Granite Grunts and Goats
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Granite Grunts and Goats
Negotiating an arvo off from family duties (phew, keeping up with an active 3yr old is hard work!), I headed out with the intention of heading up the gully I shot my second goat after a bit of loose 4wding to get into gully start. With a mid 30's temp, driving was the preferred method and the S/SW winds mixed with the W facing terrain and natural thermic draw up the gully meant that the winds would be hard to keep on top of and not get busted. Grabbing the gear, I flung a couple of quick arrows into my portable target to get the fingers moving then headed off through the scrub towards the creek bed proper. This gully is a funny one that appears from nowhere out of the steep slope, rising some 400m in about 1.6km and is a semi-constant 10-20m width at it's base for most of it's length, with one small patch of permanent water in the lower reaches.
Hitting the almost gate like opening, I slowed down not wanting to spook any 'roos or 'bies in the cool shade of the valley floor. Just as I was thinking about if it was worth heading off the main creek into a small cool/shady side creek I've been told has held good Sambar, I looked up and saw a big brown and black billy step behind a tree. What were the odds? 5min in on my first pick?
Slipping on my tab, I tip-toed up into the 'v' of the two creeks and watched/listened to a few goats including the brown/black billy climb the face of the slope between the two creeks. Hiding in the bracken I wasn't able to race forward enough to get into shooting distance as they crossed in front of me.
The billy stared in my direction a couple of times, but he kept moving and I closed the distance just reaching cover in time to watch a couple of other goats cross high up above me. Waiting for them to round the brow of the ridge, I climbed hard up behind them - the wind had already swirled around a bit and I picked the good gusts to make tracks quickly and stop when it was against me. Closing in, I crept over the brow of the hill and picked a young kid browsing on some blackberries 25m away - just out of range. Sneaking closer, I heard more goats in the creek bed and across on the other side of the gully. Getting into 20 odd meters, I couldn't get a clear shot away, when another nanny below sniffed half a warning. Realising it wasn't close to mum, the kid turned and cleared out following the rest of the mob. By this time the wind had swirled behind me, and the brown/black billy snorted and turned to stare me down from 40m away. Keeping still in the shade of some scrub I was sure he couldn't see me, and after a bit of waiting he headed off again. Watching the rest of the mob mill around on all sides of the gully I heard a bleat off to my left up another small creek gully coming in to join the main drainage. My original plan had been to cross the main gully and head up the other side, but with lots of eyes and no cover, I kept to the thicker wattle scrub and closed the distance while the mob continued up the gully - most crossing over into the shady NE facing slope out of the late afternoon sun. Pausing just shy of the second creek, I again heard a bleat higher up to my left, so I turned and headed for the noise, slowly creeping through the brittle and dry wattle rubbish.
Reaching a nice little blind of fallen trees I spotted a mature white one horned billy in the gully bottom. Thinking his natural track would take him along the slope across the creek in front of me, I stopped and sat down. Just as I did, I spotted a white nanny on my side of the creek feeding towards me about 40m away, then a large black/brown billy looking in my direction about 20m away high above me on the slope facing front on. He immediately stepped towards me and stared hard, but with my camo neck sock pulled up and hat down, I knew it wasn't likely to make me out if I kept still. After a 5min stare off, he turned and made to move off but I was up to his tricks and didn't move - sure enough he quickly swung back to stare me down for another 5min. Luckily my seat was pretty comfortable, so I wasn't in any danger of moving. I would have taken a shot, but he was behind a couple of small saplings and the risk of a deflection was too high. A couple more false alerts to see if his suspicions would be confirmed, he turned side on and took two steps. By this time I had an arrow nocked and quickly came to full draw. Without realising it the arrow was on it's way through a window and at 18m punched through his right leg and straight into the lungs. Turning, he bolted with only a couple of bleats, crossed the gully and ran 30m across and stopped in front of me. Swaying a couple of times, he turned and fell, rolling down the hill to stop at the bottom of the gully all of 20sec after the shot. The white billy had continued on, but turned to look at his fellow bruiser, before turning again and making off.
