Sorry to leave you guys hangin', I've been out doing some cougar hunting with a buddy. The first thing was that I never thought I would draw a tag like this. It was in an area in Montana that I had never set foot in, the odds were rather favorable to draw so I been putting in for the area for about 4 years. A very good friend of mine that Imeet through the local archery club and I had been scheming about this area. Had info from others that also drew in the past. We have a pretty good info network of traditional shooters, when someone wants to or draw a tag somewhere, everyone is really helpful to make it a successfull hunt. I spent the first week of the archery season huniting elk to no avail. My buddy Don and I decided with the weather being nice we'll go make an effort to make something happen with the goat. The area I hunted has a Sept 1st opener. Alot of goat hunters would wait 'til later to go after the goat for the longer hair, but we had heard that the Crazy Mtns can get early snow and it can be a little difficilt to get around. We had a gentleman pack our camp in before we got there so we just needed to our hunting gear and selves in. We were able to ride mountain bike a bout half way to where we planned on camping and then had to hike the rest. Once in and got our gear and camp set up, we went out o have a look at the area around camp. Spent about 2 hours hiking and glssing around. Saw 9 goats. Man were they high! Never hunting in terrain like this made feel overwhelmed. Made back to camp for the evening meal and start planning where to start. During the course of the night we had a visitor in camp, my buddy shook the tent to scare it a way. The next morning we got up, had breakfast and headed out. Looking at the tracks around camp and expecting to see some from a bear turned out to be a goat. I hope that a shooter would amble along my way. We spent the day hiking, glassing, hiking, glassing........We watched a 10" nanny for about a half and decided that we make a play on her on our way back down after glassing a large canyon on the backside of the mountain we were on. We looked around the canyon, had lunch and made way back to move on the nanny. That was feat in it's self. Looking at her and where she was didn't look steep. Wrong! After stummbling through chutes and up and down cliffs I realized that this was going to be a difficult hunt. Finally making it to the spot where the nanny was hanging out, she was gone. No suprise to me the way I was fummlbing around. We took a couple of minutes to glass around and make the move. My buddy suggested that I continue to traverse accross the face of the mountain to where we had seen a couple of smaller billies moving around ona ridge line. He said had enough of the mountain and was going work his way back down to the bottom. Oh, I should let you guys know something about my buddy Don. We planned on hunting the goat for about 8-9 days and in the duration of the time we were there he was going to have his birthday...his 60th birthday. The man is is an animal. Many people of his timeline would have stayed home and waited for the stories, but not Don. He is worth a couple of novels in stories himself and would like to keep adding as he can. On with the hunt. I made my way across the face feeling like a fish out of water, I spy a nice billy on the main creek below feeding his way back up the chute he was in. Unable to see a place where I could beeline down , I continued to cross the mountain. It's get later into the evening and need to get down and back to camp. I make it to the ridge and apon my arrival I spook a small billy and set him into the next county. Tired and frustrated thinking why I would consider hunting in an area that I never been to, made my wat down the mountain. After spending much time on my backside, I made it to the bottom. Time to find Don and mull over the day. While walking back I realized that this what hunting is, going into new spot and making it work, hell hunters do it all the time by going to other states and countries for that matter. Never having left the state myself, this has created the drive to step out to hunt some new things. Back at camp, dinner down, chatting about what we had seen (about 20 goats) and where, time to sleep. Had company again and morning came. Our midnight visitor came again and got us thinking. The goat was at camp and there was always new tracks on the trail in the morning, new plan. We made out and hiked through the bottom to farthest point where we had seen goats. We would hang there for a while and make our way back to camp glassing the chutes. It seemed that a few would make their way down to the bottom and cross to the otherside. Goats were coming into the chutes, but not down. We decided to split up so we could watch more country. Time went by and I spoted two goats making there way down a side drainage. I beat feet to the mouth of the drainage in hope of an ambush. Got across tha main creek and up the other side and got ready. Time is passing and no animals. Well while so intent on the two I spotted, I walked past a nice billy beddeed above the main trail. Completely mad at my self, the goat totally aware of me presence, what to do and where is Don. The two goats I had move to never showed up. I work bak down to the bottom to find dDon and trying to stay hidden from the billy. Found Don and made quick conversation about what had just happened. He had seen the goat a came to get me. We had missed each other somewhere. Time to do something. I figured with the goat seeing us that I didn't have prayer at a stalk. Don said what have I got to lose, I made may way up to him. Having my doubts that I could get close with my less than steller ground skills I made my way up the chute. Not able to see the goat, I move slowly up through the brush and rocks of the chute. It was morgue quiet with a slite down draft. If he doesn't hear me I might have chance. I took me over a half hour to go about 400 yards, finally I can see him. He is feeding along the edge of the chute and I have ran out of cover. Time to for him to make the next move. I stand there for what seemed like forever, he steps out into the open about 30 yards away. This is it! I made to him without spooking him. Stepping out, he pearches on rock to feed. His front legs are back covering the vitals. My heart is pounding with antisipation. Will he give me a shot? Totally unaware I'm there, he feeds. Heart pounding, body shaking, I'm about ready to collapse. He finally shifts opening up the spot, puts down his head and I draw slowly. He turns to see the movement, to late the arrow is on it's way. The flight of the arrow seems like it's in slo-mo. Crack! Sparks fly from the rocks behind him! Holy #&%! I just missed. He jumps up onto the rocks behind him and turns the opposite side to me revealing that I had not missed. A waterfall of crimson pours down the rock. The shot was low, I figured I had only hit one lung. He makes tracks up the chute and stops. I need to get another arrow in him before he climbs to the top of the mountain. I let loose and put it through the paunch into the liver. He moves higher to the rocks above me. Thinking this is it, I watch for him to drop. It seems like forever as he watches me from above. The blood is pouring out with not affect to the goat. He turns to walk off and teeters around. It's over.....not. He turns back to look at me somemore. I nock another arrow and send it on its way, getting everything this time. He turn and moves off the cliff to expire. I climb to have a look. What I thought was not going to happen on this hunt, did. I had filled my permit. Elated, I howler to Don below who had seen the whole thing playout like movie. We make quick work of the cleanout and head back to camp. Not sleeping much after what had happened that evening, it was morning and time for a long day of packing. After a photo shot and butchering,we pack the goat back to camp and make plans to everything out. We started at 6:30am and pack goat, camp and all the gear back to the truck traveling over 20 miles with all trips in and out. Back at the truck at 7:30p, Don and myself tired, but yet very happy, travel home to finish everthing with the hide and make plans to go back a give the elk grief for the rest of the season. The hunt was great experience and I will take on more adventures of the sort. It made me more confident and also had a very enjoyable time with my good friend Don, who said the hunt max him out, but was ready to do it agian.
Topic: Brian's awe inspiring goat! (Read 3693 times)
