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Goat Stalking 2/3/11
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07-04-2011 9:46pm#1Saturday was a beautiful day so I called a friend of mine in the morning to see if he wanted to go out for a goat, he was busy so I decided not to bother.
In the evening time though my brother came home from slurry and said he wanted to go... I've been promising him a goat so we set off in the Fourtrak for a farm that I've been told is polluted by goats.
On the way there I noticed a grey crow and thought it was the perfect chance for Matthew to practice his technique. The shot landed well low, which I found hard to understand from the normally flat shooting .270. The shot also seemed very quiet, although I was in the truck with fingers in ears. Matthew said that the shot didn't feel right, the .270 is normally an animal- he said it felt more like my .22WMR. I can only assume it was a dead bullet because a mile closer to the farm I took a grey at 110 yards with no hold-over.
Up the to the farm and found the farmer cutting firewood; he said that I had been misinformed as the goats are very rarely down as low as his place- 'but feel free to try if you like and come back for foxes'.
So off we set for where I expect the goats to be. The debate now starts on whether to hunt above or below the road. Both sides are very steep and heavily wooded. We crawl along in the truck scanning the hills and cliffs trying to decide where to start the stalk, next thing Matthew spots and impressive brown and white animal. the brown being very brown and the white very white, which is unusual.
We park the fourtrak about 150yards further up in a lay-by and enter the thick woods. I drill into Matthew as we park that I want a neck shot and that I don't care if he spends a week lining it up 'This is goat stalking, not goat shooting.'
As we stalk along we are doing our best to stay silent, but the occasional fallen twig under-foot embarrasses both of us as we go. As we get further into the wood we can hear what has to be a massive herd of goats, another 30 yards and we can smell them. At this point we start to see movement in the trees. 2 goats, a Billy and a Nanny are up and to our right, we can just make them out through the heavy vegetation. We crawl another 10 yards to try to find a shot. There is a perfect shot using a moss-covered rock from where I am lying. I signal to Matthew to come to me and the Billy looks right at me. I fear I've blown it, and my fears are founded. The Billy and Nanny move off.
We let it settle for a couple of minutes and then started stalking slowly back up the mountain through the thick wood. Thunder has been cracking since we were speaking to the farmer and finally the shower comes on. I am pleased with this as the rain hitting the canopy and floor are providing some cover noise for our approach.
We stalk along and fine a handy shot on a Nanny, but we aren't after Nannys today as they are in the middle of breeding. Matthew spots the head of a Billy about 55yards away. He is almost the same colour as the trees around him and very hard to distinguish- only the head is visible. We swap positions as I am in the perfect spot, but it isn't my shot.
Matthew spends a minute at least aiming up the shot, in the by now lashing rain. Then takes off the ear defenders and asks if he can go for a head-shot as the head is the only thing he can see. I told him he can if he was confident. I watch as his breathing slows, the safety goes forward and pressure is gently applied to the trigger.
A 130gr to the side of the head means the Billy will never have felt a thing. He makes 3 rolls down the steep hill and comes to a stop without a kick.
Matthew watches through the cross-hairs as 19 goats, a mix of Billys, Nannys and kids make their way through a clearing. They would have made easy shots but we weren't out for numbers.
I estimate the herd was between 35-40 strong and will hopefully provide me with stalking for years to come...
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Nice going.
I know you said it was raining, but i can smell that goat from this side of the screen. Was it bad?
It wasn't just raining, by the time he was gralloched and I went to get the jeep I was soaked to the skin! The water was running off the peak of my hat!
As far as the smell, I didn't find it that bad at all. There's no doubt that there is a smell and that it wasn't the nicest- but it seems to bother me a lot less than others :rolleyes:Mauser 308 wrote: »Glensman, I have to say that is the best post I have read in a long time. Excellent discription of the events, great pics. Fair play, great stalk and result.:)
P.S. I know how you can fix that problem with the 270..... Get a 308.....
Thanks Mauser!
I don't think that would be a solution at all! If I got a 308 I'd have to get a scope with tactical turrets, work out bullet drop and all sorts of stuff!
I can shoot to 230 yards without holding over or under, once I start re-loading the .270 up to the charge it was designed for it'll be closer to 275
Sure once the deer stalking season starts, we can share a stalk and then you'll start to doubt it you made the right choice
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Great story Glensman, has the brother got a smile in him at all??? Looks like good stalking, good to do in the closed deer season to keep the eye in
Just out of curiousity did you eat that yoke after and does it taste like mutton or wot?0 -
Great story Glensman, has the brother got a smile in him at all??? Looks like good stalking, good to do in the closed deer season to keep the eye in
Just out of curiousity did you eat that yoke after and does it taste like mutton or wot?
He was actually like a dog with two tails! I think he dropped the smile for the photos :rolleyes:
I didn't eat that particular one, or the massive one I shot during the snow (the dogs loved that one!).
This one went to a fella from Ghana who has been at me for a goat, apparently in Ghana they prefer older male goats! :eek: Good luck to him!
I ate the 2 nannys we shot earlier in the year, I actaully gave a fair bit away and all the reports came back that it was BETTER than lamb, although it needs to be cooked longer and slower.