Through all this the nanny hadn't been disturbed, so as I was really after some more table meat I checked on the billy (stone dead) and began another stalk across the face through the thistles, loose rocks and wattles towards her. With the wind in my favour and some cover in patches I made good progress before an injudicious step loosened a large rock. I desperately tried to stop it from taking off but failed, and the nanny was onto me. Keeping low I waited until she had moved into some coprosma and took a few quick steps, only to look up and see her staring me down. She was within range, but in the scrub didn't present a shot. We played cat and mouse for 10min or so before the wind changed and she got my scent and took off.
I went back to the billy to check him out and find my arrow which had lodged in his leg. Finding the two halves of the arrow almost touching on way to him, I guessed a complete penetration which was confirmed when I reached the billy.
Entry, a little low but did the job
A quick measure had him at a 30" spread, though I didn't bother with taking the head or meat.
Returning to the main gully I sat down and listened and watched the mob go about their daily business.
Taking a drink, I heard a car drive past on the main ridge road a km or so above me, almost immediately followed by the mournful wailing of a hound and what sounded like yelling.
$h*^, Doggers!!! (or at the least a loose dog chasing something)
Wondering if I would be able to take advantage of someone else's drive and ready to begin shouting if there was any shooting, I sat and watched the goats waiting for them to move off again as many of them had bedded down in the shade. After about 10min or so of more howling, I noticed that some of the billies in front of me had begun growling, snuffing, panting, groaning and generally making a ruckus. When a few fights started breaking out I wondered if the sounds I had heard were in fact goats higher up the gully as they appeared totally unconcerned. Keeping an eye on the mob on the other face, I slowly dropped back down the main gully to a spot where I could cross and follow the main mob. By this time the bedded goats and moved off along the face of the gully and I was able to follow along. Spying what appeared a lone nanny on the other side, I picked her as my target, but kept to the original 'busy' side of the gully to keep as many eyes off me as possible and to keep my profile out of the sun while coming up behind her and as it ultimately turned out 2 other goats.
Putting in a bit of hard climbing through a couple of tough patches brought me closer and I heard a sniff not far off above me in a thick patch of bush. The binos revealed a hidden goat, but further on the original kid I had first stalked along with a mixed family of nannies, billies and another young kid. Contouring around I decided to pick which ever presented the best option as I closed the gap on all the goats. The goat in the thick scrub picked me up and snorted and moved off nervously, so I stopped climbing and concentrated on closing the gap on the original nanny. By this time she had been joined by a scruffy and very small horned billy. He kept chasing her around, and she turned to fend him off a few times.
Taking advantage of their pre-occupation, I was able to close the gap to about 25-30m using some trees and the contour of the slope. After a couple of hard words, he eventually got the rewards he was after and was able to mount her a number of times as I followed along behind (is it unsporting to take a game animal in the ultimate distraction?). They dropped down into the gully base, and when they turned a sharp corner in the creek I quickly closed the gap and crept towards the corner. Suddenly high above and behind me there was a sharp bleat and I looked back to see the family mob looking at me. Choosing to ignore them in the hope they wouldn't alarm too much and knowing I would be out of site in a few steps I turned the corner to see my way barred by a couple of large fallen dead tree trunks with the two love-struck goats on the other side about 20m away. With no clear shot, I crept forward hoping that the wind wouldn't suddenly switch as I had perfect cover to get into under 10m for a good clear shot. Just as I was thinking of nocking an arrow in preparation of taking the last few steps, I felt the wind on the back of my neck and they were off.
Bugger.
Knowing there was still another nanny off on my left in the thick bush I turned and watched the brush until a movement gave her away. I clung close to the gully side and shadowed her along hoping a dead tree above her would push her down towards me giving me a good shot distance of about 15m, but by this time the family behind me could see me and began sniffing again, and when the wind swirled yet again she took off up the side of the slope away from me. With the family behind me unsure as to what I was, they kept closing to make me out, so I took a few steps out of site then quickly turned and bolted up the slope using a tiny drainage 'v' in the slope to keep out of sight. Reaching their level I stopped and picked a blind in some grass trees to wait. As they crossed the slope above me and just below the roll of the slope, a billy began to chase a nanny around and when they turned and headed back the way they had come. With the rest of the family continuing on, I raced up and across the slope trying to guess where they would return as I was sure they would. Of course, by this time they had turned again and were racing back through almost where I had just been so I quickly turned again and chased them back throwing caution to the wind hoping they would take me for another goat. A bit of loving happened as I closed the gap, but I spooked them and they quickly stopped and stared at me through the scrub. Trying to close the gap they realised I wasn't a friend and split in different directions with the nanny dropping down the almost sheer face and across to the other side. The billy meanwhile had turned and trotted off back down the gully.
