Typical Day & Tactics

Arrive in Prince George or Fort St. John, and overnight at a hotel. The following morning most hunters take a cab to the charter plane base and depart on a quick beautiful flight to the main lodge. Meet your guides upon arrival and make final preparations to head out on the land the following day. Overnight at the main lodge and depart at daybreak by horseback, or jetboat, stopping at either a wall tent camp location, or small trapper cabins, and eventually spike camps if needed as the expedition treks deeper into the vast outfitting territory.

Each morning the wrangler assembles the horses while the guide makes breakfast and packs lunches. Depart camp early arriving to a strategic glassing spot for the first part of the morning. Move to various other key glassing locations through the day, over multiple days, if that’s what it takes. Move spike camps to different areas as needed to locate the biggest goats. Once a shooter is identified, the guide examines the best routes up the mountain, with shots ideally staying inside of 300 yards. Depending on the scenario, it’s not uncommon to “put goats to bed” with a plan to return first thing in the morning and spend all day focusing on a certain Billy.  Once a big goat is down, capture it with photos and carefully pack the hide, horns, and meat off the mountainside. Once cared for and salted, attention can then be put towards secondary or bonus species such as Moose, Elk, Wolves, Black Bears, or fishing!

Mountain Goats are hunted from mid-August to mid-October. The first half of the season is a great time to combine Elk and Black Bear. And the last half of the season coincides perfectly with the Moose rut. Wolves can show up anytime, but sitting overlooking a fresh moose carcass is always a good strategy. With any luck, there may also be some excellent bonus Bull Trout fishing available at some point during the hunt, or if tagged out early!

Once back at the main lodge, spend the evening repacking personal gear, meat, and trophies for the trip home before the charter arrives. The meat most conveniently can accompany hunters as checked luggage if they wish to bring it home. Several coolers of deboned meat salvages the bulk of the animal and complies with airline regulations. What meat is not taken home can be donated. Hides and horns will be brought to a local taxidermist who can then do the complete work, or tan and prep the trophies for export, as desired.

Landscape & Climate

This region of the central Rockies is largely subalpine with steep green mossy or rocky slopes above vast conifer forests. Meandering ridge tops separate various large basins carved out by several prominent local rivers. The timberline rises to roughly 6000 feet, but the goats are not always up high, often spotted in the timber or caught trading between mountains across the valley floor. Spruce, Pine, Fir, and Poplar forests prevail. Huckleberry crops seem endless some years and the low country is laced with Alder thickets. This wilderness is also home to Grizzly bears, Pine Martins, Porcupines, Lynx, Beaver, Chipmunks, Bald & Gold Eagles, Ravens, Grey Jays in addition to all of the huntable species.

This is a land of extremes. Early season is generally warm, while late season can often see snow. Precipitation is not generally prevalent but quality rain gear is always encouraged. Early season can be warm in the low country, while late season can see cold winds in the high country. Temperatures should generally be above the freezing mark, but late season or higher elevations will see the mercury fall. Hunters are encouraged to come prepared for anything, as any-and-all weather types will likely be experienced over the course of these 10-day hunts.

Meals & Accommodations

Accommodations on this hunt will vary throughout the trip and can depend on the specific hunting area or primary species. All hunters initially arrive at the main lodge or base camp. Here there are several lakeside log homestead buildings that include a main building with common areas, kitchen, and dining areas. There is also a shower, bathhouse, and mobile sleeping quarters for guides. The lodge is complete with Wi-Fi and phone service to keep in touch while away.  While hunting, some locations are complete with rustic trapper cabins, or nice wall tent camps with cots and wooden floorboards. Most have outhouses, lantern lighted with propane cooking stoves, and guide constructed chairs and picnic tables. Portions of these hunts also occur from spike camps which are simple but provide for a hunter’s needs. Nice dome-style tents, with lanterns and stoves, position hunters exactly where they need to be at dawn each morning.

While out on the land, the guides cook over campfire or Coleman stoves. Meals are filling but effort is made to pack light. Typical breakfasts consist of hash browns, eggs, bacon, coffee, juice, toast, and porridge with berries. Plan on packing a lunch made up of sandwiches, trail mix, protein bars, some fruit, and juice crystals. Dinner time brings items like hamburger helper, beans, smokies and sausages, Mountain House (Chicken Teriyaki, Spaghetti), pork chops, or wild game steaks with instant rice, potatoes, or sidekicks. While transitioning through the main lodge, enjoy hearty wholesome home-cooked meals.

Key Equipment Suggestions

Once a hunt is confirmed, the outfitter can provide a complete list of the required equipment to ensure hunters are prepared for the conditions and this style of hunting.  Key equipment items include; quality, lightweight, layered clothing for weather that ranges from warm sunny days in August, to cold snowy days in early October, lightweight -20C or colder rated sleeping bag, sleeping pad, a good lightweight internal frame day-pack, hydration system, quality binoculars, spotting scope and rangefinder, trekking poles, good quality broken-in hiking boots and gators, a headlamp, a backup flashlight, multitool, quality raingear, and a digital camera. Hunter orange is not required in British Columbia. Lastly, firearms and archery equipment, or both.