New Goat Packer: Lessons Learned I’ll be the first to admit that I still feel like a new goat packer; complete newbie to this whole thing. We started our pack goat journey about 2 years ago. We rented a couple of big Saanens from Clay Zimmerman of High Uinta Pack Goats and took them to […]
Pack Goat Saddle for 4H I am asked on a consistent basis if there is a pack goat saddle for 4H competitions at the local fairs. I’m also asked if there is a pack that will work with smaller breeds. Goats like Nigerians or smaller does of the larger breeds. The answer is YES to […]
Pack Goat Saddle Review I want to take a minute and tell you my experience packing in with our goats and give you my thoughts on a pack goat saddle review. This last weekend I took the plunge and took my boys camping with the goats and NO Marc! Marc visited his Dr. the day […]
Healing a Pack Goats Broken Leg Let me start out by saying I am not an expert on pack goats. I do not pretend to be. Knowing how to fix a pack goats broken leg was a process led by my vet and good intuition. What I do have personal experience in is sport injuries. […]
Pack Goat Conditioning Pack Goat conditioning is a “new science” and I’m going to share with you what I have found to works best. I’ve noticed as new people are coming into this wonderful lifestyle/pastime that they are pushing their goats younger and younger. I wanted to build a timeline that could be followed of […]
Training your Pack Goat Kid This article’s intent will be to teach you everything you need to know about training your pack goat in their first year. It will start from when you get them home and they are still bottle feeding and finish with training them on the trail when they are yearlings. I […]
Pack Goat Nutrition: The Everything and Nothing of Adult Pack Goat Nutrition. By David Eskildsen· Confused by the title? Good, then we are starting off on the right foot. In 20+ years of raising dairy goats, I can say with certainty, there is nothing straight forward about whats the best pack goat nutrition plan or any […]
Banding Pack Goats Castrating Wethers and when has been debated between the folks in the pack goat community forever. We are, as a community the most experienced at keeping wethers alive and well of any other goat niche. It seems to always get into hot debate and people are super passionate that they are “right,” […]
Goat Pasture Setup Pack Goat pasture setup is not super complicated to take care of, but how you set up your feeding stations, shelter and pasture are important for them and for you. I made a ton of mistakes in the beginning and I hope to help you to eliminate making those same mistakes with […]
Hunting with Pack Goats Hunting with pack goats can be an incredibly effective way to hunt. You just need a good game plan on how to go about it and the advantages will outweigh the disadvantages. I’m going to go into detail on hunting tactics as well as camping and “goat management” equipment that you’ll […]
All Things Pack Goats In this podcast “All Things Pack Goats”, the host of “Finding Back Country” interviews Marc Warnke on many topics about packing with goats. They talk about everything from pack goat gear, training, hunting strategies and so on. They also discuss the topic of the difference between goats and llamas as pack […]
How to Bone Out an Elk for Pack Goats This video shows how Marc butchers elk; bone out elk for pack goats to be packed in pack goat panniers. See the details of the how’s and why’s that make the job simple through this video. This process is the best and easiest way to pack […]
Elkville III In this video Marc Warnke and his buddies harvest 3 6×6 bulls in 4 days. The bulls were located in different parts of that location. Also, the bulls were taken on three separate mornings over 9 miles in from the trail head. This trio get’s it done on public land filling freezers with […]
Pack Goat Elk Hunting Pack goat elk hunting is such a treat. This trip wouldn’t have been possible without pack goats. Watch as Marc Warnke and his buddies harvest two good bulls while hunting alongside their trusty pack goats. Hunting With Pack Goats can be amazingly rewarding. See more of Marc Warnke’s hunting with pack […]
Plan your Pack Goat String This plan your pack goat string article is going to go in depth, coaching you how to plan your pack goat string. I get asked a lot about what breed is best for a pack goat. My answer is always the same. Build and plan your string to be like […]
Setting a Campsite with Pack Goats How you set your campsite with pack goats in the back country is very important. Not only for your comfort and ease, but also your goat’s safety. It’s also critical to the impact on the camp area itself. Some things that need to be considered before you set your […]
How to Haul Pack Goats For more information on transporting goats and things to consider for the best goat hauler, check out this article. When you are planning how to haul pack goats there are several things to consider. There’s something people don’t realize about what happens to pack goats in the back of your […]
How to Cross Water with Pack Goats I get asked all the time how to cross water with pack goats. Training a pack goat to cross water is very easy when done correctly. There are a couple of things to consider before we dive in, so let’s discuss those first. Your goat’s safety must be […]
Introducing New Goats to your Pasture and String This article will go in depth and help you know about introducing new goats into the pasture. First off, new babies under 3 months need to be protected from your adult goats. In my opinion there is a proper way to introduce them. Now, I say this […]
Pack Goats: Wyoming’s Decision and Risk Analysis Report This article is a review of Wyoming’s decision to limit boundaries for use with pack goats. First of all, here is a link to the document and decision of the Forest Service and the USDA about the Shoshone National Forest. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd566629.pdf . Here is the past President […]
What You Need to Know about Spreading Out Pack Goat Ages Building a good string of pack goats takes years so it’s important to strategize pack goat ages. You have to start with babies and you won’t be putting full loads on them until they are 4 years old. Also, plan on them slowing down […]
Pack Goat Rendezvous The Pack Goat Rendezvous, better known as “The Rendy”, is a super fun event that every goat packer should put on their calendar. For a new goat packer, the Rendy is a must. People literally come from around the world (last year we had one from Australia and another from Hawaii). You […]
This horned goat feeder is the best design to date for feeding goats with horns. Feeding horned pack goats sounds simple, but it isn’t. Why??? It’s not all just about simply feeding them. There is “baggage” to goats that you will have to solve. Problem one. If you are trying to feed multiple goats, the […]
Pack Goat Play Structure Building a pack goat play structure for your pack goats will be one of the best things you do to improve your string. Not only is it a training tool but it’s fun for them and will be one step to helping them be in a little better shape when they […]
General Principles of Training Pack Goats This article is going to show you everything you need to know about training pack goats. Training pack goats is reasonably easy and goats are very smart and pick up new information very quickly. The goal of this article will be to help you handle 95% of all issues. […]
Goat Trainer Soft Saddle Pack goat yearlings are ready to start training with a goat trainer soft saddle loaded with mostly bulk. Please do not use dog packs. Many people do but it’s harmful for goats. It holds the weight too high on their shoulders and loads the spine. These kid packs have detachable panniers […]
Training Baby Pack Goats Training baby pack goats is a very “over thought” thing. It’s because we are so excited to get started that we forget that they train very easily. The primary component to training baby packers is to love them up and create a bond. Having a good pack goat play structure for […]
Goat Hauler Hauling pack goats in your truck requires a well thought out goat hauler. It needs to have good ventilation but not be blasting wind on them when you are driving down the freeway. In this video, you will see two different designs, one you could likely build yourself and another that I can […]
How to Weigh Pack Goats How to weigh pack goats is a crucial skill to know. In this video I talk about the importance of weighing your pack goat and having a scale. I also talk about how to make a nervous goat do what you want and have it go well using patience and […]
Loading Goats for Transport There is more to loading goats than it seems. Pack goats have a pecking order and goats need to be loaded with that order in consideration. Always put the most submissive in first and the most aggressive last. Also, if you have a goat that has trouble loading use the one […]