wild goat shooting

Ben rodge

Well-Known Member
Hello guys
I have been asked to control a large population of wild goats and i was just after some info regards to calibre etc etc
I have a variation for 6.5x55 so im hoping this cal is goat legal
I have deer fox and any other lawful quarry on an open ticket
Any info much appreciated
Many thanks
Ben
 
Happily there is no such thing as 'goat legal' being imposed on us. :D

The HO Guidance states that for an initial application only there is a DEFRA advised .243/100gr "to be humane" so whatever the criteria you are good to go.

BTW before all this HO Guidance malarkey I was (and still would be) quite happy to take many, many soay sheep and large goats with my 22-250. ;)
 
We also have wild soay sheep and some cracking billy goats to control so im really looking forward to it
I was told that goats have to be killed with a shot to the head
 
people will pay for decent billy's if that is an option . Who says they have to be shot in the head? seems a bit daft to be targeting the smaller more mobile part of the animal . Watch in case any are tagged as they will have a legal owner.
 
None are tagged so thats not an issue
The person who shoots them over the hill said he was told it had to be a shot to the head and he uses a 22_250
Im not overly interested in selling any shooting as it will keep me busy all year
 
He was told wrong... Unless he wants undamaged carcasses? Chest shots are fine for goats.
 
Perhaps the headshot recommendation has come about because of the shaggy coat making the usual boiler room shot harder to judge. Any deer calibre with usual shot placement will do the job, or as already mention a .22CF to the head. Their heads aren't as mobile as deer so I can see that side as well.
 
The person who shoots them over the hill said he was told it had to be a shot to the head and he uses a 22_250

He was told wrong... Unless he wants undamaged carcasses? Chest shots are fine for goats.

Perhaps the headshot recommendation has come about because of the shaggy coat making the usual boiler room shot harder to judge.

It might have something to do with the terrain and location of the beast when the shot is taken.

When I was actively involved in culling goats, soay and sika on a well known island in the Bristol Channel, we had to give an assurance that none would drop into the sea - it wasn't just a question of recovery but also a potential pollution issue in what was England's first Marine Nature Reserve (now designated as a Marine Conservation Zone).

Therefore head shooting was required to ensure that they would drop on the spot. Even then, when the animals were located on the steeper sidelands or near cliffs, you had to make sure that there was a decent sized rock or outcrop behind where it was standing to stop it rolling down any further. The soay in particular are capable of rolling in a random fashion - a bit like a rugby ball - due to their compact size and shape (an oval Ovis? :coat:). Then the fun would begin as you went down on the end of a rope from the LR's hitch for recovery of however many had fallen to the 22-250 on that particular sweep.

(And before anyone asks - the sika were taken with something more appropriate)

BTW If you visit the Marisco Tavern there are a goat and sika head on the wall that I took at that time, and the big billy caused me some grief when I had to hug it after stumbling on a rocky pull up the cliff - two showers and a change of clothes later and they could still smell me coming! :D
 
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