Reflections on a goat hunt

Sitting here in Anchorage, homeward bound. This was the hardest hunt physically, and definitely mentally, I've ever been on. Nothing else even compares. It was also what I would consider the most successful hunt I've ever been on, yet my tag went un punched.
I was only able to actually hunt for 2 half day periods. The rest of the time I was trapped in a spike tent on the side of a godforsaken mountain in incessant rain, wind and fog. The outfitter said it was his second wettest hunt period ever. That said, I had two close calls and actually got to look a big billy in the eye! It was just plain awesome!

I'm sitting here with so many thoughts running through my mind. I'm not even going to try to organize them, so try to enjoy my fragmented ramblings. All I know for sure is that my life has been forever enriched by the experience of the last few days.

What I learned:

An ice axe made me love my wife and kids more. It saved my life and arrested a death defying fall. I looked at it outside my tent that night and started crying.

Chicks in Xtra Tuffs are kinda hot. My wife needs a pair.

Never take being warm and dry for granted.

When trapped in a tent in bad weather, read a war novel. It will remind you that even when it's bad, it's not that bad.

Even the best Hilleberg won't win a fight against Mother Nature when she's pissed off. It wasn't much drier inside my tent than outside. A wet sleeping bag is kinda scary in that country.

I have a love/hate relationship with crampons.

Gore tex is fake waterproof.

I want plastic boots.

Your feet will make or break a hunt. Wet boots for 5 days tore mine to shreds.

SE Alaska rain is a different kind of rain. It's meaner.

Health and fitness is one of life's greatest blessings, second only to that of your kids'.

That sucked, but I'm tougher now. That became my mantra.

How inconsequential filling a tag is. Most hunters end up with a rifle on this hunt even if they start out with a bow. The kill was virtually meaningless to me. The experience itself was enough, more than enough. Fulfilling.

Waterproof stuff sacks are worth the extra money.

Why can't someone make a waterproof backpack?

Prayers soothe and work. My backpack will now and forever carry a rosary.

Mountain goats make deer seem like wimps

Alders suck, wet alders suck more.

Dennis Zadra of Lonesome Dove Outfitters is the most conscientious and hard working outfitter I've ever had the pleasure of doing business with.

And that's about all she wrote. I'm a different man today than I was a week ago.

Good on you man. A lot of folks wouldn't be able to come out with anything positive to say after an experience like you just described. Two things you said really resonate with me. Chicks in Xtra Tuffs really are hot, to hell with anyone that says different, and Alders do SUCK. The only thing Alders are good for is smoking salmon.

I agree with all the above... glad to hear you are safe and dry.

Enjoyed reading your words of wisdom. Congrats on your hard earned experiences.

I hope this doesn't offend some, but it's posts like this and the experiences that generate them that remind me that to real hunters, this is a religion, not a sport!

Best post I've read in quite awhile! Well done sir.

It's good it was a trip of a lifetime even though u didn't fill your tag. I didn't fill my ak caribou tag this year and I also realized what an awesome experience you can have even without filling your tag. At least you have a great attitude about it. You are blessed to go on a hunt like that most hunts don't ever get to experience a hunt like that.

I had to look up extra tuffs. Great post. Really, great post. I dream of hunting goats some day but unfortunately I will never be able to afford an AK or BC hunt. I still dream of the experience though.

Great post Nate!

Many years ago, I spent several days battling bent alders in SE AK on a goat hunt where I never made it to alpine. Since then, I have several times tried to write about the experience and have fallen short each time. It is about the experience more so than the kill.

Dennis is a great guide and a great hunter. Although you didn't come home with a goat, hunting with a great guy like dennis can make a bad situation a little less worse.

What part of SE AK were you in?

Thanks for posting your thoughts.

That was a terrific conglomeration of random thoughts. I literally laughed out loud at a few of them.

bkondeff said:

I hope this doesn't offend some, but it's posts like this and the experiences that generate them that remind me that to real hunters, this is a religion, not a sport!

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I care not whether anybody finds this offensive, but flyfishing is my religion and hunting is a very very close second.

Cordova. I remember your posts on gear cutting/recommendations. SE-Ak can break a man.

Daniel_M said:

Cordova. I remember your posts on gear cutting/recommendations. SE-Ak can break a man.

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i know he hunts out of cordova but wasn't sure if he's gone somewhere else? i wouldn't call cordova southeast ak, but maybe I'm geographically challenged.

Cordova may not be SE AK proper, but it rains just the same! Thanks all, for the comments.

SDHUNTR, thanks for sharing. Its a good reminder of the extreme differences in hunts. SE Alaska to a tree stand in a backyard, so many ways to enjoy our chosen obsession. Glad you survived. What rain gear were you using that failed?

MuleyFever said:

I had to look up extra tuffs. Great post. Really, great post. I dream of hunting goats some day but unfortunately I will never be able to afford an AK or BC hunt. I still dream of the experience though.

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What did you think Xtra Tuffs were vs. what you found out they were?

Great Post!! I experienced my first back country hunt this year in SE Alaska....I didn't see much sun and had an eye opening slide in the alpine. I think the biggest thing I learned is that I can do it, even at my age.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

My rain gear didn't fail. I wore Sitka Stormfront and was quite satisfied. The jacket worked great and kept its integrity. I like the pit zip option. The pants though got wet from the knees down. Don't know if it was the wet brush, the ubiquitous stream crossings, or the fact that my crampons tore multiple holes in them (through gaiters too), but my lower legs got wet. Next time I will have Impertech pants, if for no other reason than they are cheaper to replace when they tear.

My goretex comment was more directed towards my boots. They were soaked within the first couple miles.

SDHNTR said:

My rain gear didn't fail. I wore Sitka Stormfront and was quite satisfied. The jacket worked great and kept its integrity. I like the pit zip option. The pants though got wet from the knees down. Don't know if it was the wet brush, the ubiquitous stream crossings, or the fact that my crampons tore multiple holes in them (through gaiters too), but my lower legs got wet. Next time I will have Impertech pants, if for no other reason than they are cheaper to replace when they tear.

My goretex comment was more directed towards my boots. They were soaked within the first couple miles.

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Gotcha! Tearing up those pants is certainly NOT cheap... What boots?