2019 British Columbia-Goat, Moose, Caribou in 10 days!

Joined
Oct 27, 2016
Messages
896
Location
Alaska
This is a story about a hunt I returned from a few weeks ago. I've been wanting to post the story and share the pictures here for a few weeks, but work and personal responsibilities have taken priority after spending 15 days away. I've never done a hunt story before, but here goes!

BACKGROUND:

Through circumstances out of my control and blessed beyond my worth I got the opportunity to go on a BC mountain goat hunt for dirt cheap and on short notice. Since I was already there and not in the hole too bad I decided to tag on a moose or caribou (my thinking at the time). I didn't want to buy one tag, or the other, and miss out on an opportunity, so I bought both tags and only planned on filling one. I booked my flights, squared away my gear, and eagerly looked forward to my departure date. It was pretty obvious to my co-workers and girlfriend that I couldn't hardly think about anything else. Living in Dallas and not having any mountains or hills to climb I donned my pack and boots and hiked stairs for training. This was my first international, and first true mountain hunt.

DAY 0: Travel Day(s)
My departure day came and I couldn't contain my excitement. My flight out of Dallas was scheduled to leave at 5:30pm. I spent the morning and early afternoon pouring over my gear list and pack(s) with a fine-toothed comb for what seemed like the 100th time, ensuring I wasn't forgetting anything. I arrived at the airport around 3:15pm and the moment I walked up to the ticketing counter my flight was delayed until 9:30pm. Thankfully I had consulted with friends that had done this before, and gave myself plenty of time between connections.

I arrived in Toronto in the middle of the night, cleared customs, and waited for the ticketing booths to open at 4:30am. I was told to get in this line as soon as you could, so around 2am I parked my butt there. I was second in line. I re-checked my bag, and went through security. I made it glaringly obvious to everyone around me that I was a rookie American traveler when I took my ball cap, fleece, boots, and belt off and the Canadian TSA agent asked me what I was doing?

The flight from Toronto to Vancouver was uneventful, I think. I was asleep before take-off.

I waited around in the Vancouver airport for a while waiting for my flight to Smithers, BC. I met some other hunters and we quickly became friends. Again, I was asleep before take-off.

We arrived in Smithers and I caught a taxi to my hotel. I had a charter flight out to the main lodge the next morning, and had most of the afternoon to kill. I went and bought a bottle of whiskey to celebrate in the case of success, and a large pizza. I ate the pizza, re-organized my bags, and fell asleep. After 24+hours of travel, I knew I was exhausted when I awoke at 5am on top of the bed, clothes and lights on.

*WILL UPDATE DAY-BY-DAY, THE FOLLOWING DAYS WILL BE MUCH MORE PICTURE HEAVY (and video if I can figure out how to post them)*
 

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carsonkeys
Joined
Oct 27, 2016
Messages
896
Location
Alaska
DAY 1:

Today was the day I’d been dreaming about, and preparing for, everyday for weeks. 7 of us were going to the same outfit, and we had arranged for the only two taxis in town to meet us at the hotel at 7am to make our 8am flight to the lodge. After loading gear we all took our seats, donned our ear muffs, and set off. IMG_2137.JPG

During the flight I probably took over 100 pictures, and my face was glued to the window the entire time. I kept looking down at the mountains and wondering if “anyone had EVER set foot right there?” From the air it was pretty easy to grasp just how remote we were. We arrived at the main lodge, offloaded our gear, went through the introductions, and signed some last-minute paperwork. Then came the waiting game. IMG_2178.JPG

I met my guide and packer, Simon and Callum, respectively. The two were long-time friends from New Zealand, and spent a lot of time together in the mountains there and now BC. I asked them to go through my pack with me in an effort to remove/add anything that I may not need or was missing. We cut some weight. The most notable change they recommended was a pair of shorts. I had my reservations, but the weather that day was incredible and I happened to bring a pair to lounge in at the hotel. I decided to put them on...they stayed on for 10 days. The kiwi way.

The float plane couldn’t fit us all and our gear so Simon flew out to the lake with plans for Callum and I to be on the next flight out. Two hours max, we were told. Five hours later Callum and I finally load the plane to head out, poor Simon! IMG_2189.JPG

Again, the flight was breathtaking and was my first time in a float plane. We arrived at the lakeshore to a sleeping kiwi. “The boys” (what I affectionately referred to them as) had warned me that this first hike out of the lake was likely to be the worst of the entire hunt. They were right. We donned our boots and packs and made the 3 hour hike. One hour in on the first day I had blisters! BLISTERS, already, on both feet?! Are you kidding me?! I made a MAJOR error when preparing for the trip. I only hiked stairs, as I don’t have access to steep hills. Each foot strike is flat on stairs, at no point in my training were my toes above my heels (if that makes sense?) I had my kenetrek’s for over a year, and had 100+ miles on them. Up until then I had never gotten a blister and it didn’t even cross my mind. IMG_2229.JPGIMG_2225.JPGIMG_2222.JPGIMG_2221.JPGIMG_2219.JPGIMG_2219.JPG

We made it to the cabin, our base camp, and prepared for tomorrow, our first hunting day. I don’t think I slept at all that night, I felt like I was 7 years old again trying to fall asleep the night before my dad took me hunting for the first time. Wouldn’t have it any other way!




