From speed goats to mountain goats!!!

[shedcrazy]

Well it's a dream 10 days of hunting. Western Canada is such a great place to hunt! Mother nature hasn't been kind to me this year as we got rain/snowed out of the Willmore for sheep and an archery lope trip had few chances and lots of rain. I was licking my wounds last week and decided to try for archery lopes one more time before I as off to BC for goats. It happened to be my birthday and my wife told me to go hunting! So off I went to Brooks to hunt speed lopes one more time. Again it rained and the roads were nasty...I had now missed the main part of the rut and tried to stalk. I was able to stalk this guy after using the decoy for cover and keeping him curious. I took him at 40 yards and he piled up after another 40-50 yards. It was smaller than some of the ones we passed up before but time was limited and it was great to get a birthday archery speed goat.

It was back home for one day and then hit the road for BC mountain goats!!! I stopped my springer's (Phil) house and we loaded up and the next day we were off to BC to meet our host. Mother nature was cruel again and our first day/night in the mountains it rained/snowed and we bush whacked in some of the nastiest creek bottoms I have seen. After several days of nasty weather and more time waiting for the clouds to clear around fires and in high country cabins it finally broke. We saw goats!!! We had chances at nannies and a big billy gave us the slip. Again the rain came in but once it cleared again we had located a billy for the next day. We went climped up to 8400' to locate this billy and he was no where to be found in the basin. Then we spotted him two basins over! So the stalk was on...up and down some nasty shale slides, glaciers and cliffs. 4 hrs later we got on him and I was able to take a shot at 375 yrds with the 270wsm. I then found out goats are a lot tougher than I thought!! The Billy need a few more follow shots (the first shot was a bit back and we rushed him a bit to much) and also found out that it tough to run up hill and shoot! He was down for good and that is when I watched him bounce and cartwheel down the mountain!
He is one dirty goat!!! He is also my first mountain trophy animal after many nights and miles in the mountains. He is also my most earned trophy after 6 days of hunting in some very tough country!!! He was aged at 9.5 (but we aged him at 10.5), length is 10.25, 5.5 bases.

It couldn't have happen without Phil and Greg and it was great spending 7 days in the mountains with them.

Now it's time to spend the weekend with the family, rest and heal some wounds!

[slopeshunter]

Nice going on both goats Shane! Happy birthday too. That'll be one to remember.

[bingo1010]

good job for sure shane!! but i must admit that it the pic looks kind of funny...you in the mountains and no snow to be seen!! about time mother nature gave you a break.

[gramps73]

Looks like you are have a goatie good time..
congrats on both animals
g73

[goober]

Fine looking goats!!! Congrats!!

[Rocks]

Congrats on both your goats! A ten inch billy is a good one, and sounds well deserved, good job!

[buckbrushoutdoors]

sounds like a great hunt! what part of B.C. where you hunting?

[medicmoose]

Sounds like you guys had a great hunt. Not that it matters towards your hunt but looks like that Bill should score nicely.

Congrats,

Matt

[gonefishin]

Good job, Shane! Your season if off to a good start.

[Springer]

What a feeling to wake up in my own Bed this morning and realize the hunt is over, when you never want "The Adventure" to end. I figure if i close my eyes and go back to sleep I can wake up in my tent and still be there.

Like Shane says the weather was tough and getting up at 4:30 every morning and heading out in the rain or fog hoping the day will progress into some Blue skies. I am sure the weather man could hear our curses because eventually it broke and we were back into the game.
Shanes Goat was spotted the previous evening (we think its the same one) , but decided to make it more difficult and headed further into the rugged basins.The GPS told us that at @ 8500 ft we had the most amazing views of the fall colors and the distant Glaciers.

It takes awhile to come home and digest the trip and remember all the events , From close calls that the bent hiking poles saved our ass's from a fall to bandaids to cover the missing skin and fingernails. I realize now what importance the training is before a trip like this. Trying to keep up to these athletes tells me its going to be a whole lifestyle change if i want to continue these Mountain hunts and enjoy it. Shane and Greg were very patient with waiting for me. Its a Team event and we all had to work together to make it work. I had the hard task of boiling the water and making the fire in the rain.
I want to thank Shane ,Greg and Austin for all your contributions ,Hospitality, and getting me back home safe and sound and friendship on this Hunt and the memories i will remember of "The Great Outdoors" of Zippermouth Creek British Columbia. I dont think i could have pushed it as hard and achieved the feeling of accomplishment without these guys experience.

