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Hunting Practices

In most jurisdictions, a hunting license permits the opportunity for an individual to harvest an animal. If an animal is killed but not recovered, the individual must still mark their tag as filled. As a result, it is critical to consider the factors listed in this Module to ensure the best results from a mountain goat hunt.

The ethics of hunting mountain goats: Hunting mountain goats is a desirable activity in some parts of North America, but hunters must be aware of the limited opportunity in some jurisdictions, and the sensitivity that raises. Hunting also has ethical implications, and hunters must be mindful of their impact on mountain goat populations and the ecosystems in which goats live. Ethics generally refers to issues of fairness, respect, and responsibility that are not covered by regulations, and it can play an important role in mountain goat conservation.

Some key ethical considerations for hunting mountain goats include:

  • Fair chase: The principle of fair chase states that hunters should pursue their prey in such a way that the animal has a reasonable chance of escaping. Many jurisdictions have enacted regulations to achieve this hunting outcome, whether they are related to motorized access restrictions, seasonal restrictions, or technologies that can be used (trail cameras, drones or long-range shooting supports).

  • Respect for the animal: Hunting mountain goats necessitates a deep respect for the animal as well as an understanding of that animal's role in the ecosystem and the herd. This includes respecting the animal both during and after the hunt, ensuring a good harvest location where you can recover the harvested goat, and taking care to minimize any unnecessary suffering during harvesting. Goats are reputably tough, respecting the animal requires mitigating risk by patient, deliberate shot placement and trajectory that offers a quick kill while posing no risk to other goats that may be nearby.

  • Respect for other hunters: Mountain goat hunting is a difficult activity that for many people is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you come across someone hunting in the backcountry, respect their privilege to hunt.

  • Proper field dressing and caring for the carcass: It is best to consult a taxidermist, hunting guide, or experienced hunter prior to your hunt to learn how to properly field dress a harvested animal in order to keep the meat clean and minimize spoilage and waste, as well as to properly care for and preserve the hide.

Avoid Long-Range Shooting

Long-range shooting, or shooting at animals from a substantial distance, can be risky for a variety of reasons:

  • Long range identification of an animal's sex, age, and size is difficult, especially if it is partially obscured by vegetation or rocks, or if the shooter is unfamiliar with the species.

  • When an animal is observed from a long distance, an illegal harvest may occur due to misidentification. This could include mistaking a nanny for a billy, failing to notice that a nanny was accompanied by a kid, or mistaking an animal of a different species as a goat.

  • Mountain goat habitat is rough and unpredictable terrain with features such as gorges and cliffs that are not always visible from afar. While a hunter may be able to shoot a goat from a long distance, the likelihood of not being able to retrieve it due to unforeseen barriers increases with distance. 

  • Furthermore, long-range shooting can endanger other animals and humans because projectile bullets can travel long distances and hit unintended targets or affect shot placement, which is critical to avoiding wounding loss, ensuring a humane harvest, and reducing the risk of not being able to recover your harvested animal. Knowing your firearm, scope, and distance, as well as using the proper rifle caliber and grain of bullet, is critical for a quick, clean kill.

The Role Of Hunters In Conservation

Hunters can help mountain goat conservation by following hunting regulations and guidelines and being aware of the effects of hunting on mountain goat populations. For example, because goat hunting is both physically and mentally demanding, many hunters prefer to travel in pairs or with other hunters. When pairs or groups of hunters decide to take multiple mature animals in a single year from a single herd or population, they should consider the impact on the herd's future. Because mountain goats have a low productivity and do not range widely, removing two or three mature billies at once may have an impact on herds in the area. Generally, jurisdictions create regulated opportunities that allow for conservative harvesting, but it is difficult to create regulations that are effective at a single location and point in time. Mountain goat hunters who practice ethical hunting should consider the consequences their actions could have.

Best Practices For Hunting Mountain Goats In A Sustainable Way

Hunters can help mountain goat conservation by following hunting regulations and guidelines and being mindful of the impacts of hunting on mountain goat populations. To hunt mountain goats in a responsible way, hunters should follow best practices such as:

  • Choosing a hunting area carefully: Look for a location with a healthy mountain goat population and a diverse range of habitat types. Avoid areas with declining populations or degraded habitat, and limit the number of goats harvested from a small or declining mountain goat herd. Learn about local populations by speaking with regional wildlife managers. Hunters should scout ahead of time to learn about the zone being hunted and identify what areas are accessible and where harvested animals may not be retrievable. Scouting can help identify the general population size and areas where the goats are commonly found. If hunters are looking for a later season goat with a thicker hair coat, accessibility issues should be addressed ahead of time.

  • Obey all hunting regulations and guidelines: Hunters must always become acquainted with, and follow, the hunting regulations and guidelines in the area where they will be hunting. These laws have been established to ensure the long-term survival of mountain goat populations and the equitable distribution of hunting opportunities.

  • Location:  Mountain goat hunting in steep terrain necessitates careful consideration of the potential risks and consequences. Hunters may pursue animals to high elevations or follow them into difficult-to-navigate areas. This increases the risk of accidents or injuries not only for hunters, but also for the mountain goats. When mountain goats are harvested, they may fall off cliffs or become stranded in inaccessible areas, making retrieval difficult or impossible.

  • Harvest: When hunting mountain goats, it is critical to ensure that you are shooting the correct animal. Shooting the wrong animal can have serious consequences, including legal penalties, ethical concerns, and potential harm to the mountain goat population as a whole. Hunters should take several precautions to avoid accidentally shooting the wrong animal, including:

    • Ensuring that no animals are directly behind the targeted animal, as high-velocity ammunition can pass through one animal and into another, killing or injuring both.

    • When pursuing an injured animal, make sure that any additional shots are aimed at the same injured animal to avoid accidentally shooting another animal.

Minimizing The Impact Of Hunting On Mountain Goat Populations

To reduce the impact of hunting on mountain goat populations hunters should:

  • Take time to carefully observe the animal before shooting: Prior to taking the shot, it is critical to observe the animal for a sufficient amount of time to ensure that you are confident in your determination of the individual's sex and confirm that it is a legal and safe target.

  • Practice selective hunting: Selectively hunt animals rather than taking the first animal that comes into view or harvesting just to have a trophy to display. Selective hunting necessitates the development of expertise and the ability to practice accurately aging and identifying the sex of goats in the field. Selective hunting entails the following:

    • Selecting to harvest billies. This contributes to a stable, healthy, and balanced mountain goat population.

    • Recognizing that the number of hunters in some jurisdictions and even in some local areas can greatly exceed the total sustainable harvest that could occur in an area. Hunters who have had previous mountain goat harvest success should consider limiting personal harvest by not harvesting a nanny or an animal of prime breeding age; instead, choosing an older male will make a difference in mountain goat conservation.

All images on this page © Darryn Epp Photography

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