2018 goat

rickiesrevenge

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 16, 2017
Messages
281
Location
Alaska
Finally getting around to posting about my 2018 goat hunt. Couldn't find a plane that would take us where we wanted but eventually after lots of phone calls I found a boat that was licensed as a transporter to take us in. Seems like more and more plane companies aren't willing to take hunters anymore. Anyways we got to the boat and they told us the weather was too rough to go. Forecast said 3-4'. The next day was supposed to be 9-12'. Ended up sitting around in a hotel for a couple days until they could get us out. Once there we immediately started seeing goats in places we could get to. Setup camp and went up the next morning. Weather wasn't great and visibility sucked. So we camped just below goat country. The inreach said the weather would be better the next day. Awoke in the morning to good weather. There was one goat on our mountain and it was a billy. Not a monster billy but my buddy was willing to take him if the opportunity came along. We got closer. Just over 200 yards. The billy dropped over a small ridge and disappeared for a few minutes. Figured he'd come up on the big ridge behind where he was standing. We moved closer. Sure glad we did. There was a chasm between us. Couldn't see a way through it so we let him walk.

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Went back down to base camp so we could try a different ridge the next day. The weather sucked the next day. Blowing 60 and pissing rain. We elected to stay in camp and wait on weather. Seems like all the late season hunts I've been on we end up waiting on weather!!! Weather the day after was much better. The ridge was MUCH steeper in the first 1/2 mile than the ridge we climbed earlier. Crampons made it much nicer. My buddy who'd owned crampons for nearly 20 years had never worn them in that type of stuff. He was amazed at how much traction they give you. They're not just for ice and snow! Took us a couple days to get up to the top. When we did I immediately found a billy in a shootable position. Ben took a rest on a big boulder and let one fly from his 375hh. Billy took it like a champ! He was on his feet so we both started slinging lead. He dropped out of sight. Just then another billy came from around the corner and stood right were the first was. I told Ben I was gonna shoot him. Pretty much the same thing happened. We were able to recover both goats. Mine was were right at 9" and Ben's was 9 1/4". Took a couple more full days to get them back to the beach.

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FlyGuy

WKR
Joined
Aug 13, 2016
Messages
2,087
Location
The Woodlands, TX
Great story and awesome photos! Congrats! I’d like to see another shot of that rifle. What is it you were shooting?


You can’t cheat the mountain
 

Stid2677

WKR
Joined
Sep 13, 2012
Messages
2,349
Nice,,, Sawtooth and stove is the ticket, spent many a weather day poking a fire in mine.
 
Joined
Sep 19, 2018
Messages
353
Location
Zeeland, MI
My goodness!! When you say that it took a couple days to get them down to the beach, I was a little surprised. You must've been in some of the most gnarliest brush. I have not had the opportunity to do this hunt yet, but I am looking forward to it some day. Many congratulations on a couple of really nice goats!
 

yeti14

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 26, 2017
Messages
222
Location
The Last Frontier
Nice write up. What area are you hunting? I ask because it looks Southeast AK'ish and I'm wondering how you like the floorless shelter. I like the idea, but with the constantly saturated ground, I'm hesitant to give it a try.
 
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rickiesrevenge

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 16, 2017
Messages
281
Location
Alaska
It is in SE AK. I have been running a floor less all season. We used bivy's inside the sawtooth. Would have been soaked if we just had tyvek. One night I had a stream running right past my head. I was asleep so I had no clue but my buddy woke up to piss and chuckled when he saw it. He used a small cot. I'm not 100% sold on the floor less shelters for up here. Probably run them for alpine deer hunting an then switch back to a hilleberg after that.

As far as that gun goes its not a rifle. At least not legally. Its a pistol. Its a very modified XP-100 chambered in 284win. I'll look around to see if I have any more pictures of it. I built that gun just to be super light for back country hunts. Its under 5# with the scope and bipod. Its not a ton of fun to shoot though. Two blacktails, a black bear, and that goat were shot with it this year. Shot a doe in MI with it last year too.

This pic shows it a little better. I'll look around to see if I've got a better picture of it.
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- - - Updated - - -

Some parts of it were brushy, but it wasn't that bad. We each had a complete hide, horns, meat and all our gear. Too much for one load on my legs. So the trip had to be made a couple times to get them out. Really drags on if you have to make multiple loads through the steep stuff. Some of it was VERY steep. With all the rain we had it was pretty soft, the combonation made it tough going. I had considered only shooting one goat up there because we could have hauled it off in one load each. But the hunt was coming to an end so I decided to go for it!

Aaron

- - - Updated - - -

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Joined
Oct 27, 2016
Messages
896
Location
Alaska
Crampons made it much nicer. My buddy who'd owned crampons for nearly 20 years had never worn them in that type of stuff. He was amazed at how much traction they give you. They're not just for ice and snow!

I've never used crampons so forgive me if this is a stupid question...
You said they weren't only good for ice and snow, what did you mean by that? What were you using them in? I'm imagining shale and alpine tundra?
 
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rickiesrevenge

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 16, 2017
Messages
281
Location
Alaska
Steep alpine mostly. They don't help in loose rock like shale.

Aaron

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alpinej7

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Apr 27, 2018
Messages
123
Location
NW Oregon
I've been thinking of the Sawtooth as well but am not sure about mosquito/bug protection and water protection as you mentioned. Nice goat and pistol...looks like a great hunt.
 
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rickiesrevenge

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 16, 2017
Messages
281
Location
Alaska
I'm not sure a tent would have fared any better where we were. The ground was super squishy and it was raining pretty hard. Just a crappy place to put up the tent. I can see where bugs could be a problem though. Luckily I haven't had an issue with bugs while using a floor less shelter..... yet.
 
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