Hunting Feral Goat and Foraging for Greens

“You know, we’re probably the only guys in the whole state walking into a Trader Joes after doing what we just did…actually, we’re probably the only guys in the country!” – My brother Justin after the successful goat hunt.

 

I got the lowdown on a population of feral goats on some local public land. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, feral goats are extremely distructive to local ecosystems (just look at what they’ve done in New Zealand and Hawaii) so they are open year round to take by hunters.

I headed out for a bit of rabbit hunting with my brother and enjoyed every minute. We saw a few hares and drew a bead a few times, but no shots were fired. After a time we passed an area with ample sign of beaver activity and headed into the dense forest switching out rabbit loads for buckshot.

Following trails through dense understory and lush patches of stinging nettle I finally found what I was looking for. A young white goat stood and hi-tailed it out of a wooded patch on my right. He paused just long enough in a small window through the trees for me to make a successful shot.

I retained the heart, liver and kidneys and though I could hear my friends in Mongolia telling me to waste nothing, I did make the decision to leave the guts…next time they will be cleaned and eaten Mongol style.

My brother and I got together some ingredients and ate the liver the first night.

 

The second evening I used foraged mustard leaves for my go-to staple saag.

 

 
 

 

Justin took a leg home and made a nice curry as well.

With much of the rest of the meat I made sausage, chili, and some other exquisite meals…but that’s another story.

The bones and hide will be used in the coming weeks.

Keep the old ways alive!