2018 Sheep Hunt, no luck

[ACB]

Tough hunt and you guys put in the work for sure.
I had a sole delaminate on a pair of Meindl boots in the first days of a horseback hunt years ago. Fortunately I had packed some Loctite Instant adhesive. I applied that to the boot and waited overnight. It held up well for the rest of the trip.
I never leave home without it now and take it on every trip including backpack hunts.
The Meindls got thrown out when I got home just so I wasn’t tempted to use them again. Didn’t feel bad as they were fifteen years old already.

So how did those Meindls delam, hmmm.

[Thunderstix]

Great story! Not the ending you were hoping for, but there are lots of people that have experienced the same ending....don't give up your dream of a Stone's.

[LuckyIfYouGetOne]

Thanks for sharing your hunt and lessons learned. I can appreciate the time and effort that went into your trip and know that despite not killing a ram you’ll have memories to last a lifetime few people can ever say they experienced.

[BStrachan]

Thanks for sharing. I am not a sheep hunter but from what I hear it is a tough hunt! You should be proud of yourself for giving it a try. Looks like some beautiful country. Too bad about your boots. Glad you managed to make it back to the truck. Good luck with the rest of the hunting season.

[decker9]

Thank you for taking the time to write this up. Your putting in the time and leather, good things come to those who never give up, keep on atter!! And it will happen. Some guys get lucky, some guys it takes 10+ years, the longer it takes, the more satisfying the reward.

I had a similar thing happen to a boot once while gost hunting, back when I use to use my steel toe work boots. Luckily I had packed one of those sardine can survival kits, which had a 16” piece of duct tape in it. 1.5 wraps around my toe, it got me back to the lake.

Was some great looking country you were in, I wouldn’t have thought twice about exploring it personally.

Cheers, and good luck on the rest of your season!!

[firebird]

Great pictures and story! If your boots didn't fall apart and the grizzlies didn't show it would not have been as great of an adventure!!

[Brez]

Thanks for posting your story and pics. It's a great story for new hunters. Shows that it takes time, effort and boots on the ground, with no guarrantees. Some guys think that we just go out and Bang, it's a trophy on the ground. Not so. Many unsuccessful trips and lessons learned before an animal is shot. Doesn't mean that the trips are unsuccessful though. Lots of memories and lessons learned. Last sheep hunt I was on, my partner's boots delaminated as well. Duct tape and rope. Now I pack good glue. Keep at it. You will succeed. Oh, camping near a marmot colony may not be a great idea as they are a favorite food of griz.

[Jrax]

Thanks for the great read! Sounds like a challenging hunt and it always is especially hiking off the highway in a place you have only looked via google earth. But that is what makes is so exciting, new area to explore and all the unknowns. I bet you guys were not far from spotting the rams. I remember one hunt off the highway where we went several days with only spotting ewes and lambs and the only moment where that changed was catching a glint of sunlight reflecting off a part of a rams horn that was bedded above us on the rocks.

Did you see the thread on stone sheep hunting locations on this site? There are some good spots on there and yes a few more people but known ram country is ram country and they go back to those spots. You can try one of those locations and burn some extra boot leather there (hopefully with some more reliable boots). Sometimes all it takes is checking that one small bowl that other hunters have walked right by or pushing a little farther back. Sounds like you guys are tough and motivated - I would be nervous to share my favorite sheep location with you lol.

Hot weather and bugs can put sheep in awkward places. I have found rams hidden on north facing slopes in the shade down low just inside the treeline and not coming out into the open until early evening which makes them a lot harder to find.

Best advice is find a location you like and hit that for a few years in a row. You will find where the best camp is, trails and easy walking, water and ram hangouts.

[Brez]

To add to Jrax's comments, just because you didn't see rams there, doesn't mean they won't be there at another time. weather and bugs will affect where they hang out. If you saw ewes and such, the rams can't be out of range. Just think of the bar - everyone is in the bar because it's the place to be at that time, but the girls are chatting at the tables and the guys are at the pool table. Now just so as I don't rile any feathers, some girls play pool and some guys like chatting as well. Don't expect many active sheep hunters to give you their spots.

[Krico]

The fact you saw ewes and lambs means you were in sheep country. The rams are “usually” in more rugged terrain this time of year than the women and children. Also as stated by others the weather may have had them hiding in the timber and those hidden north facing shaded nooks and crannies.
My last sheep hunt was crazy hot weather, didn’t see a single sheep until day 6. He was the only sheep we saw that trip and luckily a good ram that we closed the deal on.
Keep at it. If it was easy everyone would do it.