Alaska Mountain Goat Hunt

Last October, Lindsey gave me the birthday present of a lifetime by giving me a mountain goat hunt to Alaska.  After a year of planning, saving, mapping, scouting (by our brother-in-law Evan), gearing up and running endless numbers of stadium stairs (I'm not sure how many Chad ran), I was off to Ketchikan, Alaska.  A few years ago, Chad had gone to Ketchikan to hunt mountain goats with Evan and had returned home empty-handed after not getting a shot at a single goat.  So, imagine our surprise when we saw a good-sized billy on the first day of our hunt.  Chad had first-shot and made a quick (lucky, but quick) kill.  After cleaning, quartering, and loading Chad’s goat into packs (it was just about dark and we had a long ways to go to get back to camp), I looked up and saw another nice billy 150 yards uphill from us.  I wasn’t going to waste the opportunity to get a goat for myself; so, as the light quickly faded, I told Chad to give me his gun.  He and Evan both said, "You're not going to shoot that are you?"  I said "Heck yes, I'm going to shoot that goat!"  I guess they were scared to spend the night on the mountain.  Anyway, I grabbed Chad’s rifle (because my scope had gotten bumped) and put another one on the ground.  Two goats within two hours!  With dark setting in, all I could do with my goat was gut it and get back to packing out Chad's.  Luckily my shot had dropped the goat in its tracks because if it had fallen two feet farther it would have plunged off a big cliff and into a crevasse and we would have never gotten it.  It took us two days to pack out the goats and it was one of the most physically challenging things I've ever done.  Mountain goats do not live in easily accessible terrain!  Thankfully, after getting the goats off the mountain, we rewarded ourselves with three days of fishing for halibut and salmon and learning the ropes of shrimping (via ocean shrimp pots).  It was an amazing trip.  Thanks to Lindsey for arranging it and Amber and Evan for taking good care of us while we were there.

Chad and Evan got the campsite right on the ridge.  I was down the hill a ways in the "red-headed stepchild" camping spot.

I still can't believe Chad shot his goat so far down that canyon...total disregard for mine and Evan's legs and backs who had to pack that sucker up out of that hole at midnight.  We won't mention why we were so late getting out.

It was a miracle to see two goats and Chad and Evan didn't want me to shoot mine just because it was dark, the goat was on the edge of a cliff, we were five miles from camp with only two headlamps, and in the steepest terrain I've ever hiked...it was a little sketchy.

You need to tilt your head until I am standing straight up to realize how steep that country is.  The two goats we shot were out of the picture to the right and way down.

Amazing country!

Evan and Chad started a little "bromance" on the hunt.