Alaska Mtn Goat Bow Hunt Report

TXCO

WKR
Joined
Aug 18, 2012
Messages
854
Attached are pictures from my 10 day backpack mountain goat hunt in Alaska. It was the most mentally challenging thing I have ever done. Watching mountain goats climb cliffs is absolutely breathtaking and you spend most of your time wondering how they survive, how you can get in range and how you could ever recover one. I missed a goat with my bow on hunt day 5 (day 7 overall) after my arrow nicked a rock he was partially standing behind & he only got a light haircut. I passed on a rifle opportunity (and still recover the goat) that came right before the bow shot so all in all no lost opportunity due to bow hunting. Unfortunately, we never got to hunt again. We only hunted 4 ½ days due to fog, rain and the process of getting up to and off the mountain we hunted. My gear performed beyond my expectations. The scenery was incredible and the experience very humbling yet rewarding. Luckily/unluckily I have a reason to go back and do it again.
Goat Cliff.jpg

Glacier Hike.jpg

River Crossing.jpg

Goat Feeding.jpg

Landscape.jpg
 
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OP
TXCO

TXCO

WKR
Joined
Aug 18, 2012
Messages
854
Key gear was a Stone Glacier Sky 7400 which I really liked. First long haul trip in it. Held up really well through the brush. I used a 10* quilt which was very nice. My Kuiu Yukon rain gear performed very well, especially in the wet brush. I toyed with different clothing combinations because the weather was highly variable in the early season. Tough call in the end on what kind of insulation to take and I left the FL Uncompagne at home for Kuiu down I could wear under my rain gear. I love the FL Chama hoodie, One of my favorite all around pieces of clothes. I think all my gear performed well across the wide range of weather and conditions. The only thing I might consider changing is bringing another type of water filtration beyond a sawyer inline filter. Its a decent system but you still have to pull out your bladder and bring a nalgene which ends up getting dirty. It wasnt a problem where we were but I could see it being one in other areas with less flowing and deep water.

More pics-

Frozen River.jpg

River Crossing 2.jpg

Goat Rocks.jpg

Fog Layers.jpg

Camp Scene.jpg
 
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tstowater

WKR
Joined
Apr 26, 2012
Messages
1,209
Location
Iowa
Sorry you didn't get the goat, but that is why we call it hunting. The water crossings looked a little tricky. Don't want to lose your footing during those crossings.
 
OP
TXCO

TXCO

WKR
Joined
Aug 18, 2012
Messages
854
Awesome pics! What were you using for water crossings?

Gear wise, nothing special. Just my walking stick. I had gaiters and attack pants. The pants repelled water great and everything dried really fast. I was really impressed with the darn tough socks. They dried quick too and I had no problems with wet feet.
 

carlc

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Aug 11, 2014
Messages
110
Put quick connects on your drinking tube end, then carry a platypus. Fill the platypus, screw the Sawyer on to platypus, connect to online connector and squeeze away. It fills your bladder in reverse of emptying it.

Hunt looked good. We were archery hunting in 14c as well. It was a tough go for is with the wind. Ended up with two rifle goats.
 
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