# Mountain goat winter activity?



## 90redryder (Oct 10, 2011)

Im curious what mountain goats do during the winter months. For example, the timpanogos herd lives near 11,000 feet all summer, they'd have to come down nearly 4,000 feet in the winter to get out of the deep snow. I can't imagine they come down that low, but they aren't vary big animals so how in the world do they get around in the deep snow? Does anybody know how low the goats come in the winter? More specifically, has anybody watched the timpanogos goats during the winter, I'm curious where they spend the winter months?!


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

As far as I know, while some goats do come down (I have seen them as low as the mouth of Provo Canyon), many of the goats stay up high all winter long.


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

90red,
Provo canyon, Strait accross from Bridal Veil falls--On the Timp side.


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## robiland (Jan 20, 2008)

I see them all the time in the same place as Goofy. Fun and neat to watch.


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## martymcfly73 (Sep 17, 2007)

johnnycake said:


> As far as I know, while some goats do come down (I have seen them as low as the mouth of Provo Canyon), many of the goats stay up high all winter long.


This^^^ you can watch them from the road. Every now and again they'll come down grovecreek above the blue ledge trail.


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## Fishrmn (Sep 14, 2007)

Snow doesn't get very deep on the vertical cliff areas that the goats like. Add to that the fact that they are on the south facing walls, and there's not much in the way of snow for them to worry about.

⫸<{{{{{⦅°>


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## redleg (Dec 5, 2007)

One January I saw one on the G mountain


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## flint (Sep 13, 2007)

There are goats on the cliffs at the mouth of American Fork Canyon. I can see them from my house, but the snow makes them harder to spot.


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## stevedcarlson (Apr 19, 2011)

There are goats at the base little cotton wood as well


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## dark_cloud (Oct 18, 2010)

Mt. goats actually move to steeper areas in the winter. Less snow and more wind to blow the snow is what they like. There is always goats in the cliffs above the UDOT shack in provo canyon. I have seen them come down almost to the road right there.


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

Saw them yesterday afternoon, coming home from Park city.
Provo canyon, Timp side, accross from Bridal Veil ......
Nice herd, and Two STUD billies on top the highest peaks sunning them selfs.

WAY COOL!..........
Does anyone know if some of those goats stay there during the summer/fall months?


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

I heard they head on down to Vegas for the buffets! :shock:


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

Goof, I have seen them there in Sept/October a few times.


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

johnnycake said:


> Goof, I have seen them there in Sept/October a few times.


Thanks JC !!! That's VERY intresting as one of my boys is gettig 
" up there" in goat points...

I've only been in the Provo canyon area in the winter months during
the last 20 years or so ....

Does anyone know of any OIAL Timp billes being harvested in those
lower cliffs during Oct ???


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

I think access there is hard due to the land that Sundance owns. When I worked there I seem to remember the maps of their property extending pretty far beyond where the runs are.


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## kstorrs (Oct 29, 2012)

My wife and I drove up to Bridal Veil on Christmas day to try out my new spotting scope but we couldn't find the goats. We were probably not looking in the right areas.


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

Saw them again today---- Study, study, study.....8)


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

Kstorrs, they can hide like no other critter I know. On my dad's goat hunt this fall, I stayed back as a spotter after my dad shot his goat. After 2.5 hours, of watching the dead goat through a 40x leupold spotter, when my dad and brother finally got within 10 yards, a second billy jumped out of a bush 5 feet from where his goat was dead. I had been glued to that spot for 2.5 hours without seeing it. Seriously, you'd think a white animal in late september with no snow would be visible, but man! Cool critters no doubt.


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## MadHunter (Nov 17, 2009)

Goofy.... the goats bed on those cliffs all year. To get to them you have to hike up the lost creek falls canyon. They graze on the top of lost creek and the billys mainly come to the cliffs to bed down. you can spot them in the wee hours of the evening there. rough climb but this is mt. goat we're hunt'n here.

There are several herds up there and the easiest one to get to is the emerald lake/hidden lakes herd. they have been know to winter as far down as stewart falls by sundance.

I have not been up there in 2 or 3 years but I am getting up there in point also so I will start to check it out again. I doubt it has changed much.


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## kstorrs (Oct 29, 2012)

It would be fun to have a little get together one weekend to go view the goats at Bridal Veil.


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

This morning was WAAAAY cool, 16 goats on the very bottom rim were
you turn into Bridal Veil on the high side, at the diversion dam .........

I CANT FREAK'IN BELELIVE I DIDNT HAVE MY CAMERA!!!!!!!!!!

They weren't but 250 yards from the hyway!!

Watched them bounce around the cliffs for 30 mins!
Made us a little late skiing, but thats OK.........


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Saw them as well. Dont remember seeing them that low before.


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

I'm seeing them now almost every trip to Park city ...

Took some photos yeasterday:




























Just down loaded 300 pics off my camera from this last year, 
FINALY took some time and figured out how to do full size
pics on the new UWN forum------Look out Mcfly, MORE pice on the way.;-)


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

Got some great pics today!


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

I saw them too today! I almost drove off the road when I spotted them up on the cliffs. I might have to take my kids up there with my spotting scope. They'd like that.


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

Catherder said:


> I saw them too today! I almost drove off the road when I spotted them up on the cliffs. I might have to take my kids up there with my spotting scope. They'd like that.


Ya! PRETTY COOL! They are low, been there for two weeks now...

Anyone living close to Provo canyon and wants to see them .
RIGHT NOW IS THE TIME!

Mornings have been best.
Turn off at the Bridal viel fall/Nunns park exit. The old highway is plowed
up past the old tram ride. a couple parking areas cleared.
GREAT places to look from. The best one is at the NE end, by the 
diversion dam parking....Look strait acoss the highway, low cliffs.
Enjoy!


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## martymcfly73 (Sep 17, 2007)

They are fun to watch!


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## 90redryder (Oct 10, 2011)

Those buggers are nuts!! I wonder how often one of them ends up dead at the bottom of the cliff, they sure seem fearless the way they climb from ledge to ledge.


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

Had a blast watching the goats today. South of the diversion dam there are a few isolated billies that are total studs! and then there are lots of nannies/kids pretty close to the road across from the diversion dam.


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

Their back!

Took these pictures on the last day of the Timp hunt, couple weeks ago.


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## machinethomas (Feb 1, 2016)

Very cool, I'll have to go see if I can spot them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

The year this thread was first started I remember seeing two young billies playing in bridal veil falls on April 30. Fun stuff and neat critters!


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

Here is another pic from a few days ago:


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Nice!!!


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

Here is todays photo, took this one just this morning.


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