# Goat safety during hunting seasons



## jross (Dec 20, 2008)

How do you folks keep your goats from get shot during hunting seasons? I put "visibility collars" that I bought from Butt Head on my guys, but that's pretty minimal protection, I think. I have seen elk wearing bright orange radio collars before. A full-blown "goat coat" in a bright color would work very well, but then how do you put a packsaddle on the critter? Maybe a "tank top" goat coat that just covers the neck and shoulders, but would allow a packsaddle to be put on would work. If you are actually packing the saddle and panniers make the goat look not at all like a deer or elk. But I wish somebody made something that you could just put on the goat and leave it on, with or without the packsaddle, and was more than just a collar.


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## Rex (Nov 30, 2008)

We use fluorescent orange panniers and saddle pad when they are packing and red coats when they're not.


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## Sbell (Dec 13, 2008)

Rex said:


> We use fluorescent orange panniers and saddle pad when they are packing and red coats when they're not.


Same here and put up orange around the high line.


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## nrspence (Dec 10, 2008)

You would not think with a hunters orange collar, pack saddle and panniers of any color or size a goat would mistaken for wild game. I think the orange collar and orange flagging is as far as ill go for highlined goats during rifle hunting season.


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## tgallaty (Dec 11, 2008)

I use bright colored pads and panniers, but mainly, I like to pack into the backcountry where few, if any, other hunters go. I have not ever come across any other hunters while deer or elk hunting with my goats, but I've only been doing this for about 5 years now. I think that the type of person who would shoot at a goat is not likely the type of person who would venture very far off the beaten path. 

Tim


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## nrspence (Dec 10, 2008)

Amen to that Tim.
Nate


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## jross (Dec 20, 2008)

Rex has a picture, down in the "sponsor links" entitled Winter Wonderland, in which the goats are wearing some kind of orange vest. That's what I'm looking for. 

A couple years ago an elk hunting guide was shot and killed here in NM by an idiot with a rifle 300 yards + away. The guide was caping the elk the idiot had shot. 

What Tim said about idiots and drunks not getting very far from the roads is certainly true, but if I could take a simple and cheap precaution to protect my boys I would certainly do it.


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## Rex (Nov 30, 2008)

The picture jross mentioned is of Alida Bockino in northern Idaho. She can be found in the member list. I believe the vests were hand made by her.

I also agree that distance from the trail head may help and I admit that I often rely on that way of thinking on my own hunting forays. In reality I'm not sure it is a safe as we may think. Accidents often happen when you get a guy who hikes back into an area and believes he is the only person there. It can lead to them shooting quicker because they are "positive" there wouldn't be anyone or anything else that far in. 

I once had a guy "run me down" in the woods because he was 100% convinced I was an Elk. I even turkey called the guy and he ignored it and came on anyway. He was making me nervous because he was charging in as hard as he could go, so I set up behind a tree and let him come. When I stood up he about peed himself. He told me he just "knew" I had to be an Elk because he had never seen another hunter in there. I'm just glad he was bow hunting!

Just illustrates the point that when people get something in their head they may ignore things that should be obvious. A big red coat is hard to ignore.


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## steve morgan (Dec 13, 2008)

Bow season probably isn't as bad as rifle season. One reason I only hunt archery now is because of crazy people. We have a local guy that spay paints his goats horns floresent orange or pink while he is hunting modern. I think a orange or bright colored vest of some sort sounds the best. Something that doesn't get the goat to hot in the early season. Steve


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## jross (Dec 20, 2008)

Where I live (SW NM) is in the middle of a popular elk and deer hunting area. And there are hunts (bow, muzzle loader, and rifle) from Sept 1 to Dec 31. Staying out of the woods during that time is out of the question, whether I'm hunting or not. We go for day hikes all year round. 

