Perseverance Sheep Hunt 2019

[Gunner]

LEH 2019 started out like most of my last 20 years with me putting in for long shots, Okanagan sheep and moose and Island elk. I had a few health issues and was sure, like most other years, I would get a big goose egg. Well,if I didn’t get the coveted sheep draw! I was over the moon, naturally, but worried I wouldn’t be able to do the hunt physically after having major surgery followed by 5 months of chemo which left me with zero immunity and blood tests showing I had anemia. I only had August to get my poop in a group.
A huge chain of events started unravelling that still amazes me. My godson’s hunting buddy, Dorian, had recently moved to Kamloops and was willing to put in some time if I was able to go. Dennis found out about my draw and got in touch with Dave who got in touch with others…you get the idea.
While all this is happening and I’m talking to these amazing guys about the hunt I’m having trouble not getting winded walking up a flight of stairs. I let them in on the reality of the situation and the crazy newts were still all in.
The draw was for the whole month of September and I was told there is zero drinkable water in the area. I wasn’t too worried since September should be cool, right? The end of August rolled around and I could walk up my driveway without passing out…mostly. To say the least, I was NOT optimistic about my chances of making it to the top of these mountains once never mind multiple times but no guts, no glory!
Dorian made arrangements that we would do some scouting and a water drop before opening day so we could camp on the hill. At the end of August we donned our packs and headed up. So much for cool temps, the first half of the hunt was pretty much 30 degree days and did I mention that you have to bring ALL your water with you? Oh ya…I did. You also can’t really wear shorts because of rattle snakes…like we’d ever run into one of those…
Our first trip up was VERY SLOW. Dorian didn’t say a thing about it and stopped frequently to let me catch up. Quite often he would say HE needed to rest just when I thought my lungs were going to explode. Thanks man….seriously. We made it up, eventually, to a spot where we dropped water after glassing along the way and turned around to come back down. We didn’t see sheep or much sign. Halfway down, we encountered our first rattle snake…rattling…right beside the path. Talk about camouflage! We gave the snake a very wide berth and continued on to the bottom. We did run into a few more later. I was exhausted and in even more doubt that I could do the same hike with camping gear and a rifle.
I went home and packed and re-packed with a few phone calls with Dorian to see if I was on the right track. I had never hunted like this before and knew Dorian was taking more than his share to keep my pack as light as possible.
Day before opening we loaded up and headed up the hill, planning on 3-4 nights. It was another very slow ascent with lots of rest stops for me. We made it up higher than our water drop and set up camp, again glassing all the way. This time we saw 5-7 sheep…we may have seen the same 2 sheep twice because they were similar size and location. The largest was half a curl. We did some hikes and found some old sign but not much else. We headed back down again to regroup and for me to rest up.
The following week I got a call from Dave who had arranged another trip up, this time on horseback! Jesse came to the rescue with his horses that took me and all the gear up to a different area where we camped for 2 more nights. Jesse waited until we arrived uphill to tell me the horse I was riding was an ex-rodeo (as in bucking) horse ! lol
Once again we glassed and hiked, managed to see some sign but no sheep. The whole trip so far was so awesome, no time for discouragement as finding and harvesting an animal is not the only thing hunting is all about and it was so great to meet others who felt the same.
It was about another 10 days before we could get back up, it was to be day hunts from here on in but I was feeling better and more confident that I could git er dun…everyone was SO patient which was great. Dave and I met in the morning and hiked up to another area and glassed, glassed and hiked…no sheep. I felt bad because I knew how much effort was going into this and that the boys just wanted to find me a sheep. Nearing the end of the second day, Dave glassed a hillside on the way out one last time and SHEEP!!! A group of 8 rams and one stood out although there were several other nice rams as well. Of course they weren’t close so off we went to see how close we could get without them seeing us. It wasn’t the best shooting spot for me and a 327 yard distance, they were also bedded down so we moved to another spot to wait for them to move. They ended up getting up and moving away from us and over a ridge. We backed away with intent to come back for them as the day was done.
The next day I was on my own so I hiked a lower area we were told about, it was sunny but rainy and extremely windy. I saw nothing but I think I headed the wrong way on the trail. I also manage to get cactus stuck to my legs and the barbs broke off in my leg...argh. Apparently I don’t do well without supervision?
Dave was able to come out the next day so we could head up to look for the group he had spotted previously. (There was a little more pep in our step, despite both of us getting nipped and then bit by an off leash Weimaraner) We hiked with purpose but much stealth up the hill, I had a great feeling about this day even though the weather was rainy and cold. Well, we got to where the sheep should have been, then where they went over the ridge…and there on the other side in plain view was a camp setup. A tent with a tarp over it...and no sheep anywhere. It was Friday and these hikes were taking a bit of a toll so we headed back down.
I haven’t mentioned Dorian for a bit because his work had him out for the rest of the hunt. But wait, just before heading down I get a text from Dorian that says he’s now free for the weekend! The more eyes the better so we told him to come on down. By the time we were down he was already glassing the hills. I met up with him and we moved to another glassing spot, looking for the group of 8 but instead found a pair of decent rams. A plan was made to go into where the pair was spotted the next morning. Dorian would take me in this time, Dave had been doing all this work with a very painful back/leg issue which concerned me and which I felt very bad about but Dave never complained.
The next morning we hiked into where we thought they’d be and this time I spotted them bedded down. Dorian set up the scope and found them both fairly similar and at about 340 yards. We’d have to get closer to make sure nothing went wrong. We snuck back out and around and up and over and back down (I was getting used to the terrain at least) only to find they were now at 380 yards. Crap! Off to find a closer/better spot. Back out, over, around, up, down….again. OK, now we’re talking. Good cover, they’re bedded and they range at 265 yards. Time to practice rifle rest, etc. Nope, Dorian says ‘They’re getting up!’ I get up and try to get the rifle rested and aimed, needless to say I am totally calm but the rifle isn’t…that’s my story. ;o)
(continued)

