# Lost Goats Article



## sweetgoatmama (Dec 10, 2008)

Lost Goats Article

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR GOATS GET LOST

Over the last several years, goat owners have occasionally lost goats when out hiking or camping. The land managers in all areas frown on goats being left to their own devices in the wilderness and so it reflects negatively on all packgoat owners when a goat is lost. To say nothing of how badly the goat and most of the owners feel. I say most because there have been reports of goats left because their owners are angry with them for not performing up to their expectations.

How to find a lost goat: 

The best way is to not lose him in the first place. There are a few scenarios that make it more likely that your goat will disappear. One is on the trail when being passed by hikers that are going back to the trailhead, especially when the goat is young, has been imprinted to follow a moving human, and the owner is sitting down, not paying attention to the goat. Another is in camp, when the goat is loose and the goat canâ€™t see where the human has gone, such as into a tent, or early in the morning when a group of hikers or other stock goes by and the goat follows them. Other factors that may cause goats to leave camp would be excessive bugs, predators coming into or near camp and severe weather. If any of these scenarios exist it is recommended that you tie all of your goats in camp. Thereâ€™s nothing more heart stopping than looking up expecting to see your goats and have no one looking back.

The first thing you need to do is to, in the best tradition of Leave No Trace, is to plan ahead. Every goat should have an ID tag and a bell. The ID tag should have your contact information, including your cell phone number and home number, and, if you like, the words, â€œREWARDâ€. This sets your goat apart from a dumped, worthless goat. Army surplus stores often have dog tag machines, which have plenty of room for information such as your name, home state, etc. A bell may help discourage predators and also, if they havenâ€™t gotten far, give you a sound that indicates the goats are on the move. Use a big enough bell that it is audible, especially if the goats start to run. Good bells are available from goat supply catalogs, or REI sells bear bells with a Velcro strap. You can use a larger, louder bell at home to summon everyone to dinner every night. Then take the bell with you. Use it in camp when you feed your treats. Also, make sure you have a couple of photos of your goats with you to post with â€œLOSTâ€ signs. A couple of pieces of paper, a couple of short golf pencils and some string will make an adequate sign. There are also Radio Frequency devices such as are used by mothers to track their children and hunters with dogs. {Charlie, can you add URLs}

Next, in camp, unless you really know your goats, and they know you, itâ€™s worth tying up at least one goat, preferably the ringleader, so that you can see if he panics when he sees the other goats leaving. There are reasons to highline and not to highline, so thatâ€™s not the argument here. Itâ€™s to know your goats and what triggers a goatâ€™s desire to leave. Make sure your lead goat knows where you are at all times. If you duck into a tent he may go looking for you if he didnâ€™t see you go. Keep in eye contact with him. If you donâ€™t have a lead goat yet, tying one is a second choice. Bugs will make goats go walkabout to find a place where they get relief. Use repellent as necessary. 

Rex Summerfield says: â€œAlso I would caution about tying only one goat at night when you are asleep. Under normal conditions that should keep them all close to camp. But if the conditions are severe enough, the remaining goats may head out anyway and by the time you figured out what was going on they may already be gone. Iâ€™m getting more and more convinced that most people should tie their goats at night.â€

If the goats are on the trail make sure they are all with you every time you pass another party. Also, getting a hold of your lead goat will help prevent separations. If one goat starts back, have someone else in your party grab at least one goat while you go after the wayward one. That way you are less likely to have goats spreading out all over. Call to the people to stop and wait. Most people are pretty good about this.

Camp out of sight and preferably hearing of the trail. Goats have great eyes and ears but wonâ€™t go too far to check something out. 



IF YOUR GOATS ARE REALLY GONE

Usually youâ€™ll find them very close but somewhere you canâ€™t readily see them. Often they will climb up onto any rocks to get a breeze or to get away from bugs. If you are in mountains you should always suspect that they have gone uphill and to where the undergrowth is less or the food is better.

Rex added: Goats have been reported to keep climbing once they are lost. They feel most comfortable in high rocky places and if your area has places like that make sure to check them for tracks and other signs the goats are around.

