# Goats and Sheep on Deer Lease



## Reel Cajun (Aug 1, 2006)

Does anyone have any experiences with this. I understand about overgrazing if animals aren't moved pasture to pasture, and a feeder pen is a must have. Anything else I need to be aware of? Going to look at the property tomorrow.


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## rpduke (May 19, 2005)

Been on places with them and without. Needless to say, without is way better. Biggest drawback is that they are competing with deer for food, and they eat lots of food. They will try to get in pens so build them strong.


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## txrdkng (Jan 9, 2013)

I will never lease a property with goats again. They eat everything in sight leaving nothing but dirt. They eat all brush as high as they can reach standing on their back legs. They will try relentlessly to get into feeder pens. They will destroy whatever they can. Never again!


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## Y-Not (Sep 14, 2012)

We hunt with goats in Junction. I can tell you this, make your feed pins big enough that apsolutely No corn fly's out of the pen. We have guy's with small pens and corn fly's outside the pen and the goats will be there an hour before the feeder goes off.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

I got to the point of almost hating goats. They stink and compete with deer and hurt the quality of hunting IMO. 
One lease I had for 15 years. The first 2 or 3 years I put up with the goats. The guy with grazing rights said he tried to get them all, but some escaped from him and then reproduced like crazy. These things were wild! BUT, he said if I would catch them he would haul them off. Well, a corn feeder in his own corral worked. I put an old piece of deer stand near it and closed the gate on them when they went in. It took 2 times actually. I caught about 3/4 of them the first time and the remainder a week or so later. He hauled them off as promised and the hunting really took off through the years after that. He was a reputable guy and had some cows but he did not over graze it.


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## jtburf (May 26, 2004)

Y-Not said:


> We hunt with goats in Junction. I can tell you this, make your feed pins big enough that apsolutely No corn fly's out of the pen. We have guy's with small pens and corn fly's outside the pen and the goats will be there an hour before the feeder goes off.


 This for sure, also they stink and that causes deer to be very alert around them.

John


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## DA REEL DADDY (Jun 7, 2005)

I hunted with goats in Junction and the ranch was a great ranch. Now our feeds pends were big and I don't think corn got out when the feeders went off. As far as I can remember it was not that big of a deal and it did not ruin our hunting at all and something we all lived with.

I will tell you if we did not have a feed pen it definitely would of been a waist of time.

If you have an opportunity to get on a ranch that has them, I would still consider it, depending on the ranch, facilities, other lease members, and past hunting management programs, and so forth. My .02 cents.


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## uncle dave (Jul 27, 2008)

What's really neat is when they come into camp and walk on the hood of your new king ranch pick up.


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## Slimshady (Jan 11, 2005)

uncle dave said:


> What's really neat is when they come into camp and walk on the hood of your new king ranch pick up.


Lol....I'd be p*ssed. Garuantee we would be eating cabrito for dinner.


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## kweber (Sep 20, 2005)

Slimshady said:


> Lol....I'd be p*ssed. Garuantee we would be eating cabrito for dinner.


shooting livestock on a lease is the fastest way to get booted off... wouldn't blame the landowner...were it my place, you'ld gone asap.


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## Bull Red Daddy (Oct 7, 2006)

*Feeder Pen Panels*

If you do decide to go ahead & lease it, be sure that when you buy panels for feeder pens, get the panels with the 4x4 squares. If you use the standard 32" hog panels, the openings are big enough that goats can get their heads through the panels. Their horns get caught and then they are stuck like a fish in a gill net. It sucks to haul dead, stinking goat away from your feeder pen - specially in the hot summer.


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## 8-count (Jul 3, 2008)

If you have other options then RUN........don't do it. It's a nightmare!!!


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## seafox237 (Dec 12, 2005)

We hunted on a ranch in Rocksprings w/ sheeps and goats on it. It was the worst lease I have ever been. They would be at the feeder before they went off and they would find a way to get in the pens. You can not corn the roads or anything else. I will not get on another lease with goats on it. My 2 cents. Val.


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## Muleman (Dec 6, 2011)

In Langtry at my lease we have sheep and the deer don't pay any attention to them. We do have pens around the feeder sets and don't put any corn outside the pens. No problems yet in 12 years.


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

used to hunt a place in Junction w sheep and goats, if they ever figured you were around , they would watch you........make noise and mill around waiting for food.


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## SSST (Jun 9, 2011)

They are a pain in the arse, plain and simple. I was only around them one season, but man that was a disaster. The lead goat had a bell, I remember many a morning sitting in the blind before light and hearing the dinging coming my way.


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## Spooley (Feb 24, 2013)

Had goats on my uncle's Freund Ranch near Harper, Tx and the one thing I noticed was that mature bucks will not come around with those dang things running all around.


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## BigBuck (Mar 2, 2005)

*Goats*

I have hunted the hill country for over 35 years, always on a ranch with goats/sheep. A couple of things: not all goats/sheep are created equal. Boar (sp?) goats, especially the big billies can and will jump into feed pens. Your fence needs to be 42-44 inches high, minimum. Even then the rouge tall billy may jump in. Angora goats will hang out at a feeder without a pen, so pens are a must, 36" will keep them out. There is a type of sheep, Dormer maybe? some type of french sheep, multicolor, that are a real pain. One or two kernals outside the pen and they will not leave. Angoras you can run off, these Dormers will circle the pen and never leave. 
The key is to have a rancher that cares about his place. Our rancher rotates his stock, so the goats do not eat it down to dirt. Yes, goats/sheep are a pain, but right now they are keeping many ranchers alive. With the meat goat market strong and wool bringing a good price, I think you will be seeing more ranches bring in meat and hair goats.
Good luck with the place.
BB


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## 10ERBETTER (Feb 24, 2008)

Reel Cajun said:


> Does anyone have any experiences with this. I understand about overgrazing if animals aren't moved pasture to pasture, and a feeder pen is a must have. Anything else I need to be aware of? Going to look at the property tomorrow.


