School gets out at 2:15 so I try to be on the mountain by 2:45. I live close to where I do most of my hunting. So I have the students clean up a bit early so I can be out of there right at the bell. I get in my car and come home. Bow and pack are ready. Fill my water bladders (2X3liter its hot) change into some camo and shorts and hop back in my car ready to go. I get to my favorite hunting area and realize that I will probably be down after the gate is locked. So I call DLNR to get the combo that they change weekly.
They don't pick up. I try a second time. no dice. I wait for a half hour and call again. finally they pick up and a very nice lady gives me the code. I am running late at this point. I make it to the sign in box at about 3:45. Sun sets at 7:30 and I have a lot of steep hiking to get to goat country.... Time to put it in over drive.
By 4:45 I am where I should be, dripping sweat, heart pounding and legs burning sucking air like I just came up from a deep freedive.
I spot some goats on one side of a ridge and sit and wait for them to come over, They start moving my way and I spot a real interesting billy about 30 yards away, one horn is the standard hockey stick blade you see on decent sized goats here, the other curls under his ear like a rams horn. Im sitting there plotting on how to make this shot through a bush when the wind swirls and him and his crew head the other direction. Well damn. time to try again. I head back over the ridge and find a small cliff face to hunker down at the base of and wait. about 10 minutes later they walk into view. The crazy horned billy never gets closer to me than 40 ish yards. Too far.
So I wait for the entire heard (about 15 or so) to go into a little ravine and then start slowly crab walking my way down to where I think they will cross. As I get there and I am getting set for a shot I hear a noise from above. Literally six feet above me and just to my left there is a nice nanny staring me down. She snorts, then jumps over me and hauls ass downhill.
In my head I'm thinking well the entire herd is probably going to follow her if they are close. So in the split seconds after her amazing leap I get turned and ready.
Sure enough. A nice billy shows up right at that same spot. At this point I have shifted about three yards from the edge of the cliff I am crouched next to so I can take a shot at the same place the nanny lept from.
Billy goat appears, I let an arrow fly hitting him right in the front armpit from about 6 yards. He takes a step back. and falls over the edge Dead as can be! And he lands about 10 feet from where I am standing. I get my butchering kit together and hang him in a tree.
At this point I figure out that I left my camera in the car... Damn it. Its 5:40 or so. I quickly clean and skin the animal and break it down for packout. The broadhead made two nice fillets out of the heart. I Make it down just as the sun is setting.
back by the car, I did snap a picture of one game bag and the bow used to fill the freezer.
(http://i.imgur.com/f3En1Xj.jpg)
Not much of a trophy shot, but one hell of a fun hunt and a great stalk. The guys who own the ranch were sitting around talking story and they were really excited to see me and my "robin hood bow" come down with a goat. Talked with them for a few minutes and headed home. Meat in the freezer by 9! Talk about a good afternoon!
Thanks for coming along!
45lb Bear montana shooting a 460 grain 600 spine GTblem with a ribtech broadhead.
Msturm
Sounds like an adventure. Congrats on the successful hunt.
Dammion
#bleedingarrow
Very nice , thanks for sharing .
Atta'boy
Great job! Congrats!
Awesome, Thanks for a refreshing bow hunting tale..
Way to go!
Congrats,
Bisch
Congrats
Congrats on the meat and thanks for sharing your story!.... :thumbsup:
Beautiful country...
:thumbsup:
Congrats.
That's one heck of a story!!! Congrats on a AWESOME hunt :clapper:
Steve Jr