Saturday 26th started the 2011 once in a lifetime Ibex season. I was one of 15 lucky tag holders that got to hunt this year. I left home on the 348 mile drive after turkey dinner to arive in Deming NM at 9:00 pm that evening. I just pulled into the walmart parking lot and jumped in the 5th wheel, bad idea on black friday. 
Friday morning got settled into Rockhound State park and headed out in the rain to do some scouting. Didnt see a goat all day, just got intimidated by the size and steepness of those mountains.
At daylight Saturday mourning I was on a two track heading up windmill canyon still wondering how I would beat this mountain when at 7:00 am I saw my first goats at 450 yards straight up the clifts. This herd had a nice ram but he only gave me a long shot as he skylined and a miss would send a bullet out of the mountains south into residential areas. So I decided to make a stalk up and around that would take me about an hour, when I got up their all I found were some tracks where I saw them earler. I went back to a spot out of the wind to have something to eat at about 8:45 I got up and heard a goat bark, I didnt know thay would do this but the first one did it too. I started trying to locate him and found him at 400+ yards across the canyon I had came from 45 minuts ago. I had no rest under the rocks so I made my way to so rocks about 80 yards closer to him and found a rock that I could rest against. I put my 7mm08 encore with weaver scope up on the rock placed the 300 yard pin on his sholder and pulled the trigger, I saw him go limp and drop off the rock so I went back and got my frame pack and headed over to him. It took me 25 min to cross the 318 yards but when I made it to the rock he was on I found him 20' below it. Now the fun began and it took me about 2 hours to cape, quarter, and load him in my pack and then another 2 hours to descend that mountain with 80 - 100lbs on my back. By the end of the day I had my goat on ice and a good meal in my belly.
I forgot my camera so when I figure out how to load some pics from my phone I will upload some he measured 31.5" long and 9.75" bases. May not be the biggest on that rock but he is mine. 
If I ever get that one down I will then try to move on to the Ibex. I can't afford to apply for both as a non resident so it's just one for now. I can't wait to see teh pictures as this is one of the rarest hunts in the country to be a part of. I can't believe you were able to knock one down so quickly after the hunt started.
