Late-Season Mountain Goat Hunting Gear: BC

Seven days of mountain goat hunting in coastal British Columbia during February demands serious preparation. Mixed winter conditions require a gear system built for cold, snow, and steep terrain. SITKA Ambassador, chef, and hunting-obsessed Connor Gabbott says, “The more you go out goat hunting, the more you realize what the imminent dangers are.” If you want to know what you need, and what you don't, before heading into the mountains, keep reading. 

BC is home to more than half of the world’s mountain goat population. They’re widespread but challenging to hunt because of the steep, remote locations they inhabit. To reach them safely without spooking the wary goats, you often need specialized gear. Here’s what Connor Gabbott brought on one BC hunt during a mix of clear and snowy days. 

Key takeaways:

1. A late-season British Columbia mountain goat hunting gear list must include specialized travel, avalanche safety, camp, and cold-weather gear.

2. Touring skis let you move efficiently across flatter terrain, while crampons and snowshoes provide traction and flotation on steeper, snow-covered slopes.

3. Essential avalanche safety gear includes a beacon, probe, and shovel, while a dynamic climbing rope can provide a last-resort option for retrieval or lowering loads.

4. During extreme cold, Gabbott recommends a white gas stove because isobutane loses pressure and produces less output as temperatures drop.

5. For cold-weather mountain hunting, Connor Gabbott suggests synthetic baselayers, insulating midlayer, and protective outer layers.

Getting Around: Ski Touring & Snowshoes In Late-Season Terrain

Straight out of the truck, some of the first gear Connor uses is his touring skis. “They come in handy for traversing relatively flat country, provide a lot of loft over the snow, and make for much easier travel,” he says. Ski touring isn’t for everyone, though. It requires specialized equipment like skins, touring boots, and avalanche safety gear. More importantly, though, it requires a competent partner and the knowledge of how to safely navigate or avoid avalanche-prone terrain.

To ascend the mountain when the temperatures drop and the snow hardens, Connor slips on his crampons. He doesn’t use them for ice climbing or anything more risky than he usually would. Connor says, “It’s just the easiest way to travel up when it’s hard-packed snow on an incline.” Because they’re sharp, Connor suggests always keeping them in a bag when not in use. 

For Connor, snowshoes are also a must-have walking accessory. He wants “as much loft as possible,” so he wears the biggest snowshoe he can find. He likes that they have aggressive spikes on the bottom, so if the snow does “crust up a little bit, you still have good traction when you’re climbing.” 

• Touring ski setup for flat/rolling terrain 

• Specialized light carbon-fiber touring boots & bindings

• Crampons for climbing firm snow

• Switching to snowshoes for steep terrain where skis become impractical

• Snowshoe preference: max loft for load-bearing, aggressive spikes for traction

Avalanche & Mountain Safety Essentials

Connor’s next few pieces of gear are items he hopes he never has to use, but are essential life-saving tools if needed. He carries a probe to locate someone buried in an avalanche and a shovel to dig them out. The shovel is also useful around camp to dig out a kitchen area and a spot to set up your tent. Connor and everyone in his party also wear avalanche beacons to help locate someone buried in an avalanche. Lastly, Connor carries a 9mm dynamic climbing rope as “a last resort if something happens,” such as retrieving a goat or lowering bags. He also suggests hunting with an experienced mentor and taking a winter mountaineering/avalanche course to better prepare you for what you might encounter while mountain goat hunting. 

• Probe (for finding someone, if buried in an avalanche)

• Avalanche beacon (worn + checked every time the group starts up a mountain)

• Shovel (multi-purpose: avalanche rescue, digging a tent platform)

• 9mm dynamic climbing rope (goat retrieval, lowering bags)

Note: This is a specialist mountaineering kit, not something you'll find in the SITKA lineup, but it's exactly what this terrain and season demand.

Extreme Mountain Hunting Gear: Camp & Cold-Weather Comfort

To keep his feet warm around camp, Connor wears synthetic booties like the Altitude Bootie, “that are very soft, pliable and just allow us to get out of these big ski touring boots or mountaineering boots.” He also recommends sizing up so you can fit a pair of liners inside to double up on the warmth and sleep in them to keep your feet extra warm. Another way he and his hunting partners stay warm is using foot and hand warmers while hiking and at night. 

While hunting on the mountain, Connor and his buddies use a variety of tents. The one consistency he wants is “having a great way of staking out your tent in deep snow conditions.” To do this, he uses sand-and-snow tent pegs. 

Connor suggests a white gas stove instead of an isobutane camp stove because “It’s so cold it drops the pressure, and we get much less output from the isobutane. We have to switch it up to a white gas stove. This enables us to build our own pressure with the actual pump on the stove, and we just pack a simple set of pots to boil water for hot drinks and food.” 

Connor also emphasizes eye protection: “With this much white snow out here it just reflects so much sunlight back into your eyes.” 

• Booties (post-boot warmth, doubles with liners, good for sleeping in)

• White gas camp stove (isobutane loses pressure in extreme cold)

• Simple pot setup

• Eye protection (snow glare even on overcast days)

• Sand/snow tent pegs (or skis as anchors)

Connor uses skis to peg his tent due to the deep snow conditions

SITKA Late-Season Hunting Clothes: What To Wear

This mountain goat hunting gear list covers the clothing you can rely on for late-season hunting in coastal British Columbia.

• Core Lightweight Hoodie & Core Lightweight Bottoms

• Microdown Pant

• Timberline Pro Jacket & Timberline Pro Pant

• Kelvin Aerolite Jacket

• Dew Point Pro Jacket & Dew Point Pro Pant

• Cuffed Knit Beanie

• Neck Gaiter

• Altitude Bootie

FAQs About Late-Season Mountain Goat Hunting Gear 

What is the most important clothing for hunters?

Synthetic baselayers, like Core Lightweight, are the most important clothing for hunters when late-season mountain goat hunting. Socks and outer shells like the Timberline Pro Jacket are also important. 

How to dress for mountain cold?

To dress for mountain cold, use a clothing system. Dress in layers: Baselayers, mid-layers, and outer layers. Baselayers wick moisture away from your skin, mid-layers insulate, and outer layers protect against wind and rain. 

What is the best base layer for hunting in the cold?

The best baselayer for hunting in the cold is the SITKA Core synthetic baselayer. Depending on how active you are and how sensitive you are to the cold, the Core Midweight or Core Lightweight are your best options.

Does British Columbia have mountain goats?

Yes, British Columbia has mountain goats. In fact, it is home to more than half of the world’s entire mountain goat population. 

How rare is it to see a mountain goat?

It’s not rare to see a mountain goat in high-traffic areas, but it is much more difficult to find them in remote mountain ranges due to the constraints of the terrain. 

Sources & Further Reading

• https://www.sitkagear.mom/experience/warmest-hunting-clothes 

• https://www.sitkagear.mom/experience/the-coldest-hunts

• https://www.sitkagear.mom/experience/lessons-carved-from-ice