Broomer
Active Member
- Messages
- 240
From an early age I have dreamed of bow hunting mountain goats. It's been on my bucket list for 20 years. Mostly thought that I would have to buy a hunt up north sometime, but then I always said if I buy a hunt anywhere north it would be sheep. So I just dreamed of the day, started putting in as a non-resident in Colorado, Nevada, Montana, basically anywhere I could.
Last spring I check the backdoor results for Colorado not really expected to see anything. To my unbelief I had a mountain goat tag!
Work was real busy, business was growing and I wanted to soak in the experience of scouting, making summer drive over to Colorado with me boys. But that never happened because of work. So I never scouted on foot, managed to figure out a plan but was really just wanting to get there look around, watch goats, take pic/video. Well first trip was last September, 3days to do it, I had my oldest son with me. It snowed and stormed for 3 days.
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/384516aa8a930d6d34d1bbc6379f0825ad9d4.jpeg
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/3645143b5000d46bc49a3a54b51116560e99c.jpeg
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/94258aa37f77951c44d01a39878292de2c6ec.jpeg
Wind blew hard, temps dropped into the teens, and we headed back home with a real bad itch that we never scratched.
Couple weeks later I headed back alone. Had met some really great guys over there the first trip. Both had goat tags and we hit it off, kept each other up to date on our hunts. It made it fun to have someone to commroderate with. I had a lifelong friend meet me over there for a couple days. We found some goats while he was there and put a stock on them. Had a 9 year old billy at 45 yards but couldn't get the shot off before he busted out.
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/7711476811b0827a440119fac4152cc97e560.jpeg
I was all alone for the rest of the hunt. I had broken away from my business and I had to make it happen because coming back wasn?t an option. I wasn?t finding many goats, I was running and gunning through out the San Juan?s outside of the wilderness. Not having much luck I decided to make the trip into Chicago basin via the Durango/Silverton narrow gauge railroad. Spent 3 days in there only to see ?nada?. So the mental toll started.
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/97279adfe16b79e644358a9d2785dcd1682a5.jpeg
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/997841e96988e4794dadb7380d12bdde2bfe.jpeg
Things were heating up back home, I had a OIL tag, a 20 year dream, and I was running out of time.
I came out of the wilderness and made a few calls, one was to my 2 new friends I met and they both gave me some reassuring confidence on my next stab at finding some huntable goats. I had a plan and headed back into the wilderness but from another access point. I was 6 miles in on the hike and sitting at about 12,500 ft when I looked with me naked eye across the drainage and counted 15 goats feeding on a spine ridge.
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/2565370f27063bc4c4d4aa0593d175825047a.jpeg
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/524791a4e1f187e554687a760c0f9edcafd53.jpeg
I was so pumped up, talk about a shot of adrenaline. So I knew it was going to be a quick deal and really didn't stop to glass to find a billy. They were white and I was going to shoot anyone of them. So I headed around on the trail and as I did so they feed off the ridge down into a saddle. The trail met up at this saddle so I basically cut them off. I had no cover really, except the terrain was rolling. I popped my forehead over the mound of turf that I was trying to hide behind and I had all 15 goats 80 yards. They didn't know I was there or did they? Some looked at me but for the most part they were pre occupied with each other playing and running around.
I picked what I thought was a bigger bodied goat, but to be honest they all looked the same, just draped in white robes. I felt good about my position and though I was further than I wanted to be I took a shot at 80 yards. I missed low, so I knocked another as it didn't scare them. Missed again.
Now they run off out if sight, I didn't know if they ran away really so I backed off out of sight, stood up and found them again further into the saddle. All this was happening so fast and I was absolutely partched, dry mouth, mental fatigue, just burned in 6 miles and I was face to face with a my goat. The wind was coming across this saddle real hard, I had the setting sun that was creating a glare and I wasn?t able to follow my 2 arrows real well. I just knew I had missed low. So I was left with 4 arrows in my quiver, and I decided that I would just make a play and head right for these goats as they stood right out in the open.
I was able to walk with an arrow nocked to 60 yards. More than half the goats had enough and trotted off, leaving 4 behind. I scanned the four and 3 of them started to move away. So I turned my attention to the very last one and drew my bow. I can't tell you where that arrow even went but I had missed for a 3rd time.
Things started to unravel a little but I just re foucesed and drew for the 4th time. At about 67 yards I made a pass through shot slightly quartering away. I wasn?t sure exactly where I hit but the goat reacted, I herd the arrow hit and the goat runs off toward all the other goats that had at this point made it up on to a cliff.