I dealt with them on different ranches for 15 years, before I moved South. I will NEVER do it again.


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## cajunasian (Mar 7, 2007)

I kinda like them around where I hunt in Rocksprings. Extra targets to fling a bullet at on a slow hunt.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

What has been said and I'll add that if you use a tailgate feeder you won't need it if there are goats on the place.

Up in the hill country we'd corn the roads and the goats would have it vacuumed up before the sun came up.

And no doubt they'll be on top of your new truck. I had a brand new 81 Silverado that got all scratched up from them. Even the roof and one morning had bent windshield wiper arms.

The old man that we leased from believed that a mountain lion was catching and killing his goats. 

TH


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## AlvinDucksUnlimited (Jun 7, 2006)

*Goats*

Looks like you got your answer. lol


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## Uncle Doug (May 26, 2009)

Bull Red Daddy said:


> If you do decide to go ahead & lease it, be sure that when you buy panels for feeder pens, get the panels with the 4x4 squares. If you use the standard 32" hog panels, the openings are big enough that goats can get their heads through the panels. Their horns get caught and then they are stuck like a fish in a gill net. It sucks to haul dead, stinking goat away from your feeder pen - specially in the hot summer.


 Daddy is right, had the same thing happen with hog panel, we wound up adding chicken wire to the outside of the panel.


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## rapnrod (Jul 24, 2008)

axsbilly said:


> Looks like you got your answer. lol


X2 plus goats are browsers and compete with the deer for food!


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## kweber (Sep 20, 2005)

just remember one thing... lotsa hill country goat and sheep ranchers prefer their livestock to Houston hunters...
lamb is rebounding, and if wool and mohair do, too, your lease just doubled...
and around NW Rocksprings and Sonora and Ozona gas may be better than hunting.
so expect to pay more.


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## outtotrout09 (Apr 21, 2009)

Sheep and Goats are widespread from the Hill country to Edwards plateau area. I donâ€™t ever see any shortage of Houston lease hunters from year to year either. Hunters still have success and have nice places with Sheep and Goats. 

What are you looking for in a Lease?? That would determine for me if I was going to deal with sheep and Goats. Most places in these areas are not going to be known for monster whitetail compared to other areas. It just depends on what you want. 

If you want a place in the hill country or Edwards plateau there is a good chance there will be sheep and goats. Just like now in south Texas you hafta deal with oil field traffic. It comes with the territory. Just my 2cents!


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## kweber (Sep 20, 2005)

BigBuck said:


> I have hunted the hill country for over 35 years, always on a ranch with goats/sheep. A couple of things: not all goats/sheep are created equal. Boar (sp?) goats, especially the big billies can and will jump into feed pens. Your fence needs to be 42-44 inches high, minimum. Even then the rouge tall billy may jump in. Angora goats will hang out at a feeder without a pen, so pens are a must, 36" will keep them out. There is a type of sheep, Dormer maybe? some type of french sheep, multicolor, that are a real pain. One or two kernals outside the pen and they will not leave. Angoras you can run off, these Dormers will circle the pen and never leave.
> The key is to have a rancher that cares about his place. Our rancher rotates his stock, so the goats do not eat it down to dirt. Yes, goats/sheep are a pain, but right now they are keeping many ranchers alive. With the meat goat market strong and wool bringing a good price, I think you will be seeing more ranches bring in meat and hair goats.
> Good luck with the place.
> BB


Dorper.. a S. African breed who don't grow wool, but are a big robust sheep...really good meat production sheep and are very prolific...
I will be switching my little herd to them soon...
expect to see more of these all over historical goat and sheep country.


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## outtotrout09 (Apr 21, 2009)

kweber said:


> just remember one thing... lotsa hill country goat and sheep ranchers prefer their livestock to Houston hunters...
> lamb is rebounding, and if wool and mohair do, too, your lease just doubled...
> and around NW Rocksprings and Sonora and Ozona gas may be better than hunting.
> so expect to pay more.


And what he said


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## palmwad89 (Dec 9, 2008)

Dont do it they eat everything and then the goats once they have demolished the browse will even get up in the trees. Waste of time and a lot of headaches are coming your way if you do it.


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## Cynoscion (Jun 4, 2009)

Bull Red Daddy said:


> If you do decide to go ahead & lease it, be sure that when you buy panels for feeder pens, get the panels with the 4x4 squares. If you use the standard 32" hog panels, the openings are big enough that goats can get their heads through the panels. Their horns get caught and then they are stuck like a fish in a gill net. It sucks to haul dead, stinking goat away from your feeder pen - specially in the hot summer.


That might be the funniest thing I've ever read!!!


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## sotol buster (Oct 7, 2007)

Cynoscion said:


> That might be the funniest thing I've ever read!!!


 Plenty of stories about goats with their head caught in a fence. Most are not told.


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## Cynoscion (Jun 4, 2009)

sotol buster said:


> Plenty of stories about goats with their head caught in a fence. Most are not told.


Exactly what was making me laugh!


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