Stones fly in trip '14 - looking for a partner...

[Andrewh]

I have the area picked and some pretty good knowledge of what is around, just need to find some company.

Plan is fly July 29th.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

And I see you PM'd Bigslapper. Good.

[BiG Boar]

Make sure you go with the person for a couple day hunt before hand before both of you make your decision. You want to be on the same level of physical and mental ability, and hunting style. At least go for a hike together and talk about each of your expectations of what the hunt will consist of. Approach it with this in mind for both of your sakes. A really slow guy, who likes to glass a lot, and a really fast guy who loves to cover ground and not sit and glass as much do not work well together. The slow guy will be mad that the fast guy is beating him over every hill, and the fast guy will be mad the the slow guy is too damn slow. Don't think of it as an insult if a guy doesn't want to hunt with you, or you don't want to hunt with him. I just think a 10 or 14 day hunt can go to crap fast if you're not really jiving. When you're paying that much for a vacation, the enjoyment of your company is more important than actually even getting a sheep.

[Andrewh]

thanks for the advice Dave. I am planning on sitting down, at the very least, and having a good chat with the person on the expectations from each other etc.

[lightmag]

I sent you pm

[GoatGuy]

Make sure you go with the person for a couple day hunt before hand before both of you make your decision. You want to be on the same level of physical and mental ability, and hunting style. At least go for a hike together and talk about each of your expectations of what the hunt will consist of. Approach it with this in mind for both of your sakes. A really slow guy, who likes to glass a lot, and a really fast guy who loves to cover ground and not sit and glass as much do not work well together. The slow guy will be mad that the fast guy is beating him over every hill, and the fast guy will be mad the the slow guy is too damn slow. Don't think of it as an insult if a guy doesn't want to hunt with you, or you don't want to hunt with him. I just think a 10 or 14 day hunt can go to crap fast if you're not really jiving. When you're paying that much for a vacation, the enjoyment of your company is more important than actually even getting a sheep.

take 2 tents, two stoves.

If it ain't working: "see you in 10 days" works just fine and is a great backup plan.

Splitting travel costs in half is a great way to save a couple thousand $.

[325]

take 2 tents, two stoves.

If it ain't working: "see you in 10 days" works just fine and is a great backup plan.

Splitting travel costs in half is a great way to save a couple thousand $.

Good advice. When I sheep hunt, usually my partner and I split up for the day and do our own thing anyways. That way each person can hunt their own way, and it effectively doubles the chances of someone getting a ram.

[knightcc]

Very good advice.

[kayjayess]

Hey Andrew, Is the new bride not coming this year? We sure enjoyed your story from this fall.

[604redneck]

Andrew pm me it may help save some money for u......can get into the general area even if u get a partner to hunt with

[Everett]

Not looking for a hunting partner but we always have 500lb+ of unused paid for space on our annual fly in would save me some money and you the same to have an extra body on the plane. You would be solo once you got in though. We hunt region 6 and I assume we will be flying out of Watson Lake this year.

[budismyhorse]

You gotta be nuckin futs to pick a sheep hunting partner this way! ;)

You might get an offer to trade a back rub for a granola bar on day 3....... I talked to a guy on the dock a few years back who got "propositioned" like that from a guy he'd never hunted with before...... Made for awkward camp time for the rest of the trip apparently... Be careful out there! LoL

[MadCat]

I have to agree with Budismyhorse, I wouldn't dream of doing a backpack trip with someone I just met over the Internet. To each his own thoe.

[BiG Boar]

I think sites like this are a great way to meet new hunting partners. You just got to have a good idea of who you're going with before spending this sort of money. Odds are you're probably not going to get a sheep anyways. So you want to at least enjoy your time on the mountain. But not sexually.

