Goat first

Our alpine hunt was in an area where you need to enter a lottery to win the right to hunt a goat.  All three of us had entered the lottery last December, but only Jonathan had won one of the coveted 'goat tags'.  In years past we never had goat tags and just admired the goats as we hunted deer.  Always in the backs of our minds was the thought, 'if only we had a goat tag. ...'

So this year we had a goat tag and the pressure was on.  I was sort of worried that now that we actually had the goat tag that this would be the year we would see no goats.  But I need not have worried - the first thing we saw on waking the first morning was a goat.  A goat on the mountain right behind camp.  Perfect!

And as far as goats go it did end up as a pretty 'easy' goat hunt.  We climbed up and there he was.  And we did get back to camp by early afternoon with goat meat on our backs.  BUT in the meantime the goat did die on top of a spire with cliffs all around and we had to get him down to flat ground.  I do not have a head for heights and I could not watch while Jonathan and Ray climbed down to the goat and slid him down a scree slope to flat ground.  He did tumble a bit and got a little beat up but the meat was not bruised or damaged.    Phweeeeeew!

With the goat out of the way it was time to relax and hunt deer!

Patrick

Not a place for the faint hearted

The little spire way up there is where the goat died