Chat
09-27-2016, 07:18 AM
Hello all,
I am originally from Pennsylvania and have recently moved to Georgia.
A little back history on me:
I pretty much grew up on a dairy farm. I have been around horses and livestock almost all of my life so being around and taking care of animals isnt really an issue for me.
I realize that pack goats will take a lot of work and several years before they will be ready. I have about 50 acres of land. So space for these goats will not be an issue.
I got back from a semi-successful hunting trip into Colorado this season. DIY OTC hunting area. I wont bore you with the details.
I'm about 160 pounds and this season I backpacked in about 5 miles with everything on my back and I decided that was the last time it was going to happen. I have been looking into pack goats for about two years now and have done a ton of research.
I am strongly considering getting 4-6 pack goats (weathers).
I camp lightweight. I have lightweight gear for backpacking. so really I am only going to be using the goats to get meat out and to get that heavy nasty pack off my back. I will carry my bow and wear my day pack with lightweight stuff in it.
I have a few questions/concerns that some of you may be able to help with. I think I have watched just about every single video on the internet when it comes to pack goats . haha
Some people say "Never leave your goats at camp" I guess my question is what are you doing with them when you are hunting? Tying them up? (I have my concrn with them becoming a bear/mountain lion snack). Having them hunt right along side of me seems like it would be a complete disaster as an archery hunter with them making noise the entire time??
Also, I cant really find on the internet just how much a pack goat drinks for water in a day.
If I could have 4 goats that carry 40 pounds each that would be a lot of gear that I wouldn't have to have on my shoulders/back.
I hunt deep in the national forest and I know for sure that there are predators there so I am trying to figure out if goats are really for me or not.
I love Marc Warnke's videos. They have been very helpful.
The real big question and big ticket item to all of this comes in a two part question.
Is it practical to have pack goats to hunt out west when I live 1500 miles away and am only able to hunt two weeks a year?
Will my goats be able to travel that distance in a trailer?
Finally, will my goats who are raised and trained at 1500' Elevation be able to hunt at 10,500 elevation?
I know there is a lot of information on this forum but these are my major concerns. I just don't want to invest time and money into Packing goats if it just isn't practical.
I really don't want to go the horse/mule/llama route. Those are just too expensive to feed and are not practical for me to own.
Any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated before I end up with an epic failure and get the kids attached to the goats only to have them as pets for the next 15 years.
Gary
I am originally from Pennsylvania and have recently moved to Georgia.
A little back history on me:
I pretty much grew up on a dairy farm. I have been around horses and livestock almost all of my life so being around and taking care of animals isnt really an issue for me.
I realize that pack goats will take a lot of work and several years before they will be ready. I have about 50 acres of land. So space for these goats will not be an issue.
I got back from a semi-successful hunting trip into Colorado this season. DIY OTC hunting area. I wont bore you with the details.
I'm about 160 pounds and this season I backpacked in about 5 miles with everything on my back and I decided that was the last time it was going to happen. I have been looking into pack goats for about two years now and have done a ton of research.
I am strongly considering getting 4-6 pack goats (weathers).
I camp lightweight. I have lightweight gear for backpacking. so really I am only going to be using the goats to get meat out and to get that heavy nasty pack off my back. I will carry my bow and wear my day pack with lightweight stuff in it.
I have a few questions/concerns that some of you may be able to help with. I think I have watched just about every single video on the internet when it comes to pack goats . haha
Some people say "Never leave your goats at camp" I guess my question is what are you doing with them when you are hunting? Tying them up? (I have my concrn with them becoming a bear/mountain lion snack). Having them hunt right along side of me seems like it would be a complete disaster as an archery hunter with them making noise the entire time??
Also, I cant really find on the internet just how much a pack goat drinks for water in a day.
If I could have 4 goats that carry 40 pounds each that would be a lot of gear that I wouldn't have to have on my shoulders/back.
I hunt deep in the national forest and I know for sure that there are predators there so I am trying to figure out if goats are really for me or not.
I love Marc Warnke's videos. They have been very helpful.
The real big question and big ticket item to all of this comes in a two part question.
Is it practical to have pack goats to hunt out west when I live 1500 miles away and am only able to hunt two weeks a year?
Will my goats be able to travel that distance in a trailer?
Finally, will my goats who are raised and trained at 1500' Elevation be able to hunt at 10,500 elevation?
I know there is a lot of information on this forum but these are my major concerns. I just don't want to invest time and money into Packing goats if it just isn't practical.
I really don't want to go the horse/mule/llama route. Those are just too expensive to feed and are not practical for me to own.
Any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated before I end up with an epic failure and get the kids attached to the goats only to have them as pets for the next 15 years.
Gary