Although I'd spent a couple of hours listening to horny goat action, my best 'sexy-lonely-nanny' bleat wasn't up to scratch and he took off like a cut cat and didn't stop before he breasted the ridge in front of us.
Shrugging my shoulders I headed for the car reaching it happy but stuffed. Checking my GPS I worked out I'd covered about 3.5km and climbed about 200m to my max elevation. What was interesting was the number of animals around (including I can only assume more further on from the 'howling'), certainly the highest number I've come across before and that there were at least 3 billies with very similar colouring to mine, possibly brothers?
The mournful wailing was uncannily hound like, and I was almost convinced that I could hear yelling, but as the goats were entirely unfased by it all and the sounds never got closer despite the wind blowing from the source towards the mob and me, I can only assume that it was produced by a goat.
Hitting the almost gate like opening, I slowed down not wanting to spook any 'roos or 'bies in the cool shade of the valley floor. Just as I was thinking about if it was worth heading off the main creek into a small cool/shady side creek I've been told has held good Sambar, I looked up and saw a big brown and black billy step behind a tree. What were the odds? 5min in on my first pick?
Slipping on my tab, I tip-toed up into the 'v' of the two creeks and watched/listened to a few goats including the brown/black billy climb the face of the slope between the two creeks. Hiding in the bracken I wasn't able to race forward enough to get into shooting distance as they crossed in front of me.
The billy stared in my direction a couple of times, but he kept moving and I closed the distance just reaching cover in time to watch a couple of other goats cross high up above me. Waiting for them to round the brow of the ridge, I climbed hard up behind them - the wind had already swirled around a bit and I picked the good gusts to make tracks quickly and stop when it was against me. Closing in, I crept over the brow of the hill and picked a young kid browsing on some blackberries 25m away - just out of range. Sneaking closer, I heard more goats in the creek bed and across on the other side of the gully. Getting into 20 odd meters, I couldn't get a clear shot away, when another nanny below sniffed half a warning. Realising it wasn't close to mum, the kid turned and cleared out following the rest of the mob. By this time the wind had swirled behind me, and the brown/black billy snorted and turned to stare me down from 40m away. Keeping still in the shade of some scrub I was sure he couldn't see me, and after a bit of waiting he headed off again. Watching the rest of the mob mill around on all sides of the gully I heard a bleat off to my left up another small creek gully coming in to join the main drainage. My original plan had been to cross the main gully and head up the other side, but with lots of eyes and no cover, I kept to the thicker wattle scrub and closed the distance while the mob continued up the gully - most crossing over into the shady NE facing slope out of the late afternoon sun. Pausing just shy of the second creek, I again heard a bleat higher up to my left, so I turned and headed for the noise, slowly creeping through the brittle and dry wattle rubbish.
Reaching a nice little blind of fallen trees I spotted a mature white one horned billy in the gully bottom. Thinking his natural track would take him along the slope across the creek in front of me, I stopped and sat down. Just as I did, I spotted a white nanny on my side of the creek feeding towards me about 40m away, then a large black/brown billy looking in my direction about 20m away high above me on the slope facing front on. He immediately stepped towards me and stared hard, but with my camo neck sock pulled up and hat down, I knew it wasn't likely to make me out if I kept still. After a 5min stare off, he turned and made to move off but I was up to his tricks and didn't move - sure enough he quickly swung back to stare me down for another 5min. Luckily my seat was pretty comfortable, so I wasn't in any danger of moving. I would have taken a shot, but he was behind a couple of small saplings and the risk of a deflection was too high. A couple more false alerts to see if his suspicions would be confirmed, he turned side on and took two steps. By this time I had an arrow nocked and quickly came to full draw. Without realising it the arrow was on it's way through a window and at 18m punched through his right leg and straight into the lungs. Turning, he bolted with only a couple of bleats, crossed the gully and ran 30m across and stopped in front of me. Swaying a couple of times, he turned and fell, rolling down the hill to stop at the bottom of the gully all of 20sec after the shot. The white billy had continued on, but turned to look at his fellow bruiser, before turning again and making off.
