First Cast Kill

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Not really hunting, but I raise sheep for the table. They are pretty flightly, so I have to "hunt" them when it comes time for butchering. I like to shoot them in the head as to not damage any meat, but given that their brain is so small, the sweet spot is as well, and if you are just a little off with a .22 they won't drop. I have a 223 and a 30-06, but full power rounds seemed like overkill, so one of my objectives of reloading cast was to get a good load for dispatching my sheep. I settled on 7 grains of Red Dot under a commercial cast 150 grain .309. About the same velocity as a .22 but almost 4x times the mass. Took a shot at one of my lambs on Saturday and while I missed the sweet spot, it was still enough to knock it down and let me finish it off easily. I was pretty pleased.

[DIRT Farmer]

I do that with hogs and cattle we butcher. A 135 grn Lee over 10 grns of green dot in the 7x57 is much more reliable than a 22RF.

[x101airborne]

And this is how it starts..... A simple job for a more than adequate boolit. Then there is more molds, powder, dies........ Welcome to the addicion!

[jmsj]

I wanted to use my Winchester 94 with a Lyman 311008 and 9.5 grains of Unique to shoot a 4-5 year old Spanish goat ram that showed up at my place just an hour ago. I have very few neighbors for miles and know of none that have goats. Called around and nobody claimed him. He had the prettiest set of horns and a great beard. He was pretty flighty and nervous but I managed to haze him into the horse pasture. I went to get the rifle and to see if my daughter wanted to harvest him. When I returned my wife and daughter were petting him. No goat shooting today.
Good luck, jmsj

[jmsj]

Thought I would show a couple of pictures of the ram.
http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/ae97/jmsj515/P1010003.jpg
http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/ae97/jmsj515/P1010008.jpg
http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/ae97/jmsj515/P1010007.jpg
jmsj

[jhalcott]

JMS, that certainly ain't no tender young goat. Guess you are lucky you DON'T have to eat him!

[x101airborne]

We call those OUDADS here and they are a nuisance. Good luck with the killin.

[Plate plinker]

Keep'em and get a female, then you can eat some kids!:holysheep

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Young goat is good eating! I think I might like it better better than lamb...

[Plate plinker]

It is better than lamb. I like it cooked over mesquite wood.

Not sure how many I've butchered, but I would hazard a guys at over fifty. They are best when still on mothers milk only. Nice and tender-juicy.yummy.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

How long do you age them before cooking?

[jmsj]

My apologies to Silvercreek Farmer for hijacking your thread. I had just come in from the incident and saw your thread and chimed in.
I never intended to eat this old goat. I thought he make a nice trophy for my 12 year old daughter and mount for the reloading room.
In the past stray loose goats have been a nuisance around here. I have not seen one in many years. Most ranchers/cowboys around here either call the owner or pen them and give them away or put them down.
jmsj

[Silvercreek Farmer]

My apologies to Silvercreek Farmer for hijacking your thread. I had just come in from the incident and saw your thread and chimed in.
I never intended to eat this old goat. I thought he make a nice trophy for my 12 year old daughter and mount for the reloading room.
In the past stray loose goats have been a nuisance around here. I have not seen one in many years. Most ranchers/cowboys around here either call the owner or pen them and give them away or put them down.
jmsj

No sweat, I thought your pics were so cool I made my wife come and look!

[Plate plinker]

How long do you age them before cooking?

We don't age them, just cook'em up. Leave the fat inside the cavity and the kidneys attached. They are considered a delicacy. Personally I like the ribs the best.

Also, apologize for any high jacking of thread. You can see the stomach does my thinking.

[runfiverun]

threads have a tendency to wander they usually come back on topic sooner or later.
btw...
curry goat slow simmered ='s yummy

back to sheep.
when we wanted to shear or put one down we would send the chessie out there, he'd run them till they were too tired to be flighty.

[Plate plinker]

Oh, yeah as far as the goats go we just catch them and use a knife for the deed. If you know how death is as quick as the blink of an eye. Grandpa taught me how.

[454PB]

While watching "Swamp People" kill alligators, I wondered why they don't use cast boolits. It appears they like .22 magnum and .17 HMR, but something in the range of a .22 Hornet using cast seems ideal for the job.

It also seems a pistol would be a lot easier to handle from a boat shooting a gator that is a few feet away.

[Plate plinker]

They ate probably concerned with hide damage and rim fire is cheaper. I too have wondered why they don't use a revolver though.

[303Guy]

I wouldn't have been able to shoot that billy. He's a handsome fella! I'd get him a mate (or two) and breed him then I wouldn't be able to shoot the young ones! Well, maybe one or two when there's lots of them. I like goats. They stink real bad but cook 'em right and they're the best.

Back to topic - I like the idea of dispatching dinner with a cast boolit. I've done a coup de gras or two with my pig gun and man, does it work! A 208gr boolit at around 1600fps makes short work of them goats! OK, they were already down and just nerves kicking but the point is it works. The last one was standing there looking quite majestic on his rock in the forest when my buddy shot him with my two-groove. Perfect shot! But I just had to finish him off with head shot from my pig gun with a paper patched cast boolit.

