PWS Alaska Solo Goat Hunt

[Steve O]

What a cool trip. Great job.

 

[Arctic_Beaver]

I'm liking it.

Did a goat hunt down there myself this year. It ended up being more "interesting" than hoped (a re-occurring theme with my goat trips it seems) but I found the terrain unique compared to Kodiak or western Chugach goat country. Looking forward to the rest of the story.

Ha! Interesting similar to mine? How would you say it differed from the Chugach? From the areas I have been in for these Kenai Peninsula or PWS hunts, you really need to need to pick and choose your battles. As in, there are lots of options to pursue goats, but picking which ones are worth hiking up after may be the key to success.

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What a story and experience! I'm jealous! What kind of spotting scope is that you were taking pics through?

I borrowed a friend's Swaro 65mm, the older model I believe. I didn't have any type of phone/digi scope so I just held my iPhone up to it. In hindsight, the spotter wasn't 100% necessary with how the hunt played out. I was close enough to the goats I could have picked those 2 billies out without one. I also had my Swaro 10x42 SLC's with me. I would probably still take a spotter with me if I were to go again but could have gone with something smaller.

 

[Yellowknife]

Ha! Interesting similar to mine? How would you say it differed from the Chugach? From the areas I have been in for these Kenai Peninsula or PWS hunts, you really need to need to pick and choose your battles. As in, there are lots of options to pursue goats, but picking which ones are worth hiking up after may be the key to success.

The part of the Chugach I hunted was high glacier country, well inland from the coast. Got buried in snow on day 2 (October hunt) and spent most of the rest of the trip weathered in. It was fly-in only, steep and icy terrain, but minimal brush issues. With a little better luck on the weather, I think we would have found something to shoot. If you can figure a way to get to them and the weather holds, goats are the spruce hen of the mountain hunting world. Ok... maybe not that bad, but they tend to be pretty confident in their natural defenses.

The "interesting" part about my hunt this year was getting really really sick on the second day of the trip. Started out with what I thought was the tail end of a mild cold, only to have it turn to full blown bronchitis on the mountain. We notched one tag, but I was struggling to breath to the point I was seriously wondering about my ability to get out under my own power. Took a month to fully recover once I got back. My partners bailed me out by packing the entire goat off the hill without any help from my sick self.

Had all the usual elements of a good coastal goat hunt too. Plenty of fog/rain on the way out, nasty bushwacking drop back to the coast, bear bit the landing dingy, etc.

 

[Snowy]

Cool pics and write up.

 

[luke moffat]

Awesome hunt report man!!! Well told and great pics!! Congrats on a stud of a goat man!

 

[cardbender1]

Awesome write up, congratulations on a great adventure

 

[SLDMTN]

Nice work, thanks for taking the time to write it up and share!

 

[Cant hit em]

Great read , thank you for sharing and congrats !!!!

 

[Arctic_Beaver]

If you can figure a way to get to them and the weather holds, goats are the spruce hen of the mountain hunting world. Ok... maybe not that bad, but they tend to be pretty confident in their natural defenses.

I'll echo this statement. That larger Billy I mentioned reappeared out of what I take was curiosity. There were at least 3-4 others that started making their way back towards me and they came within several hundred yards after I made my way up to where the billy was first hit. This is similar to what caribou have been known to do in certain situations, eventually turn around and head back towards you at times. These goats in a registration area were more curious about me and confident in their natural defenses as you mentioned. I know the area I was in gets very little hunting pressure, if any, for what it's worth.

Sounds like you endured quite a bit! I know I lucked out big time with the weather, could not have asked for much better.

 

[pumatom]

Great story and pics
Congrats

 

[Coulee Kid]

Its hard to beat a good goat hunt. Congrats and nice goat.

 

[TNHunter]

Excellent adventure and thx for sharing... nothing like spending those great times with your father.... wish I could still enjoy those adventures with mine ...


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[Elkhunter777]

Awesome story and pictures!
Thank you for sharing.
Mark

 

[TomM]

Nice write up, I was remeniscing the good old days of my solo goat hunts mostly on the Kenai penn until you got to the pack out! Then I remembered sore knees...

 

[Hughiam]

great story, thanks!

 

[Arctic_Beaver]

Thanks everyone for the kind words! I didn't draw anything this year, so looks like I might have to go see if that other bigger billy is still around With this nice weather and more sunlight in AK, it's almost starting to feel like spring. Which is motivation to get back in shape with lots of skating and running again lately.

 

[codhead]

Can't imagine my dad being willing to sit still for that long! Doing a solo goat/sheep hunt is on my short list ...

 

[Bjorn16]

Another pic looking down at him where he lay in the rocks.

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That is a stud billy. I lived in AK for a little while during college and I've wanted to do this type of hunt for years and my brother in law just moved there so looks like I might get my chance. I can't imagine a more spectacular scenic place to hunt than PWS