Pack Llamas vs Pack Goats

[300rum]

Just get yourself a mini mule or a small full size mule.  You can find them cheap, they will last forever and you can still lead them behind your horses if you want.

[actionshooter]

 Do a search on here for packgoats, there are a bunch of threads on here that gives a ton of info/feedback, we ran them for many years and just recently got out.  Keep in mind that the state and feds are really starting to limit where you can use anything but horses.

[huntnnw]

I own llamas, absolutely love them.  One thing to look at is the longevity of pack goats vs llamas and amount of weight each can carry.  I almost went goats initially, but longevity, amount they can carry, and goats being limited/outlawed in some areas ultimately swayed me to llamas.  Couldn't be happier with what they've done for myself and my family.

But you have to pack feed up for llamas and  gotta trailer them. A pack goat can pack more per lb of weight than all stock animals.

[Seabass]

I just spent a week bear hunting with some goats…not mine but my buddy’s. They were amazing. So simple and easy to deal with. They are ridiculously athletic and dealt with dead fall and other obstacles with ease. Water crossings could be a little challenging with them depending on depth but I was thoroughly impressed and ready to get a few😀.

We did 8 days and the guys with the goats ate way better than the two of us with everything on our backs!

[Seabass]

They were also fun to have around during the downtime.

[Tiger01]

I own llamas, absolutely love them.  One thing to look at is the longevity of pack goats vs llamas and amount of weight each can carry.  I almost went goats initially, but longevity, amount they can carry, and goats being limited/outlawed in some areas ultimately swayed me to llamas.  Couldn't be happier with what they've done for myself and my family.

But you have to pack feed up for llamas and  gotta trailer them. A pack goat can pack more per lb of weight than all stock animals.

Depends on where you are going and the quality of feed, but it’s minimal usually.  About 1 pound per day per llama, which is nothing in the grand scheme of things.  If you have a rack you can fit 2 or 3 llamas in the back of a pickup easy, no trailer needed.  Yes, goats can pack more per pound, but they’re also the lightest pack animals out there which equates to the lightest loads.  Like I said, I almost went goats, just a few things swayed me to llamas and I couldn’t be happier.  I have multiple friends with goats and they love them.  With limited space at home goats is probably the way to go for sure. 

[2MANY]

You guys should pack labs.
No trailer needed, will protect you in camp, and better at finding grouse.
Or
Simply buy a mule, put a goat and their pack on each side, and head to camp.

[vandeman17]

Updating this thread. I ended up grabbing three Alpine wethers about 5-6 weeks ago from a place down in Goldendale. They are polled and going on 4-5 months old. I was able to meet the buck and he was a big boy and the owner expects these three fellas to be 175-200 lbs. So far they have been a lot of fun to get to know and each have their own personalites. They were bottle fed so they are super friendly and will follow me wherever I go and actually are way easier than a dang puppy. I am hoping by snowmelt next year, they will be big enough to get them out in the hills around my house and start working with them.

I decided to go with 3 because that will hopefully be enough to pack in at least a chunk of gear but also not a huge committment in case I don't end up being able to use them.

[huntnnw]

I take 3 when I hunt solo. With 3 good ones and my pack I can come out with 200 or so lbs in 1 trip.

I’ll tell you right now that you will go through a few goats to get good ones. I have 21 granted not all are whethers some are our girls. But only a handful are great

[vandeman17]

I take 3 when I hunt solo. With 3 good ones and my pack I can come out with 200 or so lbs in 1 trip.

I’ll tell you right now that you will go through a few goats to get good ones. I have 21 granted not all are whethers some are our girls. But only a handful are great

Good to know. I am hoping these guy's are at least serviceable so that I can learn more about handling and training and if its something that is worthwhile for me, I can try to be more picky in who/where I buy more from.