Through all this the nanny hadn't been disturbed, so as I was really after some more table meat I checked on the billy (stone dead) and began another stalk across the face through the thistles, loose rocks and wattles towards her. With the wind in my favour and some cover in patches I made good progress before an injudicious step loosened a large rock. I desperately tried to stop it from taking off but failed, and the nanny was onto me. Keeping low I waited until she had moved into some coprosma and took a few quick steps, only to look up and see her staring me down. She was within range, but in the scrub didn't present a shot. We played cat and mouse for 10min or so before the wind changed and she got my scent and took off.
I went back to the billy to check him out and find my arrow which had lodged in his leg. Finding the two halves of the arrow almost touching on way to him, I guessed a complete penetration which was confirmed when I reached the billy.
Entry, a little low but did the job
A quick measure had him at a 30" spread, though I didn't bother with taking the head or meat.
Returning to the main gully I sat down and listened and watched the mob go about their daily business.
Taking a drink, I heard a car drive past on the main ridge road a km or so above me, almost immediately followed by the mournful wailing of a hound and what sounded like yelling.
$h*^, Doggers!!! (or at the least a loose dog chasing something)
Wondering if I would be able to take advantage of someone else's drive and ready to begin shouting if there was any shooting, I sat and watched the goats waiting for them to move off again as many of them had bedded down in the shade. After about 10min or so of more howling, I noticed that some of the billies in front of me had begun growling, snuffing, panting, groaning and generally making a ruckus. When a few fights started breaking out I wondered if the sounds I had heard were in fact goats higher up the gully as they appeared totally unconcerned. Keeping an eye on the mob on the other face, I slowly dropped back down the main gully to a spot where I could cross and follow the main mob. By this time the bedded goats and moved off along the face of the gully and I was able to follow along. Spying what appeared a lone nanny on the other side, I picked her as my target, but kept to the original 'busy' side of the gully to keep as many eyes off me as possible and to keep my profile out of the sun while coming up behind her and as it ultimately turned out 2 other goats.
Putting in a bit of hard climbing through a couple of tough patches brought me closer and I heard a sniff not far off above me in a thick patch of bush. The binos revealed a hidden goat, but further on the original kid I had first stalked along with a mixed family of nannies, billies and another young kid. Contouring around I decided to pick which ever presented the best option as I closed the gap on all the goats. The goat in the thick scrub picked me up and snorted and moved off nervously, so I stopped climbing and concentrated on closing the gap on the original nanny. By this time she had been joined by a scruffy and very small horned billy. He kept chasing her around, and she turned to fend him off a few times.
Taking advantage of their pre-occupation, I was able to close the gap to about 25-30m using some trees and the contour of the slope. After a couple of hard words, he eventually got the rewards he was after and was able to mount her a number of times as I followed along behind (is it unsporting to take a game animal in the ultimate distraction?). They dropped down into the gully base, and when they turned a sharp corner in the creek I quickly closed the gap and crept towards the corner. Suddenly high above and behind me there was a sharp bleat and I looked back to see the family mob looking at me. Choosing to ignore them in the hope they wouldn't alarm too much and knowing I would be out of site in a few steps I turned the corner to see my way barred by a couple of large fallen dead tree trunks with the two love-struck goats on the other side about 20m away. With no clear shot, I crept forward hoping that the wind wouldn't suddenly switch as I had perfect cover to get into under 10m for a good clear shot. Just as I was thinking of nocking an arrow in preparation of taking the last few steps, I felt the wind on the back of my neck and they were off.
Bugger.
