Coyotes/wolves/bears

[Duck-Slayer]

I am not sure which section to post this in to get the most view's and possible suggestions, 

My question is when you pack into the backcountry where do you keep your goats?

Also, this was my first year in the backcountry with goats - seem's like having them tied to a tree by your camp is asking for trouble, mainly from a hungry bear or wolf, 

I know that the coyote's won't come in very close, I tied my goats about 15 yards from my tent on all 3 backcountry hunt's this year and they came with me during the day, but what do you do if you need to leave them at camp? or a mile or two away from you as you put a stalk on a bedded deer or elk?

Am I just being paranoid? i've put lots of work and money into my animal's and do not want to lose them all in one giant swoop by some predators..... 

i've been just keeping them close while i'm sleeping and taking them with me during the day, for elk it's fine, just tie them up 75 yards behind me, they seem to be fine and the elk are interested in the noise's they are making, but stalking deer is a totally different ball game, I would have too leave them a long way's off probably to put a stalk on a bedded buck.... any suggestions?
Matt

[IdahoNancy]

Tough one if you are hunting alone. Having a partner is the perfect answer. Elk don't seem to mind the goats but any bedded animal will be alerted by the movement of goat and possibly give away your position. Deer seem more wary than elk in general but I have had a number of encounters where deer are curious about the goats. One day my goats and I were followed by a buck in rut. Alot of my practice with the goats and deer is during the summer when we are hiking. If the opportunity presents put a stock on a deer with your goats.
You are wise to consider predator presser in the area you hunting. Bears don't seem to care about goats and generally will leave them alone. We have had bears in camp at night looking for our elk meat and they don't bother the goats. Maybe I am just lucky or they don't like my electric fence. Dogs and cats are another story. They just don't like humans and tend to keep their distance from camp but under no circumstances would I ever tie my goats up out of sight in the wilderness. No deer is worth that to me.

[natemc]

https://youtu.be/umTO38YnroY

Here is Marc's presentation from the Rendezvous this last year. Worth watching and or listening to it for your questions. I've spent a pretty fair bit of time in the wilderness or backcountry where the wild things roam. I'm new to the goat adventure however. I'm not really speaking from experience myself with the goats, but with the dogs(not mine, but the purse puppies that others bring camping), we have to worry about bears in the coast range. We try to keep camp clean enough to not intrigue the wildlife to snoop around. I plan to ground tie for the safety of the goat and don't plan on using them by myself on solo hunts. They will only be used to pack out meat after a kill, say a local morning or evening hunt. Or Jessica will get the phone call to load them up if I'm solo hunting in the wilderness out east. I've had numerous conversations with Marc about this and you don't want to leave your goats in camp. I can tell you from my experience this summer and fall. They follow me everywhere around the property whether I want them to or not. Last thing I want is to be solo hunting with a big buck or bull hung up at full draw. Only to have Brogan snuggle up for some loving. That's the best case scenario that rolls through my head. But like I said earlier, this isn't from goat experience but from time in the backcountry with inexperienced others and their no added value pets.

[Duck-Slayer]

Yes, I have listened to this and have talked to him, he does not like to leave the goats at camp, they get ran off through the packable electric fence that he brought with on his elk hunt.
Matt

[IdahoNancy]

What is the "coast range"? Does it have the big bears. Idaho has mostly black bears and a few grizzly up North here. Not a high population but we do have a lot of respect for them.
The behavior of our goats definitely change when we are in close with elk particularly if it is a bull bugling. We cover a lot of miles on foot at times for days in a row. My goats are tired. When we stop they either eat or lye down. They do come to full alert when an elk or any animal approaches in the wilderness. The young ones follow the alert behavior of the older ones. Mine don't tend to cling on me or get out of sight. They just stand still and stare at what ever is approaching. Some of them will stand up if lying down when a noisy elk approaches but some don't. It is odd but the goats always seem to on our periphery and have not gotten in the way of a shot of an elk. If we are archery hunting in a pair the goats wander between the 2 of us. When alone they are most often behind me. The goats seem to be intuitive about our intense attitude when an elk approaches. They don't move much if we are locked onto something with a laser focus. My boys have been around bugling elk every September since very young age.