Tagalong for Goat Hunt

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applepie_eli

applepie_eli

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 16, 2018
Messages
168
Location
Punxsutawney, PA
I took a guy I never met on one of the three goat hunts I did in 2017. He turned around and went back to the truck just 3 hours into the initial hike. Glad we drove separate.

Unfortunately, I'm sure that's the biggest problem with this type of thing. I know that I certainly wouldn't turn around on the trip of a lifetime like that, especially after traveling so far to get there. Unless the guy turned out to be a serial killer or something lol.
 

Bighorse

WKR
Joined
Mar 15, 2012
Messages
539
Location
SE Alaska
Are you an athlete? What are your Squat, Deadlift, and bench numbers? Can you swim a mile strait? Have you ever ran a 10K?
It essential that you have some real foundational fitness.
Next...what is your mountain experience? The rigors of a Mt Goat hunt go beyond just fitness. You'll need agility. Like the type a sport rock climber has or a dancer.
How many big mountains have you climbed? Just having experience making a sustained 8hr approach is awesome.

These are all honest questions any seasoned Mt Hunter might consider before wandering into the backcountry with a stranger.

It's brutal man! You gotta be a tough hombre to penetrate deep into the mountains, kill a goat, and haul it back to civilization.
 
OP
applepie_eli

applepie_eli

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 16, 2018
Messages
168
Location
Punxsutawney, PA
Are you an athlete? What are your Squat, Deadlift, and bench numbers? Can you swim a mile strait? Have you ever ran a 10K?
It essential that you have some real foundational fitness.
Next...what is your mountain experience? The rigors of a Mt Goat hunt go beyond just fitness. You'll need agility. Like the type a sport rock climber has or a dancer.
How many big mountains have you climbed? Just having experience making a sustained 8hr approach is awesome.

These are all honest questions any seasoned Mt Hunter might consider before wandering into the backcountry with a stranger.

It's brutal man! You gotta be a tough hombre to penetrate deep into the mountains, kill a goat, and haul it back to civilization.


I have never really been one to work out much on my own other than walking through the woods and climbing hills around here. I am pretty athletic and used to play hockey, which always kept me in really great shape. But now I've let myself go a little. I am starting to workout again and I don't think it should take me too long to get back into good shape. Now for a goat hunt, I'm sure it's different. I'll start getting more serious with my exercise routines in the next couple weeks. And I have no school or work from May 31st until August so my entire summer will be dedicated to getting into shape too. I am currently just doing a lot of sit-ups, push ups, and speed walking a couple miles every night after work with a heavy pack. We also have some old strip jobs around my house with really steep shale walls that I will practice climbing a lot once the snow clears.

However, despite not being in the greatest shape (YET), I did a 26 mile trip through the Beartooths in Montana last summer on a pretty rough trail. It was about 3500 feet in elevation gain (up over a mountain pass and down the other side). It took us about 2 and a half days to finish, and we took our time to stop and fish/sightsee a lot. After that trip, I was pretty beat. But I had a really cheap Walmart backpack with way too much crap in it. And boots that were about 5 pounds each that gave me the worst blisters I've ever had. I got a little bit of a more suitable pack for Christmas, and I'm getting some Crispi or Kenetrek boots in a few weeks. But other than that, I enjoyed that hike a ton.

I know I'm probably nowhere near being ready yet. But I WILL be by August. And as far as it goes mentally, I will not quit or give up, or hold someone back especially if I know they're counting on me. I understand it will be different than just hiking a trail, so I intend to head back to the Beartooths this summer and bag a couple peaks, as well as doing another backpacking trail through the Wind Rivers.

Thanks for the post. It really made me reflect on myself and realize there's a lot of work to be done!
 
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
Messages
365
Location
Wisconsin
first off keep up the work! when I booked my goat hunt I thought I was in pretty decent shape. 5'11" @190 LBS. played plenty of sports also. The reality was I could barely run 1 mile without stopping for a break. By the time I left for my goat hunt I was 164 LBS and able to run a half marathon weekly as well as 1 or 2 6-10 mile runs weekly and treadmill incline training with a 50 lb pack 1-2 times per week with 2,000 ft gain each time. Not saying that is the only way to do it either. I know pleanty of guys who don't do cardio and are great in the mountains. keep pushing through the mental barriers. you never know when an opportunity may arise and being in great shape at all times will make your time that much more enjoyable. Im assuming that the 26 mile trip utilized a trail system? that is great to do, but I don't think most (not all) goat hunts utilized trails much? You will be hiking in some nasty scary stuff. My goat was 6.5 miles back and 2500 ft of elevation gain. Shot, recovered and packed out in 1 day. the final push to kill him was 1000 vertical feet in about 400 yds. It was pretty brutal but so worth it. If someone is kind enough to let you tag along you don't want to hold back. Saying you wont and actually doing your part are completely different. I really hope you get your chance! Have you thought about going out for a Goat Alliance volunteer project? I think they will start announcing them in a few months and that may be a great way to get into goat country if you are not able to go on a hunt with someone this year. If im able to sneak away for a few days I may head out for one.
 
