http://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/u ... lick06.pdf - from the link:
The animals focus their activity at wet seeps on the
lick where more minerals are carried in solution.
Mountain goats are crepuscular in nature, and daily
use of the lick tends to occur most frequently during
twilight spans of dawn and dusk. A goat typically
licks for a total of 24 hours, in 4-6 hour durations, on
its first seasonal visit to the site. After the first day,
more time is spent in feeding and bedding. Because
individual goats compete for the best licking area,
aggressive interactions are common on the lick.
Watch for threatening horn swipes and rushes. The
social ranking of goats serves to reduce direct
conflict which, due to the sharpness of their
horns, could result in serious injuries. At the lick,
adult males (billies) and females (nannies) with kids
share a position of near equal dominance, followed
by barren nannies, subadults, and yearlings. On the
range, however, adult billies often appear to be
subordinate to nannies with kids.