While bushwhacking up a stream in the Selkirk Mountains last summer I came across a mineral lick that had quite a bit of mountain goat sign at it. Mountain goats, a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Idaho, are known to make serious side-trips from their normal routine to visit such areas typically rich in sodium and other important minerals.
Knowing the goats were likely to be back I couldn't resist making a return trip in late July to set up a couple remote cameras. On December 8 I went to check the cameras. I got some nice video from a camera set up directly on the lick.
I set a separate camera up on a trail headed into the lick and was able to get about 1,500 images of two adults and a kid over the course of the next couple months.
The goats visited the lick mostly during the day, but came at all hours of the night as well.
The only other species recorded on the cameras in four months (August-November) was a bushy-tailed woodrat (Neotoma cinerea).
Goat yoga?
Guess it's good to have a solid stretching session after some serious mineral licking!
Namaste!
The goats visited on a regular basis from the time I set the cameras up in late July until late September. There wasn't a single goat visit from late September until November 9 when this adult came by. As you can see, by November the adult is wearing a full thick winter coat! There wasn't another goat visit between the November 9 picture and the day I visited the cameras on December 8. I left the cameras out at the lick. Stay tuned to see how often the goats visit the lick in the winter months.