A big thanks to my friends, Corby, Scott(Who helped me scout more than anyone, wish he could have been there but he was working in Alaska and didn't know when he would be back), Ken(Bow Pro), Curtis, JT and Chad who helped me scout/hunt these magnificent creatures. Thanks to my wife for supporting me during this crazy time, scouting every weekend, raising 3 kids and a new born baby, my dad LE hunt on the book cliffs.......etc. Even a bigger thanks to the DWR/organizations/volunteers who had the vision to bring back Mountain Goats over 20 years and for the job they have done managing them.
Sorry this is so long…..hope you enjoy
Corby and I took a week off work and we planned to spend the first 4-5 days going after a goat we called Manatar.
We hiked part way in the night before the opener and setup camp in spot that we could glass majority of the valley. This canyon has to be one of my favorite on the Wasatch.
We glassed up several nannies, kids and smaller billies.....but no Manatar. Another awesome sunset.(Corby at the scope)
We were glassing before sunrise the next morning. At about 10:00 we found a group of billies in the same area I had seen Manatar while scouting. They were below some cliffs at the head of the Valley. We were too far away to say for sure but we thought it was him so we pulled camp and spent the next couple of hours hiking to get closer. We found a new camp spot to drop our packs and decided to move even closer to the group of billies.
Luck was on our side and we had found Manatar in a group of 4 billies. We were about 300 yards below the group where we sat hidden next to a large outcropping that was surrounded by pine trees. As is often the case with archery hunting, we could move to within rifle range but getting into bow range was another story. It was like the goats were in a watch tower. Cliffs at their back and a large boulder field for hundreds of yards below them. The only approach might be from the cliffs above but getting there would require more time than we had left in the day. Since it was opening day we decided to be patient and wait for the right opportunity.
While I was scouting I had seen the goats move through the area we were sitting in. There were meadows on our left and right and a small spring in the meadow to our left. With that in mind we thought this was a good spot to watch the goats and we might have a chance.
At about 6:20 the goats started to get up and feed. One worked its way east and another to the west. They stayed just under the cliffs as they fed and moved further away from us. Manatar stood and started working his way our direction with another goat we called VP. With about 30 minutes of shooting light left Manatar had worked his way to about 200 yards above us in the middle of the boulder field. That's when he decided to lay back down while the other goats continued to feed. He stayed bedded for another 15 minutes and then he was up. He had changed gears and was scanning the area below him. He would take several steps and do another visual sweep of the area and then repeat. He was now within 100 yards and at times it felt like he was staring holes through us. We stayed as still as possible and hoped that we were hidden well enough. Within 5 minutes he had made his way down to where the meadow met with the boulder field. He was hidden from our view by the outcropping we were sitting behind. There was no way to be sure which direction he would go but if he went to the left or the right we were going to get a shot. That's when my heart started to pound......this was happening quickly. I ranged the far side of each Meadow...50 to our left, 60 on our right. I set my sight to 50 and waited. Corby had the video camera at the ready. We sat frozen for what seem like an eternity but nothing moved. I slowly peered from behind the rock and found VP feeding high up in the meadow to our left. That meant Manatar was there too. They had come to the water. I peered over again and VP was gone. The only place he could have gone without me seeing him was closer to the rock outcropping. With only 10 minutes of shooting light left it looked like thing might not come together. If I stood on top of the rock I would be exposed from all angles and since we weren't sure of their exact location I chose to be patient and wait for them to move. If the shot was there we would take it, if not we would back out and find them in the morning.
One more look over the top of the rock to my left. There he was, standing in the middle of the grassy meadow scanning the trees below him. I ducked back down and pulled out my rangefinder. Slowly I peered up over the top of the rocks again and put the range finder on him. The countless hours of practice this summer told me I could make this shot. As I ducked back down he caught my movement out of the corner of his eye and I saw his head turn my way. I told Corby to get the camera ready and when I stood up he should do the same.
