Hunter's stories

Have you Ever Thought About Hunting Mountain Goat?           

The question was posed during one of our summer visits to Beaverfoot Lodge, near Golden, B.C. by Don Wolfenden, owner and proprietor.  We were on our third visit and had grown to love our stays at the Beaverfoot.  What a great way to escape the heat of Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area during the summer.  Cool temperatures, beautiful scenery and a warm friendship with Don, Patsy and their family, who help run the business.  We started going to Beaverfoot Lodge not only to escape the heat, but to enjoy the activities that were offered; hiking, canoeing, horseback riding, fly fishing or simply sitting on the great porch and enjoying the view. 

We were sitting on the porch, spotting goats above tree line across the valley when Don posed the question “Have you ever thought about hunting mountain goat?”  No, I’d never considered it and became intrigued as we talked about the type of hunt that was required to take such a beautiful trophy.  Looking across at that mountain, it seemed an almost impossible idea.  I had started hunting about 4 years previously with my son and as the bumper sticker goes; I wasn’t born here, but I got here as fast as I could.  My father was not a hunter and I’m sure I had all the misconceptions of the general public about hunting – who could shoot such beautiful animals?  That quickly changed when I was invited to bring my son on a deer hunt in South Texas and the rest was history.  The time in the field away from TV, video games, telephones and computers was something I wish I had had with my father. 

My son and I quickly became avid hunters.  We even talked my wife into going with us to Africa on a 10 day hunt…which she even admitted she enjoyed!  But the mountain goat hunt would be different, not a father – son hunt, but a “you against the mountain” hunt.  I booked with the Wolfendens of Beaverfoot Outfitting and began my preparations immediately for a hunt still two years away.  I improved my gear and worked on my conditioning (I lost 17 lbs!) and headed north. 

I was met at Calgary International airport and on the way to the lodge I caught up on all the local news…two hunters had already been successful in getting two muley bucks as well as two good goats.  My guide would be Craig Markle, a man of 32 who has worked for Beaverfoot Outfitting for several years and looked fit enough to drag me around the mountain.  Little did I know!  Craig, Don, Don’s son Troy (who now owns Beaverfoot Outfitting) and myself sat down after dinner to plan my first day of hunting.  We talked about my desire to hunt where most people did not…my reasoning was that if it was easy to get to, the big one had already been taken.  Talk centered on Castle Mountain, where no one had hunted in the 25 years the Wolfendens have owned the territory.  Troy’s observation that it would be a “bit difficult” did not deter me, and we decided to go for it.  (I was later to discover that phrases like “a bit difficult” should not be taken lightly when said by a Canadian!).  We packed for an overnight trip – just sandwiches for meals, as we wanted to keep the weight down and leave the space in our packs for the goat!  At nine am the following morning (Day 1) we parked the truck as far up the mountain as we could get, shouldered our packs and started up the mountain.

            The first hour was easy walking as we climbed up an old logging trail.  At the end of the trail we assessed the terrain and began to claw our way through thick trees and underbrush.  By noon we had climbed 1500 feet and had worked our way into a steep narrow ravine that led ever upwards – the good news?  No more underbrush!  The bad news?  Steep, narrow and never ending!  We climbed until I was exhausted, Craig ever pushing on in front, with me, tongue hanging, lungs exploding and muscles cramping, dragging behind.  It was time to dig deep, test my spirit and set goals – 100 feet at a time.  For hours we climbed that mountain until I lost track of time.  And then I looked up, and at 7800 feet (we had climbed 3800) there were no more trees.  Craig smiled and suggested lunch.  Lunch!!  It was 3:30 and I was thinking of a six pack, a jacuzzi and to crawl off to bed!  Since that option wasn’t available we ate a sandwich and evaluated our location.  Craig suggested that we should head to the top (another 400 feet) and see what was moving.  The sun’s warmth was just right for a nap, so after a small snooze I agreed. 

We left our packs and headed up.  We spotted 18 nannies and kids and the range finder showed we were only a hundred yards from the closest.  No billies.  We decided to camp for the night and see what showed up in the morning, we knew there had to be a big billy around with all those nannies.  We went back to the packs and decided to drop into a little glen to camp, between the peaks.  I have to tell you, I was not happy about having to give up any of the altitude I had fought so hard to gain, but in the end that was the only option.  As we were working our way down we spotted a billy on the next mountain.  He had about nine inch horns, but they were not very heavy and his body mass was not particularly big either.  As we neared our camp spot I used my predator call to see if there were any bears around…you should have seen that billy go, what a sight!