What I think would be perfect would be a vest-like thing that fits over the shoulders, covers the neck up to the collar (maybe even attaches to the collar) and front of the chest, and could be worn with or without a packsaddle. It needs to be really tough, and not tend to get caught in brush and pulled off. It should be flourescent orange, with big letters on it saying "GOAT". I'll bet that I'm not the only person who needs something like this. And I'll also bet that there is somebody who has the knowledge, equipment, and ability to make such a thing at a reasonable price and make a profit. I know of 3 packgoat equipment manufacturers, maybe one of them could do this?


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## sweetgoatmama (Dec 10, 2008)

I can't remember who it was that took red reflecitve jersey vests, the really cheap kind like you see on grocery store attendants when they are picking up carts and put some velcro straps on them and put them on their goats.

I saw or heard this somewhere.


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## Rex (Nov 30, 2008)

This guy recently shot a Llama in Montana and put his elk tag on it. Makes you think twice about leaving some orange on your goats.

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2009/0 ... hunter.txt

[attachment=0:28uuk5m5]Llama Hunter.JPG[/attachment:28uuk5m5]


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## nrspence (Dec 10, 2008)

Ya i got that email forwarded to me. What an idiot. I guess the hunter was from New York(no disrespect intended).
Nate


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## kentd71 (Dec 13, 2008)

I use as much orange and red as possible. Our mountians around here have a lot of hunters. In the last couple of years a guys horse was shot with a rifle because someone thought it was a moose or elk. The guy was on his horse when it was shot. Now that is scarey. Some times it is safer to stay out of the hills.


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## idahonancy (Dec 13, 2008)

Attached are catolog photos of dog vests. My dog wears the orange one, she is very fast through the woods. It attches to her collar by folding back on itself with velcro. There is a wide elastic band under her belly and a velcro attachment which is under the vest near her ribs, not on the outside. As we approach the fall I'll let you know how my goat prototype works out


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## idahonancy (Dec 13, 2008)

Goat safety vest. It was fashioned after the dog safety vest. Getting Hobbs to stand still for fitting and pictures is lots of fun. This type of vest goes quickly over thier heads. The 2 inch elastic belly band has a snap buckle like a backpack waist band. The fabric is a light weight polar fleece, it stretches. There is a reflective band that gives it a little area of no stretch. We walk in the evening around roads. The goal of designing a vest that does not get caught in the brush is a bit difficult. Still working on it.
IdahoNancy and Hobbs the Oberpacker


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## jross (Dec 20, 2008)

Your goat vest looks great. I think cordura nylon would be a lot tougher and resist damage better than fleece. I like the idea of using a buckle rather than velcro to keep it on him.

I have used the dog vest in your previous post (lower picture). It works pretty good, but my dog lost a couple of them. He snagged them on something and the velcro attachments popped loose. The dog vest in the upper picture looks more secure. That's what you patterned your goat vest from, isn't it?

I have some of Butt Head's "visibility collars". They are pretty good, but I like even more color on my goats during hunting seasons. We have some especially idiotic and dangerous deer hunters here.

We go for a lot of day hikes with the goats and we don't need full blown panniers, just something to hold lunches, water, jackets, etc. I have been using brightly colored tote bags (from Walmart) hung on the packsaddles. They are really cheap and last quite a long time. Walmart had some pretty good ones on sale the other day. Normally $12 marked down to $3. So I bought 6 of them. They are all kinds of bright colors, double nylon, with sturdy straps. Each person gets his/her own tote bag. The different colors make it easy for each person to identify their bag (green striped bag on Moose, or red and blue bag on Pinto, for example).


