Got out early since this was our last goat hunting day. The plane is scheduled to pick us up tomorrow, pending safe flying weather. Johnnie hung back and would meet us in the pass. We spotted a lone goat in the high crags glowing in the morning sun. Bobby and I moved quickly up steep ground until we were within site of the goat. Unable to tell if it was a good one or not so we decided to risk the climb and find out.
We reached the high peak, which was covered with boulders and gullies (great stalking cover). I crept slowly through the maze of rocks and various snow fields and caught a glimpse of our goat moving on the opposite ridge - straight away. I had time to glass him and it was a very fine billy goat but impossible to get to. We continued sneaking around up here and I walked into a goat at very close range - less than 20 yards. I took out an arrow and slowly eased up into position - now 15 yards from the goat. But without question it was a nanny. I decided to pass her up even though the shot was tempting. She soon spotted us and headed for radical country.
Video of Goats spotted in the distance and one close on a snowdrift (928k) I dropped down through the craggies and spotted several goats in the surrounding hills. We took our time and just watched them. One goat was on another mountain ridge a mile away but even from the distance we were sure it was a billy. The other goat was beneath us and trying to get off a snow drift. It took a simple leap and the goat was off before bedded down just above it. No telling if this goat was a billy.
Johnnie had spotted a group of four goats so we took a long hike to check them out. We ended up spending all day perched above them. It was fascinating watching their behavior. There was one matriarch who was the head of the group. We surmised that one of the goats was a small billy and the big nanny was not fond of him. At one time it came to blows between them - the nanny won.
Video of this group of goats (476 k) We continued watching this group for over three hours. We even had lunch just above them. It was remarkable to see the way they interacted. The nanny was never more than a few feet from her kid. The young goat was desperately trying to nurse but she would not allow it - clearly time for it to be weaned.
Video of the family group with kid staying at the nanny's side (360k) After several hours, another goat (which we figured was our leaper from the snow patch earlier) fed his way into the family unit and was accepted immediately. He always kept a slight distance from the nanny but thought nothing of kicking the young billy out of his freshly dug bed. That poor billy was getting his share of whoop-ass all day.
The weather turned nasty again and a cold drizzle spit into our weathered faces. I knew that it was the last glimpse I would have of these special mountains. In two days I'd be hunting again for deer but I felt sad about leaving this place. Johnnie remarked about it too - he knows what these mountains do for me. We waited one last time at the pass and spotted several more goats but I decided to pack it in. Our group of goats had come up to join us and was now just a few yards away - looking as shocked as we were. We got some great pictures of the nanny and kid before they buggered out for a distant hillside. Just a perfect ending to this hunt.
Video of Nanny and Kid on hillside (120k) Bobby, Johnnie and I were in great spirits as we reached camp for a nice hot meal and a long rest for our hike out in the morning. I practiced one last time in my snow patch and invited Johnnie and Bobby to shoot the bow. Johnnie is a natural with a bow, hitting the target with amazing accuracy even if his form is not exactly "Howard Hill Style." We packed it in after a fun day and a great goat hunt.
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