colemanwsm
10-14-2014, 10:17 AM
It started off with july 28 with one of the most scenic ball bustin backpack trips in the kechika region that led us two days into an area that produced nothing but 17 people !!! This called for some investigating of a new area , with some sound info that im sure every sheep hunter has an idea of- long twisters with big bases-where are they?
Round two sept 19 were back north bound with a faithful pack dog and my wifes new firefish bound for an adventure . After a stunning september morning morning drive we find ourselfs heading up river for a couple hr boat ride , pulling into the mouth of the creek were heading up in am . With time to spare and no rush we stayed the night there having kraft dinner and rib eys with a side of wiggy.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/muskwa_2014_478.jpg
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/muskwa_2014_483_-_Copy_-_Copy.jpg
The next morning we were off creek walking in search of an 20 yr old horse trail that was vague at best , as most old horse trails we were pinched between a deep creek crossing and a bluff 2 hrs in , wet feet for the day was nothing less than just what was on the menu . after 12 km of the thickest grown in trail , multiple creek crossings and now beaver dams bank to bank my new garmin 64s showed some sort of cut on the hieght of land , up we went just to find the cutline from fire fighting goes straight towards area i wanted to be in with one issue , the creek was full of stale beaver dams so we didnt pack water from there and the cutline was 7 km to closest known water , we went for it bull headed and an ass kicker ,6 km down we found a spring and after a 14 hr shift 70 lbs packs and 18 km down it was time to replenish and dry out riggin.
The next day we were ready to get back at it as it was only 8-10 km and good trail fairly easy walking with lots of water , another 12 hr day split up with some playing with bull elk , running circles with a grizz we were finally glassing stones while cooking mountain house and screming bull elk into camp .
That eveningand the next day only spotting ewes and lambs with a few banana heads we ventured to the backside of what we had glassed over , after aprox 3 hr hike with camp on we set up in a nice vantage point and within the first five minutes ill be damn if there isn't four rams in the timber quite low , three were dinks and one was an easy decision . we ate supper and put the sheep to bed making a plan for the am , by about midnight we had imagined every possibility that could ever happen including the ones we did'nt want , needless to say we were ready .
The next day it apeared thr sheep fed over top but would have no reason to leave so up we went , slow and easy they had to be right here , spotting a band of small rams aprox 600 yards down the ridge they looked like totaly different sheep. Thirty feet farther 4 rams peeked over thirty yards above us , the most intense part of chasing sheep , we had them with no where to go and could see every exit and then out fumbled the running sheep 80 yards up , lead ram stops behind a rock about twenty ft , i can see 10 " of back so i pulled the cross hairs about an 1" above rock and the rum let one fly ....smoke of the rock i instantly thought about up hill , 80 yards , 1.5" scope hieght ....dummy !! I could see them running but they only had two shoots to try and up they come 120 yards , lead ram still and instincs kick in after another crack from the RMR lead ram was now upside down cartwheeling for about twenty feet and smear look back at my partner the only words said were " yea we did" ...the exitement an feeling of hard work paying off had us both on top of the world we had to hold it .
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/muskwa_2014_590.jpg
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/muskwa_2014_581.jpg
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/muskwa_2014_568.jpg
A beauty of a ram 10.5 yrs old 38.5 x 33 14 " bases , now the first shot with the smoke on the rock split and a piece hit him in the horn and leg , more character i spose . once photo opp was done we deboned the sheep gave the dog 40 lbs for his pack i took head and cape and partner took the additional 20 lbs of meat. That night we had no issues licking up both tenderloins and a backstrap., the next two days it rained and socked in so we decided with a long way to go , one good sheep we would start our decent of 29 km back to kd and wiggy . it took two and half days to finaly reach the boat raining and creek crossings , soaked to the bone every night was spent drying out and cooking sheep meat .
Hope you enjoy .
Round two sept 19 were back north bound with a faithful pack dog and my wifes new firefish bound for an adventure . After a stunning september morning morning drive we find ourselfs heading up river for a couple hr boat ride , pulling into the mouth of the creek were heading up in am . With time to spare and no rush we stayed the night there having kraft dinner and rib eys with a side of wiggy.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/muskwa_2014_478.jpg
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/muskwa_2014_483_-_Copy_-_Copy.jpg
The next morning we were off creek walking in search of an 20 yr old horse trail that was vague at best , as most old horse trails we were pinched between a deep creek crossing and a bluff 2 hrs in , wet feet for the day was nothing less than just what was on the menu . after 12 km of the thickest grown in trail , multiple creek crossings and now beaver dams bank to bank my new garmin 64s showed some sort of cut on the hieght of land , up we went just to find the cutline from fire fighting goes straight towards area i wanted to be in with one issue , the creek was full of stale beaver dams so we didnt pack water from there and the cutline was 7 km to closest known water , we went for it bull headed and an ass kicker ,6 km down we found a spring and after a 14 hr shift 70 lbs packs and 18 km down it was time to replenish and dry out riggin.
The next day we were ready to get back at it as it was only 8-10 km and good trail fairly easy walking with lots of water , another 12 hr day split up with some playing with bull elk , running circles with a grizz we were finally glassing stones while cooking mountain house and screming bull elk into camp .
That eveningand the next day only spotting ewes and lambs with a few banana heads we ventured to the backside of what we had glassed over , after aprox 3 hr hike with camp on we set up in a nice vantage point and within the first five minutes ill be damn if there isn't four rams in the timber quite low , three were dinks and one was an easy decision . we ate supper and put the sheep to bed making a plan for the am , by about midnight we had imagined every possibility that could ever happen including the ones we did'nt want , needless to say we were ready .
The next day it apeared thr sheep fed over top but would have no reason to leave so up we went , slow and easy they had to be right here , spotting a band of small rams aprox 600 yards down the ridge they looked like totaly different sheep. Thirty feet farther 4 rams peeked over thirty yards above us , the most intense part of chasing sheep , we had them with no where to go and could see every exit and then out fumbled the running sheep 80 yards up , lead ram stops behind a rock about twenty ft , i can see 10 " of back so i pulled the cross hairs about an 1" above rock and the rum let one fly ....smoke of the rock i instantly thought about up hill , 80 yards , 1.5" scope hieght ....dummy !! I could see them running but they only had two shoots to try and up they come 120 yards , lead ram still and instincs kick in after another crack from the RMR lead ram was now upside down cartwheeling for about twenty feet and smear look back at my partner the only words said were " yea we did" ...the exitement an feeling of hard work paying off had us both on top of the world we had to hold it .
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/muskwa_2014_590.jpg
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/muskwa_2014_581.jpg
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/muskwa_2014_568.jpg
A beauty of a ram 10.5 yrs old 38.5 x 33 14 " bases , now the first shot with the smoke on the rock split and a piece hit him in the horn and leg , more character i spose . once photo opp was done we deboned the sheep gave the dog 40 lbs for his pack i took head and cape and partner took the additional 20 lbs of meat. That night we had no issues licking up both tenderloins and a backstrap., the next two days it rained and socked in so we decided with a long way to go , one good sheep we would start our decent of 29 km back to kd and wiggy . it took two and half days to finaly reach the boat raining and creek crossings , soaked to the bone every night was spent drying out and cooking sheep meat .
Hope you enjoy .