[Gunner]

As I’m trying to get lined up for a good shot they move behind some trees, one disappears from view. This sure is nerve wracking, can’t they stand still, broadside and in the open? While I am trying to calm the ‘ram fever’ and find the ram through my rifle scope Dorian is looking through the spotting scope and keeping me informed of their movements. My adrenaline was really going…I was having issues with finding the sheep with the scope since they blend in EXTREMELY well. I haven’t shot tons of animals and I needed a good shot or I would not shoot…period. I was zooming the scope out to locate the sheep then zooming in to shoot but then I’d lose the sheep. I heard Dorian’s updates but I was just concentrating and not answering…I finally hear an exasperated Dorian say ‘Talk to me Goose!’ which made me laugh so I lost the sheep in the scope…again. I was so happy these two sheep weren’t in a hurry!! I truly never thought of asking him to adjust my scope for me while I kept them in view...live and learn!?
I finally feel secure about my shot, the sheep’s bottom half is in bushes but I can totally see the top half including his head and he seems to be broad side. I slow my breath and pull the trigger. The shot was placed correctly (YES!!) so we made our way over to find he had tumbled down a rocky slope, only about 20’ which is great considering the terrain. After all the effort everyone had put in I still had to scramble down this rough slope to finally put my hands on this magnificent animal, SUCCESS!!! I said some silent words of thanks while Dorian came down to start the next phase.
While we are dealing with the sheep I get a text on my phone from an injured Dave telling us he can glass for us from below if we like. I tell him ‘sheep down’ and a few minutes later I get a text saying ‘Parked and on my way up’. That man made it up the hill, in pain, in record time! There was so much excitement, all the hard work on everyone’s part ending up in the harvest of a beautiful sheep.
It’s funny to write this after some time has passed. It brings it all back so clearly and I know I will never forget this hunt. As I said earlier, we all know it’s not just about harvesting an animal. I learned so much from everyone that I spent time hunting with and would be honored to hunt with any one of them again.
The events that took place to get me to the point where I pulled the trigger were unforgettable and I am filled with so much gratitude to everyone involved. In no particular order: Dennis, Dorian, Dave, Jesse, Craig, Andrew, this would NOT have happened without your help and support…THANK YOU. Don & Gary, the rifle now has some war wounds (aka character) after my time on the hill but it’s still amazing…THANK YOU. Omer Hrbinic (Precision Optics),for your generous donations to the WSSBC that allowed me to win the most wonderful Swarovski scope used on this hunt…THANK YOU. I also had so many friends and family rooting for me on this bucket list hunt, their encouragement along with the enthusiasm of my new hunting friends were what kept me going. Should I have done this hunt health wise ? Probably not. Would I do it again ? HELL YA!
Note: My phone, which I forgot to take one day, tells me in the 13 days we spent on the hill (we spent an additional 2-3 days glassing and checking access before opening) we hiked 135 km and climbed 674 floors. Quite a kick start back into the land of the living!
Mrs. Gunner

[jan.wi97]

Thank you so much for that awesome write up!
Congratulations to you!!
Dave told me a bit about your story and had us all really excited
waiting for your contribution!

I absolutely admire your perseverance!
Thank you so much for sharing that wonderful experience...