[huntnnw]

It’s a real crap shoot on buying goats. We have a few really big goats and they just don’t have the “ go get em” attitude  super friendly goats but just slow on trail . My best ones are super hyper and really motor around in the back country. My best goat carries a whole boned out muley like there’s nothing on him . They are great watch dogs and have spotted deer and elk when I did t see them. I watch my goats a lot and they will tell you if there’s something around long before you know. I know if my goats all stand at night when packed in something is near and usually a predator

[vandeman17]

It’s a real crap shoot on buying goats. We have a few really big goats and they just don’t have the “ go get em” attitude  super friendly goats but just slow on trail . My best ones are super hyper and really motor around in the back country. My best goat carries a whole boned out muley like there’s nothing on him . They are great watch dogs and have spotted deer and elk when I did t see them. I watch my goats a lot and they will tell you if there’s something around long before you know. I know if my goats all stand at night when packed in something is near and usually a predator

My three for sure are high energy and love following me anywhere and everywhere I go. I have already figured out who the leader is and have established a good bond with him. I can call him and he will almost always come running which means the other two are close behind because they go where he goes. They have been around my dogs, horses etc and aren't skittish so off to a good start in my book

[actionshooter]

It’s a real crap shoot on buying goats. We have a few really big goats and they just don’t have the “ go get em” attitude  super friendly goats but just slow on trail . My best ones are super hyper and really motor around in the back country. My best goat carries a whole boned out muley like there’s nothing on him . They are great watch dogs and have spotted deer and elk when I did t see them. I watch my goats a lot and they will tell you if there’s something around long before you know. I know if my goats all stand at night when packed in something is near and usually a predator

My three for sure are high energy and love following me anywhere and everywhere I go. I have already figured out who the leader is and have established a good bond with him. I can call him and he will almost always come running which means the other two are close behind because they go where he goes. They have been around my dogs, horses etc and aren't skittish so off to a good start in my book

The best goat I ever had was named Zeke, a medium sized Ober who I ran for 7 years... good goats are like loyal dogs, they aren't always the biggest or the ones that carry the most, the best goats are the ones who will follow you anywhere and always be right at your side.

[Vek]

We bought two kids from a dairy guy about 9 months ago...an alpine and an oberhasli.  The alpine has been a bit aloof from the start, but the ober is like a laborador.  The ober can be led on a rope, and the alpine follows right behind.  They both are massively curious and pretty much immune to noise: gunshots, loud diesels, tractors, etc.  If you are fooling around with a vehicle or tractor or ATV, they're either on it or in it as soon as it's stationary. 

We kept both of them intact for about 6 months, figuring they could use the hormones to grow, until we could no longer stand their impolite behavior, constant whizzing on selves and everything else, and rank odor.  After the snip, as their manliness filtered out of their blood, their behavior slowly corrected over a couple weeks back to the aloof-but-ever-present Alpine and the sweetheart ober. 

The Alpine is an absolute unit.  Built like an olympic decathlete...long and strong.  Our 1.5ac penned area is fenced with normal height 42" or so woven wire, and I pulled a tight barbed wire at about 48" high, and the alpine goes right over it like a deer.  The ober has a bit of a belly to him and is equally agile on smaller things, but can't do the high jump.  We're working the fencing on the pen...right now I've ran a hot wire another 6" up from the top barbed but need to sort out grounding and a working fence charger from the half dozen old ones on the property.  When the alpine escapes, he wanders up to the sliding glass door to say hello, and we stake him somewhere that we need blackberries or weeds eaten, and he's happy enough. 

Need another couple years before they can come hunting.  We're on 28ac with access to more so keeping them fed and entertained is easy enough.  I'll use them to hike firewood back to the house next couple summers and they should be ready to go.  We shall see.  If I get the fencing sorted out better I'd like to pick up another couple of Alpines from that same dairy guy.  For now the Alpine's escape antics has my wife a bit annoyed. 

[vandeman17]

Right on. We bought 3 Alpine wethers in August and they are 7-8 months  old now, growing like crazy. They were bottle fed so they follow me everywhere I go and don't care about loud noises, our horses, our dogs or really anything besides what they can eat. It has been a learning experience so far and they have so far killed a couple landscaping trees which sucks but now I know. I am looking forward to getting them out into the hills around our house this spring. It is funny how much like puppies they are where they just want to be near me, against me, crawling over me... I didn't think they would be as friendly and personable as they are.