As I grabbed the handle of my bow I realized that I had put my glove on but I didn’t want to leave anything to chance so I quickly took it off. I came to full draw on my knees behind the rock and anchored. I lined up my peep with the housing on my sight and quickly stood up. Manatar was now slowly walking down hill and on a slight angle and quartering away from us. I remember thinking, ‘He is an amazing goat, don’t try to shoot him on the move,’ so I waited for him to clear a small pine and then made a clicking noise with my mouth. He stopped broadside in a small opening between some scrub pine and looked for the source of the noise. I knew that he had moved further away from us but wasn’t sure how far. I compensated for another 5 yards and held the pin steady on the vitals just above the heart. At that point instinct took over and the arrow was on the fly. I could see it all in slow motion, the light from the tracer nock was a bright green laser as the arrow traveled towards its target. The flight looked perfect until the last second when I could see the arrow go right under his chest. I missed and I knew it.
From Corby’s perspective it looked as though the arrow had gone through him and lodged in the ground. Corby quickly moved so that he could keep an angle on the goats as they continued across the hillside. He was waiting for the goat to go down. I sat there in silence as Corby watched the goats. They were standing on an open hill side 250 yards away. VP was feeding; Manatar was on the look out.
We quietly waited until the sun had set the gathered our gear and slowly made our way over to the blinking tracer nock. The arrow was lodged in the dirt below a pumpkin sized rock. A quick inspection of the broadhead, arrow shaft and fletchings confirmed what I thought, a clean miss just under the chest. There were two sizeable piles of hair where Manatar had stood when I took the shot. It looked like someone had taken a pair of barbers’ scissors and cut the hair off of his chest. It was his lucky day. I had guessed that he had moved 5 yards further when it was actually 10. It was amazing how close the goat looked in that open country. I was grateful for the tracer nocks. Watching the arrow in flight and finding it immediately after the shot made them worth their weight in gold.
We hiked back to camp in the dark. We prayed that we would be able to find him again the next day and we did. He looked and acted as though nothing had happened but another attempt to get close to him on the evening of the second day and he had decided he had enough. They moved out of the valley during the night.
We would spend the next two days--during breaks in the storms--looking for him high and low. Manatar was nowhere to be found. On Tuesday morning I was determined to give it one last effort. I would hike my way to the highest point on the ridge and look for him on the backside of the mountain while Corby hiked to the opposite ridge and kept an eye on the valley. There were other billies in the area but they all seemed to pale in comparison to Manatar. Hunting is like life, things don’t always go the way we would like. It was decision time and I was torn to say the least. I could spend the rest the hunt looking for Manatar or go after some of the other respectable billies we had found scouting. We hadn’t seen Manatar in two days and I only had Corby’s help for 4-5 more days.
The decision was made; we would pull camp, spend the night at home and hike into a new area the next morning. The new area held goats we called Poser, Grandpa and Sub-1. All three were goats I would be happy with, each for a different reason.
On the hike in we spotted three Billies. Based on body size, one of them looked to be Grandpa but it was there was no way to be sure from such a distance. We setup camp on top of the ridge and would glass until dark. We found 2 more billies in the next valley, it looked to be sub 1 and sub 2. With 5 good billies located we were excited about the next mornings prospects. (Can you find Waldo on the sky line – nice pic corby!)
In the morning Corby and I split up. He would go the east along the ridge and I would go west. The plan was to watch the goats and put them to bed. We would meet back up and make plans to go for the goat that was in the most stalkable position. I was able to locate Sub-1 and Sub-2 but after spending the morning watching them bedded on a ridge a group of hikers came from below and they ran into the cliffs on the north face of the mountain. There was still snow on the ground from the last storm and maneuvering through the cliffs for a stalk was not a safe option. Within 100 yards of leaving camp Corby had spotted Poser in the valley below. He kept his eye in him throughout the morning and put poser to bed. Grandpa was hanging out in almost the bottom of another Valley with a friend.
