What gun to use for Goat hunting?

[wrenchman]

duncan i have shot a good number of deer with buck shot and if used right it is very good its just like jump shooting rabbits.
Lots of shooter or hunters think buck shot will have a huge spread and go all over it dont but every hunter should check the pattern of the loads.
buck shot tends not to pass threw and you will have multiple hits in the kill zone.

[Oldbloke]

duncan i have shot a good number of deer with buck shot and if used right it is very good its just like jump shooting rabbits.
Lots of shooter or hunters think buck shot will have a huge spread and go all over it dont but every hunter should check the pattern of the loads.
buck shot tends not to pass threw and you will have multiple hits in the kill zone.

Correct. Typically SG patterns very tight.
As a general rule the bigger the shot the tighter the patterns.

[Member-Deleted]

SG's do a wonderous job on wild dogs when the dog is in too close for the scope ( namely blurred out )
Some times when your watching a carcass and your sitting just inside the scrub line dogs don't see you and walk within 10 mtrs up wind of you
When you use sg's at those ranges on these calf killers the shot performs perfectly
Exactly what wrenchman said multiple hits to the kill zone due to the tight patterns as was said by oldbloke

No pain,no suffering on the part of the animal,its instant and a textbook ending

Cheers

[duncan61]

Thats how it worked on the goats.It was in the mid 90s that I did this the bloke I worked for had a large assortment of rifles and shotguns and would come and see us in the camp and say do you blokes wanna go goat shooting.He had a browning 5 shot.I had the 4 shot Beretta.He was in the Army reserve and I had come out the full time in 1986 and the other plumber on .222 was an English ex para so we went all tactical.We would pattern the chest area for outright kills then as they were running away knock them down thats when the Apprentice would go terminating with the .22LR.The goats keep the sheep of the water and there are sheep carcasses all over the place The bow hunters for buffalo in the N.T. pop an arrow in the beast and then go away to let it die.In the morning you follow the birds and find the buff.I think thats pretty ordinary

[Bigjobss]

I know this topic has gone way off the rails but a couple intersting points have been discussed.
1)Shotguns
They rule IMO and are a lot more versatile they than get credit for. Oh how I wish to have my old auto back.

2)Ethics.
We all agree that quick and humane is the aim, and there are grey areas in this.
It is a luxury that we have in our society to choose to hunt, in a survival or substenance situation what is ethical takes a back seat. Just look at some indigenous hunting around the world.
I was lucky enough to go along for a sea turtle hunt during Nadoc week a few years ago, that was a challenge for me for a number of reasons, but I am thankfull I hadbthe experience and am a little ashamed to admit that it tasted awesome.

[Bigjobss]

Oh and put your pitchforks down, I was an obserever not a participant.

[duncan61]

The best goat shooting I have done was the Sunday after the Sunday morning dam busting the boss let me take his .222 and explained to me what to do.I was brand new at hunting so he pointed me in the right direction.I staked out a drinking trough and waited for the goats.I was up on a ridge At 150 metres and the goats knew not where the shot was coming from.I stopped shooting when it got too hot and I had 5 goats to deal with.Its how I got into hunting again

[duncan61]

It was after this morning out I went and scored a property letter from the owner and purchased a greener falling block shotgun on my way home in Geraldton.I am going to start a duck shooting topic

[Bigjobss]

Not to take anything away from your skills but they are not the brightest animals are they? They tend to hang around wondering why all their mates are falling asleep suddenly.

[duncan61]

Have a good look in a domestic sheep or goats eyes.No one is home.Dairy cows are not much better there is just a flicker of something going on.Camels appear to have a bit going on.Cats and dogs big or small are switched on.You can see them thinking.

[Oldbloke]

Have a good look in a domestic sheep or goats eyes.No one is home.Dairy cows are not much better there is just a flicker of something going on.Camels appear to have a bit going on.Cats and dogs big or small are switched on.You can see them thinking.

Summed up pretty well. But does that mean size doesn't matter. (the brain, not the other bits. )

[Member-Deleted]

Geez oldbloke if it was the other bits and you were looking deep into their eyes i would beeeee concerned ( lol )

Cheers mate

[Member-Deleted]

My old grandad told me something when i was upset and wanted to retaliate when my school mates said i was an idiot for staying and giving
grandad a hand in the dairy instead of going to play with them, truth known i had no choice in the matter

He told me not to worry about the name calling because its best to be thought an idiot than open my mouth and remove all doubt

Wise words something for some to ponder on

Cheers

[Oldbloke]

Geez oldbloke if it was the other bits and you were looking deep into their eyes i would beeeee concerned ( lol )

Cheers mate

I'm hurt that you would think that.