[DawsonCreedmoor]

I've done it several times and have met some great people. But like it has been mentioned be prepared for different styles of hunting and the possibility of hunting on your own sometimes. The best thing is to have a good chat on the phone and explain expectations and what not, discuss everything you can think of to minimize potential problems while on the mountain. Most importantly discuss who shoots what/when, that can be a deal breaker. I won't hunt with someone that flips a coin, you spot it you shoot it!!! Good Luck!

[budismyhorse]

Insert Sienfeld quote: "Not that there's anything wrong with it! "

[325]

I've done it several times and have met some great people. But like it has been mentioned be prepared for different styles of hunting and the possibility of hunting on your own sometimes. The best thing is to have a good chat on the phone and explain expectations and what not, discuss everything you can think of to minimize potential problems while on the mountain. Most importantly discuss who shoots what/when, that can be a deal breaker. I won't hunt with someone that flips a coin, you spot it you shoot it!!! Good Luck!

I don't like the "whomever spots it, shoots it" idea. I would much rather have alternate shooting days, so that competition is minimized and team work is maximized. I guess we can never hunt together!

[BiG Boar]

I don't like the "whomever spots it, shoots it" idea. I would much rather have alternate shooting days, so that competition is minimized and team work is maximized. I guess we can never hunt together!

Wait until you hunt with a guy who sleeps like 3 hours a day while you're busy glassing. hahaha! "Hey, wake up man! I found you a nice ram!"

Hunt as hard as you want. Thats my moto.

[Rackmastr]

Odds are you're probably not going to get a sheep anyways. So you want to at least enjoy your time on the mountain. But not sexually.

This is the stuff that classic sig lines are made of....

[snow]

i would test a potential partner by spending a weekend together in rough conditions, like being stuck in a tent for 24 hrs in a snow blizzard, and it's a lot of fun packing wet stuff together :-) .... anyway what did that guy want, a granola bar?

[325]

Wait until you hunt with a guy who sleeps like 3 hours a day while you're busy glassing. hahaha! "Hey, wake up man! I found you a nice ram!"

Hunt as hard as you want. Thats my moto.

True, but I enjoy the success of others about as much as my own, so it's all good.

[BiG Boar]

I could see the benefits of my day your day with someone you've hunted with a long time or family. And something like spring bear or deer or any local hunts, no big deal.

But when you're into a trip for $3000 with someone you don't know, have taken your two weeks holidays of your year, and they "just don't like to glass that much" or "just like to use their eyes a lot". Or they don't want to hike over that "big mountain", because it's your day. That deal doesn't fly so well.

[TexasWalker]

If you're not BI you're missing half the action.

[325]

I could see the benefits of my day your day with someone you've hunted with a long time or family. And something like spring bear or deer or any local hunts, no big deal.

But when you're into a trip for $3000 with someone you don't know, have taken your two weeks holidays of your year, and they "just don't like to glass that much" or "just like to use their eyes a lot". Or they don't want to hike over that "big mountain", because it's your day. That deal doesn't fly so well.

That's true, and I guess I've always hunted with people I really like. Having said that, my partners and I nearly always split-up for the day anyway, to cover more ground, so who shoots first is rarely an issue, except for elk hunting where we use teamwork to work a bull.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

A good way to get to know a potential new sheep hunting partner is to spend some time hunting spring bears together. Of course, it's not the same as a backpack sheep hunt but you might be able to learn a few things about each other's personalities and ethics.

SSS

[BigSlapper]

Too funny!!! - exactly what I was thinking !!



This is the stuff that classic sig lines are made of....

[xfactor]

If you're not BI you're missing half the action.


thats hilarious! another signature worthy quote hahaha!

[BiG Boar]

Yeah, but using that one as your sig line might also say you're agreeing with him.

[xfactor]

ya thats definitely not a tree i swing from...even with copious amounts of maple rye:)

[Andrewh]

Wow, I was not thinking that this thread was going to take this sort of turn. I had no idea there was such an 'alternative' hunting community...:confused:

Anyway, thanks for all the advice so far. At this point I don't have a partner as my hunting buddies are either new fathers or not in shape to do a trip like this. If I want to go on another stones trip, this is my only option.

