Submitted By:
Tim Herald – USA Guest Author
I was recently asked, “What is the best North American hunt you have ever been on?”
Without so much as a second thought, I replied, “My BC mountain goat and moose hunt.”
In fact, the hunt was so good that a friend and I just this week rebooked the trip, and we will be headed back to Moose Valley in northern British Columbia this fall. I fully expect we will come home with moose and goat.
On my hunt, a mountain goat was my primary species of interest as I have dreamed about this regal species since I was in grade school. If I could take a goat and have some time leftover, a big Canada moose would be a pretty good bonus.
My outfitter was Ron Steffey and Moose Valley Outfitters, and Ron told me on our 20-mile horseback ride into camp, that in 25 years as an outfitter, he had only had one client ever go home without a goat, and it was simply because the hunter was severely out of shape. My spirits began to rise, and they went sky high as we spotted a number of goats before we got to camp.
The second day of our hunt dawned cold and clear, and after breakfast we glassed the peaks visible from camp. It didn’t take long, and Leaf, Ron’s son and my guide, spotted a lone goat on an open face about 4 miles away. He had scouted the area, and though we couldn’t judge the goat at that distance, Leaf knew a quality billie lived in that drainage.
We mounted up, rode the horses for three solid hours, and we tied them up above treeline. We woofed down a quick lunch as we made our game plan for a stalk, and then headed out in the rocky world of the mountain goat.
We expected the billie to be just over a ridge in front of us that would give us a view of his basin, but after climbing and crawling to the top, the goat was nowhere to be seen. There was nothing to do but cross the basin and ascend to the next ridge.
Down and up we went (much easier said than done), and within a couple of minutes of being on the second ridge, we spotted the goat. He was bedded on a precipice 400 yards away and was looking dead away from us. The wind was perfect, so we dropped below the ridgeline and began cutting the distance.It took about 30 minutes, but we were finally able to crawl up to a large rock that was the last cover between us and the billie. With my Nikon Riflehunter rangefinder, I determined the goat was 162 yards away, and I knew with a steady rest, this would be a chip shot.
It took about 30 minutes, but we were finally able to crawl up to a large rock that was the last cover between us and the billie. With my Nikon Riflehunter rangefinder, I determined the goat was 162 yards away, and I knew with a steady rest, this would be a chip shot.
I dialed my Monarch scope up to 16 power, centered the crosshairs, and squeezed the trigger of my .300 Win Mag TC ICON. Everything was perfect as the 180-grain Winchester Accubond found its mark just behind the goat’s shoulder, and I had my 9 ½-year-old mountain trophy.
I had six days left in my hunt, so after a day of recovery and relaxation, we began hunting the lowlands for moose. On the fifth day of the hunt, Ron called a big 51-inch Canada moose out of a willow thicket, down a river bank and into easy muzzleloader range. When the white smoke from my TC Endeavor cleared, the big bull tumbled backwards, and I had completed a perfect northern combo.
Hunting for multi species in British Columbia’s northern wilderness regions really is like stepping back in time to the good ol’ days of mountain hunting. I am counting the days until I will be back in Moose Valley.
To book a quality hunt with this outfitter, e-mail Ron Steffey at [email protected] .
