Any Goat Hunters here? Anyone with thoughts on pack goats?

[Wassid82]

When I was younger I always had a horse and access to multiple horses. Its how I was taught to hunt with my grandfather.....but life made it difficult for me to afford food and space for horses so I had to give that up. I've hunted more than a decade solely on foot and have done well for myself but recently I looked into hunting with llamas or goats. I saw this article today and thought I would throw it out there to the group. I'd love to hear your opinions. thanks.

Goat packing gains toehold, but feds want forests goat-free

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) — Pack horses are tried and true, and mules are proven hunting-gear haulers.

www.idahopress.com

 

[n_watson22]

I have raised goats for 4 years now. I started with some 3-4 year olds that didn't work out and then I started over from scratch thinking that if I wanted good packers I would need to raise them from birth. My oldest are just coming of age to start working with weight this year. I will say that it is alot of work and there is a learning curve but all of my goats are hard workers and are turning out awesome. I now have 7 males for packing ranging from 1-3 years old and 2 does.

 

[EastMont]

Goats, Llamas, and Burros are all great choices for someone who likes to hike. I would suggest getting out with some first to see if it is really a route you want to go.

 

[ben@bpetersondds]

Hey I am a goat hunter. Anyone with any questions or want to share information, please feel free to contact me anytime.

 

[Huntnnw]

We are on year 2 with pack goats, we now have 8 with 2 does and a buck. We will have our first babies this week. We have learned alot over the last 2 years. Its a investment in the beginning if you are not setup to have goats. Id advise that you get your goats from pack goat breeders and not some craigslist ad or some guy who raises meat or dairy goats. We went thru Dwite sharp who is considered one of the best, and he has provided a lot of knowledge and is always available for questions. Another thing to check out is packgoats.com Marc Warnke who is a wealth of knowledge on the subject and gear. We went with goats over llamas as I have talked to to many guys with horror stories with llamas, goats can pack more for their weight, eat almost anything, load in a truckbed and not have to hassle with a trailer on crappy roads in the mountians. They have been a pleasure on the trail and really almost 0 training on the trail, they follow like a well behaved dog and will never leave your side.

 

[MallardSX2]

And as a bonus, when you arnt hunting deer/elk you can hunt the lions and bears that are hunting your goats. Its a win win.

 

[MallardSX2]

And yes, that was a joke. I always wanted pack goats. If I lived out west I would have 4 of them for sure. I cant believe more people dont have them.

 

[Azone]

I will be getting some in the next few months. There are a few areas that I just cant access without running out of water. Having a few gallons on the back of a goat and being able to carry more gear and food for extended trips is obviously a major draw. For the years I end up out of state elk hunting I figure between five goats and I, a bull elk should be one trip out.
Family camping trips will also be on the agenda once the goats are full grown and ready for packing. When I get mine I plan on starting a thread about starting from scratch with them. Cant wait!

 

[Death from above]

I have been researching goats for packing in for a while now. Seems like much less maintenance than horses or llamas. Please post about starting and training as you go. From what I'm reading, I think that is the route I want to go.

 

[Huntnnw]

go to packgoats.com for all the info you need. Less maintenance not so much. If you are not invested in care then I wouldn't do any stock. All of them have maintenance, shots, selenium, copper ,hoof care its non stop. We deal with our goats hooves in the fall and winter every other week. On the trail there are benefits not having to pack feed not necessarily needing a trailer.

 

[Death from above]

go to packgoats.com for all the info you need. Less maintenance not so much. If you are not invested in care then I wouldn't do any stock. All of them have maintenance, shots, selenium, copper ,hoof care its non stop. We deal with our goats hooves in the fall and winter every other week. On the trail there are benefits not having to pack feed not necessarily needing a trailer.

Already have horses. Just looking at a different route.

 

[Bouldercreek]

I have been interested in pack goats for some time, and it's going to work out really well because my daughters are just getting into 4H. Do you guys like the Alpine breed the most?

 

[Huntnnw]

lotta goats out there in the pack world are crosses . One of our best goats is a Lamancha.You can have a bad goat or a great goat with any of the popular breeds. We just had some Sabor/Alpines born this year that we hope turn out great.

