Chat
10-20-2014, 12:04 PM
Electric fence (even a weak one) is excellent bear protection. Because they are incredibly well-grounded with their giant paws, even a small output electric fence packs a wallop on a bear. They're not very effective against mountain lions, but I don't know of anything that's foolproof against them (although livestock guardian dogs help). Luckily cougars aren't known to raid camps too often.
My biggest concern with leaving goats loose in camp is that if predators come through, your goats are not going to stay put no matter how well-bonded they are to you. A goat that bolts in panic is very likely to get lost--perhaps forever. It seems like a tied goat is a captive feast, but as long as your goats are tied nearby you should hear the ruckus if a predator comes after them. You're better able to defend them if they're not running all over the place. I know it's been popular to leave goats untied in camp for a long time (I've done it myself), and usually you can get away with it. But there are so many stories of goats getting lost this way that I've become quite leery of continuing this practice. All it takes is one curious bear or a bad lightning storm and you may find yourself waking up to an empty camp. Even human beings panic and do stupid things in extenuating circumstances, let alone prey animals with a hardwired instinct to flee danger. With the Forest Service breathing down our necks and listening for any sign of loose packgoats these days, I think it's in all our best interest to take every precaution to prevent escapees.
My biggest concern with leaving goats loose in camp is that if predators come through, your goats are not going to stay put no matter how well-bonded they are to you. A goat that bolts in panic is very likely to get lost--perhaps forever. It seems like a tied goat is a captive feast, but as long as your goats are tied nearby you should hear the ruckus if a predator comes after them. You're better able to defend them if they're not running all over the place. I know it's been popular to leave goats untied in camp for a long time (I've done it myself), and usually you can get away with it. But there are so many stories of goats getting lost this way that I've become quite leery of continuing this practice. All it takes is one curious bear or a bad lightning storm and you may find yourself waking up to an empty camp. Even human beings panic and do stupid things in extenuating circumstances, let alone prey animals with a hardwired instinct to flee danger. With the Forest Service breathing down our necks and listening for any sign of loose packgoats these days, I think it's in all our best interest to take every precaution to prevent escapees.