I watched intently as this goat ran up and then turned and bounced down a couple rock tiers. I began to see blood coming out way back under the belly. I got real sick thinking it was a poor hit. However, the goat got real sick real fast and just stopped and sat down like a dog on the ledge. Lots of blood filled it's white wool. I was slightly above him standing in this saddle. I had 2 arrows left and a wounded goat. I snuck over to the rocks and got above the goat ranging it at 50 yards. I was directly above with a real steep down hill shot. I knocked another arrow and put my pin on the spine. I watched me arrow cut the hair down the left shoulder and smack the rock only to bounce straight back up towards me. I had missed again. The goat was in bad shape however, and just flinched.
So here I was with one arrow left and a wounded goat. I said to myself ?you've got to kill this goat or you are screwed? so I knocked my last arrow and let it fly. This time my arrow passed through from the back right down through and out the right armpit. White hair blew up with the wind as I saw the goat just walk off the rock out of sight.
Feeling optimistic but totally shocked at what had just all transpired I recover as many arrows as I could. Not to much there as I only found 3 and only 1 was even close to re-usable.
So I gathered up all my stuff and hiked around the back of a basin to see if I could tell where the goat gone.
To my unbelief I saw a white ball pilled up at the base of this rock cliff. Just lying there dead on a relatively flat grass patch.
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/737623667497b0cbc49dbae95205dac863661.jpeg
A flood of emotions came out of me. I had fulfilled a dream and I could hardly keep it together. I was physically and emotionally drained. This was day 10 and I had hiked over 87 miles, climbed as high as 13,800? and back down to 8,500 more time than I want to remember. I had broken in my Kenetrek boots for sure.
I recovered my goat, lifted it's leg to see what sex it was because I had no idea at this point and to my totally delight I was looking at a ball sack!!
No broken horn, 9-1/2? billy with unbelievable white wool. I sat there alone at 13,000 ft and cried.
I had just about 30 minutes to get some pictures and set up my tent before I dressed him out. Took me 3 hours because of all that wool and a full body skin out.
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/33650d784e3948e154d32bed4ede0f0ba6d63.jpeg
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/9034310464ada10884406a07f52ab722e795a.jpeg
I sat down after it was all done and fell back on my back. It was pitch black and I looked up into the stars and glazed in total amazement at the night sky, millions of stars, Milky Way, a big cliff as a silhouette above me. It was a picture I'll never for get.
I slept with him next to me. It was a wrestles night as I was sleeping on a hillside but I made it through and packed up the next morning and headed back to the trailhead.
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/90718022c52838e7b4edcb6268f157183a544.jpeg
I didn't officially get him scored but I did take all the measurements and he taped out at 46 1/2? PY.
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/19530598528cdf1f3485997205c7eb26bf79c.jpeg
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/16281ce97a1b867984c5b8a740f3421bfb3d9.jpeg
Last spring I check the backdoor results for Colorado not really expected to see anything. To my unbelief I had a mountain goat tag!
Work was real busy, business was growing and I wanted to soak in the experience of scouting, making summer drive over to Colorado with me boys. But that never happened because of work. So I never scouted on foot, managed to figure out a plan but was really just wanting to get there look around, watch goats, take pic/video. Well first trip was last September, 3days to do it, I had my oldest son with me. It snowed and stormed for 3 days.
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/384516aa8a930d6d34d1bbc6379f0825ad9d4.jpeg
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/3645143b5000d46bc49a3a54b51116560e99c.jpeg
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/94258aa37f77951c44d01a39878292de2c6ec.jpeg
Wind blew hard, temps dropped into the teens, and we headed back home with a real bad itch that we never scratched.
Couple weeks later I headed back alone. Had met some really great guys over there the first trip. Both had goat tags and we hit it off, kept each other up to date on our hunts. It made it fun to have someone to commroderate with. I had a lifelong friend meet me over there for a couple days. We found some goats while he was there and put a stock on them. Had a 9 year old billy at 45 yards but couldn't get the shot off before he busted out.
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/7711476811b0827a440119fac4152cc97e560.jpeg
I was all alone for the rest of the hunt. I had broken away from my business and I had to make it happen because coming back wasn?t an option. I wasn?t finding many goats, I was running and gunning through out the San Juan?s outside of the wilderness. Not having much luck I decided to make the trip into Chicago basin via the Durango/Silverton narrow gauge railroad. Spent 3 days in there only to see ?nada?. So the mental toll started.
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/97279adfe16b79e644358a9d2785dcd1682a5.jpeg
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/997841e96988e4794dadb7380d12bdde2bfe.jpeg
Things were heating up back home, I had a OIL tag, a 20 year dream, and I was running out of time.
I came out of the wilderness and made a few calls, one was to my 2 new friends I met and they both gave me some reassuring confidence on my next stab at finding some huntable goats. I had a plan and headed back into the wilderness but from another access point. I was 6 miles in on the hike and sitting at about 12,500 ft when I looked with me naked eye across the drainage and counted 15 goats feeding on a spine ridge.
