charlie_horse
09-15-2014, 09:57 PM
First off, Sorry for the late post, and most importantly a huge thanks to Srupp and Bcfarmer, I wouldn’t have known where to start for Cali sheep hunting without their knowledge, they know their shit. To me this was a difficult hunt and not what I thought sheep hunting was. It was putting miles on the boots through thick timber watching your steps and wind.
I put out an ad a couple weeks ago for a sheep hunting partner for my similkameen sheep. I had received a few PM’s from the board which I really appreciated. Bcfarmer knows the area very well so when I arrived in Keremeos I met up with him for a beer or four and put the fish I brought him into the freezer. Now off to sheep talk and google earth. He showed me a few areas on the map to focus on and off I went to spot for a few hours. Seen a ram and two goats from the highway. Back to Bcfarmers for the night where he and his wife kindly offered a bed.
Saturday and Sunday before opening day, spent all Saturday morning in a spot where I didn’t mean to be, I saw 3 ewes and a lamb. In the afternoon I figured out where I meant to be and hiked this ridge where I saw a ton of sign, but no sheep. That night around 11pm, sound asleep I wake up to heavy breathing about two feet outside my tent, I start scrambling around for light and my rifle yelling at the bear outside my tent to eff off. All of a sudden MOOOOOO, cow walks off, no bullet hole in the tent and I change my underwear and back to bed.
Sunday I went and checked out this area across the valley where I was the day before and seen some sign but after lunch decided to go back to where I was the day before. When I got back there, I run into the local guide where I’m sure he was looking for the other three lucky lottery winners. We shoot the shit for a bit and he says he was going right into where I wanted to go for opening day tomorrow. Dammit. So I tell him that I wont go in there. I go back down the mountain and have a couple beers with Bcfarmer and get to meet the other lottery winner. So we go back up and drink and prepare for opening day.
Monday I go to the area I was in the day before, seen nothing but grouse.
Tuesday I go back to the area where I told the guide I wouldn’t be on opening day. Wearing out the leather on my boots and see nothing but grouse when all of a sudden I see some fresh poo and hike up this bank to see two rams, both shooters, spooked they started off before I could get a round chambered. At least I had some hope. Make my way back to camp and meet up with other hunter. We decide to go in together and try and find the rams. Spend the evening in there and nothing.
D-Day: The wind was so bad I thought I was going to be doing barrel rolls all night and the rain was torrential. We both decided to sleep in until 8 when the rain finally died down a bit. We both go back into the area where I seen the rams and we get there around 9ish. Put on some more miles when we are feeling different about where we are going to see rams. He wants to stay a bit higher and I want to go a bit lower to where I seen the rams, we split up with the radios. About 5-8 minutes later I see a nice ram bedded under a pine and has no idea he is about to take his last breaths. He hears me chamber a round, stands up and stairs at me and boom through the chest. He runs off downhill for about 2 – 300 yards and I get another round through his lungs. Pictures, cheers and a beer later we cape and cut him up and I hike out back to camp.
Thursday morning we go back in to see if we can other hunter his ram but we see nothing all morning and by mid morning I have to say goodbye and head off to get CI and get to taxidermist while I can before I have to drive home to squamish. This was my first sheep hunt and not what I expected but it really was the best hunting trip I’ve been on and met some wicked people. It was aged at 8.5 years and made full curl.
http://s26.photobucket.com/user/charlie_horse/slideshow/
I put out an ad a couple weeks ago for a sheep hunting partner for my similkameen sheep. I had received a few PM’s from the board which I really appreciated. Bcfarmer knows the area very well so when I arrived in Keremeos I met up with him for a beer or four and put the fish I brought him into the freezer. Now off to sheep talk and google earth. He showed me a few areas on the map to focus on and off I went to spot for a few hours. Seen a ram and two goats from the highway. Back to Bcfarmers for the night where he and his wife kindly offered a bed.
Saturday and Sunday before opening day, spent all Saturday morning in a spot where I didn’t mean to be, I saw 3 ewes and a lamb. In the afternoon I figured out where I meant to be and hiked this ridge where I saw a ton of sign, but no sheep. That night around 11pm, sound asleep I wake up to heavy breathing about two feet outside my tent, I start scrambling around for light and my rifle yelling at the bear outside my tent to eff off. All of a sudden MOOOOOO, cow walks off, no bullet hole in the tent and I change my underwear and back to bed.
Sunday I went and checked out this area across the valley where I was the day before and seen some sign but after lunch decided to go back to where I was the day before. When I got back there, I run into the local guide where I’m sure he was looking for the other three lucky lottery winners. We shoot the shit for a bit and he says he was going right into where I wanted to go for opening day tomorrow. Dammit. So I tell him that I wont go in there. I go back down the mountain and have a couple beers with Bcfarmer and get to meet the other lottery winner. So we go back up and drink and prepare for opening day.
Monday I go to the area I was in the day before, seen nothing but grouse.
Tuesday I go back to the area where I told the guide I wouldn’t be on opening day. Wearing out the leather on my boots and see nothing but grouse when all of a sudden I see some fresh poo and hike up this bank to see two rams, both shooters, spooked they started off before I could get a round chambered. At least I had some hope. Make my way back to camp and meet up with other hunter. We decide to go in together and try and find the rams. Spend the evening in there and nothing.
D-Day: The wind was so bad I thought I was going to be doing barrel rolls all night and the rain was torrential. We both decided to sleep in until 8 when the rain finally died down a bit. We both go back into the area where I seen the rams and we get there around 9ish. Put on some more miles when we are feeling different about where we are going to see rams. He wants to stay a bit higher and I want to go a bit lower to where I seen the rams, we split up with the radios. About 5-8 minutes later I see a nice ram bedded under a pine and has no idea he is about to take his last breaths. He hears me chamber a round, stands up and stairs at me and boom through the chest. He runs off downhill for about 2 – 300 yards and I get another round through his lungs. Pictures, cheers and a beer later we cape and cut him up and I hike out back to camp.
Thursday morning we go back in to see if we can other hunter his ram but we see nothing all morning and by mid morning I have to say goodbye and head off to get CI and get to taxidermist while I can before I have to drive home to squamish. This was my first sheep hunt and not what I expected but it really was the best hunting trip I’ve been on and met some wicked people. It was aged at 8.5 years and made full curl.
http://s26.photobucket.com/user/charlie_horse/slideshow/