Pack Goats

[Mayhem338]

This is a great topic and has given me something to do some research on. My wife and i are really looking into this as we love getting out with our son. Not having to carry all our gear would make a great way to go further each weekend. And as a deer and elk hunter that has packed out im thinking i met the holy grail lol.

 

[packgoatguy]

If you read back through some of the earlier posts on this topic, there are a few rescources mentioned. My favorite book is called 'The Pack Goat' by John Myonsinski. There is also a yahoo packgoat group; [email protected] that you can check out. There is a packgoat forum that you can google as well, and there is an association; North American Packgoat Association is a national organization set up to promote and educate about using goats as pack animals, and they have access to lots of information on their site as well. But dont get too overwhelmed by the vast amount of info out there, like I have mentioned in previous posts, the main advantage of packgoats is their simplicity. I would never feel comfortable sending a person out with several pack mules or horses if they have never been around horses before, but I can give a quick 30 minute orientation to a newbie to packgoats and send them on their way, and they wouldnt have any problems. Just make sure you pic the right goats, and get them on the trail as often as possible, and thats really the bottom line.

 

[jrw1976]

Yes the simplicity is what makes this so intriguing to me. Thank you for all your time and advice.

Jason

 

[Mayhem338]

I agree thank you for your time and effort posting. I just ordered the book used on Amazon cost me 15 bucks including shipping figured that was a great starting point. When i get into this a little more i will pick your brain for sure.

 

[rcdinaz]

this is a great thread, as someone mentioned goats seem like a perfect solution. i am in AZ and most of the places we drive into you could never get a horse trailer into but you could probably take a couple of goats. Thanks for taking the time to share so much info, I have a couple of questions:

how do they tolerate gun fire?

how do you transport them, especially on rough roads?

anyone have any info on outfitters in AZ? I looked at 2 using google but it seems that they may frown on hunting.

anyone in AZ looking to invest in goats let me know, i dont have the land to keep them but would be willing to talk about buying goats.

 

[Idaho Sawyer]

I trained my to gun fire just like a gun dog. (.22's from a distance and gradually getting closer and louder) now they dont care AT ALL about guns. As far as transporting I just load em up in the back of my toyota and off we go.

 

[rcdinaz]

Again that is one of the coolest things I have ever heard!

 

[Idaho Sawyer]

They are very receptive towards different things, but I think the younger and more often they are exposed towards things the better.

 

[gcamp54]

Love this thread. Thanks for all the info. Have been thinking about this for some time now. For those who have the experience; how do the goats fare when the trail get thick with mud? I've been on trails which have runoff crossing the trail that turns into deep mud especially if horses have been using the trail. I've sunk to over my hiking boots in some of these. Have your goats gone through something like that?

Gordon

 

[pablo]

Goats will do almost anything to avoid getting their feet wet. I have four goats now but had at one time 10 that could be packed on. I have six saddles that frankly I need to sell. My goats are getting old and my wife has developed a serious allergy to them. Something about their hair makes her skin break out. They are a lot of fun to take on a pack trip and very relaxing to hike with. Game will often come to them just to see what they are. Hiking with them will be missed.

 

[BenY 2013]

Ok so I didn't read through all of this thread yet, but am really interested about this. We raise kiko goats which are fairly large and strong. I might just pick one out of the herd or something. My question was can you build the saddles or panniers? I'm a bit of a cheapo Looks like awesome way to use goats.

 

[packgoatguy]

I saw someone posted a question about goats and mud/water. In my experience mud is not an issue, unless of course its something that I couldnt get through myself. If they can find away around it, the goats will (just as you or I would of course) Last year, the day I took my Bull during the archery hunt, the goats and I got to a big wallow in the middle of some really thick timber. I didnt want to have to bushack all the way around through the noisy thick deadfall, but not wanting to get my feet muddy, I crossed on a narrow log that spanned about 40 feet of the wallow before I could find some solid ground. The mud didnt look all that deep, so I expected the goats to just walk right through it, but I turned around when I got to the end of the log, and there they were right behind me; they crossed the log with me like a tightrope.

On my many packs with my goats, I have had numerous oportunities to cross streams with them. In my experience, if I can cross it, then they can cross it. Some goats are better than others at it, but it is a learning curve for them just as anything else. Generally if there is a log across the stream, they will cross on the log. If the stream is no wider than 8-10 ft, they will often just jump across (which they can do even with a full pack on) but when necessary, they will just wade through the water. If one goat is hesitant or refuses to cross with the others, I typically will just continue on up the trail. As soon as I and the other goats are out of sight, the straggler will sum up the courage to cross one way or another (goats are herd animals and dont like to get left behind) I will caution you though, if you encounter an obstacle like a stream that needs to be crossed, dont attempt to cross if you have all the goats tied together in a pack string fashion. Untie them an let them make their own way across. This generally goes for any major obstacle you cross, and I only recommend a tied pack string on an open trail, and not for cross country hiking.

 

[packgoatguy]

If you havent seen it yet, I had the opportunity to take a few of my packgoats on a deer hunt in Central Idaho with a local TV Outdoor show guy named Jared Scott of Jared Scott Outdoors (Eastern Idaho/Western Wyoming NBC News Channel 6 Sunday evenings 10:30 PM and FOX 31 Thursday Evenings 9:30 PM) Jared and I both shot bucks, nothing hugemongus by anymeans, but it was some really rugged country and good that we got a lot of it on camera. If you want to see the goats in action, he has some clips from the show up on his website now; Just go to References (www.jaredscottoutdoors.com/videoclipsElkHunting.html) scroll down till you see the clips about hunting with the goats.
Also, if anyone is in the Eastern Idaho area and you know where the Menan Butte is, I take my pack goats up it a couple times of week through the spring if you would like a chance to hike with them in person and see what they are all about. Since getting in to Pack goats, I have had more and more hunters contact me about using goats. Most guys just want to buy some of mine, and where Im not looking to sell them, a few guys and myself have come up with the bright idea to jointly share a herd of pack goats between a group of likeminded hunters. That way we can spread out the costs of owning them, and the goats will get out more. Im my experience the difference between a good goat and a headache goat is simply conditioning. The more times the goat gets out on the trail, the more his muscles are used to the work, and the less he will fight you. My two best goats; Tenny and Rocky are awsome because they go on every trip I take, and we put on hundreds of miles every year. So if a group of guys was sharing a herd of goats, those goats would all get out more than with just one individual owner, thus ensuring that they would be well conditioned when any one person needs them to work. If anyone in the Eastern Idaho, Northern Utah, Western Wyoming, or South Western Montana areas would like to join our packgoat group, let me know. Everyone just pitches in a small monthly fee and then you get to use the goats whenever you want. Plus, I have all the gear, trailers, and equipment necessary, so you would just need to stop by pick up the goats, and head on to your destination. Very little hassle. Ive got 17 goats, which is more than enough to support a bunch of guys through the hunting season, plus this way you can also use them for scouting trips in the summer, and take your family backpacking with them through the summer as well, and you dont have to worry about taking care of them.

 

[royinidaho]

What's the ball part monthly figure? I'm still interested.

Won't be home till spring of next year, March actually. I plan on doing tons of scouting east of Blackfoot and on the North Fork of the Salmon.

I'll most probably have my own trailer.

I can pick up a a pair of Sicilian Donkies for zip but lean way more toward goats.