CLARK FORK, Idaho (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service reopened a northern Idaho hiking trail Saturday after deciding aggressive mountain goats that had grown accustomed to human handouts and even become demanding had time to find other sources of food.
The agency closed Scotchman Peak Trail last fall after a goat in June bit a hiker and others tried to heat-butt hikers in an attempt to obtain human food.
The trail leads to the 7,009-foot summit of Bonner County’s tallest mountain.
The Forest Service says hikers had been offering food to the goats and even allowing them to eat from their hands.
The agency says visitors must practice good goat etiquette and avoid feeding goats so the trail can remain open, and should educate others if bad goat etiquette is witnessed.
