I dont know about the rest of the country but in the Texas hill country gaot raising is huge..........well as you can imagine gaots eat anything and everything. The ranch I have hunted on for 8 years has been raising goats the last 2. You should see it, the entire ranch 6' foot down is clear .......no browse left for the deer.....I mean nothing. The ranch looks terrible. I drove around the lease and nothing, not a deer. I called a biologist from TX A&M and he said what the goats dont eat they piss on.......his advise "get out" and "dont waste your money"....when the goats are here to stay they run the deer out. No reason for the deer to be there, no food, no cover. Sad deal. So now im looking for a place in texas to hunt.

why not shoot the goats?

i think he means domesticated goats.

darn, your right jshouse, I reread it and got the same impression... I was thinking of those exotics goats people raise to shoot....

Goats are the only animal (maybe porcupine)I've seen eat pine needles..they will straddle a saplin walk it down and eat the needles as they go.