A spotting scope can help you make the distinction between female and male mountain goats, but it cannot help unless you have a clear image of the difference between a billy and a nanny already in your mind. This vital knowledge must be brought with you into the field. A great way to familiarize yourself with the distinctive features of a male mountain goat is to get out several mounted goat heads and study their horn curvature from a distance. Can you still pick out the relevant characteristics at 200 yards? 300 yards?

Good equipment is paramount when it comes to maneuvering the notoriously difficult terrain of Goat Country. It costs 13 times as much energy to move your body one foot upward than one foot horizontal, so solid, well-made shoes with a sole that ‘bites’ into the mountain and provides secure, safe footing are an excellent start. The right shoes will be efficient on a variety of surfaces, as weather conditions will vary significantly throughout the day. Conditions you can expect to encounter include dead, decaying, and slippery alpine vegetation, killed off by early frosts; icy or sun-crusted snow; and crumbling rock.

The better your boots, the higher your confidence! In terms of clothing, you’ll want apparel that sheds moisture and heat quickly, with an outer layer that is impervious to rain and wind, but still sheds enough heat while climbing to keep the hunter cool. Silent materials are best to avoid spoiling critical stalks. If you wear glasses, it’s a good idea to bring a spare: if you exert yourself into a sweat, the glasses will quickly fog, making it difficult to spot opportunities or dangers in time.

When climbing about in the typical ruggedness of wild Goat Country, rifles are prone to smashing up against rocks or ice. For this reason, it’s a good idea to equip one of your rifles with a detachable scope and peep sight, and your other rifle with only peep sights. It’s also beneficial to carry spare rifles and knives, with a good screwdriver to aid in assembly and disassembly. If you use wooden stocks, you should be aware of the potential for the swelling the damp mountain air can cause, as this could displace your point of aim by up to three feet at 100 yards.

No matter how prepared the hunter, accidents can happen, which is why it’s important to carry a small survival pack consisting of a small, sharp axe, a hunting knife, a small tarp, iron rations, and a medical kit on your pack board.

Tip Before departing on your hunt, learn to tie a diamond hitch: it’s the easiest way to secure your meat to your pack frame for your descent from the mountains.

In the field, slow and steady wins the race. Take your time stalking your target, being sure that what you’re looking at is truly an adult male. Differences can be subtle, especially early in the season. If you determine, at closer range, that the goat you are stalking is a female, or a young billy with short, thin horns, or that collecting the goat would be at all be dangerous, then comes your test of character. Can you now turn and silently slink away, leaving the mountain goat where it was, without spooking it?

Once you’re sure that you’ve got your scope on a male, it’s best to take your time, swing out generously, and come into a solid position for an accurate shot. That’s why your footing needs to be secure, your clothing and equipment silent and your mind disciplined, waiting out the goat for the perfect and most humane shot. If you miss your target slightly, injuring the animal as it fleas, it’s best to let it go. Following a wounded goat can be dangerous, as one invariably ends up below the goat where hazards like falling rocks or a sudden charge are likely.

Mountain Goat Country is generally also Grizzly Bear Country. Gone are the days when encounters with grizzly bears were rare occurrences. In our goat mountains today, safety requires that one carry a rifle that can be instantly used for shots at close range, and in the magazine of one’s rifle deep-piercing ammunition, just in case one has to shoot through the skull, spine or shoulders of an angrily approaching grizzly. If you revisit your goat kill, be sure to advance slowly with exceeding vigilance. Have your loaded rifle – safety off! – at the ready. Should you see that what remains of your goat has been covered with twigs, which grizzlies often do, retreat cautiously, but quickly.

Carry an excellent flashlight with extra batteries and do not descend the mountains in the dark without it. If you are caught late up in the mountain, or if fog closes in, the best solution is to spend the night on the mountain. Move below timberline and look for a nice stand of alpine of fir or spruce beside some running water. Clear the ground and make a nice, hot fire to dry yourself out. One can make a lean-to from a poncho, and below that a bed of soft fir bows. Don’t skimp on bringing in wood, as you have lots of time! Drag some rotten, soaking wet logs and place them on the off-edge of the fire. Here they will slowly dry and flow into long lasting coals, reflecting heat and light into the lean-to.