Goat Stalking

Glensman

This happened during the first snow, but I never got a chance to post pics- I was gutted when the original pics were lost/deleted by my technophobic shooting partner!

We decided we were going to take another goat for the pot- I'd taken one before and it tasted fantastic so off we went again to the same glen.
We sat in the jeep for a good while scanning the cliffs, hills and woods with the binos to see if we could spot a herd to stalk up on- unfortunately no joy.

We decided we may as well to a bit of leg work so we took a lowish line in the forest (Very steep) and started to hunt down the glen. There were goat tracks Everywhere! So much so that there was no point in trying to track as they were going in every direction and the snow had been down for about 4 days.

As we stalked our way down we seen a number of woodcock, a hare and a huge rat. The walking was very going as the face is very steep sided, soft under foot and it's fairly think wood- even in winter (perfect for goats!)

We worked our way down for about an hour- but no sign of our quarry.
We then doubled back towards the jeep and took a line about 80yards higher in the forest, stalking our way back again.

Although we'd already technically covered this ground, and we weren't that hopeful; goats move around a lot and they're so quiet they could be beside you and you wouldn't see them.

After about 15mins stalking I noticed movement, I tapped Ollie on the shoulder and pointed the line. There was a Massive beast standing on his back legs eating moss off a tree.
Ollie got a bit excited, and had his ear defenders on and was taking aim in a matter of seconds- I wanted him to wait so we could select a young kid (although not currently visible, they had to be somewhere).

The shot rang out, and the beast crumpled. 4 females then broke and legged it thru the cover. I lifted the ear defenders off Ollie's head and took the rifle. I then let a shot go at a young, pure black kid.

Here's the result. I cannot emphasise how big the buck was, he was over 6 1/2 ft from nose to rear hooves.











If anyone's ever shot goats in cover and terrain like this they could tell you that shooting's the easy part. The weight in them is unreal, it's like tryin to draw a calf up a cliff.

The original pictures were MUCH better as the rifle was in it and the goats looked much better than when hanging!

Rifle was Howa 1500 in .270 130gr soft points.

poulo6.5

Good going.
I am hoping to get out after a few goats at the weekend.

Vegeta

Nice work and great post. The older goat looks like a seriously powerful animal.

4gun

I was out on one of my usual stomps yesterday and I saw about 12 goats, two of them were smaller kids than your one, walked up to within 20 ft of them and took a picture, I didn't want to shoot them for shootings sake, and also have a full freezer of venison.

People say the kids taste like lamb, how true is that ?

I would have taken one for bigger lads head for a trophy but I found the carcase of a dead 12 point red so brought that home instead( its the only way to get one in Kerry)

Glensman

4gun wrote: »

I was out on one of my usual stomps yesterday and I saw about 12 goats, two of them were smaller kids than your one, walked up to within 20 ft of them and took a picture, I didn't want to shoot them for shootings sake, and also have a full freezer of venison.

People say the kids taste like lamb, how true is that ?

I would have taken one for bigger lads head for a trophy but I found the carcase of a dead 12 point red so brought that home instead( its the only way to get one in Kerry)

In an Irish Stew the kid tastes like beef, only better maybe. I made an irish stew and a Mediterranean with the first one. Ollie roasted his leg and said it was Better than lamb. His sister roasted a leg this time and everyone agreed it was better than lamb.

Off this one, I froze the 2 legs because I was Way too busy to be cooking and used the loins in Game pie (it was excellent).

Glensman

Vegeta wrote: »

Nice work and great post. The older goat looks like a seriously powerful animal.

He was a MONSTER, I'm 6'3" and as you can see in the photo he's Way bigger than me!

He actually turned out to be a good animal to cull he only had one tooth left in his head, I'm surprised he was able to survive. He was from a small herd and there are 3 kids left in that herd. I'm pretty sure from the time of year, and the other kid I shot that he had served the other 3 already.
There are a good few goats in that glen and I would hope another powerful buck would move on to cover those kids in the future...

sean raff

excellant stuff there

dev110

Great shooting!!

You won't be hungry for a long time

mallards

Fantastic shooting Glensman, you should get the BBQ out and the beers and mates in for all that meat!

Mallards.

meathshooter1

jamacian curried goat is beautiful finger licking stuff.got a taste for it in birmingham.was there much of stink of them shot one years ago and he was minging the weather was much warmer.

Glensman

meathshooter1 wrote: »

jamacian curried goat is beautiful finger licking stuff.got a taste for it in birmingham.was there much of stink of them shot one years ago and he was minging the weather was much warmer.

The kid didnt smell at all really. The big fella smelt fine when he was shot- but everytime I opened the door of the garage it hit you.

