Mountain goats, really harmless?

[RobLowe]

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[Skimo95]

Dogs intimidate them more than people in my experience. This kind fella granted me passage to Wheeler a couple of weeks ago.

[mtree]

Hah! Goats. Yeah. They're chill.
My best encounter was on Quandary one year. I was hiking up from the flat part of the ridge towards the summit, not really paying much attention to anything but my feet. Not really glancing I caught someone's dog ahead of me. I kept climbing and gaining on it. It stopped and I bumped right into it. Stupid dogs on trails!

Whoa! It wasn't a dog. I looked up. It was a goat!!! We just stared at each other. It moved on and I moved on.

I named her "Heidi". Now any encounter with a goat is an encounter with Heidi.

[Trotter]

As long as they aren't above you on something loose, they are harmless. I've either followed them to summits, or had them follow me. Usually looking to get some of my pee.

On pyramid, we had a few kicking rocks down on us we had to dodge. That was pretty dangerous.

[humperson]

Wow thanks for the responses guys. The selfies are reassuring seems like they really aren’t that bad after all as long as you respect them, like any other wildlife. Hopefully I can muster up the cigrits to get out there and conquer that hike!!

[greenonion]

I had an experience on a ledgy very steep section of the south ridge of Superior peak here in the Wasatch a few years ago. On a ledge about ten feet above, and that we needed to climb up to, was a mountain goat standing us off on that ledge. It was pawing then stomping the ground/ledge aggressively in an obvious expression of “you guys get outta here”. We soon saw the baby mountain goat appear at the ledge leaving us no doubt why mom was being so belligerent and insistent. We figured out a workaround, and everyone enjoyed the results.

They are truly beautiful and sweet animals, but I’ll keep my respect high for these incredible wild animals.

[MaryinColorado]

I definitely don't like assuming anything about them. Beautiful creatures; I enjoy seeing them. But it worries me when they want to approach me, and you never know how a wild animal may be triggered and react.

Well-timed topic, this article was just published yesterday about the goings-on of goat vs. dog encounters in Utah. Dogs create a different type of encounter, of course, but like I said, I wouldn't really want to approach a goat or allow one to approach me not knowing if there's something that could set it off.

https://ksltv.com/579954/mountain-goats ... fyD5Tggm94

[jhalee4]

In my experience, they don't seem to care too much about people. I encountered a bunch on Gray's and Torrey's once (even babies) and they didn't seem to mind that people were within 10 feet of them. That being said, they're still wild animals and I wouldn't ever approach them too closely or get up in their business.

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[Benito_Esposti]

I've found them to always be quite harmless. Give them space and respect and you should be just fine. If they're above you on loose rock just watch out in case they kick anything down. Often they will follow/lead you to the summit.
I once encountered someone who was throwing rocks at them (what an a-hole) and that seemed to make the goats pretty defensive; pro tip, don't be an a-hole towards wildlife.

[nunns]

+1 on pretty much whatever everyone else has said. I have encountered them several times and have never seen one be aggressive.
The usual common sense caveats apply: try not to sneak up on one, I wouldn't mess with a mother and her young (of any species), watch out for any of them above you on a steep loose slope.
And they will lick your urine, as will deer.

Sean Nunn
Raytown MO

[hokiehead]

I'm no expert, but the only risk with goats I'm really concerned about is the goat charging me and being knocked off the mountain if I'm exposed. Otherwise, I view the risk of a goat attack as negligible.

[JQDivide]

I think the big risk is rock fall, kicking rocks on your head from above.
Same with bighorn sheep.

Or, if you have a dog, they will defend themselves if they think they are threatened.

Them horns is pointy!