[f350ps]

WOW!!!!!!! Very well done Denise, I'm certain Mur was looking down with a huge smile on his face! Hat's off to all that made this happen, you guys rock! K

[pnbrock]

Fantastic write up by both involved. So happy this has a happy ending now let’s see a pretty smile and a big ram !!

[sledhead079]

I tried to put some pics up but it's not working.

[rocksteady]

Awesomeness!!!

For someone who has been thru so much recent hardship, you deserve this trophy!!!!

[Weatherby Fan]

LEH 2019 started out like most of my last 20 years with me putting in for long shots, Okanagan sheep and moose and Island elk. I had a few health issues and was sure, like most other years, I would get a big goose egg. Well,if I didn’t get the coveted sheep draw! I was over the moon, naturally, but worried I wouldn’t be able to do the hunt physically after having major surgery followed by 5 months of chemo which left me with zero immunity and blood tests showing I had anemia. I only had August to get my poop in a group.
A huge chain of events started unravelling that still amazes me. My godson’s hunting buddy, Dorian, had recently moved to Kamloops and was willing to put in some time if I was able to go. Dennis found out about my draw and got in touch with Dave who got in touch with others…you get the idea.
While all this is happening and I’m talking to these amazing guys about the hunt I’m having trouble not getting winded walking up a flight of stairs. I let them in on the reality of the situation and the crazy newts were still all in.
The draw was for the whole month of September and I was told there is zero drinkable water in the area. I wasn’t too worried since September should be cool, right? The end of August rolled around and I could walk of my driveway without passing out…mostly. To say the least, I was NOT optimistic about my chances of making it to the top of these mountains once never mind multiple times but no guts, no glory!
Dorian made arrangements that we would do some scouting and a water drop before opening day so we could camp on the hill. At the end of August we donned our packs and headed up. So much for cool temps, the first half of the hunt was pretty much 30 degree days and did I mention that you have to bring ALL your water with you? Oh ya…I did. You also don’t really wasn’t to wear shorts because of rattle snakes…like we’d ever run into one of those…
Our first trip up was VERY SLOW. Dorian didn’t say a thing about it and stopped frequently to let me catch up. Quite often he would say HE needed to rest just when I thought my lungs were going to explode. Thanks man….seriously.We made it up, eventually, to a spot where we dropped water after glassing along the way and turned around to come back down. We didn’t see sheep or much sign. Halfway down, we encountered our first rattle snake…rattling…right beside the path. Talk about camouflage! We gave the snake a very wide berth and continued on to the bottom. We did run into a few more later. I was exhausted and in even more doubt I could do the same hike with camping gear and a rifle.
I went home and packed and re-packed after a few phone calls with Dorian to see if I was on the right track. I had never hunted like this before and knew Dorian was taking more than his share to keep my pack as light as possible.
Day before opening we loaded up and headed uphill, planning on 3-4 nights. It was another very slow ascent with lots of rest stops. We made it up higher than our water drop and set up camp, again glassing all the way. In the time there we saw 5-7 sheep…we may have seen the same 2 sheep twice because they were in roughly the same area. The largest was half a curl. We did some hikes and found some old sign but not much else. We headed back down again to regroup and for me to rest up.
The following week I got a call from Dave who had arranged another trip up, this time on horseback! Jesse came to the rescue with his horses that took me and all the gear up to a different area where we camped for 2 more nights. Once again we glassed and hiked, managed to see some sign but no sheep. The whole trip so far was so awesome, no time for discouragement as finding and harvesting an animal is not the only thing hunting is all about and it was so great to meet others who felt the same.
It was about another 10 days before we could get back up, it was to be day hunts from here on in but I was feeling better and more confident that I could git er dun…everyone was SO patient which was great. Dave and I met in the morning and hiked up to another area and glassed, glassed and hiked…no sheep. I felt bad because I knew how much effort was going into this and that the boys just wanted to find me a sheep. Nearing the end of the second day, Dave glassed a hillside on the way out one last time and SHEEP!!! A group of 8 rams and one stood out although there were several other nice rams as well. Of course they weren’t close so off we went to see how close we could get without them seeing us. It wasn’t the best shooting spot for me and a 327 yard distance,they were also bedded down so we moved to another spot to wait for them tomove. They ended up getting up and moving away from us and over a ridge. We backed away with intent to come back for them as the day was done.
The next day I was on my own so I hiked a lower area we were told about, it was sunny but rainy and extremely windy. I saw nothing but I think I headed the wrong way on the trail. I also manage to get cactus stuck tomy legs and the barbs broke off in my leg...argh. Apparently I don’t do well without supervision?
Dave was able to come out the next day so we could head up the group he had spotted previously. (There was a little more pep in our step, despite both of us getting nipped and then bit by an off leash Weimaraner) We hiked with purpose but much stealth up the hill, I had a great feeling about this day even though the weather was rainy and cold. Well, we got to where the sheep should have been, then where they went over the ridge…and there on the other side in plain view was a camp setup. A tent with a tarp over it...and no sheep anywhere. It was Friday and these hikes were taking a bit of a toll so we headed back down.
I haven’t mentioned Dorian for a bit because his work had him out for the rest of the hunt. But wait, just before heading down I get a text from Dorian that says he’s free for the weekend! The more eyes the better so we told him to come on down. By the time we were down he was already glassing the hills. I met up with him and we moved to another glassing spot, looking for the group of 8 but instead found a pair of decent rams. A plan was made to go into where the pair was spotted the next morning. Dorian would take me in this time, Dave had been doing all this work with a very painful back/leg issue which concerned me and which I felt very bad about.
The next morning we hiked into where we thought they’d be and this time I spotted them bedded down. Dorian set up the scope and found them both fairly similar and at about 340 yards. We’d have to get closer to make sure nothing went wrong. We snuck back out and around and up and over and back down (I was getting used to the terrain at least) only to find they were now at 380 yards. Crap! Off to find a closer/better spot. Back out, over,around, up, down….again. OK, now we’re talking. Good cover, they’re bedded and they range at 265 yards. Time to practice rifle rest, etc. Nope, Dorian says ‘They’re getting up!’ I get up and try to get the rifle rested and aimed, needless to say I am totally calm but the rifle isn’t…that’s my story. ;o)
(continued)

