Mountain goat habits

Joined
Aug 18, 2017
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76
I know you guys on this tread have done a lot more mountain goat hunting than I have and was wondering if goats seem to move around alot or stick to the same mountain most of the time. Do they come down for water or just make due with whats around them? The country I am hunting is really big (as I am sure everyone elses is too) and there are not many goat in the unit. Any help would be appreciated. Thank You.
 

Decker9

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Apr 10, 2015
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BC goat mountains
In my experience, Billy's don't move to much, unless they've been pressured, or its close to the rut. Goats tend to get a lot of their water from the vegetation they eat, or by licking wet rocks. I have seen them (both Billy's and nannys) come down a long ways to a water hole tho, Iv often wondered if there was mineral in the water, to make them come down in elevation so much. Iv noticed this more with younger Billy's, then the older, in general, the older fellas make due with what they have up hi.
I would imagine that pretty quick tho, them big guys will start to roam, looking for the girls.

Good luck!!
 
OP
C
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Aug 18, 2017
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Thank you for the help. I finally found a nice billy but unfortunately I have to wait about a week before I can go in after him. I know with my luck he will be 10 miles away from where I spotted him but with any luck he may still be in the same drainage.
 
Joined
Mar 21, 2012
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Alaska
The only thing that will make a goat move this early would be snow or predators. I don't think you have to worry about them beginning to rut for another several weeks.

I am headed out to the same area I found goats in mid August, I'll bet they are in a very similar location as they were then.
 

Vids

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Littleton, CO
What state? In Colorado I don't think they rut until November/December which is after all the seasons. Further north I'm sure it's earlier.

My experience in CO was they were in the same area from May until my hunt in September. Didn't move at all.
 
OP
C
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Aug 18, 2017
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I am in Montana. I somehow lucked out and got the only permit for that area so there will not be any hunting pressure but there are a lot of predators in the area. Next week they are calling for snow but I am not sure how much. I sure hope I will have a little luck on my side and be able to find him. I have put on over 100 miles on my horses and my feet and this is the only goat I have seen in my area so far. Thanks for the help.
 

IrishnId

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Preston,Id
I am in Montana. I somehow lucked out and got the only permit for that area so there will not be any hunting pressure but there are a lot of predators in the area. Next week they are calling for snow but I am not sure how much. I sure hope I will have a little luck on my side and be able to find him. I have put on over 100 miles on my horses and my feet and this is the only goat I have seen in my area so far. Thanks for the help.
I was just up hunting goats in Idaho. They were not where they have been in the last 1 1/2' of snow pushed them down to the Timberline. Wasn't ready for that, so I'll try again next week. Good luck on your hunt.

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BRWNBR

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Feb 11, 2015
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Goats on Kodiak move like crazy. Usually in a big circle of sorts. Maybe keeping the same ridge or general area but in my experience move more than Sheep do.
 

Jimss

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Mar 6, 2015
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Here in Colo the goats tend to wander if disturbed or after the first fairly deep 4 to 6+" snow. They may also wander if feed becomes limited in an area....to greener pastures. Similar to sheep they are often found on south facing slopes...especially in the winter. The south facing aspect can eliminate a lot of country to glass....hint...hint! The older age class billies often find solitude closest to the biggest cliffs in the area while nannies often spend more time on grassy slopes adjacent to cliffs. If there are lots of predators they likely hang out more in the cliffs. I haven't really noticed goats coming down in elevation for water but water hasn't been too terribly limited where I spend time around goats. Mature billies "tend" to come down out of the cliffs to feed early in the morning...often heading to cliffs or rocky bedding areas during the day....then back into open greenish slides or grassy areas again in the evening. Similar to sheep you can put them "to bed" for the night and they will be there super early the following morning. Obviously goats that wander around on cliffs in darkness may fall prey to natural selection! Have a great goat hunt! They are one of my favorite critters to watch, film, and hunt!
 
OP
C
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Aug 18, 2017
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76
Thank you for your advice. I am going in next week and I sure hope I can luck out and find one. It has snowed anywhere from 4" to 14" of snow this week so I will probably be start from scratch again. All I can do is go and see if i can find something.
 

mcr-85

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May 28, 2014
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Southern Utah
Good luck! We are hoping the three we found will be there this weekend. We were going to go tomorrow but it's so damn windy down here we are thinking we'll have better weather over the weekend.

I'm going to try to get out and glass one or two mornings thru this week

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