Mt. St. Helens Goat

[CNELK]

Like most, I spent the beginning of this year trying to play the draws in many states other than Washington. My hopes this year were crushed in Utah when I didn't draw my limited-entry elk tag. I’m aware that with limited tags and sitting on 22 points, my hopes were a long shot. But when Washington draws finally came out and the results were posted. I was in shock when I saw that I was selected for my second choice for mountain goat!

I'm still finding it hard to imagine that I have a goat tag. I was fortunate enough to draw this tag with 26 points. I give God all the glory for this opportunity because it couldn’t have come at a better time in my life. In July of last year, I was diagnosed with early-onset parkinsons disease at the age of 37. I’m most certainly not wanting any sympathy by sharing this part of my life, but instead, maybe give others hope that may be facing similar situations, that if God can lead you to hurdles in your life, he will see you through it all. I’m grateful for this opportunity and will not take it for granted.

I’m committed to living this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to the fullest. I'm going to make as many trips up scouting as possible and hopefully find a big old Billy. I have to thank all my family and friends who have fully committed themselves to helping and supporting me along this journey. I am excited to share the mountain with them all this fall.


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[CNELK]

I have made one scouting trip so far and have seen 40 goats, all nannies and kids.


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[HntnFsh]

Awesome! Best wishes too you!

[Kingofthemountain83]

That's really cool! Best of luck!

[kentrek]

What a fun oppertunity, shoot me a pm and i can throw some ideas of where to look if ya need help

[redi]

Congratulations nest of luck to you too

[High Climber]

Awesome place to hunt! Didn’t you have an elk tag up there a while back? I remember seeing some cool pics you took up there I thought 

[Pete112288]

Keep sharing as your adventure goes!
Congratulations! That's my dream tag, only goat tag I apply for. Born and raised with that mountain always in the backdrop.
Definitely tagging along for this one.

[Wanttohuntmore]

Congrats!  I recommend taking lots of photos and possibly a go pro or insta360.  Don't worry about the camera but if you have time to use them you'll have some cool material to share with your friends and family.   I wish I had more footage of my goat in the 80's, was a wild time!

[trophyhunt]

God is great, sorry to hear about your diagnosis.  Congrats on your draw, a true OIL. 

[CNELK]

Awesome place to hunt! Didn’t you have an elk tag up there a while back? I remember seeing some cool pics you took up there I thought 

I did, good memory that was a while ago, but the elk hunt was on the mountain's North side, and my goat hunt is on the south.


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[CNELK]

Keep sharing as your adventure goes!
Congratulations! That's my dream tag, only goat tag I apply for. Born and raised with that mountain always in the backdrop.
Definitely tagging along for this one.

Thank you. I will definitely update with lots of pictures. Yeah, that area is very special to me as well. My family grew up going to our family cabin up there. We have tons of memories spent on that mountain, and I look forward to making more.


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[CNELK]

God is great, sorry to hear about your diagnosis.  Congrats on your draw, a true OIL.

He certainly is, and thank you!


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[CNELK]

I made it out again today for another scouting trip. I hiked 9.5 miles and saw four goats, all Billies.


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[trophyhunt]

Very cool!

[Jpmiller]

The false hope of going on a goat hunt and razor clamming are the only two things I miss about living in Washington. Good luck to you, and looking forward to the updates.

[trophyhunt]

The false hope of going on a goat hunt and razor clamming are the only two things I miss about living in Washington. Good luck to you, and looking forward to the updates.

what’s it like in North Dakota? Agree though, salmon fishing and clamming are a must, even if (when) we move to another state!

[Caseknife]

Have you had a chance to talk to the biologist?  Looking good so far.

[CNELK]

Have you had a chance to talk to the biologist?  Looking good so far.

I did. The biologist was super helpful. The Mt. St. Helens goat herd is healthy and growing, with more than 300. That number is a combination of Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Margaret. From what I observed on my first scouting trip, we saw about 40 goats. About 15-18 were kids, and the rest were Nannies. That is positive to see for the future of that herd. Also, seeing my first four Billies yesterday was super cool. Two of these could have potential that I would love to put my tag on, but the other two may need another year or two. Lots more time for scouting, this experience has been a ton of fun so far!


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[Jpmiller]

The false hope of going on a goat hunt and razor clamming are the only two things I miss about living in Washington. Good luck to you, and looking forward to the updates.

what’s it like in North Dakota? Agree though, salmon fishing and clamming are a must, even if (when) we move to another state!

Better than Washington in every way but the mountain hunting and ocean fishing. The ice fishing is way better lol

[hunterednate]

Wow. So happy that you pulled this tag and rooting for you to tag a big billy and enjoy every moment of the experience. Thanks for taking us along on the ride.

[GOcougsHunter]

tagging along!  I spend a lot of time at mt st helens.  Amazing to watch the goats and the elk way up high on the mountain.

[CNELK]

Thank you, everyone, for showing your interest in this hunt. I will try my very best to capture it and share it. I have always enjoyed reading the stories of past OIL tag holders who have been willing to share them. I have to say this has been a unique privilege to be on the other side and to be the one sharing. I have plenty more scouting trips planned, and God willing, I hope to harvest a good old Billy with my muzzleloader.


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[CNELK]

I made another trip up the mountain today with my wife and daughter. It was good quality time spent together, and they got to see goats for the first time. We saw three Billys today, and one of them looked good based on body size—too far to tell the size of the horns. All the Billys we saw today were up near the top rim of the mountain. We also saw another group of Nannies and Kids, about 15 total.


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[High Climber]

There has got to be some really big goats in that country

[hunterednate]

I made another trip up the mountain today with my wife and daughter. It was good quality time spent together, and they got to see goats for the first time. We saw three Billys today, and one of them looked good based on body size—too far to tell the size of the horns. All the Billys we saw today were up near the top rim of the mountain. We also saw another group of Nannies and Kids, about 15 total.


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Fantastic. Very special to get your wife and daughter involved in the scouting process. Thanks for the update.

[CNELK]

I got back up on the mountain today with a good friend. We hiked 10.5 miles and saw 20-30 goats, 10-12 of which were Billy’s. I'm making excellent progress in learning more about the mountain's trail systems and the goats living there.


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[Jpmiller]

How’s the hiker traffic around there?

[CNELK]

How’s the hiker traffic around there?

Tons of people hiking, trail running, and mountain biking.


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[pianoman9701]

Good luck on filling that tag. 

[hunterednate]

How’s the hiker traffic around there?

Tons of people hiking, trail running, and mountain biking.


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Yes, this is one of the reasons they go with the late start date for those tags (Oct. 1). That hiker/backpacker traffic should decrease significantly during your hunt window.