[Member-Deleted]

I'm sorry mate it wasn't aimed at you it was a general statement, i should have said '' if it was the other bits and one was looking into their eyes '' we would be worried
for them , i do apologise mate

Cheers

[duncan61]

I helped out at Mt Augustus Tourist resort in the Gascoyne for about 6 months a few years ago and we sold fuel.A bloke came through and stopped for fuel and told me he used to be the shooter on the station.I offered him a room for the night if he would come with me and give me a few pointers.He made a statement I will never forget that is"What others think of you is non of your business and if you care about what others think of you they are winning".This guy could shoot.He did stuff with my .222 that I did not think possible.I did not even see half the stuff he put down I just followed his instruction on holding the light.

[Oldbloke]

Thank you I feel a little more normal now.

To pull the thread back onto the subject.

I think that the 222 will be fine for smaller goats but inclined to think for bigger billies it might not be sufficient for chest shots. Perhaps others will have some real life experience to talk about in this area.

[Member-Deleted]

Hole-eee i just remembered what grandad said i won't ask what he done but his statemant was spot on

Cheers mate

[bigfellascott]

:thumbsup: Thank you I feel a little more normal now.

To pull the thread back onto the subject.

I think that the 222 will be fine for smaller goats but inclined to think for bigger billies it might not be sufficient for chest shots. Perhaps others will have some real life experience to talk about in this area.

When in doubt shoot em in the head, if you can't achieve that don't shoot is how I look at it, better to let them live than wound them because I wasn't up to it.

[bigpete]

I'd go the 303 bentaz

[Member-Deleted]

Goat shooting what caliber?
My cousin used to shoot roos as a pro and he shot goats to sell as dog meat before they were worth money , he states he shot goats firstly with
a 222 but moved up to 22-250 so as not to wear out his 223 barrel he said that the 222 was ok but the proper bullet and a well presented shot was what
was needed the 22-250 was marginally better but moved up to his wifes 243 it was good but she cracked up because she said if anybody was going to
burn the barrel out it would be her so he bought a 308 bonza terminate every which way so that's a little bit of info

I know old mate had a list of what he had at his disposal but thought this info might be handy to someone

Cheers

[Oldbloke]

Straight from the SSAA web site.

hunting recommendations .png (128.77 KiB) Viewed 11898 times

[Member-Deleted]

Well thats very interesting poor old 308 doesn't get a mention but it would be interesting to see where its bench mark is

Cheers

[bladeracer]

Straight from the SSAA web site.

hunting recommendations .png

Hares at 100m with a .22RF? They must be referring to WMR.
200m for buffalo with a .270?

[bladeracer]

Well thats very interesting poor old 308 doesn't get a mention but it would be interesting to see where its bench mark is

Cheers

Those are "minimum calibers" but as usual, offer no means of what constitutes a "caliber" either less or more than those offered. Such charts should always relate to terminal energy and little else.

[duncan61]

That chart is about right.I could just about guarantee that more buffalo have been dispatched with the good old 303 than any other chambering.Back to the goats my .222 went through the chest and out the other side most of the time unless it broke ribs on the way in.The organs were always mush.A bigger bullet will do more damage,Depends what you wish to do with the carcass.A kangaroo I delivered in Carnarvon was rejected as I had shot it crouched and looking at me and the bullet had gone down the spinal column.Could not tell from the outside but the inside was ruined.They took a picture and showed me.One out of 2500 it happens.Never shot a goat with the 7mm Rem Mag or 308 so no idea how bad it will mess them up.both will definiately go right through and make a big exit hole.

[Member-Deleted]

It is only a suggested minimum caliber but buffalo at 200 mtrs with 270 ya wouldn't want to miss the stop button
Although missing it with any caliber could be dangerous but at 200mtrs it would give you a head start but with my knees i'd want 3000 mtrs
and a days notice

Cheers

[duncan61]

goat coat.rar

(8.71 KiB) Downloaded 328 times

I needed to not blow a big hole in one side as you need both sides to make a goat coat

[bladeracer]

:D

goat coat.rar

I needed to not blow a big hole in one side as you need both sides to make a goat coat

Before I download a link like that I want to know what it is.

[duncan61]

On the buffalo subject.I feel compelled to share this yarn.When I did the N.T.Safari the main guide lived in the same town thats how I found an outfitter who gave me a 20 min CD showing hunters plugging Buffalo.I have never been to Arhnem land and Aussies get a pretty good deal compared to foreign visitors so I went.The guide was always on the look out for locals who had the potential to help him with his business but after this event I was out.His mate who helped out was guiding an Archer who stalked within 40 metres then took his shot but went to high and put it in the mass of muscle behind the head.You have to hit them just behind the front leg anyhoo this tourist has stood up and started walking back to the guide and the buff has seen him and charged.The guide has a rifle with 3x.416 Rigby and he said he put all 3 in its head as it charged them and the buffalo pulled up in the dirt so close blood spayed up to his waist.Thats me out