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[Weatherby Fan]

As I’m trying to get lined up for a good shot they move behind some trees, one disappears from view. This sure is nerve wracking, can’t they stand still, broadside and in the open? While I am trying to calm the ram fever and find the ram through the scope Dorian is looking through the spotting scope and keeping me informed of their movements. My adrenaline was really going…I was having issues with finding the sheep with the scope since they blend in EXTREMELY well. I haven’t shot tons of animals and I needed a good shot or I would not shoot…period. I was zooming the scope out to locate the sheep then zooming in to shoot but then I’d lose the sheep. I hear Dorian’s updates but I was just concentrating and not answering…I finally hear an exasperated Dorian say ‘Talk to me Goose!’ which made me laugh so I lost the sheep in the scope…again. I was so happy these two sheep weren’t in a hurry!! I truly never thought of asking him to adjust my scope for me while I kept them in view...live and learn!?
I finally feel secure about my shot, the sheep’s bottom half is in bushes but I can totally see the top half including his head and he seems to be broad side. I slow my breath and pull the trigger. The shot was placed correctly (YES!!) so we made our way over to find he had tumbled down a rocky slope, only about 20’ which is great considering the terrain. After all the effort everyone had put in I still had to scramble down this rough slope to finally put my hands on this magnificent animal, SUCCESS!!! I said some silent words of thanks while Dorian came down to start the next phase.
While we are dealing with the sheep I get a text on my phone from an injured Dave telling us he can glass for us from below if we like. I tell him ‘sheep down’ and a few minutes later I get a text saying ‘Parked and on my way up’. That man made it up the hill, in pain, in record time! There was so much excitement, all the hard work on everyone’s part ending up in the harvest of a beautiful sheep.
It’s funny to write this after some time has passed. It brings it all back so clearly and I know I will never forget this hunt. As I said earlier, we all know it’s not just about harvesting an animal. I learned so much from everyone that I spent time hunting with and would be honored to hunt with any of them again in the future….hint hint!
The events that took place to get me to the point where I pulled the trigger were unforgettable and I am filled with so much gratitude to everyone involved. In no particular order: Dennis, Dorian, Dave, Jesse, Craig, Andrew, this would NOT have happened without your help and support…THANK YOU. Don & Gary, the rifle now has some war wounds (aka character) after my time on the hill but it’s still amazing…THANK YOU. Omer Hrbinic (Precision Optics),for your generous donations to the WSSBC that allowed me to win the most wonderful Swarovski scope used on this hunt…THANK YOU. I also had so many friends and family rooting for me on this bucket list hunt, their encouragement along with the enthusiasm of my new hunting friends were what kept me going. I have been asking myself if I would ever do this again and the answer is a resounding HELL YA!
Note: My phone, which I forgot to take one day, tells me in the 13 days we spent on the hill (we spent an additional 2-3 days glassing and checking access) we hiked 135 km and climbed 674 floors. Quite a kick start back into the land of the living! Oh and I’d like everyone to go on YouTube and watch the Old Town Road clip so you can have it stuck in your heads like it’s still stuck in mine…thanks Brownie.
Mrs. Gunner

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[Weatherby Fan]

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