school me on Mountain Goats

[jstone]

You see the elk and deer and some sheep at the feeding stations. Where do the mountain goats go when the snow hits? I am sure they are. tougher so they just move down into the valleys? The ones up Chelan do they go down to the lake and hang out for the winter? Just looking to get educated.

Thank You

[JimmyHoffa]

I think they go to more treed areas.  As long as the trees are above the snow, they can still get food--munch on the moss on the trees.

[Boss .300 winmag]

I think they go to more treed areas.  As long as the trees are above the snow, they can still get food--munch on the moss on the trees.

 

They don't migrate far, just to get cover from the wind. They are one tough animal. 

[Okanagan]

You see the elk and deer and some sheep at the feeding stations. Where do the mountain goats go when the snow hits? I am sure they are. tougher so they just move down into the valleys? The ones up Chelan do they go down to the lake and hang out for the winter? Just looking to get educated.

Thank You

Some of them move to windswept ridges rather than go down to lower elevation, and depend on wind to clear enough snow to feed.  They will bed in tiny wind protected pockets not much larger than their body, as in the lee of a boulder or a stair step ledge. Some such calm pockets have wind blasting past an arm's reach away.  Tough is an understatement.

[elkboy]

If you are really interested, I recommend "A beast the color of winter" by Douglas Chadwick. Great book on goats.

And like Okanogan says, windy ridges that remain snow-free are pretty important to goats. These can be at pretty high elevation! Sedges, grasses, low shrubs, and tree lichens ("witch's hair") are all important.

That said, keeping low elevation winter habitat more open (ie, not in dense forest) can benefit goats. This is especially important in the dry interior forests that have missed several fire cycles and become more dense. Goats tend to avoid dense forests.

[mountainman]

Read my copy many time over! Very informative👍

[jstone]

thanks I knew they are tough but didn't think they still stayed up high. I will have to check out a book and do some good reading.

Thanks Again

[JLS]

I was spring bear hunting once, and glassed a goat at 10k feet on a windswept ridge.  As Okanogan and elkboy said, they are incredibly tough and can winter on very high and barren ridges.  They also like to utilize semi-open Douglas fir slopes.