[Plate plinker]

;)303 if you have goats you want to eat the you g males first before the achieve the odor. You can castrate them too, so as to avoid the stench getting into the meat. It can be done with two rocks, but that's another story.

Once the goats get a little bigger than the BBQ stage the family will make a stew out of those.

Oh yeah, Im not allowed to shoot them in the head sme people like to eat parts of it.

[303Guy]

You can castrate them too, so as to avoid the stench getting into the meat.I'm not sure I'm that good of a shot! :bigsmyl2:
If only I had a place in the country I could have goats and other critters running around! I'd keep rabbits and hares for sure. Rabbit and hare can be pretty good eating. So are feral pig ....[smilie=1:
My pig gun is sitting in the cupboard screaming out to shoot a pig with a paper patched cast boolit! Oh yes! One day soon I'll get there. (I hope!)

[Chihuahua Floyd]

Best way to castrate a young goat or sheep is the rubber band trick. Industrail strenght rubber bands and a special pair of pliers to apply with. no muss, no fuss. works like a charm.
CF

[Silver Hand]

- Montadales - I take the time and wait for a head turn, the back of the ear to the brain, they usually drop right down.

[Bulldogger]

First, very good looking goat. I too would breed him if you have the space. Keep him penned and docile and those horns will wait for mounting until he's ready (dead, naturally).

Young goat simmered in Jamaican curry, YUM! I would LOVE to try a BBQ baby goat. That sounds like heaven.

454PB, I was watching an episode of SP where the ne'er do well tubby son insisted in using a revolver, despite his father's objections. The revolver didn't have enough spit to dispatch a gator right next to the boat at point-blank range. Not enough barrel I guess, and then some losses from the bbl-cylinder gap maybe. It could be the kid missed, the whole episode was about him screwing up after all. Still, I too think a .22 hornet loaded just a bit hotter than .22LR would be a good round for gators, and not too damaging to the hide. These guys are always on a budget it seems, and the guns get thrown into the boats, then under truck seats, then left there wet and shot. Maybe a hornet wouldn't accept that abuse, and it would certainly cost more than a .22LR Wal-Mart special.


While watching "Swamp People" kill alligators, I wondered why they don't use cast boolits. It appears they like .22 magnum and .17 HMR, but something in the range of a .22 Hornet using cast seems ideal for the job.

It also seems a pistol would be a lot easier to handle from a boat shooting a gator that is a few feet away.

[mold maker]

A quarter sized target on the head, of a thrashing gator, isn't an easy shot with anything. Especially when the gator is trying to get you for his desert.
I know it's a reality show, (I hate em) but the subject matter makes it interesting.
My only experience with goats was a neighbor clearing an over grown field. That goat would jump 6' in the air to grab what he couldn't stand and reach. He'd hang there on the vines and shake it till it turned loose. Before he became BBQ there were only little (2") pine stumps left.
As for sheep, the Dr told me I should eat mutton instead of beef. UGH !!! I don't want to develop a taste for that. I'd rather die a little sooner than starve now.

[Iowa Fox]

Best way to castrate a young goat or sheep is the rubber band trick. Industrail strenght rubber bands and a special pair of pliers to apply with. no muss, no fuss. works like a charm.
CF

Thats the way we did all our beef calves starting 50 years ago. The pliers and the o rings in the kit were labled Elastrator. Worked much better for us than cutting them. One thing it sure cut us out of some tastee meals. B I L's still cut their calves so we still enjoy the oyster fries.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

As for sheep, the Dr told me I should eat mutton instead of beef. UGH !!! I don't want to develop a taste for that. I'd rather die a little sooner than starve now.

We raise Katadins which have some of the mildest "sheep flavor" of any of the breeds, but it is still apparent. I tell folks that you either like it or you don't and no amount of convincing, spicing, slow cooking ect, will change your mind. I ate home raised goat for the first time last year and it was delicious! Much better than anything I have purchased, it was a young uncut buck to boot!

[cat223]

I went to get the rifle and to see if my daughter wanted to harvest him. When I returned my wife and daughter were petting him. No goat shooting today.
Good luck, jmsj

So, What did your wife and daughter name him? Good luck in your new Goat hearding buisness.

[Silver Hand]

Best way to castrate a young goat or sheep is the rubber band trick. Industrail strenght rubber bands and a special pair of pliers to apply with. no muss, no fuss. works like a charm.
CF

They also work great for docking lambs tails.

[MBTcustom]

My wife and I went to stay with my sister and brother in law over 4th of July weekend.

Goat was on the menu. I was charged with the task of killing and gutting the intended goat. I looked around and found my brother in laws .22. I asked him if he had any ammo for it? the answer was "no" so I went and got the goat, pulled my sidearm (45ACP 3.5" 1911) and popped him in the head. It was loaded with my own 45HP boolits. The goat folded like a kite.

[waksupi]

:hijack::hijack::hijack::hijack:

Lamar, another Chessie fan? Best dogs in the world.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Put a lamb in the freezer tonight. Used the 44 mag Rossi 92, talk about DRT! Used a straight WW RD 432265 over 6 grains of Red Dot. Very little recoil, but still packing around 700 ft lbs, and only costs a penny or so more than a .22!