(More handy work with the camera by Corby)
Corby and I met back up and were discussing our options. Poser was in the most stalkable position. Grandpa was bedded on a steep green open hill side. We could get to within rifle range of Grandpa but to go after him with a bow may not be an option. (Corby’s rifle was sitting back at camp) As we sat there deciding what to do we were keeping an eye on both Poser and Grandpa. The same group of hikers that had spooked Sub 1 earlier that morning were now making there way down the ridge above Poser. They were a couple hundred yards above him and he didn’t like it. He got up out of his bed and started making his way toward some steep cliffs. We didn’t want to lose track of him and it was just a matter of time before he was below and us and we would lose the angle.
Corby and I started moving along the ridge trying to keep an eye on poser. Corby would walk past me a 100 yards and then setup to glass. Once he was in position I moved past him. Eventually we lost sight of Poser as he moved up a draw behind one of the cliffs. Corby made his way up and around to the opposite ridge while I continued to watch for Poser to emerge. I could see Corby as he slowly popped up over the ridge. He had found Poser again. Poser had bedded across a steep ravine in the Cliffs 80 yards below Corby’s current position. It was almost too good to be true. His body was in a quartering away position and he was watching the valley below. He had no idea Corby was there. I made my way over to Corby and we met on the backside of the ridge. We crept to the top of the ridge to peak a look at Poser and to make a plan. We crept back off the ridge and it took only a minute to agree what to do. Corby would stay in the higher position with the camera while I snuck down the ridge to a small bush that would put me within bow range. The bush would conceal my movement and hide the lower half of my body to allow for a standing shot. I would still be above the goat and the quartering away shot would be less severe.
We decided to act quickly. With my shoes off I began making my way down the ridge. It felt like I was taking all day, in reality it had only been 10 minutes. As slowly as I tried to move I could not keep small rocks and dirt from tumbling beneath my feet. The slope was to steep and its broken rocky surface too unstable to move in complete silence. I cursed myself every time the smallest pebble would begin to roll. I finally reached the bush where I took a moment to catch my breath. Seconds later I crept forward and raised my head over the top of the bush with my rangefinder at the ready. I was within range and he had no idea I was there. He was in the perfect quartering position and still watching the valley below. My mind began to race and my heart began to pound. This could be it. What an opportunity, it seemed to be good to be true. The terrain was about as good as gets for hunting goats with a bow, if I hit him there were not giant cliffs for him to leap from.
I dialed in my sight and hooked my release with the intention of drawing behind the bush and then standing at full draw. No, not yet. I wasn’t ready. I needed to get better control of my breathing. This shot had to count. If I wasn’t ready I wasn’t going to take it. If I wasn’t comfortable with any aspect of the shot I would wait. There was no reason to rush so I removed my face mask and took a few deep breaths. Within moments I felt my breathing relax and knew it was time.
Corby was above me and ready with the camera. I gave him the ‘thumbs up’, hooked my release and drew back. I slowly stood and cleared the top of the bush. He was in clear view and completely oblivious to the present danger. As I settled my pin I tried to imagine a line being drawn through his vitals to the opposite side shoulder. I found the spot and let instinct take over. The release felt smooth and the arrow was on its way. Almost instantaneously I heard the thud of the arrow. Poser was on his feet and scrambling around the corner. He disappeared in a flash around the cliffs edge. As he rounded the cliffs edge I could see arrow on both sides of his body. The shot looked and felt good but these goats are tough. For a second I heard rocks rolling and then it was silent. Corby said, “You nailed him” and was confident he was down but I was on edge.
I wasn’t ready to relax until I saw him on the ground. As quickly as I could I made my way back up to Corby. I put my shoes back on and we headed back up to the top and around to the opposite ridge. All the while we were keeping an eye out for a goat on the move. We sat on the opposite ridge and I began to glass the rock bowl below. Corby was glassing the cliffs we had last seen him and shouted there he is. He was still in the cliffs. He had gone less then 20 yards before tumbling another 20 yards down the rocks to his final resting place.
(Look ‘Dead’ Center in the picture)
A celebratory high five and hug.
A moment of silence for the animal that deserved my respect.
A quick call to my wife to let her know and we made our way down to him.
This is my first Pope and Young animal. The Taxidermist rough scored him somewhere around 46".