If anyone has any advice or recommendations then please pass them along. For now, all I can do is look through past threads of people that are interested. Believe it or not, people that have posted extensive mountain hunts in detail give you a pretty good idea of what sort of hunting/effort they are willing to put forth.

Some of you might think I am crazy for trying to find a partner this way but it is my only option at this.

Andrew

[yama49]

Wow, I was not thinking that this thread was going to take this sort of turn. I had no idea there was such an 'alternative' hunting community...:confused:

Anyway, thanks for all the advice so far. At this point I don't have a partner as my hunting buddies are either new fathers or not in shape to do a trip like this. If I want to go on another stones trip, this is my only option.

If anyone has any advice or recommendations then please pass them along. For now, all I can do is look through past threads of people that are interested. Believe it or not, people that have posted extensive mountain hunts in detail give you a pretty good idea of what sort of hunting/effort they are willing to put forth.
Some of you might think I am crazy for trying to find a partner this way but it is my only option at this.

Andrew

I think you can find a great hunting partner this way. I have never been big on who shoots first, but i see where others are coming from..

[BCrams]

If anyone has any advice or recommendations then please pass them along. For now, all I can do is look through past threads of people that are interested. Believe it or not, people that have posted extensive mountain hunts in detail give you a pretty good idea of what sort of hunting/effort they are willing to put forth.

Some of you might think I am crazy for trying to find a partner this way but it is my only option at this.

Andrew

That's pretty much how SSS and I started hunting - having put boot prints in the same country and recognizing the area we had been in from the forum posts to open up talks. Lots of dialogue etc.

[325]

That's pretty much how SSS and I started hunting - having put boot prints in the same country and recognizing the area we had been in from the forum posts to open up talks. Lots of dialogue etc.

Plus you guys both really, really like granola bars, right?

[BCrams]

Never took a granola bar on a hunt before!! Not enough calories, protein!

[budismyhorse]

Andrewh........sorry for detracting from the original point of the thread. Every year there are a few "Match.com" threads like this that pop up. I'm sure that some work and I'm sure you and your future tent mate will make it happen . Most of us are forced to hunt with family or friends that drive us nuts at times.........you'll probably end up with a good partner while the rest of us groan as we listen to the same old stories around the fire ;)

Look at SSS and BCrams........they have made it through thick and thin, good times and bad and have even killed a sheep or two along the way!

[BiG Boar]

I was in the same boat as you when I was getting started hunting not so many years back. In my opinion this site is a great way to meet people. There are lots of people that can't afford or rather don't want to afford the money to do a sheep trip every year. Plus you can't force someone into liking hunting. Especially mountain hunting. When I started hunting 5 of my close friends took the CORE and PAL. I hunt with only one of those guys, and we are all still good friends. But he only wants to do one hunt a year, and only for 4 or 5 days at most. Sure, a lot of guys who have been hunting for years meet people along the way. But for newer people into hunting, especially high priced, serious equipment, in shape, and long periods of time off hunts, its hard to find a "good" partner.

[izakaman]

you going to the convention?

[Andrewh]

yes I am going.

Andrew

[BCbillies]

Last year my regular sheep partner pulled out of our planned sheep hunt in June due to work reasons. I had been training and was going sheep hunting for the first two weeks of August . . . I made some quick calls and other previous hunting partners could not go. Was thinking of putting it out there on HBC but first emailed a few guys from this site who I actually never hunted with but had a good idea that they could get it done. Ended up going with a fellow from this site who hadn't done a sheep hunt but in chats with him in recent years felt that we had a similar hunting style and passion. No problems on the 10 day trip (from my perspective) and even managed a couple of decent rams on the opener! Nothing ventured nothing gained. :)

Good on you Andrew and best wishes this year! Just ask some key questions before you sign up . . .