Ah to Be a mountain goat...or a mountain Goat counter!!

In July 2025, the Wildlife branch of the Ministry of Water, Lands and Resource Stewardship conducted mountain goat surveys in the Upper Horsefly Mountain goat population management unit. This area reaches from the east arm of Quesnel Lake south to Deception Mountain, and from Clearwater lake to Crooked Lake. Aerial inventories are required to assess the abundance and distribution of this species to implement the best management practices. Mountain goats are sensitive to a multitude of factors including, over-harvest, habitat loss and fragmentation, predation, severe winters, anthropogenic disturbance and climate change. Due to the difficulty in distinguishing between males and females in the field, there can be a high proportion of females harvested. Mountain goat population dynamics and vulnerability to harvest are still poorly understood (Hamel et al. 2006), therefore monitoring this PMU is important to provide accurate population trends to ensure a sustainable harvest. Confirming current population status and distribution through regular monitoring is critical to assess population trends, better understand the primary drivers of population change, and ensure future population sustainability within this area.

Mountain habitat within the survey blocks were systematically flown generally ranging between 1000 m and 2400 m ASL.  Air speed while on survey varied between 60 and 80 kph. The number of passes flown for a mountain face depended on terrain and the treeline elevation. Areas of relatively narrow cliff bands or slopes required only one pass to survey all available habitat, while areas with larger cliff faces or more complex cliff/forested habitat required multiple passes to ensure that all terrain was adequately surveyed. In areas requiring more than one pass, contours were typically 100 - 150 m apart in elevation and were flown starting with the lowest contour and moving upward in elevation in subsequent passes. The time interval between passes within a single drainage face/slope were minimized (<30 minutes) to prevent double-counting of animals moving upslope.

We are still analyzing the results and will produce a public report in the winter.