Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Goat Packing First Trip

Great thread and pics!

Tell us about your corral set-up please. What you using for shed, fencing, etc.? What do you estimate your monthly cost is for feed, Vet, etc.? How often do you have to exercise the goats and for how long?

Thanks,

Jordan

Cool Pics. That goat close-up looks a little like Pelosi.

For us...I have a 40 X 60 ft pen. I use 5 ft high horse fencing (4" squares) that are 16 ft long panels. And reinforce them with steel T posts. For shelter, I use calf hutches that I can move around. I built feeders that are covered with a tin roof so they can eat and stay dry when it's raining. I feed one small bale per day for 9 goats, feed twice per day. $5.00 per day. Vet bills are minimal as I worm my goats and give them CDT shots every spring. I usually hike them once a week. I also have a LGD dog in the pen to protect them from predators.

I bet he smells better than Pelosi. :-)

Thanks Vigilguy. You related to the Vigil boys that play football for USU? Couldn't help but wonder.

How do you keep those goats from jumping over a 5' fence. Seems a little low to keep 'em in. You got 'em trained or what?

No relation. I am a Wyoming native and graduated from the University of Wyoming.

I have never ever had any of my goats jump the fence. Not sure why, but I can only speculate. I feed them very well, and take good care of them, so I can only assume that they feel that the grass ain't greener on the other side.

Thanks for the info. Do you have to clean those pens at all---even after a few years? Do you bed the hutches with straw? I am seriously thinking of buying a couple pack goats, but I got to go low-dollar.

Thanks,

Jordan

ABSOLUTELY! it is best to clean them out every year to minimize worms and coccidiosis. I just had my neighbor come over with his skid loader and he took out several loads of manure.

I bed the hutches with straw in the winter time to help them stay warm. Not necessary in the summer.

www.packgoatforum.com is a good forum to check out for answers as well.

The other thing is, I'm not sure I am ready to give it the time it requires. Looks to me like a guy really has to take it seriously (exercise the goats, bond with them, docter them, feed them, keep their Tac in good repair, etc.). Just not sure I am that motivated yet.

Jordan

Kind of a rare photo, taken by my hiking partner.

Sometimes I get the question,"Will bears eat goats?" Maybe, but I have never witnessed that nor have I ever heard of it happening with either black or grizzly bears. We put bells on their collars, hoping that will help associate them with humans. My good friend, John Mionczynski, who started the goat packing movement back in 1973, swears that he guided goat packing trips in the Absaroka/Beartooths for over ten years...they'd discovered grizzly tracks around their base camp in the mornings, but never had an incident where bears attacked the pack goats.

You are correct. It takes some time and some money to care for them. But I find it rewarding to get them out in rugged terrain, in boulder fields, where they are in their element. Working Pack goats have a strong desire to serve their human master. At my age, it is really nice just to have a daypack, and have them carry my float tube, fly fishing gear, chairs, cook shelter, etc.

Vigilguy:

How many goats would you recommend for a novice who just wants to be able to pack in on high mountain mule deer hunts and such? I was thinking two would be plenty.

Would you recommend a guy find some three year old wethers ready to go, or start with some young'uns?

Yep. Two is plenty. Decent adult packers can carry 40 lbs each.

If I were to start again, I'd find two adult wethers to use. Look for the ones where the owners are moving and are forced to sell their stock. Otherwise, you stand a chance of getting ones that are "culled" from the herd. Always exceptions of course.

Goats are incredibly smart and trail-wise. They will spot wildlife a lot sooner than I do.

Babies will be more bonded to you if you bottle feed them. But you can still have success with adults, but ya better high line them at night!

What happens if you don't high line 'em. They go for a walk about?

If you buy adult wethers that you have not bottle raised, there is a slight chance that they could browse away from camp, quite always. Mine have never done that, but it could happen if you obtain adults that you didn't raise as babies. The more time you spend with them, the more attached they become to you. And how you treat them.