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## idahonancy (Dec 13, 2008)

I love tote bags. My boys are color coordinated also, red, orange, and green. My concern with the nylon was heat retention. With the open chest on the vest do you think the cordura nylon would retain more heat? The polar fleece 100 is light, comfortably stretchy, breathable, and comes with a water repellent finish. Some of our hunting is in September and October when it is still warm. We do a lot of cross country hiking in brush. If the vest does not hold up I'll have to give the cordura a try. The vest is quick to make.
We live at the base of a 1000 foot elevation hill. It provides great quick access exercise. After work I don't take the time to saddle the boys. We take off quickly. Without saddles they seem to run, jump and goof off more. My theory during the work week is to get the most exericse in the shortest amount of time. 
IdahoNancy, Hobbs, Cruz, & Scout Oberpackers


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## jross (Dec 20, 2008)

Since you have the fleece vest made I would just try it out and see how tough it is. I know that around here things have to be very tough to survive. We have all kinds of snaggy scratchy bushes and trees, and the goats just power right on thru that stuff. The downside of the goats being indifferent to their packs is that they drag them thru all kinds of rough brush. 

During Sept when it's still pretty hot here, the hunting is limited to bow hunters. And I don't worry so much about being out then. I think the packsaddles and tote bags, and visibility collars are adequate to keep the goats from getting shot then. What I worry about are the rifle deer and elk hunters that come out in Oct, Nov, and Dec.


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## lenallen (Mar 25, 2009)

1. 360-visibility: We make tubular knit blaze orange collars by removing the tops of stocking caps. (The caps are manufactured from a knitted tube with one end sewn shut .) I happened to notice in a recent photo of my goats from the rear that I could not see the collar from behind on two of the goats in the photo. I also hear of hunters who, perhaps desparately late in the season and about to lose bragging rights, will shoot a deer from any angle just to cripple it so they can get to it to do the kill shot. So...we are looking for something visible from behind as much as from the side.

2. "Sound Shots": I overheard two hunters discussing "sound shots" taken by some idiot hunters, i.e., even if you can't see it, shoot toward the noise. So we carry a Storm Whistle, which is claimed by the scientist inventor to be "the loudest whistle in the world." In any case, we boldly blow the whistle any time we are cresting a hill or rounding a curve that brings us in to fresh view of possible hunters. Hopefully no sound-shot hunters would want bag a deer that goes around blowing whistles on family hiking trails.


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## idahonancy (Dec 13, 2008)

The vest does not give adaquate visablity for the rear. I'll probably use the high viability collars with the vest. My boys have nice little tinker bells for my ears when hiking or around camp. During hunting season they wear the bear bells. IdahoNancy


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## Jeff Horner (Dec 6, 2009)

ground marking flags from hardware store. orange flags on metal wire that can be coiled up for storage. you can snake wrap them around top of sawbucks or loop and zip-tie them on. wire works like pipe cleaners for bending. 50 of them cost approx. 4-7 $. and each flag will go 20 trips. they are visible, shake a little and blow in the wind. they really work.


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## Rex (Nov 30, 2008)

Thats a great tip jeff.


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## Huckleberry (Mar 12, 2010)

Getting ready to do alot of hunting and hiking in areas with other hunters, although it will only be open for bear and archery I want to keep the boys safe. I haven't found a dog vest that I think would work great. I think I'll use some coats or fabric draped over the boys who will wear saddles, but I'll have two that won't be so I'd like to buy or make something. Any ideas or patterns? Also, theres a pic on the sponsor links panel to the right, the goats in the snow are wearing orange ones, does anyone know if these can be purchased or if they're home made?


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## idahonancy (Dec 13, 2008)

Just got this dog vest for from a friend. It was to big for her dog. It is made of softer flexible nylon but it does not stretch. You would still need the high visibility collar during hunting season. It is from a company called Guardian Gear. It is size XXL. It can be found on ebay for $20. It really is nice design to stay on a goat. 
Photo courtesy of Hobbs


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

I buy a cheap roll of florescent ribbon. 
And tie it to what ever. I have even put it
completely around them. Where a kill shot
would be. Behind the front shoulders.
It is tougher than you think and easy to
replace if it is torn.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

Vet wrap comes in some very bright colors now, not sure about orange but if your goat has horns you could wrap the horns with vet wrap. Very cheap and if it comes off, simple enough to re wrap it with more.


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

I've seen teenagers with orange hair, I think it comes in a can. Just spray the whole goat ;-)


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

Or that... lol


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