l e w i s r e i d

The population of feral goat that inhabit large areas of inland Australia are relatives of the first domesticated goats that were introduced in 1788, with the arrival of the First Fleet. Over time as the early settlers ventured further afield to take up more land, both along and to the west of the Great Dividing Range, the humble goat was relocated, as they were an important source of meat and milk. Any that escaped into the wild flourished, as the rugged terrain of the great divide and the dry interior was ideal habitat. Over time, numbers of feral goat grew until they attained almost plague like proportions in many areas.

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Whilst its true to say the level of skill needed to successfully hunt wild goats is nowhere near as important as it is to hunt other more challenging species that we have in the South Pacific, personally I have always got great pleasure from hunting the feral goat. I find their odd behaviour; the varied hair colourings, unusual markings, and numerous styles of horn, reason enough to make them an extremely interesting species to hunt. Besides, the thought of one day lucking onto a billy with a whopping big set of horns, in excess of 40 inches, ensures I always get a thrill out of looking over any mob I encounter.