58 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL AUGUST 2019 | aksportingjournal.com
Steep mountains are second nature to
seasoned goat hunters, who perhaps
risk more for their quarry than other
sportsmen. “You’re a slip away from
death. You walk along trails that are
more narrow than your body,” writes
author Brian Watkins. (BRIAN WATKINS)I often tell people that the best
goat hunters have the shortest memory.
Goat hunting isn’t just physically draining.
Being tangled in alders, stuck in willows
or pushed back by raspberry bushes
can drive a man insane. Some of us go
back every year into the world of mis-ery even though we vow to never do it
again.
It’s a test of will and endurance, and
often you question your sanity as you
drive through the thick brush. At least
once a trip, every goat hunter asks,
“What the hell am I doing here?”You have to forget the misery and
remember the joy to go again.
After you push through the brush,
you’re suddenly in the cliffs amongst
the goats. You’re a slip away from death.
You walk along trails that are more nar-
row than your body. You trudge through