I thought they didn't really smell, but everyone else was choking- when I walked in the house mum was choking from the smell from Me!.. Maybe I have a high tolerance!!

Tackleberrywho

Glensman wrote: »

The kid didnt smell at all really. The big fella smelt fine when he was shot- but everytime I opened the door of the garage it hit you.

I thought they didn't really smell, but everyone else was choking- when I walked in the house mum was choking from the smell from Me!.. Maybe I have a high tolerance!!

Or you just like the smell of Musk

sikastag

meathshooter1 wrote: »

jamacian curried goat is beautiful finger licking stuff.got a taste for it in birmingham.was there much of stink of them shot one years ago and he was minging the weather was much warmer.

Never had the chance to try any goat yet but hope to do so in the future.

Just when you mentioned jamaican curried goat, saw Hugh FW from River Cottage highlighting it. Cant remember what series or episode but it really looked fantastic. Heres a link about it:

http://www.channel4.com/food/recipes/chefs/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall/curry_goat_p_1.html

Nice shooting Glensman.

MACT1RE

Great story, fantastic animal. Well done.

landkeeper

buck goats don't smell!!!!!!:D:D:D:D:D i shot a few big old billies a few years ago that someone dumped in with our sheep they smelt that bad you could taste it :eek::eek:
still kid goat is nice bit more 'herby' than lamb but tasty and tender

Victor

Is that the most hygienic place you have for slaughtering. Yes, I realise the hide is probably manky to start with.

garv123

Victor wrote: »

Is that the most hygenic place you have for slaughtering. Yes, I realise the ride is probably manky to start with.

most people do it in their sheds. they dont have a special designated area for it.

the dirt adds to the flavour;)

Tackleberrywho

sikastag wrote: »

Never had the chance to try any goat yet but hope to do so in the future.

Just when you mentioned jamaican curried goat, saw Hugh FW from River Cottage highlighting it. Cant remember what series or episode but it really looked fantastic. Heres a link about it:

http://www.channel4.com/food/recipes/chefs/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall/curry_goat_p_1.html

Nice shooting Glensman.

Victor wrote: »

Is that the most hygenic place you have for slaughtering. Yes, I realise the ride is probably manky to start with.

What is Hygienic ?
The most important part to be clean is your equipment and the prep area.

I have a table that I douse with Milton before I cut anything up on.
I wash all my knives in the dishwasher.

The shed, is a shed. It holds lots of shi*e.

I keep the carcass in a fridge which I clean with Milton.

When Butchering I trim off any meat that is blood clotted or fridge hardened.

I've seen Hugh Fearnly Whittingstal eat meat that was not even cook, just trimmed off a lamb!

I see people eat Meat that I would consider almost RAW:eek:

Keep Hands clean
Keep Knives clean
Keep storage/Fridge clean
Keep butchering Table clean
Bag in Zip locked bags

Once I have seen all the meat has no poop or hair on it, or stale blood I am happy.

mayfly36

good going mate, now this i have to try when im up again.:) but wouldnt fancy draggin em back to the jeep, ive seen the terrain LOL

Glensman

Victor wrote: »

Is that the most hygenic place you have for slaughtering. Yes, I realise the ride is probably manky to start with.

Frankly, yes!

The goats were gralloched in a Very steep forrest- then dragged closer to the road... Once in the shed, you might be able to see that I lifted the buck with a 3 tonne engine crane by his back ligaments.
If you know another way of getting an animal of that size into the air- I'd love to hear it!

After that, the goats hung for about 5 days (buck) and 7 days (kid) in sub-zero conditions (at night, not much higher during day).

Ollie has a full set of butchering knives (real ones) which are sharp as hell and very clean, I keep a roll of new industrial bin bags for the purpose and these were used to lay the meat on.

Between us we have 10 dogs, over the course of a week they got the buck goat, I used the spine to bait for foxes.

The Kid goat went to the pot, although we still have a leg each in the freezer, I might lift it out and roast it this monday though...

I'm glad people like the story- I wish the first pics hadn't been lost, they were Way better :mad:

Glensman

mayfly36 wrote: »

good going mate, now this i have to try when im up again.:) but wouldnt fancy draggin em back to the jeep, ive seen the terrain LOL

You haven't seen this terrain! Ollie was getting it tight, and he's like a goat himself. Sub-zero temps and the sweat was lashing off us. When I got home I took the clothes off at the back door and went straight for the shower!

We plan to go for another kid before the weather gets much warmer, you're more than welcome to come. It's from a completely different area and we've arranged with the farmer to get keys of gates etc in advance.

