Big Billy down!

[norsepeak]

I've been wanting the chance to chase a big billy for almost twenty years, and finally got the chance this year.  I met Jim Lancaster last year at SCI and we talked a lot about the opportunities he has available in his concession at Copper River Outfitters in B.C.  I booked with him and the adventure was on.

My cousin and I started the 18 hour drive on Friday around noon and arrived on Sat. around 2:30.  Jim had two camp trailers, three pick-ups and three atv's already loaded up and ready to go, so we threw our gear in and hopped in for the two hour ride to the "prime" goat area.  We set-up a very nice camp and got ready for the first day of the hunt.

The first day we drove and quaded up to the glassing spot just at daylight and set-up the spotting scopes.  We hadn't looked for more than about 2 min. and we had big goats spotted, but the weather dropped in and fogged up the basin for the whole day, so we went to plan "B" and dropped down low to look for moose.

Day two got up to the glassing spot and set-up, and within 5 min. we had 10+ goats spotted with 3 billys "with potential", so we dropped down to a lower glassing spot to see of we could determine if any were worth going after.....

[BOWHUNTER45]

OOOOKAAAY Where is the rest of your story and the goat 

[norsepeak]

So we determined that all three of the billys were worth a better look, but it was already noon, so Jim said lets just hike down to the bottom of the valley and see what we have to deal with for crossing the river and plan on making a play for them tomorrow morning.  So off we go to check out the river...well, the river was not much of an obstacle, (read: spend the money on good gear and you'll save yourself a LOT of headache, i.e. wiggys waders, fantastic) so Jim says well, lets hike up on the next ridge and see of we can glass up the billys and make a better choice on which one to go after tomorrow.

So we hustle up on the ridge and start glassin the first billy.  Jim says, well he's not really a shooter, but it's not very far up to the next bench, lets go look at the second billy, so off we go.  We got up into the next bench and spotted the second billy layind down in the bottom of a very steep rocky creek drainage sleeping.....

[gasman]

And then 

[norsepeak]

Well, we watched him for about a half hour and Jim said he's a really good billy, lets go kill him.  So now we are a couple of miles from the trucks, and a lot of elevation higher and it's about 4:30 p.m. and we take off after the goat.  My cousin and one of the guides stay down at the bottom and stay behind the scopes to guide us in and we start up the mtn.  After an hour of scratching and clawing up the rocky slope we snuck up behind a little tree, and see the billy sleeping up in the draw about 190 yards away.  So I use a backpack to make a good rest and settle in behind my Tikka 7mm to wait for the billy to stand.   It took Jim about 5 min. and a LOT of hollaring and waving to get the billy to stand up.  A couple well place 168 grn Bergers and we were done.  By the time we got up to the goat it was almost 6 at night and light was going fast, so we did a quick pic session, caped it and boned it, loaded up the packs and started hiking in the pitch black in grizzly country with fresh meat on our backs,,,exciting.  We got back to camp after midnight from our "just check it out" hike with a great billy and 5 very tired puppies.

[bearpaw]

great looking goat, congrats....

[norsepeak]

Bottom line: if you don't want to wait until you are 126 years old to draw a goat tag in Washington, give Jim Lancaster at Copper River Outfitters a call and GO HUNT!  This was a great hunt with great guys and we had a blast and we are already booked for 2013 to do it again! 

[gasman]

Awsome 

And those pic. look better then the cell. pic. you sent me 


Moose 

[Tman]

Sounds like a great time.  Nice goat

[CAMPMEAT]

Cost ?  Nice goat.

[norsepeak]

You'd have to call Jim for that kind of info Campmeat, we had a "deal" worked out, but I would say that his prices are very reasonable and the hunt is WELL worth the cost.  We had a great time and he let us add on several species for free if we got the chance at them.  When we were done with the goat, we spent the rest of the hunt looking for moose, wolves and wolverine and stayed in a very nice cabin at his house and ate fantastic food.

[jrebel]

Awsome Goat....Looks and sounds like you guys had a great time.  Did you have any opportunities at the other species?

[BOWHUNTER45]

Much better man ..... That looks like a dandy .. I sure want to do that before I am so old I will have crawl up the mountain    THANKS FOR SHARING REALLY ENJOYED IT 

[RB]

Awesome story and pictures would like to do that someday. Was told by a Goat biologist about 7-8 years ago that it is better to by raffle tickets for Goat in Washington the odds are better I am beginning to believe him. Nice Billy! 

[norsepeak]

jrebel, we spent 5 days hunting moose etc. with no luck.  The moose were pretty brushed up and we weren't hunting typical wolf/wolverine areas, but it was still fun.  If we would have spent more time in high in the goat country, we probably would have seen some of the other critters.