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carsonkeys
Joined
Oct 27, 2016
Messages
896
Location
Alaska
DAY 2 (first hunting day):

We woke up early and set out in search of goats. This involved a 45 min walk down the valley, and then a couple hour walk up a basin and over a saddle. IMG_2238.JPG

Two days ago I was at 500’ elevation, we started hiking at 5,500’ and that was only increasing by the step. My blisters barking, lungs and legs burning, I went to a real dark place on this hike. I put my head down just kept telling myself to put one foot in front of the other, and eventually I’d make it to the saddle where I could rest for a bit. A few hours later we reached the saddle and sat down to glass. Immediately we spotted two goats, both shooter billies. IMG_2250.JPG

The boys asked me what I wanted to do, as if there wasn’t an extremely obvious choice. Still attempting to catch my breath I proclaimed we were killing one of those goats. We dropped 200’ to set camp, stuffed our faces with cliff bars and put a few in our packs for good measure, and took off into the cliffs. An hour and a half later we were within striking distance. The billies fed into an avalanche chute that was impossible to see into unless you were directly below or above. We carefully eased our way below them and finally spotted them. The younger billy spotted us immediately while the older was oblivious. We got set up and dialed the scope for the 360 yard shot. We just needed him to stand up and I was going to let ‘em have it. He stood, and immediately turned up mountain. Simon kept calling out the distance and we dialed. Finally at 430 yards he stood broadside. At the bottom of my breath the gun barked. “Left, left!” Simon said. I sent another round. “Same spot, right in front of him!” I knew my fundamentals were sound and that I made two good shot sequences, that second round was all the confirmation I needed to know that either the gun was off, or the wind was shifting my impacts. I held the crosshairs on the crease of the back leg and and went through my shot sequence. Boom! Double lunged. With blood pouring out of his side this old warrior kept moving up the mountain. He stopped again, and I hammered him. He stopped again, and I gave him another one. Finally, he gave up and tumbled down hill. By the grace of god he stopped on a boulder about half way down. IMG_2897.JPGIMG_2890.JPGAdjustments.JPGIMG_2261.JPG

We butchered him, and set out back to camp.
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This was the single hardest hunt I’d ever done. We arrived back to camp and I was absolutely thrashed, and in love. I was in love with mountain hunting. I finally felt the pain and enjoyment that I’d heard about, and longed for, for so long. We fleshed the cape, caped the head, and made supper. I think I was asleep before I zipped my bag up. IMG_2374.JPGIMG_2368.JPG
 
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carsonkeys
Joined
Oct 27, 2016
Messages
896
Location
Alaska
DAY 3:

The alarm on my clock woke me up, and as I turned it off I realized today was 9/11. All external thinking stopped, and I prayed for those families affected. I had IMMENSE gratitude. Good way to start the day!

I hobbled out of the tent, sore, but overjoyed. We packed up camp and goat and got moving towards the cabin. The nice thing about hiking all uphill on the way in is being able to walk all downhill the way out *grin*

Our weather thus far was incredible, cool and relatively dry. We took our time and I focused on soaking up every second of the hike back. From the blueberries to the cow caribou with twins that walked into thirty yards of us in the fog. Every moment is etched into my mind.

We got back to camp and had quite a bit of work to do. Our first priority was the meat. After plucking out a back strap, the heart, and the ribs, we hung and secured the meat. Following that we got to work on the hide. With plans to do a full- or half-body mount we took the whole hide home and got to fleshing and turning everything out. Adjustments.JPGAdjustments.JPGAdjustments.JPG

Having worked up an appetite Callum got started on cooking us supper over an open fire. Adjustments.JPGAdjustments.JPGAdjustments.JPG

We ate like kings, as you can see.

Following supper the boys had some camp chores that they refused to let me help them with. Insisting on contributing and being productive I took the spotter to a glassing knob and got to work. Normally I only hunt with my 11x mavens, and truthfully I don’t even own a spotting scope. However, the efficacy, or lack-thereof, of my binos proved just how giant this country was. Distances weren’t measured in miles, but rather the hours it took to get there. Here, I discovered the worth of a spotting scope. Pretty quickly I glassed a grizzly, and then an a herd of caribou. Within the herd was a shooter bull. IMG_2399.JPG

I called the boys up to the knob and they concurred that the bull was definitely a shooter, but that we wouldn’t make it before light. We decided to hold-off on a stalk and continue with our plan the following morning. The plan was to hunt moose for the next few days, but I made it very clear I wasn’t going to pass up a stomper of a caribou, too.

This picture is me pointing down the valley where we intended to hunt moose. Three miles as the crow flies, roughly five in reality. IMG_2402.JPG


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