Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska What do I use for goat?

Thanks for all the help, I think unknowingly Ingwe has given me the best idea...get a rifle for goats in Alaska. Actually, I'm not sure I want to take any of those guns after goats, they are all high grade collectible guns.

I have been to Alaska at least 7 times and am not new to the hunting or conditions, but it is always good to see what refreshing ideas can emerge from the gallery. Muledeer is the best ace in the hole as he knows what, how, when, where, so I am going to take advantage of that.

Muledeer, is there someone that you could put me with to find a wolf? Reid says that Grovina (sp?) Island is a likely spot, where and what to do to collect a wolf would be a help. As long as you are so helpful, maybe I could just use one of your guns. I could trade you a Zodiak raft for it....

Either way, I will try and get with you when we are there. Do you like that Sushi restaurant or the Filipino restaurant downtown? I'm buying.

It really wouldn't be a bad idea for you to buy something like a stainless/synthetic Ruger Hawkeye -- .338 RCM would be my recommendation . Then you could bring it along on all the hunts on bad weather and rough conditions.

Where are you going goat hunting?

Gravina Island is a good place, as are some places up Carroll Inlet and Thorne Arm parts of Revilla Island. I'll poke around when I get home and see if I can come up with an idea for a wolf helper.

Bar Harbor is the best restaurant in town, when it's open. Not too fond of the two you mention, but we might be able to come up with an idea. Thanks for your offer.

Will see you in a few weeks...

Dennis

Wolf are a crap shoot at best, but I've killed a few in Carroll.

Have hunted goat several times on Revilla and a few on the mainland, just a short hop from Ketchikan.

The white specks in the center are goats. Were 25 plus on that hill, with 2 REAL nice billies.

That would be one of the wolf activities I had in mind for Shrapnel... .

Dennis

Actually the goat thing shouldn't be too bad, my son hunted them last year somewhere they could get a float plane to within about 1500 vertical feet. I have just had hernia surgery and my left knee has a torn meniscus, so I am probably in worse shape than muledeer.

Given the choice between goat and wolf, I would take the wolf, I have gotten a goat down here in Montana, and the wolf hunting, even though it will open this year, is not a good bet around here.

I want to take a wolf back, whole, to Montana, then drive around the entrance to Yellowstone and tell everyone I hit it with my truck.

Work the salmon streams for wolf.

We went up into Traitors Cove for bear, would that area have any wolves. That salt check scared the crap out of me when we took Reid's 22 footer through there. Best to only do it at slack tide...

The salt chuck is a good time! Dang near anywhere has them at sometime or another.

As I said, work the salmon streams.

I didn't realize there were Goat on 'No Where' ... I didn't think you could even get over there ... didn't Plain take away the bridge?

We have taken quite a few Wolf in Sept on Goat hunts, over the years ... It has been my experience that the Sept Island Wolf are pretty short haired. While the Misty mainland Wolf have better fur during that time.

Thinking co-dependant is more accurate...

shrapnel
I have shot a lot of goats and seen a whole bunch more shot... A 243 with X bullets will kill them cleanly, but it is all about where you hit them... As always and as you already knew.

Goats have the thickest bones of any critters I have looked at and only caribou have harder bone.

Steelhead has obviously seen a goat being butchered Low and forward is the key. If quartering on slightly but still nearly broadside a shot just in front of the onside leg bone, real low will clip the aorta nicely. The goat will die before you come out of recoil and there will be no cliff divers...

You do not want to hit the heart, just the outlet. Keep that suction side pulling O2 away from the muscles and squirting it into open air...
art

Sounds like if you dont want em to run youd better have surgical placement of the bullet, good luck.
I would love to hunt Billies one day, I'm jealous.

The lightest one that can shoot a 150gr or above TSX @ 2900fps or faster...... IMO..... Have never hunted goats but will some day and the rifle will be my Montana in 300wsm.....

Gravina is a place he asked about wolf hunting. He hadn't asked about a place to goat hunt, nor had he mentioned where he might go. Thus I asked the question.

I think he's been back and forth between Revilla and Gravina more than once or twice, so might have a clue about that trick.

I blame the other 49 states for our inability to build a bridge to Gravina...

Dennis

I have only hunted Goats once. The two best pieces of advice given both had to do with location. First being location of the shot and second location of the Goat on the mountain. Some Goats because of where they are standing, just shouldn't be shot.

Up close a Goat is huge through the shoulders. Looks like he has been doing push ups to the extreme, and I guess in a sense he has.

My .02 from someone with limited experience? Pound him hard. Not the place for being tricky.

As battue said, pound him hard, and if he's still moving at all hit him again. They are built like footballs, it's not fun watching 'em roll. The taxidermist can fix the holes.

As far as which rifle, use the one with the synthetic stock (just kidding, I've never seen so much wood looking back out of a gunsafe!).
Shot placement is also paramount. I shot mine hunting with "ropes" above last year. The goat was facing me and kinda sizing me up. When I decided to shoot, it was going to be frontal chest, and as I squeeeeeezed the trigger, he put his head down to feed. All I felt was the recoil, and when I recovered there were four hooves straight up in the air. The .300 winny hit him above the left eye and below the horn.....no follow up shot necessary. He did kick a few times after that and started to slide on the wet grass towards the abyss, but hung up in some brush. Hunting goats is the adventure of a lifetime and I'm going back for the Booner, Lord willin' in 2010.
Don

I like the 30-06 for most anything.