You really need to get the jeep as close as possible!

mayfly36

Sounds a lot better, you know what im like with the dodgy back. IM SURE WE WILL SORT SOMETHING out, you didnt arrange anything with ollie about coming down here for the evening.

Glensman

mayfly36 wrote: »

Sounds a lot better, you know what im like with the dodgy back. IM SURE WE WILL SORT SOMETHING out, you didnt arrange anything with ollie about coming down here for the evening.

Job interview tomorrow mate and 2 more next week, have to prepare for them and all so it would have to be the week after... I'll let you know...

welsummer

well done.. i think i can smell you from here.. is that charger working in the background. Are you selling it, Boss

Glensman

welsummer wrote: »

well done.. i think i can smell you from here.. is that charger working in the background. Are you selling it, Boss

That charger actually isn't! I only kept it for the croc clips... If the camera was pointed slightly to the left you'd have seen my good one!

transit260

Ive been known to take a few myself and I must say they taste superb.

where i am theres dozens of them wandering about and eating anything they feel like.As said before the weight of them is unreal and in rough terrain its hard sloging to get it back to the car.


The smell from the billies is nausiating and I try not to shoot them unless I need meat for the terriers and lurchers.The ground I cover is brutal and rough. Below are a small few raping the farmers field of good grazing

my son with 2 kids for the table

A few we took last season

Glensman

I think you have a WHOLE lot more than me!! They're Very big horns on the smaller goats. Goats that size would have horns of 6-10 inches here. They seem to be thriving where you're at them!

transit260

Im not joking when I say theres well over 100 here in 3 seperate groups,
heres another few ive had of late




I better stop here,lol

welsummer

are you in australia .that dog looks very like a dingo

transit260

southern Ireland mate and the dogs a 1st x kelpie/greyhound.You were a bit out,lol.

monte

transit what caliber do you use on the goats nice work;)

transit260

223 monte,

welsummer

KELPIE.. SEE, I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING AUSTRALIAN ABOUT HIM.

transit260

your soooo spot on its scary:D

MacraPat

Good Shooting, one'd wonder if it'd be worth a lad's while finding a few of the bucks as kids when the nannies hide them and ringing them. All the meat and none of the stink?

transit260

Knock yerself out Pat,lol.Id be just inclined to cull the kids at the right age/size for eating.I cull the nannys and eat them no problem.I try to shoot a few of the smaller billys and leave the bigger boys for breeding.

MacraPat

I'd love to try them myself, they're a fantastic animal to see around south Kerry or Lahinch. I'd rather see them culled and managed as game than whole herds rounded up and slaughtered.

The New Zealanders had a similar exploding feral goat population, instead of culls they re-domesticated them selected for meat conformation and quick growth rates on the same rough terrain, while keeping the wild surviveability to produce the Kiko breed.

Just some random info.

transit260

its a good day when something new is absorbed,Theres some gang of goats where I go but in the last 4 outings I have seen not 1,where they dissapear to I dont know.I spent 5 hrs looking for them a while back and nothing 2 days before that a phone call from the landowner tells me theres 50-60 of them in his fields,it takes me an hour to drive out and the same back.Diesel being the price it is it can get expensive looking for them.

Glensman

Mine are a lot closer to home than that, but I have less. I do have the benefit of being the only hunter properly equipped, licensed and allowed by landowners to shoot them. Some people from time to time have a rip, but they soon realise it's not for them...


I was drivin at 9am on thursday morning and seen them about 3 miles from my house, I told a couple of people and they cant believe they've made it to there. They're spreading out nicely!!!

I've heard of a couple of local farmer theough, when they get 20-30 in a field, they round them in to the corners with quads and then just slaughter the poor things with shotguns- meant to be a while mess

CJhaughey

You need to get a Judas Goat with a radio collar, Catch it and stick the collar on, then let it go again. It will rejoin the herd and you can find them easily then.

Glensman

CJhaughey wrote: »

You need to get a Judas Goat with a radio collar, Catch it and stick the collar on, then let it go again. It will rejoin the herd and you can find them easily then.

Class idea!!

transit260

a morning culling the smellies.We had 12 in 15 minutes.We blocked the gap and they couldnt get back up the hill,well that was untill they decided theyd trample my mate and he dived out of the way just in time :laughbounce2: there were over 60 in the herd.

Thankfully the landowner was happy to help load them into the van.Some smell in the van for about a week.No matter how much I sprayed or washed it ,it just stank.The wife and kids were geting the bus for a bit.

