Distinctly Montana Magazine

Distinctly Montana Spring 2018

Distinctly Montana Magazine

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D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • S P R I N G 2 0 1 8 14 action. e low-stretch, on the other hand, serves to increase a billy's chances of being allowed within the personal space of one of the most aggressive of ungulate females dur- ing the breeding season. A goat performs a predictable routine whenever it lies down. It sniffs the ground while circling a bit, like the family dog; scrapes the ground, favoring the uphill hoof on tilted spots, thus helping level the bed or remove stones, sniffs again; kneels, sometimes checking the scent again, then lies down all the way. e rest depends on how much the goat feels in need of a dustbath. It may go at it so hard, alternately scratching with its rear feet and horns and sending up plumes of powdered soil, that it scoops out a wide, dusty pit in the slope. And it keeps dustbathing off and on in bed; even more on hot, buggy days. I was lying on my back in a meadow one afternoon when I was awakened for a sound that turned out to be Gore (a very large billy) snipping grass a foot away from me. I lay still and looked at him and our eyes met. en he stepped right over me and continued grazing, pausing once to look back at me. His tail was tucked down the entire time, betraying not a milligram of fear. What was it about this huge billy? He, and he alone, trotted back and forth across the pass keeping an eye on the whereabouts of all the other goats. He also kept track of the hikers. en I recognized that he was acting rather like a billy does, during the rut. e first threat Anything beyond occasional light shting preure The quintessential pose of a mountain goat hunched on a crag illustrates very well how disproportionately massive its forequarters are in relation to its compact rear end. It is an unparalleled puller. RICK SHEREMETA JEREMIE HOLLMAN Goat on the Highline Trail, passes photographer www.distinctlymontana.com/goat182 DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL When hiking in Glacier National Park look up at the rocky terrain; a mountain goat might be looking down at you. Mountain Goats grazing in field of asters at Logan Pass in Glacier National Park

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