to outfitters being booked up. Sheep would be the pinnacle of my hunting adventures. In my assessment, most big game animals in Alaska, Yukon, NWT (moose, sheep and brown bear) continue to climb in price at a rapid pace. I would guess that moose and brown bear have increased about $2k/year. Sheep on the other hand, esp. stone/fannin, big horns have seen a more drastic increase annually. The exceptions being a mtn goat, black bear or Sitka black tail. For the money, it's hard to beat a mtn goat hunt and the adventure most likely will rival any other hunt you have ever been on. I would book the mtn goat now and see what position you are in down the road. Everything will only be more expensive the longer you wait.

Waiting around for "what-ifs" may only result in "have-nots". Go Hunting Sir!

 

[adamkolesar]

There's a lot of great advice here. I've been on a goat hunt that was expensive compared to other goats hunts at the time. The outfit, experience and results more than exceeded expectation. I could see where every penny went. My sheep hunt in the Himalayas was a relative bargain when compared to NA sheep hunts but delivered in every way.
I guess what I'm saying is maybe get some real numbers and a timeline/availability for top flight outfitters for each species, see what you can realistically afford and plan accordingly.
Bolen and Lewis are the top dogs in BC for goats. Dozens of glowing reviews. If a plan for top shelf goats is more realistic, maybe that's the sweet spot financially.
RMBH for $20-25k is not a contingency I'm aware of.
Another thing to consider is the demand for sheep (and the attendant rise in cost) has been raising the price of goat hunts as "regular" guys get priced out of the sheep game.
Like others have said, get a deposit down and a date set sooner than later.

 

[Elk Chaser]

I was/am in the same boat and last year at 39 went on a mountain goat hunt that exceeded any and all expectations I could have had. I don't have any burning desire to hunt bighorn unless I get lucky in the MT draw but I figured I had the money to do a goat hunt at the time so I went for it and have zero regrets.

I currently have a goal of saving my pennies to go on a dall sheep hunt in either AK or NWT by the time I'm 60...lots of time to hash out some details assuming I don't get completely priced out over the next 15-20 years. I will say, I had such an awesome experience that I am now going into the mountain goat draw in Alaska in the hopes of going on another hunt. Having more or less lived the question you're asking, I say absolutely go on the goat hunt then start figuring out how to make a sheep (or another goat) hunt happen sometime in the future.

 

[fuzzymarindave]

I’ll try to make this shirt and sweet. Like many of you I’ve dreamt of a Bighorn Sheep hunt since I was a very young boy,with mountain goat being a distant second choice. unfortunately I didn’t get into the point game 25yrs ago like I should’ve, so I’m stuck with BC as my only option.
Fast forward, I’m 38 and feeling the pressure to “shit or get off the pot” on the big mountain hunts, I have almost pulled the trigger on booking a mountain goat hunt because from what I see sheep hunts are maybe out of my price range $20-$25k, but the mountain goat hunts are less and quite doable.
Question is do I go on the mountain goat hunt now and likely have to squash the sheep hunt idea or wait and potentially never make it on the sheep hunt or mountain goat hunt ?
Also anyone know of any “affordable”(in sheep terms) outfitters in BC?

I'd say go on a goat hunt now. I was your age 29 years ago and I'm waiting to see if I get drawn for my AK goat tag this year. I don't have sheep fever as some do, so the goat hunt was for me a good way to have a similar experience. If I am lucky I'll be looking at getting a backpack mount from the taxidermist. For me, the experience ranks higher than the trophy however if a fellow needs to go after those big sheep horns, I get it.