            After another sandwich and a good night’s sleep we started hiking, and after a two and a half hour climb we reached the top – what a view!  As we had been climbing we had spotted three goats moving to the north, although we could not tell much about them from where we stood.  To the south was a big rock bowl and the back side of the area where we had seen the nannies.  After some waiting and glassing, we again spotted the three goats and decided they were worth a closer look.  So we dropped off the peak (loosing altitude again!) and climbed up the next one to the north.  After an hour or so of glassing Craig announced “Three billies out for a stroll!”  Now for the hard part…to continue looking or to go for one, it was only the second day after all.  After much debate we decided to focus on the biggest of the billies, who had great looking horns.  We sat for a while longer, waiting for the billies to bed down for the afternoon, before we made our move.  The big one continued eating for about fifteen minutes after the other two had settled in and it was finally time to do some serious hunting. 

              We picked out our land marks, dropped off the peak, traversed a ridge line and began climbing again.  We worked our way slowly up to where we would be directly above the goats.  As we approached the crest we glanced up and there he was, only 45 yards away!  Since the wind was in our favor, we slipped down the mountain a little and circled a little below the billy.  He got a little nervous and stood up facing me, just as I stood, ready to fire.  I dropped back down and slid to my left, but the goat had started to run.  I fired several times, but a small target moving across uneven ground at a high rate of speed was too much for me.  Then he stopped, looked back at me and gave me the chance I needed.   Broadside, 200 yards, cross hairs on the shoulder where I was told to hit and squeeze the trigger.  The goat went down like a ton of bricks.  Time – 1:45.  Congratulations and a big smile from Craig and the work began.  Skinning and quartering, and getting him back to camp took us until 7 pm.  We sat in camp, ate our last sandwiches and discussed our options…we still had a long way to go back down!  We decided to stay over night and head back down the next day.  My GPS said the truck was only 1.54 miles away, but we had no idea how we were going to get there.  Unfortunately the weather, which hadn’t been great, but had held back until that point, suddenly became a gale.  After a rough night, the weather cleared and the view as we climbed out of our tent on day 3 was breathtaking.  The storm had left the valley below us full of clouds and the mountains across from us where a brilliant yellow, enhanced by the changing larch trees.  In spite of weariness and hunger we took the time to admire the sight and take some pictures.

            We packed our bags, the weight of the goat was staggering, and headed off to the east to follow a creek down the mountain.  The journey down was torturous.  The heavy rain had made everything slick and each step had to be taken with care in the shifting mud and slippery rocks.  The creek became narrow and steep with sharply slopping sides.  Add the tremendous weight of the packs, and the journey down was another test of stamina and heart.  It was at this time that Craig really shined, and if it were not for him, I would probably be still sitting on that mountain.  Seven hours after leaving the top, we finally dropped our packs into the bed of the pickup.  To exhausted to talk much, we congratulated each other on a tough mission accomplished and headed back to the lodge.  We ran into Don on our way back, coming to look for us, as we were a day late.  After the storm the night before everyone was quite worried about us.  He was glad to see us, but hesitant to ask if we had been successful…I think the exhaustion was hiding the jubilation I was still feeling.  We finally reached the lodge where my life was saved by two heaping bowls of potato soup.  Troy sat beside me and confided that he was surprised we had completed the trip.  I asked him why he hadn’t said anything…his answer made me laugh, “Well Ed, I did say it was going to be a bit difficult!”  So from now on, I for one will always will always be able to translate the Canadian phrase “a bit difficult” to American “you can’t be serious…it’s almost impossible!” 

A friend once told me that the mount is a reminder of the hunt that was made for the trophy.  I have come to understand this when I look fondly at each mount in my house.  The goat mount, however, will be different.  My wife said it best when I told her of my experience and that I wanted to do a full body mount of the mountain goat.  She said that I would have a reminder of what I was able to accomplish on that mountain.  This trophy is not about the animal, it is about what we are made of and what we can accomplish if put to the test.  If someone ever gives you a chance to go on a goat hunt…take it.  The feeling of accomplishment is well worth the journey.

By Ed White