2010 Goat/Moose HuntDecember 3, 2010

Howard and Vern met in Houston at a sportsman show. Howard had been on a Canadian Goat hunt a few years earlier but had not been successful. Now he wanted to settle the score and maybe even add a Moose to the hunt if he had time. Howard felt like the time for a strenuous Goat hunt was passing him by, but he really wanted to give it one last try. A Goat hunt in rugged mountains can be tough but with the right outfitter it can be a great adventure. The hunter must be in reasonably good condition. Howard flew into Yakutat, where he got his Goat permit, and then took the charter plane to the hunting camp in Icy Bay. He arrived on October 22. All of the required paperwork was completed and his gun checked to make sure it was still dead on. The plan was to hike into pristine country and hunt a canyon where we harvested two great Goats last year. One went over ten inches and the other a fantastic 11 inch monster. Both scored well enough to make the record book. The first day the plan was to survey the Goat country and determine if it would be necessary to pack in a spike camp. With luck, sometimes good trophies are taken on the first trip into this canyon. No one had been into this Goat haven this year. Anticipation was running high and rain was steadily falling the next morning when the hunters left camp. The route to the Goat habitat followed a stream that was nearly two feet deep with a lot of deeper pools. It had to be crossed multiple times over more than four miles. Good progress was made but the rain was steady and even getting heavier. By the time the destination was reached the creek had risen noticeably. After glassing for a couple of hours a nice billy was spotted on a nearby ridge but there didn’t appear to be any way to make a stalk without being seen. Garrett and Howard moved to within 500 yards but just couldn’t get any closer. This is not the shot that is normally taken by a client. After a short discussion, Howard felt confident that he could make the shot, Garrett agreed. It was now or never! Howard put his rifle over a pack to steady the shot and squeezed off a round. The bullet hit the animal perfectly, but as is so often the case the Goat just absorbed the shot and started downhill. It took another shot to keep him down for good. Everyone was elated! Pictures were taken, the Goat was skinned for a life sized mount, and the meat was butchered and distributed into the packs. Now it should be a little easier going back down the mountain. What wasn’t anticipated was that the water in the creek would have risen so much. Garrett took the heaviest load. On the way down he went under for a good dunking a couple of times. By the time they were safely back at the main camp they were exhausted and freezing from the cold water. Needless to say they all took the next day off to recoup from their successful adventure. Like they say, it’s not an adventure until there’s some excitement and a little danger involved.

Now it was time for Howard to get a Moose tag and try his luck in the swamps. Hunting Moose requires an early start so Garrett and Howard were off before daybreak. Garrett had a plan and knew where several good bulls were hanging out. As they hiked into one of the many Moose pastures, Garrett located an impressive old bull that he’d seen earlier in the season. This was an old bull whose horns had reached their maximum size and he was now going down hill. However, as is so often the case, the old bull’s horns were more massive and were putting on extra long abnormal tines. This was a great bull that Garrett wanted some lucky hunter to harvest. Howard was more than willing so they started the stalk to get as close as possible. There were twelve Moose in the field with two of them being great bulls. Howard really wanted the old bull. With one well placed shot the moose staggered and fell. Wow, Howard had taken a nine and a half inch Billy and a great Moose by the third day of the hunt. Not all our hunts go this well. However, Howard knew when he arrived what he wanted. He was willing to let the guides do their job and was more than willing to take their advice. It was a great experience for all of us.