Hunt MG4952
Hunt, hunter:guide ratio	Price per person in 2011
Mountain goat, 1x1	$7,000 for goat $8,000 for goat/deer combo Both 7 day hunts
Travel	Hunter success
Fly to Sitka. No extra charter flight. Early season (August) goat hunts have the option to take a float plane to a high lake to start out at a higher elevation, total cost about $1,600 per pair of hunters. No motel stay required.	Typically 80% or more, depending on weather and hunter's shape. 6 goats for 8 hunters in 2010, and one hunter lost his after it fell on a cliff and hung up halfway down. The only unsuccessful hunter was 63 years old and unable to hunt as hard as necessary.
Difficulty	What to expect
All goat hunting requires good physical conditioning. Mental toughness is just as important. This hunt is not for obese hunters or heavy smokers.	Hunters usually see 30 to 40 goats. There are about 2,000 mountain goats on Baranoff Island. Expect steep
Licenses	Area
Tags and license not included. You do not have to draw a tag to take this hunt. Click here for tag prices.	Baranoff Island, the only island in southeastern Alaska with a major goat population.
Not included in hunt price	Notes
Taxes, taxidermy, butcher fees, license and tags, transportation between hunter's home and Sitka, Alaska.	The state allows 21 non-resident goat hunters on the island per year. This outfitter and one other control all but five of the tag quota. The other outfitter charges $8,000.

This mountain goat hunt takes place on one of the most scenic and rugged islands on earth, Baranoff Island in southeastern Alaska. The outfitter in 2008 bought out another operator, doubling his quota of hunters per year to eight. He said he is keeping his price a bit below most goat hunts to ensure that he fills up. Unlike many goat areas in Alaska, you do not need to draw a tag in this area.

The outfitter offers hunting in August, October and November. During September he is busy guiding brown bear hunters. On his late hunts he picks you up at the airport in Sitka. You'll have to pay an extra charter flight into a high-altitude lake if you choose the August hunt. The cost for that charter was about $1,600 for a pair of hunters but is subject to change.

There are two chief factors that affect hunter success: the weather and the hunter's physical and mental conditioning. The weather is more likely to hamper hunting in November, when the animals have long winter hair. But occasionally rain clouds drop low in August, too, preventing spotting of animals at long range. Usually hunter success is 80% or more. Only hunters in good shape should consider this hunt as hiking in steep country is difficult even in the best of conditions and even more difficult if the snow is deep. Lots of snow does help in one way, however, and that's because it forces herds of Sitka blacktail deer down to the beaches. This is an ideal time to enjoy a combination deer-goat hunt.

Baranoff is the only island in southeastern Alaska with a major goat population. There are about 2,000 goats on the island.

"Most of my hunters see 30 or 40," the outfitter said. "But goat hunting is a young man's game. You have to be in shape; you have to be able to get up to them. I've had hunters see big goats at long range and choose to take an average goat that was easier to reach.

"If I get a guy in August who doesn't mind the shorter hair, the weather is usually nicer. If a hunter can hike, that early hunt will give him an excellent chance to get a nicer goat. The goats are way up on the peaks then. And though my August hunters usually see a lot of goats, it's still a hard hunt because the walking is not easy.

My son and some young guides go up and hunt with them on that early hunt. Often the hunter will say something like, 'I can't make it over to that big billy; let's just take this one.' Even though you fly into a high lake, you have to hike up a steep ridge, it's not dangerously steep, but it still takes a great deal of effort. I had two hunters last year who did not want to hike to the 20 to 30 goats they could see. So I definitely stress to hunters that it's a physical hunt. If you're not in shape, it knocks your odds down quite a bit. But if you can handle rigorous hunting, you should be able to get a really nice goat, assuming the weather is on your side long enough during your trip."