Last year was my first hunting season in BC and it turned out pretty good. I have already shared my mountain goat and bear story but now its time to tell about the sheep. Hope you enjoy.
Whatever it Takes
Many years ago I came to terms with the reality that I would never hunt sheep, maybe mountain goats but that would be a stretch. I was OK with it and just accepted that's how it was going to be. Since I am a school teacher, my plan was to just get a job or even volunteer for a summer with an outfitter and that would be the closest I ever get to a sheep hunt.
Then, in the spring of 2016, after living in Ontario our whole lives, my wife said: "I think we should move". Wow, what a turning point in our lives. She said she liked BC but "I'll follow you anywhere". Yup, she's amazing. After thinking about cities in the Yukon and Alberta British Columbia was the obvious choice. I was lucky to find a job in Smithers, BC and by the spring of 2017, all the plans were in place to head off that summer. Since you need to reside in BC for 6 months before becoming a resident I knew the 2017 hunting season was out the window, but I was already planning for 2018. At our kitchen table, still in Ontario, I was talking my wife's ear off about what I was going to hunt. My plan was to start with mountain goats close to home and gain some experience then head north for Stone Sheep when I felt ready. My wife looked at me and said: "you have been dreaming about this for most of your life, how do you NOT start hunting sheep right away?". Didn't I say she's amazing? So the decision was made right there, I had never been to BC before and I was still living in ON but I knew that come August 2018 I would be hunting stone sheep as a resident of British Columbia.
Fast forward to July 2018 and everything is in place. I have my equipment dialed, physically ready, and I have a plan. I poured over internet threads and google earth images/maps and did my best to pick out an area that I thought would be remote enough to get away from crowds and also might hold sheep. I really wanted to scout it out but I never made the trip up north before the season. Instead, I would go in a few days early and try to locate sheep. This being my first backpack hunt in BC and certainly first sheep hunt my goal was just to spot sheep if I could do that I would be happy. Killing a legal ram was a 5-year goal, I didn't expect to kill on my first hunt, especially solo. Having said that I am a confident person and I do always prepare to be successful, so in the back of my mind, I felt like I could make it happen. OK, enough background info, let's get to the hunt.
As I stood at the trailhead I was awestruck by the beauty and ruggedness of the mountains. The plan was straight forward, follow a horse trail then bushwhack up a creek to the base of a mountain, climb the mountain then hunt sheep, simple right?
Well the creek was not what I was expecting, bushwhacking along it was not possible. It had banks 50' high that pushed me further away from the creek. No worries though, I would just keeping heading down the valley. 2 kms later and this bush sucks, just thick and not easy going. Then suddenly the greatest gift was bestowed upon me, I walk right onto a horse trail and it is heading down the valley. I have to say though, I was torn on weather to feel blessed or cursed. I wanted to head to an area with no pressure and if there was a trail headed back here it meant other hunters as well. Either way though, I was happy for the easy going.
In total, I traveled 12 km and made it to the base of the mountain. It was about to get steep and it was 9:30 pm. Great time to make camp by the creek and enjoy my first night on a back pack sheep hunt. (still kicking myself for not taking a pic)
Early in the morning I broke camp and started up the mountain. Guess what? the horse trail headed up right here. It switchbacked up through the steep timber then broke out into a high mountain valley. It was in this valley that I hoped to find sheep. As I followed the trail there was plenty of moose sign up here as a glacier creek flowed through creating a wetland of lush vegetation. The valley walls were steep and ragged and as I walked I spotted 5 mountain goats. I could feel the goat tag in my bino harness as if it were calling to me. I made it to a waterfall and stopped for lunch. The goats continued walking along the walls of the valley then angled down towards me, at 300 yds I admired them but knew I was there for a sheep. I wondered if I would say the same thing on day 7.
I awoke in the dark and treated this like a hunting day. I wanted to get on sheep and have a plan for the next morning. The sunrise was gorgeous and I was mesmerized with the beauty of the landscape, also, I was terrified. If I find any rams on the walls how will I ever get to them, I thought to myself. Then the two ewes and lamb stepped out again. They traversed the vertical walls well out of reach of any normal human. Then headed further away and beaded down for a couple of hours. Once back on their feet they headed up out of the valley to the level plateau's that existed on either side of this valley.
