Elk NetworkHunter Prefers Pack GOATS over Pack Mules

General | September 20, 2017

Most elk hunters who prefer four-legged companions to venture deep into the backcountry either take along horses or mules. Howie Halcomb is not most elk hunters.

“Pack goats make my life easy,” Halcomb told the Spokesman-Review. “Being from Switzerland, they’re big and adapted to the mountains. They have a good disposition and they’re not quitters.”

Halcomb says his goats weigh about 200 pounds apiece and can carry 20 percent of their body weight. They also love to eat sagebrush and ponderosa pine needles. Their versatility allows him to travel lighter and hunt deeper in elk country.

“I killed a 6-by-6 point bull in Idaho last year. I was in there for 12 days and didn’t see another human. I was where other guys don’t want to carry elk out of.”

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(Photo source: Howie Halcomb)