Valley hunting update

Fernie Rod and Gun Club junior member Colton Hutchinson harvested a great billy goat in his second year of hunting. October 2 was the day that Colton, his dad Darcy and friend Rick Blackwell hiked into the Soda Walls, located past Hartley Lake, to look for a goat for young Colton. After a three-hour hike the trio came across some goats in a large basin approximately 360 yards away. Unfortunately the guys could not get any closer as the goats had them pinned down as they were out in the open. There was nothing for Colton to use as a rest so he used his dad as a rest. The guys picked out the largest billy and watched as Colton hit the goat twice with his Remington 243. The goat managed to walk out of the basin and out of sight of the hunters. They followed and tracked the goat and found it standing under a cliff just below them. Colton’s last shot to finish off the goat was at 12 feet.  A proud father and excited son were all smiles standing above the great billy goat. The horns are approximately nine and a half inches long and will be a lasting memory for the young hunter. Cheese smokies, pepperoni, breakfast sausages and jerky is what is in the works from all the meat from the goat. Colton’s hunting plans now include trying to harvest an elk and whitetail. Last year Colton harvested a mule deer buck, his first big game animal. Great job Colton!

Important notice for mountain goat hunters:-

Minimizing the female (nanny) harvest of mountain goats has been identified as an important conservation action. Previously, the MOE has addressed concerns with the harvest of females through voluntary compliance among hunters to select a male mountain goat (billy). While the proportion of females in the harvest has decreased, there continues to be concerns over the high harvest of female mountain goats in some areas. In order to address this concern, a new regulation has been implemented for 2011/12 and 2011/12 hunting season that states: - “It is unlawful to hunt a female mountain goat accompanying a kid or a female mountain goat in a group that contains one or more kids.” This regulation does not protect all female mountain goats as a solitary female mountain goat, or a female mountain goat within a group of goats that does not contain kids, would still be legal to harvest. All mountain goats have to be inspected within 30 days of the kill or before Dec. 5 of the year of the kill, whichever occurs first. Along with goats, mountain sheep, grizzly bear, cougar, caribou and bull moose (region 4) have to be inspected for scientific analysis and provides wildlife managers with valuable information about the sex, age and condition of animals being harvested. If you have an animal that needs to be inspected please contact Don Patterson in Sparwood at 250-425-2550.