Mountain goat hunting, a dangerous sport requiring willpower.

With the ability to climb cliffs and nearby walls without fear of falling, this peculiar animal uses its hooves like nimble pincers to quickly ascend steep, vertical terrain. This mammal, similar to mountain goats, is a herbivore belonging to the family Bovidae, order Artiodactyla, and is commonly seen on the highest peaks of the Alps in Europe or mountainous regions of the United States and Canada.

Mountain goats climb steep cliffs.

Being herbivores, these mountain goats typically live in areas with abundant grass and coniferous trees. They need to absorb a certain amount of minerals to function properly when lacking essential nutrients from meat. Therefore, they climb the cliffs around the mountains to find these minerals. Their rubbery feet and cloven hooves help them climb up to 50 meters high quickly and maintain balance. In the spring, these mountain goats will lick roads treated with salt to prevent freezing or chew on mud.

On the other hand, the mountain goats in Colorado use their special ability to evade predators. Thanks to this, animals like leopards, bears, hyenas, and bobcats cannot reach them. However, no matter how high they climb, mountain goats cannot escape the predatory North American eagles. These birds deliberately herd the mountain goats down into ravines and then devour the rest.

Mountain goats possess a unique set of hooves that allows them to traverse any steep terrain. Their hooves bear a resemblance to the sabaton worn by medieval knights. The sabaton lacked a sole; it was a metal plate placed over the knight's boot, creating a hard, armored foot with a soft sole, and a hard edge that made contact with the ground. The mountain goat combines the best elements of both types of hooves: its hooves have a hard edge, a soft sole, and multiple toes for grip.

In addition, the two separate toes can be spread wide to make it easier to place the foot, or closed tightly together for a firmer grip on the rock. Once the foot is on the rock, the hooves ensure that the goat cannot slip, no matter how rough the surface is.

Mountain goat hunting tour

The mountain goat hunting season begins in early September and lasts until the end of December. However, as winter progresses, the weather becomes harsher, making tracking more difficult. With patience during this period, visitors may be able to hunt mountain goats with snow-white coats.

According to Kuiu, preparing for a goat hunting tour requires both physical and mental training. Hunting mountain goats means spending hours climbing mountains, enduring the sun and dew to track the target. Mountain goats rarely stray far from the high mountain pastures. Spotting a goat isn't too difficult, as their snow-white coats are visible from afar against the rocky and grassy backdrop. Tracking them is the real challenge. Mountain goats have exceptionally good observational skills and intuition for detecting enemies.

"Hunting mountain goats is a test of the limits of the human body. You have to carry a lot of gear and hike through mountains as high as 4200m in Colorado or seemingly endless vertical forests at 600m in Kodiak," wrote Kuiu.

Mountain goat hunting is a unique but equally dangerous experience. 2014 saw a boom in independent mountain goat hunting, resulting in numerous fatal accidents in the Colorado mountains. At North Maroon Peak, the Aspen Rescue Association discovered the body of a 42-year-old man who had died while tracking a mountain goat. He had successfully brought down the animal and was carrying all its fur and meat. However, a single misstep led to his tragic end at the bottom of the ravine.

The demand for mountain goat hunting is increasing, along with the safety risks associated with this activity. Therefore, BookYourHunt, an agency specializing in organizing hunting trips, has started offering special mountain goat hunting tours. Visitors will join a hunting group of 6-7 people, accompanied by a skilled hunter. BookYourHunt has 10 years of experience in this field and knows how to design a hunting trip that suits the needs of tourists. Typically, a mountain goat hunt requires visitors to hike for 2-4 hours in the wilderness.

Bookyourhunt builds camps and divides stops strategically so that even less active travelers can participate. Currently, there are approximately 100,000 mountain goats in North America. This number continues to increase because mountain goats are less vulnerable to common predators.

Anh Thi