I feared this would be true, but I was prepared for it. The sheep lived at the top of the mountain and didn't come down into the valley I was in. I was going to have to find a chute and climb up and check out the flat spots up above. I loaded up my day gear at 10:00 am and headed up.
It was a steep climb over wet, jagged, and loose rock but I made it up without incident. At the top, I could see for hundreds of miles and the terrain was magnificent. I climbed a gentle slope and an immense plateau carried for miles around with a rising mountain slope 2 kms away. I set up to glass the slope then heard footsteps behind me. I wheeled around and spotted three ewes feeding 50 yds away. I slipped out my camera and snapped a few shots as they fed out of view.
I continued to glass the slope for the next hour. Then I turned and glassed the flat plateau. What I saw left me speechless and almost emotionless, I think it was some kind of shock. (I could have woke up the next morning with my head sewn to the carpet and I would not have been in more shock then I was in that moment )
1.5 kms away a band of 12 rams were causally feeding in the afternoon sun. They slowly made their way to a dark sandy area then mostly bedded down with a few butting heads and just mulling around. The shock went away quick and every emotion flooded through my body. There were a few sheep that looked to have potential but one stood out from the rest. His dark coat made the others look pale and insignificant and although I could tell he was not full curl his MASSIVE horns were a dead give away that this ram was special. IT WAS GAME ON.
An afternoon storm rolled in and I donned my rain gear and continued to watch these beautiful creatures. They eventually got up and headed further away to bed down as the storm intensified. The winds picked up and I needed to find cover. I decided to head back to camp. As I climbed into the tipi the winds died and the rain petered out. I decided to start packing things and move camp up on the plateau. There was a small spring with water and it had some cover away from where the sheep were. I made it back up there and got things set-up. I went back to glass that evening but nothing was spotted. I enjoyed the sunset with the knowledge that a legal ram (or at least I had a good idea that it was legal, I still had to confirm) was close by and I had a plan for the opening morning.
As I laid in the tipi that night I knew I was all in. This was no longer a nice backcountry hiking trip with hopes of seeing sheep. Everything has gone perfectly except I'm further in then I had planned and calculated, distance to the trailhead from right here was 22 kms. I trained hard and I had pushed myself in the past. I thought of the Goruck heavy event I did a few years back, 24 hours straight with 30 lbs pack, 58 kms total covered and numerous PT sessions in that time. I was confident that I could get this ram out if successful but I also knew I was stretching myself.
Those thoughts really just slipped in and out, but that image of the dark ram with massive horns never left. Whatever it takes I'm willing I thought to myself and I drifted off to sleep.
I woke up at 4:30 am with excitement and confidence, almost overconfident. Oatmeal and coffee almost tasted bad this morning I was trying to control my emotions. I emerged from the tipi and breathed in the crisp mountain air of an August morning. My first sheep opener, I couldn't believe it, I am a sheep hunter. I thought back of all the moose and deer openers and the blessing of successful hunts and I just soaked it in. I got to my glassing spot and waited for the dull grayness to disappear. As the morning glow began the day I was simply floored by the spectacle that lay before me. On the grassy slope 2 kms away 30+ sheep materialized, I counted 13 rams. I watched for about 15 mins then made my move. I chose to be patient. I would let the sheep come to me.
From my intel the day before I guessed that the rams would come down on the plateau and bed in the same place at midday. I slipped through the lulls of the landscape and circled around to get set-up on their "bedding area". At 7:30 am I was in position, 150 away from where they bedded the day before. From this spot, I was still able to glass them on the slope directly north of me. I watched the sheep head up and bed down. Suddenly, I caught movement on the ridge north west of me. I brought up the binos to see two white rumps and flashes of horn walk out of site. No problem they'll come back to me, just be patient, its day one.
An hour passes and I can still see a band of bedded rams on top of the slope north of me, I'm just waiting for them to come to me. Again movement on the northwest ridge, bring up the binos to see 4 HUNTERS headed up the ridge right towards all the sheep. I just about puked, my heart has never sunk lower in my life. The hunters are headed right into the band of bedded rams that I can see from my position.
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