Pack Goats

[Mike 338]

If you want to keep hunting the more remote places into older age, you'll want some kind of stock to pack with. I've used goats many times as well as horses and mules. Goats can be a hand full packing meat out of a deep hole but it's nothing like hauling it out on your back. You see some of these old timers (35 - 40) who have many years of packing meat out on their backs. Amongst other things, their knees are gravel. Good goats are great.

[royinidaho]

Things are pickin' up in the pack goat arena.....

Had a visit the other day w/packgoatguy. Took a look at his goats. About all a guy can say is that "they ugly!" Friendly but bonier than all get out.

Checked out the goat hauling equipment. Have about everything needed. That's good.

My fences suc to say the least. Will have to workaround that or upgrade over time.

Checked out an add in the Thrifty Nickel.

Lady has been raising Saanens for 50 years. Said she had some wethers @ 100 lbs. Just right for butchering. Very well fed young ones. They must grow like a lamb. About a pound a day for 100 days.

Was shocked to see the bucks that sired these fellas. Biggest damn goats I've ever seen. Conservatively estimated by owner to be over 300 pounds. Stunk like hell......

I think I bit the boolit and committed to 2 of the little suckers. Gonna be hell to pay around the house when I bring 'em in.

Not quite ready for them but since when am I ready for anything I start.

I'm figgering these suckers will be ready for at least some light packing by this fall.

Till then I'm gonna be larnin' how ta train a goat. and how to keep the suckers at home..... May have to turn into a Bedouin.

[jmden]

Originally Posted by royinidaho

Things are pickin' up in the pack goat arena.....

Had a visit the other day w/packgoatguy. Took a look at his goats. About all a guy can say is that "they ugly!" Friendly but bonier than all get out.

Checked out the goat hauling equipment. Have about everything needed. That's good.

My fences suc to say the least. Will have to workaround that or upgrade over time.

Checked out an add in the Thrifty Nickel.

Lady has been raising Saanens for 50 years. Said she had some wethers @ 100 lbs. Just right for butchering. Very well fed young ones. They must grow like a lamb. About a pound a day for 100 days.

Was shocked to see the bucks that sired these fellas. Biggest damn goats I've ever seen. Conservatively estimated by owner to be over 300 pounds. Stunk like hell......

I think I bit the boolit and committed to 2 of the little suckers. Gonna be hell to pay around the house when I bring 'em in.

Not quite ready for them but since when am I ready for anything I start.

I'm figgering these suckers will be ready for at least some light packing by this fall.

Till then I'm gonna be larnin' how ta train a goat. and how to keep the suckers at home..... May have to turn into a Bedouin.

Oh, man, Roy! Now you gone and done it! This should be good to sit back and watch!

Really...good luck, man. I'll be watching closely. Time is marching on and at some point, packing 100+ lb loads routinely is going to lose it's romance and the goat thing intrigues me.

[royinidaho]

@ the ripe old age of 69, I can still get around the mountains pretty well. Just slower since all of this bad parts removal has been going on.

I have till Monday to back out on the deal, then the little fellas go for taco meat or somethin'. I think they'd be happier as pack goats.

I was assured that they will very closely approach the weight of their daddy. Kirt packed out, a short distance (about a mile) a nice 6X6 bull on two goats that may go 170 if really fat.

This thing may be a real cartoon show. Pretty much like breakin' my first horse at the age of 40. What a disaster that was.

tomorrow start the pen building to get a bit of a handle on 'em. It took about an half hour for two of them to pick me out. I just stood around and pretty soon two were attempting to chonk down on my jeans. Did I hear someone say "Goat Whisperer".

When in the hell am I ever gonna grow up?

BTW, I've been thinking hard about one of your tents. I came up with a best choice for me as the cowboy tent of which yours is light years ahead.

[Treynol1]

Way to go, Roy. I have been following this thread for some time, thinking I might take the plunge. Now I can follow your experience for a season, and not have to invent all my own mistakes. Keep us posted. We are behind you!

[Mike 338]

This is what "I" used to look like after packing elk meat.

[royinidaho]

Progress. . .

Made up some collars patterned after dog collars made for when I was in the stock dog training phase of life. Rigged some long leads for initial handling of the little suckers. Used about 20 feet of cotton clothes line rope. (Hope they don't eat it)

Made a couple of ground ties with clips and light chain. Gonna tie 'em like dogs on a 10 foot change until they have a bit of a handle on 'em. @ a bit over 100# I won't simply be pickin' 'em up and shoving 'em in the trailer.

Speaking of trailers, when visiting w/packgoatguy I saw his goat hauling rigs. They ranged from very large enclosed things that it would take a 3/4 ton rig to tug around, a chopped of rear part of a pick up truck (I've had those) to a cobbled up cow panel set up on a small 4x4 trailer.

The small 4x4 trailer caught my attention. I have a 4x8 trailer that folds for storage. Its too small for big work and too large for little work. . . I have some of the came cattle panels and will spend this morning cobbling the thing into a goat hauler. This should be really good. Standard rules apply. No more than one trip to town and two visits to Jim's to bum stuff (Did I mention that he has several of everything, if he can find them.)

Tomorrow I get the goats... I will have no physical help as the lady that has them is a spry and wise lady who won't touch them. She has her milker ewes pretty well trained. I flanked a 125# calf last Saturday and survived so we'll see about tomorrow. Funny videos, here we come.