South Chelan billy down with pics

[gunnarnewt]

 

[RB]

Right on nice Goat!!   

[actionshooter]

Dandy right there, congrats!

[Turner89]

Really nice job

[wheels]

awesome billy

[bowtech]

My story started 20 years ago when I was 13 and my dad started putting me in for once in a life time mountain goat hunt. After putting in for 20 years I finally drew the South Chelan goat tag with my 4th choice(mainly because my first 3 choices were units closer to home in southwest Washington). I was extremely excited and quickly began doing research on google earth, huntwa, and talking with the biologist David Volson. Being a teacher has its perks of summers off, so I planned on making a few trips over to Chelan in August before school started. Just as I was planning my
first scouting trip the Wolverine fire exploded and the whole unit was closed. Over the course of the next month my daily ritual was to get online and check on the status of the fire, which usually left me feeling anxious and depressed. Finally with less than a week to go before the rifle opener(Sept 15th) a small portion of the unit opened. WDFW contacted me and gave me 2 options. Option 1: Hunt the tag and hope that access improves Option 2: Refund points and money and hope to draw again. Overwhelming response from Huntwa and friends was to go for it, so I #1 it was. I planned on giving the hunt the first go after archery elk season, but coaching football, selling our house, moving out, and preparing to build along with the fact that the only land access was still closed delayed my first trip. Finally the rest of the unit opened and last Wednesday the forest service reopened the road... game on. Preparing to leave Friday hunting partners I thought I would have started dewindling. As I left home latter than expected due to some changes in plans it was just me and the first hunting partner I ever had, my dad. We made it to Lake Chelan at about 2:30am and got to sleep by 3. After a quick 3 hour nap we were headed up Shady Pass road getting our first look at the country. The first few drainages we glassed result in zero goats. Around 11:00 we talked with a passing muzzy buck hunter who told us that he had lived there his whole life and had never seen a goat on that ridge. His suggestion, hit the lake with a boat or backpack out to Pyramid Peak(which we were prepared to do). With that some doubt entered my head, but I told my dad that we needed to hunt out one more ridge where the 2013 tag holder had harvested his goat and saw another good billy. Heading out that ridge it didn't take long to spot 4 goats about a mile away and thousands of feet below us. Looking through the spotter I was pretty sure they were 4 billys, but it was impossible to evaluate horns. As my dad stepped to the spotter the only fog on the lake moved up the drainage and hide the goats. With the goats hidden we decide to hike over the rock outcropping 50 yds away and look of the end of the ridge. As I stepped on to the rock outcropping two goats busted out of nowhere at 20yds. I held my shot not knowing how big they were. The two goats split with one going down and the other staying on the ridge top. At 300 yds he stopped and we got the spotter on him for a few minutes before he disappeared. After talking we decided he was worth going after. As a slowly crept in the goat reappeared as I cut the distance to 150 yds, what I thought should be a chip shot.In short, I managed to shoot just low and the billy took off around the rock knob. I quickly moved to a better vantage point where I caught the billy moving down the hill at 5o yds and put a good shot on him. He took a few steps, started to wobble, falls over, and disappears from sight only to hear crashing and see him rolling, finally getting hung up in a tree. As I walked down to him all I could think is that he was going to be beat up and broken. I was feeling sick to my stomach. Finding him his head was tucked under himself, only to further the anticipation. As I rolled him over I realized he was a solid goat and the fall hadn't been too bad. He had the cut near his left eye and a raw spot behind his right shoulder near where I had shot him. The best part of the whole thing was having my dad with me and him being able to watch the whole thing play out. The whole hunt was made even sweeter knowing that it was just my dad and I. As luck would have it the goat turned out to be a solid 10 inch billy. This was a once in a lifetime tag that turned into a once in a lifetime memory!

[RadSav]

With a name like Bowtech I was anticipating a bow kill - Doh!!   Glad to see the fall didn't harm the horns.  He really is a great specimen!  Dad must be quite proud, I would think  

Are you doing a full body mount? 

I need to get healthy again and give them goats one more shot.  They are one of my all time favorites to hunt.  It will be my biggest regret if I never put one on a pedestal.

[bowtech]

The goat is a stud and more than I dreamed of. He was the first goat that we were close to and without being able to scout and practice judging billys and the fact that there were no other goats with him I really didn't realize how great of a goat he is. I did a quick green score on him yesterday morning and had him at 52 and 3/8. Last night I tried to be a little more careful and had him at 53 and 1/4 which would put him at #3 in the state as far as I can tell. I feel like I am living a dream! Thanks for all the help and compliments. It was truly OIL!!!

[bowtech]

Had the bow in the truck. Kinda wish I would have given it a go and probably would have if I would have been able to scout the unit and get a feel for the goats. I am just doing a shoulder mount. My dad is beaming. I pretty much had to drag him outta there with his double knee replacement, but I am 100 percent sure he would do it again. I packed the first half while he caped and then got the other half and he took the cape, back straps, and neck meat.

[Romulus1297]

Pretty special hunt Thanks  now I will still make that unit my only choice forever.

[Turner89]

Thats a great story bowtech. Im glad everything worked out for you. I've been putting my son in since he was 9, He has 8 points now. I hope he draws while im able to go with him, and help. Awesome goat

[shootem]

Great story and well done.

[Skyvalhunter]

nice goat congrats!!

[boneaddict]

That's a really nice looking goat.   Congratulations

[Gringo31]

Great story and fantastic billy!