Day 1 - Fly In
Day 2 - Hike to High Country
Day 3 - First Hunt
Day 4 - Stupid Mistakes
Day 5 - It all comes together - sort of
Day 6 - Rainy Camp Day
Day 7- Goat Hunting Again
Day 8- Goats Everywhere!
Day 9- Fly out day
Day 10- POW Island hunt rained out
Day 11- First Blacktail Hunt on POW Island
Day 12- Blacktail Action! - Last Day

 Goats 1999 - Day by Day
 

Organizing our gere before the hike to high country

After a good night's rest, we got up and began organizing the food, clothing, and gear we would need for five days on Top. We buttoned down the camp and started our way through the thick tangle of bushes, deadfalls, and Devils' Club. Our packs were heavy but we made excellent time getting out of the jungle and into the higher elevation muskeg. In two and a half hours, we reached Camp 2 and took a nice long break.

At Camp 2, we spotted two nice goats feeding in a high mountain pass nearly a mile away. They were quite dirty from dust baths and it was obvious by the way they went streaking through a meadow that the bugs were driving them crazy. Johnnie had been hunting here last week and had remarked on how bad the bug hatch was this year - last year we barely noticed any biting flies. In addition to the bugs, there was a good bit of Brown bear sign, in fact, the bear sign seemed to follow our trails as if he were tagging us. But perhaps the single biggest difference which would affect our hunt was the abundance of snow remaining on the high peaks. It was a bad winter and much of the snow remained throughout the summer. This could affect our hunt as the snow packs are often non-navigatable in steep terrain - acting like a giant ski slope which ultimately ends on a cliff face. Crossing them could be hazardous.

Johnnie crossing a snowfield

After lunch, we all decided that we would go ahead and skip Camp 2 to go straight for the top. This was a big advantage for us as it would shave off 2 - 3 hours off our climb each morning. By late afternoon we were at Camp 4 - the high lake camp.

Our high-Mountain Lake camp

Each one of us had our own tent and we set them up quickly in the rain and fog. Conveniently, there was a snow field next to our camp which was several feet deep and with just enough pressure to work as the perfect backstop for my broadhead tipped arrows. I strung my homemade recurve (Dyagheeza) and began practicing.

Snowfields provided an excellent practice backstop

After camp was setup, dinner was finished and my shooting muscles excercised, Bobby and I decided to climb above camp to spot goats. It was getting late but we were only going a few hundred yards from camp. We spotted a lone goat crossing a snow field and noted his position for the next days' hunt. On our way back, I noticed Bobby heading back toward the lake to look for more goats - or so I thought. I waited for him to return and when he didn't - went to look for him. He was gone without a trace. I stayed put on the cliffs, concerned for Bobby, until it got very dark - at which time I figured I better get myself back to camp. The problem was I had no light and at this time it was nearly pitch black. I soon found myself in the precarious position of not being able to find my way down from the shear cliffs. Bobby evenutally climbed back up with lights and we discussed what had happened. I thought he was following me, and he thought I was following him. The miscommunication caused me to wait for him but in that time I lost my daylight and my ability to pick my way down safely. We all agreed to keep each other in sight and to carry some survival items including a light, even when venturing close to camp. We both knew better and learned a valuable lesson.

 Alaska Ultralight Backpacking and Gear

One of my favorite types of hunting is ultralight backpack bowhunting where you eat and sleep with the game you are hunting (See Ultralight Backpack Hunting Tips) much of my theories on this type of hunting is true for Alaska with some notable exceptions on gear and clothing:

Tent

Make sure you choose a 4 season tent. The ultralight 3-season tent I use in the West, and used on this goat hunt was inadequate for the weather we experienced in Southeast Alaska. I suggest a slightly heavier 2 or 3 man tent with a large rain fly that covers to the ground. Add a ground cloth as well and tuck it underneath the tent so no rain can accumulate between your tent floor and the ground cloth. This will saturate your sleeping bag. In addition, the larger size will allow you to keep your wet clothes away from your sleeping bag and keep much of your gear out of the weather.

Food

For food, we had a freeze dried breakfast of either Mountain House Scrambled eggs or oatmeal. For lunch we had a snack pack from Backpackers Pantry and for dinner it was a Mountain House 20 oz. freeze dried meal. we supplemented our food with a Power Thirst Drink mix and some hot cocoa. While this is more food than I normally use on an ultralight bowhunt, the rigors of Mt. Goat hunting demand more calories for a safe and successful hunt.

Footwear

As I learned last year, the steep areas of Southeast Alaska are very slippery and wet all of the time. We use Caulkes (spiked logging boots) which allow you to cross slick logs or slippery moist slopes with ease. I won't hunt SE Alaska without them and neither should you. The trade off is that these boots are 100% rubber (unless you spend in upwards of $500) which are hard on your feet - I suggest carrying extra dry socks while hunting to prevent foot problems such as blisters, hot-spots and callouses.

Clothing

For this hunt I carried 2 separate pairs of rainwear, one Gore-tex suit for damp days or after rains, and a Peter Storm rainwear suit while in the rain. When wearing rainwear, I used only Cabelas Thermax long johns underneath - this kept the moisture away from my skin and it allowed me to stay as cool as possible in the rainwear. On the sunny days, it was a camo cotton t-shirt and on cool windy days it was fleece camo which I purchased from Renegade Bowhunting Supply - one of our sponsors.