Goats have roamed the steep escarpment for many years, along with feral deer and kangaroos. Wild goats warning signs sprang up like mushrooms along the highway recently, then disappeared just as quickly.

Local Land Services South East spokesman Mark McGaw estimates 50 to 60 goats are roaming the hills. Mr McGaw said control work five years ago reduced the numbers, but the mobs had built up over the last two years because of good seasonal conditions.

"Goats love that steep terrain and using dogs [to round them up] can be difficult," Mr McGaw said. "You have terrain on one side and the highway issue on the other side. Anything you do, you have to mitigate any chance of them getting out on the highway as well.

"The main control measures would be mustering, trapping or shooting," Mr McGaw said. "We may use all three. You want to trap or muster as a priority to get numbers down and if you are left with a few animals that won't respond, you shoot them.

"The biggest problem with goats is they are not a declared pest animal, which means people don't have to control them. The four declared pests are wild dogs, feral pigs and now foxes. Goats are a nuisance animal. Deer come under the Game Council," Mr McGaw said.

NSW Roads and Maritime Services will not explain why the wild goats signs were taken down.

"Temporary signage was in place to warn motorists of the presence of wild goats on the Federal Highway. This signage was temporary and has now been removed," it said in an email.

"Roads and Maritime will continue to closely monitor the highway for initiatives to improve the safety of the road for the travelling public."

Lerida Winery co-owner Jim Lumbers has suggested authorities contact contractors working in western areas of NSW, who use teams of dogs and mobile yards to catch goats for export. "It just defies logic they [rangers at Lake George] go out blazing away when a couple of teams with eight or 10 dogs could get rid of 99 per cent of the goats at their expense," Mr Lumbars said.

Collector farmer Gary Poile said people including himself had attempted to round up the goats and trap them. "I haven't been very successful, probably for the lack of a decent sheep dog. The steep terrain and lack of a holding facility, even when you get a dog around them, there is no yard to hold them."

Lake George farmer Harry Osborne said feral animals increased because they were of no value to shooters.