2012 Hunts - Alaska & Montana
02-01-2013, 02:27 PM
#13
Fork Horn
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
Posts: 419
The next day Larry and I headed back up through the jungle to see if he could bag his goat. Matt's feet were killing him and he opted to stay in camp. We took a slightly different approach because even though we were successful the day before we realized we had miscalculated the terrain. We instead hiked into a large bowl that wrapped around the ridgeline we had been in. The fog was dense and visibility wasn't far. As we hiked through the middle of the bowl the fog started to lift and we quickly spotted a billy bedded above us. As we moved in he got up and started to gain ground on us. We then realized there were three more billies to our left that were even closer. We hit the deck and Larry lined up on the closest billy that was just shy of 300 yards. In the first picture you can just make out Larry's goat on the skyline. At the shot the billy humped up and disappeared over the far side. We scrambled up as fast as we could and Larry put a finishing shot in the billy. He fell out of sight into a rock chute and we could hear him crashing through the rocks, but we never could see him.
We ended up climbing down a narrow rock chute one at a time and approaching from the bottom. All we could see were the billy's feet sticking out over a 15-foot ledge and we had no choice but to climb up there and get him. We snapped a few picture on the ledge before pushing the billy off the cliff and watching him roll several hundred yards toward the valley floor below.
We ended up climbing down a narrow rock chute one at a time and approaching from the bottom. All we could see were the billy's feet sticking out over a 15-foot ledge and we had no choice but to climb up there and get him. We snapped a few picture on the ledge before pushing the billy off the cliff and watching him roll several hundred yards toward the valley floor below.
02-01-2013, 02:40 PM
#14
Fork Horn
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
Posts: 419
Here's Larry's billy after the last tumble. His was a bruiser of a goat with good mass and one broomed horn. The large scent glands and long face really distinguish an old billy like this from the nannies.
Larry is a beast of a guy in absolutely prime physical condition, but even he was worn out. Don't plan on hunting mountain goats on Kodiak island unless you're in good shape and are at least somewhat masochistic. Pain is inevitable.
As for deer, they were a no go. The previous winter was brutal and the deer population on Kodiak has plummeted. We saw one doe just a few minutes before the plane dropped in to pick us up.
As for goat meat it is really interesting. The best way to describe it is that raw it has the odor of cooked lobster. It is very tough so the best way I've found is to crockpot it for a day or more. If you do that it has very good flavor, and isn't bad at all.
Larry is a beast of a guy in absolutely prime physical condition, but even he was worn out. Don't plan on hunting mountain goats on Kodiak island unless you're in good shape and are at least somewhat masochistic. Pain is inevitable.
As for deer, they were a no go. The previous winter was brutal and the deer population on Kodiak has plummeted. We saw one doe just a few minutes before the plane dropped in to pick us up.
As for goat meat it is really interesting. The best way to describe it is that raw it has the odor of cooked lobster. It is very tough so the best way I've found is to crockpot it for a day or more. If you do that it has very good flavor, and isn't bad at all.
02-01-2013, 02:44 PM
#15
Fork Horn
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
Posts: 419
In November I headed back to Montana for some deer and elk hunting with my family. Base camp for the trip was my in-laws ranch. If there's a heaven I hope it's half as nice as the ranch.
On the day I arrived my father-in-law connected on a dandy 6x7 in the high country. The bull didn't have an ounce of fat left after the rut and based on his condition he would have had a tough time making it through the winter.
On the day I arrived my father-in-law connected on a dandy 6x7 in the high country. The bull didn't have an ounce of fat left after the rut and based on his condition he would have had a tough time making it through the winter.
02-01-2013, 03:01 PM
#17
Fork Horn
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
Posts: 419
Deer and antelope numbers in Montana are the worst I've seen in my entire life. Between the winter of 2010/2011 and the EHD outbreaks last year the populations are rather dismal. I honestly think the antelope season should be shut down in several areas of the state until they rebound. Deer are still around in isolated pockets, but certainly not like they used to be. Just a few years ago you could easily find a few hundred whitetail deer in the area around the ranch. Today you're lucky to find ten. They'll bounce back, but it will take time.
The area I hunted allows you to take a cow with a general license. Because I didn't draw a bull tag I was limited to cows only. Of course I only saw bulls...lots and lots of bulls. Here's a picture of five bulls that I could have had my pick of. The three on the left are 6-points and the two on the right are 5-points.
I really can't complain though because on my second to last day I connected on a dandy mule deer.
The area I hunted allows you to take a cow with a general license. Because I didn't draw a bull tag I was limited to cows only. Of course I only saw bulls...lots and lots of bulls. Here's a picture of five bulls that I could have had my pick of. The three on the left are 6-points and the two on the right are 5-points.
I really can't complain though because on my second to last day I connected on a dandy mule deer.
02-01-2013, 03:11 PM
#18
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
Posts: 419
I rounded out 2012 by going back to Montana again in December. My parents have property on the upper Yellowstone with prime access to waterfowl hunting. I didn't care to shoot any birds myself, but I dusted off the goose flute and the duck call and took my uncle and his son hunting. They bagged geese and ducks and we all had a great time. It's tough to beat quality time with family and I love helping recruit youngsters into hunting. They really are the future of our sport and we should all be willing to take the time and energy to share the outdoors with them.