Steve, excellent video. Thank you for doing this for us, strangers to you in many ways. I started hunting Blacktails in western Oregon in my mid-40s and now I'm in my early 60s -- I'm with you! I really, really enjoy it! I'll go out next week for my third hunt of the year and I would really like to take a buck this year. Those goats are grand. We have raised some for milk; I really need to think about this pack goat idea; horses are just not reasonable for most of us. It is gorgeous here in western Ore. for Blacktails, whether in the coast range, the Cascade mountains, or the Willamette Valley. The Lord is amazingly creative and grand and it can be seen in all His creation.
I grew up in humboldt county and hunted blacktail all my life now I live in Oregon and still hunt blacktail and still love hunting them I just got into pack goats that I'm training now hoping to have them ready for this season love your goats and the videos you guys are taking some nice big blacktails .
You put out a great video that was entertaining to watch! Love watching blacktail videos. We have gotten a couple of our blacktail kills on film and they are so fun to go back and watch over again. Once again great video!
Right on, got your pack goats and your “best friend” up on the mountain. Man......living the life! Killer picture of a “Lenny” there 3:25 too, got a good strong “wave” going on over head. Nice 😎
Steve Raised down river from H Camp as a kid, on the cost now. I go back every fall to walk around the wilderness. It is so awesome in there. Few years I did not make it over there 😭. Never a good feeling when one misses a season in the high country. Nice vids, good luck in the years to come,maybe we will bumb into each other in there some day.🙂
That's actually pretty smart to bring goats. They can pack gear and just eat the bushes and shrubs. So they're pretty easy to take care of as pack animals.
This vids beats most of all these ppl vid they have on RU-vid ppl need to take notes from you great vid keep doing more . Some one sponsored this guy !
Great video! Being in the city I cant keep goats so I am my own pack animal. You sure put yours to good use. Thought they might be skittish about the blood smell, but they looked like they didnt even notice. I guess if you took a nanny you could have milk for your coffee too! Well done!
Great video! The goats are Awesome!!! A buddy and I did an 8 mile in and 5 days of hunting and on the way out we were talking about how nice it would be to have a pack animal. Never thought of a goat but after watching this video it seems they are perfect! Are there regulations about them being on trails? Such as the PCT?
Hi Steve, great video. Saw in the comments that you mentioned you're from Happy Camp. Do you ever hunt the Siskiyou Wilderness to the west of HC or do you always stick to the Marble Mtn Wilderness? Just curious as someone who wants to hunt in that area this fall. Thanks!
Steve, thanks for posting this up. We have pack goat enthusiasts up in WA. I ran into a bunch of them while hiking just outside of MRNP, apparently there was a pack goat convention at Ranger Creek. What a great way to carry loads into the mountains! You mentioned warm conditions several times in your video. After boning out the deer, how do you get the venison cooled (and keep it cool) in that warm climate?
It was warm in the afternoon in the 80s which can be hot when you are climbing around in steep country. The meat will cool down at night and as long as you keep it in the cool shade it's fine. I had a 5 hour pack out and a four hour drive home and the meat was still cool when I got home.
I have one Alpine, two Alpine Kiko, and one Saanen. Random breeds are okay as long as they have been bottle-fed. They should weigh at least 175lbs when mature.
Were you carrying a pack as well as the goats having their packs? If yes how much were you carrying and how much were the goats carrying? Do you have to keep them with you all the time to avoid predation?
"Pack" Yes I was just for my rifle was all. Goats can carry 25% of their weight. My two big goats weigh 180 to 190 lbs. So they can carry up to 45 lbs. There are pack goats out there that are in the 250 to 300 lbs. Yes they stay with me at all times because of predators, and also they do not like to be separated from you. They were bottle fed when small so they bonded to humans.
Yes they are browsers just like deer. In my area there is some toxic plants that I have to watch out for. Usually that's in the spring and summer months. So if I'm going though a place that might have some toxic plants I put muzzles on the goats. Not a big problem.