My Quad decided to try to shake loose and rear tire and axle on the pursuit on the last day where my Goat was and all i could do was look at him through the spotter as he stuck his tongue out at me. The river was flowing high between us and i was not about to try to cross it . My trip was a success even though i never pulled the trigger because i was able to take part and feed the hunting addiction!!

Congratulations goes out to Shane for his Billy and all his hard work to achieve it. It shows that Good Karma goes to good people and this was his turn for helping out all those people in his hunting community!
Thanks for the laughs , stories and memories Guy's.

Springer.

[gunslinger]

OOH man thats awsome, theres no better feeling in the world as when your down and out in mother natures arms and then you blink and your standing over a trophy of a lifetime, a 10 1/2 inch billy are you kidding me. Probably the biggest goat you will ever kill.

[Double Shovel]

Nice work Shane.

[AB2506]

Beautiful goat.

[BrownBear416]

Way to go Shane..

Great animals and pics..

[TreeGuy]

EXCELLENT thread guys! Happy b-day, congrats on the 'loper and that is the best billy pic I've ever seen. Other than the 'being alive' part, he looks like you guys must have felt after all of your hard work!

[steve]

Great work guys!

[pottymouth]

Congrats, on both goats, especially that billy !!!

[SugarCreek]

Great story fellas..........can't imagine the trip you guys went on but like Springer says...whether you pull the trigger or not, the trip was a success....hunting with good friends and seeing and being in some of the most amazing country you could imagine.

Congrats Shane on a great looking goat....he's got the coloration of a stone ram . Field photos were awesome as usual.

Marco

[Donny Bear]

Thats an awsome Billy Shane congrats on the fun the success and the friends you have good on you and thanks a bundle for sharing!!!

[Rockymtnx]

Congats on both the antelope and the mountain goat Shane.
Job well done, thanks for sharing with us.

[blackmamba]

congrtas on both critters .. love those billy goats tho !! nothing beats a great mountain hunt!!

[Stop Staring at my Rack]

Congratulations! Two fine animals !

[shedcrazy]

Thanks for the comments! It was a great few weeks!

[ishootbambi]

congrats shed. thats a fanatstic billy!

[209x50]

Congrats to Shane and Phil. You look like you had a pile of fun inspite of all the moaning about the weather! Do it for the story and weather makes for much better stories. LOL!

[eurekacreek22]

Excellent job! All these threads about 'lope and goats makes me wanna come down south and do some hunting.

[Sakoman]

Congrats on two great hunts and two fine animals.

[Springer]

Rich I learned a Quote from Austin , Gregs Dad , about the weather ,actually in the pouring rain , he chuckled as he watched the rain run off the brim of our hats. " There is no such thing as Bad Weather while hunting , Just a poor choice of clothing".
The frustration was from the lack of visibility where the Goats roamed , due to Fog. However the first evening as it was snowing when we went to bed I had thoughts of how treacherous the walk out would be on the steep loose terrain.!!

Each new day brought a new adventure and new basins and drainages. Shane & Greg were in much better physical condition and thanks to them I pushed myself ,not to be outdone. I had a close call on day one trying to climb up the rocky cornice these Mountain boys went up and if it was not for my Leki Hiking pole i was able to stab into the rocks i would have went over the edge , I had to take an alternate route which used up 2 more hours but they were patient and waited for me.

Now something else i learned about physical conditioning is that he who gets to the Huckleberry patch first eats the most and the biggest berries...You should have seen the blue stained lips on these guy's !! Pretty humorous.

Shane made an incredible downhill shot , But it still amazes me the lead these Goats will take until succumbing to their wounds.
Shanes smile says it all, it was great to be part of such a great hunt and see him sit with his first Mountain trophy after all the gear he purchased and all the mountains climbed in the past.
Way to Git-er-done Shane!!!

[packhuntr]

Wow, that looks like it was an unreal hunt boys. A goat is a dream hunt for me. They are simply an awesome western big game animal. Sounds like you boys were tested and perservered, congrats!

[Duk Dog]

Awesome stuff guys! Congrats on what sounds like quite the tough hunt conditions. Very nice goat.