 

[ben@bpetersondds]

I’ve gotten some really good Kiko crosses from a gal in Idaho. Three of the ones I have are gigantic. The nice thing about her goats is that she really socialize them and allows the mother to raise them. All of her girls are very social and have been my healthiest goat so far. Another advantage is she doesn’t charge a lot for Goats. $250. Her name is Katie.

 

[ben@bpetersondds]

Here is her contact information +1 (206) 753-8104. She should have babies on the ground right now.

 

[Bouldercreek]

Perfect, this virus junk has put a damper on my daughters 4H start but we will be giving her a call. Gonna get after that electric fence as soon as the chicken coop is done.

 

[actionshooter]

One of the things to think about is getting your goats tested for CAE, CL, Johnes… when they are young, these diseases can play hell with a great herd.
One of the mistakes I made when we got into goats was trying to put a herd together by getting full grown goats off of craigslist instead of waiting for the babies to get old enough.
I didn't know about some of the possible disease they can get and we introduced Johne's to our herd... we basically had to get rid of all of them and start over. Barber Pole worm can be a problem also, depending on where you live.
Totally worth spending the extra money on some testing.

 

[washingtonalpine]

And as a bonus, when you arnt hunting deer/elk you can hunt the lions and bears that are hunting your goats. Its a win win.

It happened to me! Shot a black bear last summer with my sidearm that decided it wanted a goat for lunch.

 

[washingtonalpine]

Goats have worked out great for my style of hunting, they are not the best pack animal for every situation but for certain terrain and hunting styles they can't be beaten. They are basically the Super Cub of pack animals. they can't carry as big of a load but they can go places no other pack animal can.

Advantages:
-No leashes, follow along. (especially good in bad terrain where you need your hands free to climb)
-they will not run away or leave
-Obstacle and bad terrain champions.
-If you can climb it without a harness a good goat can follow you through whatever you hike.
-hunt alongside you and they tend to put the game at ease (I/ve had deer approach me to check out the goats)
-Don't need good feed they can sustain off brush, ect.. go 3-4 days at a time without water
-Camp anywhere with them even a narrow ridgetop, or a deer bed bivy spot.
-They are generally very quiet (mine don't talk at all in the backcountry)
-In-shape goats are more capable than most realize. My largest goat can pack 70-75 pounds and has done 65 pounds for 5-6 hours straight multiple times.

Disadvantages
-don't have the natural endurance of a horse, you really need to keep them in shape to perform
-hard to find good genetics for packing
-to get good goats you have to get babies and wait 3-4 years to pack them
-can't haul as much weight as larger stock
-can't leave them alone in camp while you hunt

They have worked well for me due to terrain and difficult access. Most of my hunts are 4-8 mile bushwack hunts with significant elevation gains, brush, obstacles, and extreme terrain. Several of the spots I hunt you could never dream of getting a mule into. If I hunted 30 miles back on good trails or easier terrain, no question a mule or horse would be better.

 

[Death from above]

Goats have worked out great for my style of hunting, they are not the best pack animal for every situation but for certain terrain and hunting styles they can't be beaten. They are basically the Super Cub of pack animals. they can't carry as big of a load but they can go places no other pack animal can.

Advantages:
-No leashes, follow along. (especially good in bad terrain where you need your hands free to climb)
-they will not run away or leave
-Obstacle and bad terrain champions.
-If you can climb it without a harness a good goat can follow you through whatever you hike.
-hunt alongside you and they tend to put the game at ease (I/ve had deer approach me to check out the goats)
-Don't need good feed they can sustain off brush, ect.. go 3-4 days at a time without water
-Camp anywhere with them even a narrow ridgetop, or a deer bed bivy spot.
-They are generally very quiet (mine don't talk at all in the backcountry)
-In-shape goats are more capable than most realize. My largest goat can pack 70-75 pounds and has done 65 pounds for 5-6 hours straight multiple times.

Disadvantages
-don't have the natural endurance of a horse, you really need to keep them in shape to perform
-hard to find good genetics for packing
-to get good goats you have to get babies and wait 3-4 years to pack them
-can't haul as much weight as larger stock
-can't leave them alone in camp while you hunt

They have worked well for me due to terrain and difficult access. Most of my hunts are 4-8 mile bushwack hunts with significant elevation gains, brush, obstacles, and extreme terrain. Several of the spots I hunt you could never dream of getting a mule into. If I hunted 30 miles back on good trails or easier terrain, no question a mule or horse would be better.

Good info. Thank you.