Knowing there was still another nanny off on my left in the thick bush I turned and watched the brush until a movement gave her away. I clung close to the gully side and shadowed her along hoping a dead tree above her would push her down towards me giving me a good shot distance of about 15m, but by this time the family behind me could see me and began sniffing again, and when the wind swirled yet again she took off up the side of the slope away from me. With the family behind me unsure as to what I was, they kept closing to make me out, so I took a few steps out of site then quickly turned and bolted up the slope using a tiny drainage 'v' in the slope to keep out of sight. Reaching their level I stopped and picked a blind in some grass trees to wait. As they crossed the slope above me and just below the roll of the slope, a billy began to chase a nanny around and when they turned and headed back the way they had come. With the rest of the family continuing on, I raced up and across the slope trying to guess where they would return as I was sure they would. Of course, by this time they had turned again and were racing back through almost where I had just been so I quickly turned again and chased them back throwing caution to the wind hoping they would take me for another goat. A bit of loving happened as I closed the gap, but I spooked them and they quickly stopped and stared at me through the scrub. Trying to close the gap they realised I wasn't a friend and split in different directions with the nanny dropping down the almost sheer face and across to the other side. The billy meanwhile had turned and trotted off back down the gully.
Although I'd spent a couple of hours listening to horny goat action, my best 'sexy-lonely-nanny' bleat wasn't up to scratch and he took off like a cut cat and didn't stop before he breasted the ridge in front of us.
Shrugging my shoulders I headed for the car reaching it happy but stuffed. Checking my GPS I worked out I'd covered about 3.5km and climbed about 200m to my max elevation. What was interesting was the number of animals around (including I can only assume more further on from the 'howling'), certainly the highest number I've come across before and that there were at least 3 billies with very similar colouring to mine, possibly brothers?
The mournful wailing was uncannily hound like, and I was almost convinced that I could hear yelling, but as the goats were entirely unfased by it all and the sounds never got closer despite the wind blowing from the source towards the mob and me, I can only assume that it was produced by a goat.
- TomMcDonald
- Posts: 1125
- Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2008 8:49 pm
- Location: Canberra
Re: Granite Grunts and Goats
Entertaining story, good pics and very nice billy. Congratulations.
- Stickbow Hunter
- Supporter
- Posts: 11637
- Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2003 8:33 pm
- Location: Maryborough Queensland
Re: Granite Grunts and Goats
Thanks for sharing your hunt; it was a good read and congrats on the billy also.
Why don't you place your story here, as you did with your last hunt, and be in the running to win the bow: http://www.ozbow.net/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=45
Jeff
Why don't you place your story here, as you did with your last hunt, and be in the running to win the bow: http://www.ozbow.net/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=45
Jeff
Re: Granite Grunts and Goats
Thanks guys, always good to get material (and I think I've worked out an easy work around for the image posting).
Jeff
couldn't do that, can't stack the numbers![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon/lol.gif)
Jeff
couldn't do that, can't stack the numbers
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon/lol.gif)
Re: Granite Grunts and Goats
A great story and well set out. Congratulations on the billy in what looks like challenging country. Good to see someone out and about taking some game.
Cheers Wayno
Cheers Wayno
Justastik Arrow Craft, Its all about the Wood.
Re: Granite Grunts and Goats
A great read, thanks for sharing and congratulations on the billy.
Cheers emu
Cheers emu
Bugger work lets go Hunting
Re: Granite Grunts and Goats
I would have certainly taken the back legs and back straps of that billy. Nothing wrong with the meat from a billy although they are stinky critters.
Well done and a Good read.
Cheers Muz
Well done and a Good read.
Cheers Muz
Re: Granite Grunts and Goats
Thanks guys!
Muz
yes, I would have taken some had it not been so hot, but I was hoping to get a nice young nanny and didn't want to carry it around with me for the next couple of hours.
Muz
yes, I would have taken some had it not been so hot, but I was hoping to get a nice young nanny and didn't want to carry it around with me for the next couple of hours.
- Gringa Bows
- Posts: 6331
- Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2007 7:09 pm
- Location: Bundaberg QLD
Re: Granite Grunts and Goats
top story mate ,man that billy is in good nic
- Guy Layton
- Posts: 609
- Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2008 7:39 am
- Location: N.S.W
Re: Granite Grunts and Goats
Fantastic read... solid billy mate in what looks like steep country...![😉](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/s9e/emoji-assets-twemoji@11.2/dist/svgz/1f609.svgz)
The broadhead used, regardless of how sharp, is no where as important as being able to place it in the correct spot....!