I used a lot of the first goat for stew and it was excellent, but strangely it tasted more like beef than lamb.
Some loin also found its way into a game pie and was absolutely delicious as well. I gave some to a couple of fussy eaters and they wolfed it down and asked for seconds 0 -
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Thanks Mauser!
I don't think that would be a solution at all! If I got a 308 I'd have to get a scope with tactical turrets, work out bullet drop and all sorts of stuff!
I can shoot to 230 yards without holding over or under, once I start re-loading the .270 up to the charge it was designed for it'll be closer to 275
Sure once the deer stalking season starts, we can share a stalk and then you'll start to doubt it you made the right choice
Excellent answer, what can I say. Ur on for the stalk, its a deal.
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Mauser 308 wrote: »Excellent answer, what can I say. Ur on for the stalk, its a deal.
Sounds good! I'll be taking you up on that, we can swap rifles for the stalk
I never asked, what model of 308 did you end up buying?0 -
Sounds good! I'll be taking you up on that, we can swap rifles for the stalk
I never asked, what model of 308 did you end up buying?
Mauser of coarse:D:D:D
Got a delux model, it was on offer 20% + discount as it was on show at the Birr game fair, it was also a lefty which suited me. Its the same as the alpine in 22" barel, but with fancy wood and engravings. To be honest fancy wood and engravings me little to me but I got them for free as it was a display model. They send the good wood and nice engravings to the shows to draw them in.;)0 -
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Mauser 308 wrote: »Mauser of coarse:D:D:D
Got a delux model, it was on offer 20% + discount as it was on show at the Birr game fair, it was also a lefty which suited me. Its the same as the alpine in 22" barel, but with fancy wood and engravings. To be honest fancy wood and engravings me little to me but I got them for free as it was a display model. They send the good wood and nice engravings to the shows to draw them in.;)
sounds nice! I went for functionality over looks because #1 I was unemployed when I bought the gun and #2 Mine doubles up as a lamping rifle and I would cry if I damaged the Sako 85 that I wanted (but didnt get).
My gun was out and out second hand, but it game with an uprated trigger and McMillan stock. Also the Howa action is one of the best out there so I have the basis of a custom build alreadyrocketman3 wrote: »well glensman very good story. brilliant to read. fair play on the goat i never got to even see 1 that i could shoot ha. i see you have a 270 cal. what do you think of them.? i just got 1 a few days ago its a remmie 710 model you might have a few tips for me. im waiting on the licence to come back till then iv no experience with that caliber so i dont no what there like. so im just getting a bit of research. a lot of people say there meant to be the best stalking round in the world for flat shooting.
I don't have enough experience of the 308 and 243 to say what is the best stalking round- but if I hadn't have gone .270 I would have went .243...
Flat shooting is a huge bonus, but you pay for it with a lot of recoil and noise (if you don't mod the rifle). I hate mods so I did pay for it, I found my scope unsuitable due to poor eye relief. You also want a quality scope to stand the recoil. My leupold seems pretty well up to the task...0 -
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It wasn't me! wrote: »What barrel length is on the Howa? Looks shortish. I'd say it's barky as all hell. Would love a lightweight .270 with a long, slim barrel, keep velocities up and noise down.
I couldn't tell you what the barrel length is! I must measure it when I'm home next
It is unbelievably barky. Without the muzzlebreak it's pretty much unmanageable when shooting prone. With the muzzle-break it's an absolute joy to shoot, but you definitely need the ear protection! :eek:0 -
I couldn't tell you what the barrel length is! I must measure it when I'm home next
It is unbelievably barky. Without the muzzlebreak it's pretty much unmanageable when shooting prone. With the muzzle-break it's an absolute joy to shoot, but you definitely need the ear protection! :eek:
Personally I don't find the .270 much bother at all. It's noisy, but kick isn't too bad. If there were an ideal mountain stalking rifle it'd probably be a light .270, somewhere about 7.5 lb with a scope, sling and bipod, lightweight 24" barrel. Even the longest shots you'd encounter in Ireland should be no problem with that setup, and it'd be easy to carry and shoot. The 24" barrel should keep the noise tolerable too if you don't get a chance to stick plugs in or put on cans. Would love a setup like that for an all-rounder.0 -
It wasn't me! wrote: »Personally I don't find the .270 much bother at all. It's noisy, but kick isn't too bad. If there were an ideal mountain stalking rifle it'd probably be a light .270, somewhere about 7.5 lb with a scope, sling and bipod, lightweight 24" barrel. Even the longest shots you'd encounter in Ireland should be no problem with that setup, and it'd be easy to carry and shoot. The 24" barrel should keep the noise tolerable too if you don't get a chance to stick plugs in or put on cans. Would love a setup like that for an all-rounder.
I find the recoil fine, unless I am prone- it just doesn't suit my shooting style. I hold the gun quite loose and like to take my left hand back to help with elevation.
I didn't mind the noise of the .270, until I put the muzzlebrake on, to be fair though any ear plugs make the noise fine. I keep a pair tied to my shooting jacket far handiness and keep the cans in the jeep all the time.
I think now that the clocks have changed I'm going to pick up some 150 and 180 grain rounds and see what way they shoot 0 -
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