But, sometimes they are really gone. Start by walking a circle around your camp, and try to spot which way they left. Look for berries, chewed leaves, footprints, etc. You may have to go a ways out of camp, always circling the camp to find where they really left, and not just where they have been walking around camp. You should be ringing your bell at this point also. If you have been diligent and theyâ€™ve only been gone a minute or two and a predator hasnâ€™t run them off you should be able to find them pretty quickly.

If you find a trail, take your bell and follow them. If you donâ€™t find a trail and get no response to the bell, itâ€™s time to head toward the trailhead or possibly another trail that crosses the one you are on, especially if they have been in the area before. Again, watch for signs that they have been through there.

IF you have checked these areas thoroughly and not found them, itâ€™s time to get worried. If you have multiple people in your party, leave one in camp and send the best hiker out to the trailhead. Get a sign up with your cell phone or contact info such as where you are camping, which trail you took in, etc. If you were by yourself, Iâ€™d post one at the lake or campsite also so when you leave, if the goats come back, someone will realize they are lost. 

Rex added: â€œAsk in the note that they tie all the goats or none. The person who found them wouldnâ€™t know which was the herd leader and would most likely tie the friendliest subordinate goat. I can see the others butting it while it was tied helplessly or worse, leave it bawling which would attract predators from miles around.â€ Iâ€™d also add that you put in the note that they only be tied if they plan to make contact with you that day.

If you have to leave the area, head for the nearest land managerâ€™s office and report them lost. Leave your info with them. If they are closed and itâ€™s a weekend, get their phone number so you can call them Monday morning. Leave the information there on their door.

When you get home, try to get a search party lined up as quickly as possible. The sooner you get back up there and the more people the better. Post to the packgoat e-list asking for assistance. Retrace all your steps and post better signs. Also try to talk personally to the land manager about the situation and impress on him or her that you are very concerned and will do whatever it takes to retrieve your goats. Ask that his or her field employees be notified so that they can talk to hikers about the goats. Keep looking, even if you have to go up on the weekends to do so. Goats have been found months after they disappeared.

LEAVING GOATS IN THE WILDERNESS

Never leave a goat in the wilderness deliberately. The land managers are watching us to see how we handle our stock, since we are so new to the packstock scene. They are horribly concerned about the disease possibilities and leaving an animal to die and spread disease is unacceptable to them and should be to us also.
If for some reason you cannot get a goat out you need to first take his load off, do whatever first aid seems appropriate, and see if he can hike out on his own. If you have to spend an extra day doing this, do it. 

If itâ€™s impossible to move the goat, try a travois or a stretcher if you have enough people to carry him.

Rex added: â€œIf, despite your best efforts, it becomes obvious that the goat can not make it out then it may become necessary to remove it to a place several hundred yards from any areas frequented by other recreational users and humanely dispatch it.â€
Think through how you plan to do this before you go out in the woods. Itâ€™s not fair to the goat to leave him to fend for himself. Land managers recommend this form of dispersal if you are unable to remove the goat on your own. 

If you canâ€™t find the goats right away then report to the land managers what you are doing to address the problem and try to get people up to look at the area as often as possible. Try to get people from the packgoat list, hunters, horsemen groups, and individuals to keep an eye out and watch for them. Goats have been found several months after they were lost. Donâ€™t give up too soon. And donâ€™t abandon them; they are your responsibility.

Carolyn Eddy-Excerpt from Practical Goatpacking, 2nd edition

With the help of : 
Charlie Goggin-Lightfoot Packgoats
Larry Robinson-
Rex Summerfield-Northwest Packgoat Supply
Tim Gallaty


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## Herb (Dec 12, 2008)

We follow two rules:

1. Tethered or Supervised.

2. 50% -- If we're letting goats browse around camp without our 100% attention, no more than 50% of the herd is off the tether at any one time, often 1/3. When the lead goat is off tether, he doesn't get to share time with his best pals, they'll get the next shift once the leader is back on.


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