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/2565370f27063bc4c4d4aa0593d175825047a.jpeg
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/524791a4e1f187e554687a760c0f9edcafd53.jpeg
I was so pumped up, talk about a shot of adrenaline. So I knew it was going to be a quick deal and really didn't stop to glass to find a billy. They were white and I was going to shoot anyone of them. So I headed around on the trail and as I did so they feed off the ridge down into a saddle. The trail met up at this saddle so I basically cut them off. I had no cover really, except the terrain was rolling. I popped my forehead over the mound of turf that I was trying to hide behind and I had all 15 goats 80 yards. They didn't know I was there or did they? Some looked at me but for the most part they were pre occupied with each other playing and running around.
I picked what I thought was a bigger bodied goat, but to be honest they all looked the same, just draped in white robes. I felt good about my position and though I was further than I wanted to be I took a shot at 80 yards. I missed low, so I knocked another as it didn't scare them. Missed again.
Now they run off out if sight, I didn't know if they ran away really so I backed off out of sight, stood up and found them again further into the saddle. All this was happening so fast and I was absolutely partched, dry mouth, mental fatigue, just burned in 6 miles and I was face to face with a my goat. The wind was coming across this saddle real hard, I had the setting sun that was creating a glare and I wasn?t able to follow my 2 arrows real well. I just knew I had missed low. So I was left with 4 arrows in my quiver, and I decided that I would just make a play and head right for these goats as they stood right out in the open.
I was able to walk with an arrow nocked to 60 yards. More than half the goats had enough and trotted off, leaving 4 behind. I scanned the four and 3 of them started to move away. So I turned my attention to the very last one and drew my bow. I can't tell you where that arrow even went but I had missed for a 3rd time.
Things started to unravel a little but I just re foucesed and drew for the 4th time. At about 67 yards I made a pass through shot slightly quartering away. I wasn?t sure exactly where I hit but the goat reacted, I herd the arrow hit and the goat runs off toward all the other goats that had at this point made it up on to a cliff.
I watched intently as this goat ran up and then turned and bounced down a couple rock tiers. I began to see blood coming out way back under the belly. I got real sick thinking it was a poor hit. However, the goat got real sick real fast and just stopped and sat down like a dog on the ledge. Lots of blood filled it's white wool. I was slightly above him standing in this saddle. I had 2 arrows left and a wounded goat. I snuck over to the rocks and got above the goat ranging it at 50 yards. I was directly above with a real steep down hill shot. I knocked another arrow and put my pin on the spine. I watched me arrow cut the hair down the left shoulder and smack the rock only to bounce straight back up towards me. I had missed again. The goat was in bad shape however, and just flinched.
So here I was with one arrow left and a wounded goat. I said to myself ?you've got to kill this goat or you are screwed? so I knocked my last arrow and let it fly. This time my arrow passed through from the back right down through and out the right armpit. White hair blew up with the wind as I saw the goat just walk off the rock out of sight.
Feeling optimistic but totally shocked at what had just all transpired I recover as many arrows as I could. Not to much there as I only found 3 and only 1 was even close to re-usable.
So I gathered up all my stuff and hiked around the back of a basin to see if I could tell where the goat gone.
To my unbelief I saw a white ball pilled up at the base of this rock cliff. Just lying there dead on a relatively flat grass patch.
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/737623667497b0cbc49dbae95205dac863661.jpeg
A flood of emotions came out of me. I had fulfilled a dream and I could hardly keep it together. I was physically and emotionally drained. This was day 10 and I had hiked over 87 miles, climbed as high as 13,800? and back down to 8,500 more time than I want to remember. I had broken in my Kenetrek boots for sure.
I recovered my goat, lifted it's leg to see what sex it was because I had no idea at this point and to my totally delight I was looking at a ball sack!!
No broken horn, 9-1/2? billy with unbelievable white wool. I sat there alone at 13,000 ft and cried.
I had just about 30 minutes to get some pictures and set up my tent before I dressed him out. Took me 3 hours because of all that wool and a full body skin out.
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/33650d784e3948e154d32bed4ede0f0ba6d63.jpeg
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/9034310464ada10884406a07f52ab722e795a.jpeg
I sat down after it was all done and fell back on my back. It was pitch black and I looked up into the stars and glazed in total amazement at the night sky, millions of stars, Milky Way, a big cliff as a silhouette above me. It was a picture I'll never for get.
I slept with him next to me. It was a wrestles night as I was sleeping on a hillside but I made it through and packed up the next morning and headed back to the trailhead.
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/90718022c52838e7b4edcb6268f157183a544.jpeg
I didn't officially get him scored but I did take all the measurements and he taped out at 46 1/2? PY.
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/19530598528cdf1f3485997205c7eb26bf79c.jpeg
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos_2018/16281ce97a1b867984c5b8a740f3421bfb3d9.jpeg
