Solo sheep advice

[AllDay]

Got bit by the mountain bug a couple years ago. Still a newer Hunter and don't have a lot of experience hunting/camping/hiking on the mainland. I do most of my hunting on the island.

The guy I am planning on going on with for sheeps may not be able to go anymore due to work. I really want to get back out and am considering going solo.

Just looking for advice from people on solo sheep hunting. My main concerns are around g bears to be honest. I have most of the gear I need (other than possibly a pack alarm).

Just looking for different people's experience and advice on going up alone. I have a young family so part of me is wondering if it is worth the risk of going alone. It will be a hike in off the highway.

Thanks

Allday

[sako04]

Last season I headed into the hills with a buddy a few days before the stone opener. After a coulple days of hiking found a nice ram just short of full curl. Hiking down from the ridge where we spotted him I got my foot caught in between some rocks and bailed, twisted it pretty bad and was forced to limp out of there for a day and half. Leaned on my poles so hard one broke. Considered getting heli’d out. But ended up just walking it. I’ve never had anything as swollen as that ankle when I made it back to the truck. Felt good to make it out on my own though and I was sad to leave the place Id thought about all year.


Month and a bit later and my ankles still a little sore and not liking certain angles but the itch to get back to sheep country was strong and the weather was starting to worry me. So without even asking anyone to come with me not knowing how my ankle would be I made the 20+hr drive north again. Arrived at the same spot as in August to find 3-4” of snow. Packed my warmer sleeping bag a warmer pair of pants and added my stanfield sweater to the pack. The whole drive I was wondering what it was gonna be like being in there alone for a week+ especially knowing the weather wasn’t supposed to be the greatest.


Now I’m 23 and don’t have kids to take care of but once I started hiking from the truck I knew I was gonna love this solo hunt. I’ve done a fair bit of solo hunting but never week longers up north. Felt so good to be back looking for rams though and I was happy the whole time. Wind blowing snow in your face on top of a mountain, still smiling hoping the fog would clear. After 4 days I found a nice ram and took him down the next morning. The pack out is a hell of allot harder solo but it’s hard not to smile with a ram in your pack.


Really just trying to say don’t let being solo stop you from seeing the best areas Canada has to offer. I had allot of people I told about my hunt say “oh it’s allot better going with a buddy isn’t it” and I don’t really know what to say to that. It is but it’s nice to experience it alone sometimes to. As for bears... be good with your gun and be confident with your gun and you’ll have no worry’s. till your trying to sleep. Sat phone is also a nice comfort to have especially solo. I 100% would go solo again and might even be this season. Goodluck hopefully you make it out there

[jtred]

I started doing short solo pack trips a few years ago when my hunting partner moved away, two or three nights and then home again. I really enjoy both solo and with my friend. I usually hunt more when I'm solo but evenings in camp aren't nearly as much fun as when my hunting partner and best friend of 43 years is with me. One thing to ask yourself before you do go solo into the mountains is how comfortable you feel about being completely alone likely miles from any form of help? And how your wife feels about it as well, if your wife is going to be sitting at home worried every minute you're away you'll have to come up with a way to reassure her. The areas I go into I've been into many times so a lot of the unknowns of a new area aren't an issue. I know where I'm setting up camp, where to get water, how to navigate the area in different weather. In most cases my wife and daughters have hiked into these areas with me during summer hiking(scouting done with the family) so knows where I'll be and where my camps are. Success while solo is the best.

[Blockcaver]

Get an InReach, pair it with your phone and stay in touch with home a couple of times a day. Solo hunting is rewarding and challenges/forces you to be self-reliant. Good luck!

[.264winmag]

Although she was a bit of a pita, was glad to have our pup running solo for stones. Even packed her own food in, helped lighten load en route out. Was a one time thing for her though, runs and hides at the sight of the saddlebags now HA.
Several G bears on that trip as well as others. Picked our routes accordingly and even bumped one hiking out, never bothered us even with meat in camp.
The husky marking her territory I'm sure didn't help bring them in either.
No alarm but always rifle in tent sleeping in that country.

Good luck and enjoy the solitude!

[Kopper]

I almost exclusively do that hunt solo and have been since my early twenties. I prefer to have a partner but alone is rewarding in its own; especially when you hit the truck with >100lbs on your back.

Never had a bear problem in the northern rocks actually, seen lots tho. Nothing fancy but keeping meat away from camp and food out of the tent. Also, I won’t camp on trails... The biggest hurdle is getting over that fear and just doing it!

[quadrakid]

Just an old fogeys advice. You should think of your kids and not go solo. Things can go south in the mountains.

[bigwhiteys]

I haven't gone solo, but bears are generally the least of your problems on a sheep hunt.... I'd be far more worried about what your feet are doing. Boulder fields, steep creek sides, dancing across wet rocks on creek crossings, scrambling steep stuff on your hands and knees with a full pack, this is all a lot more dangerous than a bear, lol. We bumped a Grizzly bear in the buck brush at about 10 yards, I thought we were going to be lunch but he took off in a hurry when I reached for the camera. Have seen many other bears and they paid little to no attention to us. I'd take a dog over a pack alarm. I sleep with ear plugs in too, lol. In-reach or a sat-phone are a must.

[ryanb]

Hunting with a good partner is better than being solo, but being solo is better than hunting with someone that's not a great partner. I enjoy both and see no reason not to go solo. I have 3 young kids and try to avoid risky situations, but I can't, and won't live in a bubble!

Get out there while you're still young and able!

[decker9]

For solo sheep hunting, a dog is a great piece of gear. Also, a couple pack bells on your pack for when your in the timber is a good idea. If I didn’t have a dog, I’d definitely have a pack alarm. I tend to keep the noise up, until it’s time to be stealth. The only close calls with bears that I have have, have been when we surprise each other. Being bear aware is #1.