MACT1RE

transit260 wrote: »

We had 12 in 15 minutes.We blocked the gap and they couldnt get back up the hill,

Not exactly what you'd call giving the prey a sporting chance. I know they're not protected and can be a nuisance but is there really a need for the slaughter tactics?

jap gt

MACT1RE wrote: »

Not exactly what you'd call giving the prey a sporting chance. I know they're not protected and can be a nuisance but is there really a need for the slaughter tactics?

to be fair in some cases there is, there is a cull not far from me every year or so up to 40 are taken from the herd so years more.. they do a lot of damage to fields hedging etc

garv123

where are ye all shooting the goats? tbh ive never seen a goat up in the mountain area i live.
is it all in the kerry and wicklow area?

poulo6.5

garv123 wrote: »

where are ye all shooting the goats? tbh ive never seen a goat up in the mountain area i live.
is it all in the kerry and wicklow area?

you are not looking hard enough

transit260

Mac get something into your head here now,this is not done for sport,theres over 70 animals in the herd I took the 12 from,there are another 2 sub herds that hold a bachelor party of around 15-20 goats and then afew miles over theres another herd of 30 plus.These animals have been here since the 50's im told.Willy the farmer came out one morning and he couldnt believe what he saw.there were gaping holes in his hedgerow after the herd ravaged the place.He could see through the hedge after they attacked it.can you visualise the ammount of grass these goats each eat,well heres a pic to help you see how much they eat.

heres a small herd in the summer eating everything in their path

hes busting full of grass,that was meant for the sheep on the farm,now multiply that by 50 or 60 or 70 animals all at one time.Be real now and forget the sporting issues on this,this is culling a very major pest.I dont shoot during the summer and the landowner rings me all through it to keep culling.I end up walking and if I see a billy I take him out and leave the kids and nursing nannys.Then in the winter I hit them hard.To answer your last question,yes there is a very real need to cull them hard,and I havent a hope of geting on top of them as believe me Ive tried.I have over 50 shot in 12 months but it makes not a tad of difference.
GARV,I could tell ye but Id have to kill ye afterwards,lol.lets say west of Ireland,but no not the Burren as Im always accused of.

Glensman

garv123 wrote: »

where are ye all shooting the goats? tbh ive never seen a goat up in the mountain area i live.
is it all in the kerry and wicklow area?

I shot mine in North Antrim, I also know they're in South Armagh and someone told me Tipp as well.

But there could be a herd a few miles for you and you wouldn't hear or see them!

garv123

poulo6.5 wrote: »

you are not looking hard enough

your from south tip arent you poulo so i presume clonmel area. ive been out around the nire area travelling from a to b many a time because im basically living a mile or 2 away from it and i have never seen a goat only sheep and its not our area to shoot anyway, but is there goats around them parts? no interest in shooting them just curious as ive never seen a goat around ever

transit260

I was driving on the outskirts of Limerick one evening and on the side of the road were a load of ferral goats.I tried to find out where they were and who owned the land but never tracked it down.there were a lot of them there too.

MACT1RE

transit260 wrote: »

Mac get something into your head here now,this is not done for sport,theres over 70 animals in the herd I took the 12 from,there are another 2 sub herds that hold a bachelor party of around 15-20 goats and then afew miles over theres another herd of 30 plus.These animals have been here since the 50's im told.Willy the farmer came out one morning and he couldnt believe what he saw.there were gaping holes in his hedgerow after the herd ravaged the place.He could see through the hedge after they attacked it.can you visualise the ammount of grass these goats each eat,well heres a pic to help you see how much they eat.

heres a small herd in the summer eating everything in their path

hes busting full of grass,that was meant for the sheep on the farm,now multiply that by 50 or 60 or 70 animals all at one time.Be real now and forget the sporting issues on this,this is culling a very major pest.I dont shoot during the summer and the landowner rings me all through it to keep culling.I end up walking and if I see a billy I take him out and leave the kids and nursing nannys.Then in the winter I hit them hard.To answer your last question,yes there is a very real need to cull them hard,and I havent a hope of geting on top of them as believe me Ive tried.I have over 50 shot in 12 months but it makes not a tad of difference.
GARV,I could tell ye but Id have to kill ye afterwards,lol.lets say west of Ireland,but no not the Burren as Im always accused of.

That’s a fair point and I see where you’re coming from. A mass cull sounds justified in that situation from what you say and I’m not trying to tell you your business. I suppose it was the part about blocking the gap to prevent escape that just didn’t sit right with me. For me, the sport of picking out the one animal, stalking it and making a clean kill all without it or the remainder of the herd ever knowing I was there, is what hunting is all about. I’ve often had pressure from farmers about numbers and it’s a real balancing act keeping everyone happy.