OP
applepie_eli

applepie_eli

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 16, 2018
Messages
168
Location
Punxsutawney, PA
first off keep up the work! when I booked my goat hunt I thought I was in pretty decent shape. 5'11" @190 LBS. played plenty of sports also. The reality was I could barely run 1 mile without stopping for a break. By the time I left for my goat hunt I was 164 LBS and able to run a half marathon weekly as well as 1 or 2 6-10 mile runs weekly and treadmill incline training with a 50 lb pack 1-2 times per week with 2,000 ft gain each time. Not saying that is the only way to do it either. I know pleanty of guys who don't do cardio and are great in the mountains. keep pushing through the mental barriers. you never know when an opportunity may arise and being in great shape at all times will make your time that much more enjoyable. Im assuming that the 26 mile trip utilized a trail system? that is great to do, but I don't think most (not all) goat hunts utilized trails much? You will be hiking in some nasty scary stuff. My goat was 6.5 miles back and 2500 ft of elevation gain. Shot, recovered and packed out in 1 day. the final push to kill him was 1000 vertical feet in about 400 yds. It was pretty brutal but so worth it. If someone is kind enough to let you tag along you don't want to hold back. Saying you wont and actually doing your part are completely different. I really hope you get your chance! Have you thought about going out for a Goat Alliance volunteer project? I think they will start announcing them in a few months and that may be a great way to get into goat country if you are not able to go on a hunt with someone this year. If im able to sneak away for a few days I may head out for one.


Haven't joined the Goat Alliance yet, but I plan on it within next couple paychecks. I would definitely consider those volunteer projects, that would probably be perfect for me. But yeah my 26 mile hike was on a trail. There were a lot of big rocks and stuff and we did a little bit of off trail adventuring, but that's what I want to go back out for this year. If I get a chance, I'm going to go to the same place but do everything off trail. Climb some mountains and test myself. I might take a camera and try to do some mock-stalks on goats. This will give me a good chance to learn my limitations before going with someone. I might have a chance to join a guy on a sheep hunt in BC so I'm definitely going to get serious about getting in shape. I live pretty far away from the nearest gym, so I'll probably end up doing all my stuff in the woods or at home. I experimented doing a hill sprint with my 50 pound pack on tonight, think I'll keep doing that along with increasing my other stuff!
 

ST52v

WKR
Joined
Jul 12, 2012
Messages
637
Check Euro Optics for Kenetrek boots. They are clearing them out. You will not beat the price if they have your size.


Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 

GotDraw?

WKR
Joined
Jul 4, 2015
Messages
1,296
Location
Maryland
Love your enthusiasm! You will have a blast.

Your number one goal MUST be to make absolutely certain that you are in better shape than anyone who offers you the honor and opportunity to hunt with them.

If you are not in better shape than everyone else on the team you hunt with, then not only will you shame yourself, you'll slow everybody else down. They'll be looking back at you from further up the trail while you suck air and your pack grows heavier. They may never say anything, but you need to know that their hunt-clocks all started ticking the instant they started up the mountain. Every minute wasted is a minute not hunted and minutes grow to hours and lost opportunities.

Grab every day by the balls and wake up with the mindset that no matter how much you will run, it will not be far enough. No matter how hard you will squat, stair-climb or mountain hike with a pack it will not have been hard enough.

Never-Ever-Good-Enough.

Go to bed at night having left it all in the gym or on trail every time. Then and only then, will you be able to hold your head up, even if you are last in line up the trail.

I tell you this because three years ago, my brother and I had a former army ranger quit on us two days into a hunt at 11-12k feet. He quit, split and never even told us. We wasted hours hiking back to camp, only to find all his gear gone. Never spoke with him again after that stunt.

You cannot over prepare.

Go Hard!

JL
 

johnnycake

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 3, 2017
Messages
266
Location
Anchorage, AK
I've got a draw goat tag in Alaska this fall that you could join me for if you want, I'm planning on hunting 9/14-17. It is a 2 hr drive followed by a water taxi ($60-75/ea roundtrip). Once the boat drops us off at the beach then we have a 4 mile hike up to the alpine (1600' elevation gain to base camp). From there we'll be hunting between 1600-3500' so elevation isn't too big of a training factor. Let me know if that sounds interesting and doable for you and we can go from there.
 

fatrascal

WKR
Joined
Jul 20, 2013
Messages
670
Location
Spring Creek, Nevada
I suggest making another post asking for ideas on the proper gear, clothing, First Aid kit, backpack etc. For example, no cotton clothing. Cotton holds moisture and does not dry. Cotton socks makes blisters and cotton underwear causes chaffing. A popular saying among extreme hunters is cotton kills. Thats just one example. Backpacks are a huge investment and should not be taken lightly as well as tents and sleeping gear. Rainwear is very important. You are making a wise decision on getting Crispi or Kenetrek boots but thats just the tip of the iceburg. Getting into the mountains in the summer is different than getting into them in the winter. Don't forget about elevation sickness. I've had several hunters affected by elevation sickness and I've had to take them back down to lower elevation. Its a serious sickness. There is a wealth of knowledge on this website and you are doing good to ask. Its better to wait a couple of years and gather gear than it is to go now and not be properly prepared. I wish you lots of luck and look forward to seeing your progress. Fatrascal.
 

NMO

FNG
Joined
Apr 9, 2015
Messages
41
Location
British Columbia
As BRWNBEAR mentioned, Work as a packer. If you are strong, hardworking, polite, and friendly -- you have a great shot at getting hired in this industry. Beware though, spending 3 months straight in the mountains isn't for the faint of heart. When I first started, A guide told me "its the best job in the world but it will F***ing ruin you -- there will never be anywhere you feel more at home, and it will consume your thoughts for the rest of the year"... He wasn't wrong!
 
Joined
Jun 3, 2018
Messages
779
Location
North Carolina
Chase your dreams Eli, go for it!!

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sniper61

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 20, 2016
Messages
192
You are young and the world is yours. Never dreamed i would hunt AK. when growing to 40 years old, then i had the dream . Now at 57 I have hunted there 6 time did 2 goat hunts. I say dream big and work to make them come true.
 
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