Thread: Goats in native bush (not mountains)

Have had great success in the tangihua ranges with no dogs, it's mountainous but dense bush and plenty of flat areas full of classic kiwi bush. They do leave obvious "game trails" over time through thick supplejack etc so following them is a good bet. They can be out any time of day but morning and evening is likely to be when you see them parked up in one spot. They often bleat loudly giving you an easy sign to locate them. They really like using human walking tracks too so just look for where the footprints intersect the main trails and follow their little networks. They do like open areas especially with some grass and rocks if a little bluff is there. Depending on the biome you're in finding a dark but open patch of bush with nikau and puriri you can have quite good line of sight if you just kneel down. Practice your goat Kid bleat they really do respond to it, sometimes even walk right up to you.
I've never seen them super close to water, seems they prefer to be on a ridgeline.
I once walked across a ridgeline all the way to the opposite hillside only to look back across the way and see 5 goats in the open grassy bit below the bluff I was on a few hours prior.
I once said "sorry" to a black and white one on the main walking track as I startled it and I thought it was a hiker.
My logic is usually not to try locate the goats, rather read the terrain and locate the ideal goat habitat and just check if they're there cos they usually are.