Hunting Forum

When I first applied for a Montana mountain goat tag some of you were not even born yet and most of you were not old enough to hunt deer, Ronald Reagan was President.  I have not finalized the dates but sometime in September or early October I hope to catch my breath long enough to settle the cross hairs on a respectable goat and end my high country hunt. 

Presently the big game trophies in my Man Cave are limited to antlers and a moose foot thermometer from my first moose but should a goat fall to my '06 there is going to have to be a head mount, and maybe a tanned hide for the wall.  Horns alone just won't do a goat justice.  Now all I have to do is convince the wife something besides horns are in order.   Anybody have a spare doghouse for me to live in if the Mrs. doesn't get used to it? 

Congratulations! I hope yer up to it...I know I wouldn't be.

Good luck on your hunt yooper.

What hd are you hunting in.I'm in Bozeman we moved from the U.P. five year ago.

Congrats yooper, I hope you have a great time!

Congratulations Yooper,

I would love to be able to go some day. I have only read about those hunts in magazines.

My wife still thinks that it a little weird how guns in my gun safe and mounts in my “Man Cave” Just seem to multiply all on their own.  Why just yesterday I opened up my gun safe and my wife was walking by and saw a new gun in it.  I don’t know how this happens either, and it isn’t a new gun it’s a 1970 made in Belgium, Browning Superposed 12 ga.

Congrats Yooper! Good luck and have fun!

Posted By cshep on 13 Jul 2012 12:45 AM

Congratulations Yooper,

I would love to be able to go some day. I have only read about those hunts in magazines.

My wife still thinks that it a little weird how guns in my gun safe and mounts in my “Man Cave” Just seem to multiply all on their own.  Why just yesterday I opened up my gun safe and my wife was walking by and saw a new gun in it.  I don’t know how this happens either, and it isn’t a new gun it’s a 1970 made in Belgium, Browning Superposed 12 ga.

Have you tried telling her how lucky you have been in the local gun raffles?

Concerning your first sentence about being able to go some day:  I would like to pass along to everyone who reads this some sage advice I got from a fellow back in the same year I applied for my first goat tag.   After scrimping a long time I booked a hunt in a wilderness area where it took almost all day to reach camp on horseback (I wanted a real adventure!).  One of the guys in camp was an older gentleman from Florida who looked to be in pretty good shape but had been retired for several years.  He and his recently retired buddy were going on their first guided "out west" hunt, as was I.  I am going to guess there was a 35 year difference in our ages.  That first evening in camp I was sitting around with Old Clint discussing various topics and probably the cost of the hunt.  I do not recall exactly how it came up, but what I do vividly recall and have never forgotten was one particular statement he made.  He addressed me by name and said, "You're doing the right thing.  You might not be able to afford it but you can still do it.  I waited until I could afford it and now I can't do it," referring to his ability to get around well in the mountains.   Neither he nor his buddy got a chance at either an elk or a deer whereas I saw multiple bulls and bucks and harvested both. 

Moral of the story:  Do what you have to do to put away the money for a hunt and get your *$$ up in the mountains while you still can!

Posted By hunterdan1 on 12 Jul 2012 03:33 PM
What hd are you hunting in.I'm in Bozeman we moved from the U.P. five year ago.

I'm right in your back yard! I drew in District 314, the area bounded by Bozeman and Livingston on the north and Yellowstone Park on the south.

Any good fishing in that area the first week of October?  It is a long drive from the east end of the UP to Livingston and if I tag out early it might be nice to try my hand on a lake or stream before heading home.

That the same district I put in for.Are you going with a guide or on your owe.The river fishing is alway good out here dailey lake south of Livigston can be good for walleye and prech.We lived in Curtis we still owe our house there on the south lake.

Posted By hunterdan1 on 13 Jul 2012 02:06 PM
That the same district I put in for.Are you going with a guide or on your owe.The river fishing is alway good out here dailey lake south of Livigston can be good for walleye and prech.We lived in Curtis we still owe our house there on the south lake.

For as long as I have stood in line for that goat tag combined with the seven year wait requirement to even apply for another one I want the odds stacked as heavily in my favor as possible.  I'm going to spend the money and hire an outfitter.  

What is going on with the outfitters in your area?  Believe it or not it was hard to find an outfitter willing to take my money (and I have nothing good to say about the helpfulness of FWP so I won't say anything at all!).  I sent e-mails to several outfitters in the area that indicated they took goat hunters.  Three got back to me with congratulatory remarks but regrets that they did not hunt that particular unit, I understand that.  All but one of the rest didn't even bother to respond (where are their manners?).   Fortunately, the guide that did respond was prompt, courteous,  had good references, and was willing to work with me on scheduling the hunt so it would not interfere with another outing I already had a non-refundable deposit on......talk about a strain on the budget this year.

Curtis is a really neat area and I am a bit familiar with it.  I worked in Chippewa and Mackinac Counties for over thirty years and for almost the last decade of that was responsible for the day to day management of the state lands in those two easternmost UP counties, and for a very short time the three esternmost.

I don't any of the outfitter out here.I seen 18 goats last summer right above hylite I don't think it will be that hard to get on them.I pm you my phone number did you get it

Posted By hunterdan1 on 16 Jul 2012 10:15 PM
I don't any of the outfitter out here.I seen 18 goats last summer right above hylite I don't think it will be that hard to get on them.I pm you my phone number did you get it

Nothing in my inbox.  Try again.

It won't let me send a pm my e-mail is hunterdan1@lycos.com If there is any thing on this end I can help with let me know

congrats yooper....sounds like a very busy fall fer ya this year

Congrats Yooper that is like hitting the lotto good luck.

Thanks for the encouragement guys, hopefully I will be successful.   If I am successful I might have to have one of you Computer Gurus instruct me in posting a pic or two.

Oh yes, after weeks of showing the Mrs.  internet pictures of goats in their natural habitat along with several mounted specimens she has agreed that it would be a shame to not mount the head, so that's a done deal, but another major cost.  I still have not convinced her that the best place to hang the mount would be over the headboard of our bed.  For years I have been getting an emphatic "NO" whenever I suggest that spot would be a great place for a bull moose head so I figured a nice white mountain goat would surely be a fair compromise.  Women..............!

 

everyone keeps telling me.....go ta love them

I hope the fires don't mess up your hunt.The fire south of Bozeman is over 10000a and the one south of Livingston is about the same but it is across the road to the east of your HD.

 

I've been watching those fires.  The outfitter is not too expressing much concern but he may be saying that to keep me from getting too worked up. 

I'm a lot more reassured after checking the fire situation report this morning.  The fire has not grown in the last 24 hours and the number of firefighters has been reduced by well over a hundred.  The bad news is that estimated containment is November 1, but having been in fire overhead for many years I've learned that a containment date that far in the furure at this time of year is code for "it's rough country and the fire will either have to burn until it runs out of fuel or it snows."

My biggest concern right now is that with the dry weather a new lightning strike in the wrong place could change everything in the blink of an eye.