Thread: Images of the full moon & goats

Out hunting rabbits and possums at Pukerua Bay two nights ago, the night before the official full moon.
Kapiti Island.
The lights of Paraparaumu in the distance.
The old SHW1 coast road to the extreme right.
And then the goats turned up!

Just never know when goats will turn up x

They're there already, you just haven't seen them yet that's evidently how it works

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

They're there already, you just haven't seen them yet that's evidently how it works

Yup, they have, historically, always been on the ocean cliffs, both northwards and south all the way to Owhiro Bay.

About a year ago I saw some on the cliffs at Baring Head light house.

Bet those would be fun to recover!

Recover??

@quentin @6x47 RECOVERY
Goat meat is the most eaten meat in the world and is very delicious! My wife would rather eat goat than venison! I even like eating the mid-aged Billy goats, "Stinkers" as they are affectionately known! Once you get rid of the skin and genitals they don't smell too bad! The Billy meat is generally tougher, and stronger flavors, but if you age it, dry brine and slow crock pot it, it can be tender and delicious! There are heaps of good goat recipes in books and on line.

Because my wife likes goat, I do try to recover some that I shoot. The most I've ever got in the back of my ute is eleven. They were only 50 - 200 metres from the pylon track on clear, scrubby, farm land.

I didn't shoot any of the goats on the cliff the other night, mainly because I only had my 22LR firing Winchester 36grn HP HV 555 and whilst I, and many other hunters, have kill goat with 22LR (my last two were Winchester Subsonic 42grn HP. Both one shot kills but only at 6 & 10 metres) , they goats were at 15 - 50 metres and I didn't want to risk chasing wounded goats around on a cliff at 2 in the morning! Also some farmers do an annual goat round up and sell feral goats to Taylor Preston's. There is can team of experienced goat herders who will come out an do the muster. In this case I need to checker with the farmer, a regular client, that the goats were actually on his land and what his plans were around mustering them. I couldn't check that at 2am, apparently some people are asleep then?

I checked the next day and have been given the green light to shoot one or two, for the freezer, "Or the whole fricken lot if you can get them all!" Good challenge! So I'll be taking the triple duce for a workout and parking my ute at the topof the cliff with a very long rope attached! LOL piece of cake. And I'll be doing it in daylight, dusk, two clock in the middle of the night!

Roll on goat curry!
B

I can almost read that billys mind in photo... "What the heck is that guy doing up here at 2am"

Originally Posted by trapperjohn

I can almost read that billys mind in photo... "What the heck is that guy doing up here at 2am"

Yup, agreed! But it was one of those magic nights without wind, moonlight so bright that I didn't need to use my head lamp and each time I came over a ridge there would be more pest animals. The possum are nesting on the cliffs. I shot 22 rabbits and 16 possum. Man I love killing possums, pity I'm not geared up to pluck them!?
Cheers Hugh Shields Controlled Rabbit Culling

My experience of shooting goats off the side of a cliff, generally go like this. If I shoot them from the top of the cliff, they will roll to the bottom. If I shoot them from the bottom of the cliff, they will get hung up in a tree near the top.
On the occasions where it all works out, I'll happily take them for food.

Feral goats on public walking track in England

Originally Posted by Hugh Shields

Yup, agreed! But it was one of those magic nights without wind, moonlight so bright that I didn't need to use my head lamp and each time I came over a ridge there would be more pest animals. The possum are nesting on the cliffs. I shot 22 rabbits and 16 possum. Man I love killing possums, pity I'm not geared up to pluck them!?
Cheers Hugh Shields Controlled Rabbit Culling

if you get them quickly after shooting you pluck them just like a duck...by hand,small tufts at a time, carry a couple of bread bags with you,will fit 4-5-6 in a bag. if three possums up same tree..only shoot ONE... stay under tree and pluck it,then shoot next one and pluck,then third...that way they dont get chance to cool off..the fresher and hotter they are the easier to pluck.