Walking in the footsteps of a legend

[Weatherby Fan]

I met one of my best friends about 30 years ago hunting at Loon Lake, after several hunts together and few years later he opens up about this mythical place to hunt monster Stone Sheep.....he says not many sheep in there just huge rams if you can find one.........so I've always wanted to go there and 2 years ago I book the flight and start my planning for my older brother(56) and I (52)..........better late than never right !!!!

Wow the hunt is upon us faster than a thunderstorm.............loaded up with all the latest gear and gadgets for a successful hunt were off to Muncho Lake for our fly-in.....meet some other sheep hunters and have a great stay at Northern Rockies Lodge for a few days.....weather delays as we were to fly in on the July 30th and ended up flying in on Aug 1st !

While waiting at the lodge I come across a familiar Cpl of names from HBC Dave- "DiggerDogger" and Dave "BigBoar" Marsh...respectfully...."walking in the footsteps of a legend" which were in felt pen down at the waters edge in a little open log hut with a lump in my throat and a smile on my face I felt pen my HBC name next to his and take some pictures, missing BigBoars humour and unparalleled zest for hunting......I can only wish that he's watching over Leif and I for a successful hunt.

I text the picture to his wife Cory and in a tearful reply she reminds me to just enjoy the experience.......and thanks me for thinking of her and Lexi.

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As this was my first trip this far north my brother and I were in total awe of the wildlife everywhere as well as the amazing scenery, Buffalo,Stone Sheep and Caribou......
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[bigredchev]

This sounds like a recipe for awesome.

[Weatherby Fan]

As we take off from Muncho Lake at 9am I'm suffering from food poisoning and have been up since 4am getting rid of whats ailing me out of both ends, the flight in was as beautiful as it gets with endless glacier covered mountains as I struggled to enjoy it and luckily the flight in was as calm and smooth as it gets, we unload the gear at the lakes shore and watch Urs take off and were on our own for 12 days, my brother is like a kid at the PNE for the first time.......look at this place I gotta go for a hike, I look around and he's gone in usual fashion, I think he's part goat !..........a Cpl hours later were all set up at the lake as it was all I could do to shoulder my 70lb Mystery ranch pack and walk the kilometer to where we set up.

The View from our tent was spectacular to say the least.

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j466/WeatherbyFan65/IMG_2296%202_zpszeuimoku.jpg (http://s1087.photobucket.com/user/WeatherbyFan65/media/IMG_2296%202_zpszeuimoku.jpg.html)

I had a nap and tried to recover some energy while my brother the Goat went for another hike, that evening we went for a 5k hike and the scenery just got better and better.

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After a good nights sleep I felt much better and we were on our way for day 2 of our hunt, no sheep spotted but a dandy Caribou

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Whistling Marmots abound.....

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We get back around 11pm from our first outing and Im done in and it starts to cloud over and Im hearing thunder in the distance, we crawl into the Hilleberg 3 man Tent and I crash only to awaken to pouring rain and wind, back to sleep as the Thunder Lightning comes and goes until 2pm the following day and were having a late lunch and out comes the sun as were glassing from camp as I was still whipped from our 26k hike the day before !

I pick up my first ram in the afternoon sunlight, a few lambs and ewes emerge feeding on a grassy slope and a young Caribou trotts by our tent.
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[Weatherby Fan]

We didn't want to leave camp as we were finally seeing some sheep, more young banana Rams but none of these "Monster Rams" my friend told me about ???

I put the Leica spotting scope and the 1.8 doubler through it's paces, up on 90 power I could see that these little Rams were still suffering from the relentless attack of bugs even on the highest of peaks as the breeze would come and go.

We boil up some water for out freeze dried delight........and were still glassing about 8pm I check a saddle oh theres a Ram, I get the spotter on him and oh he's a Monster huge bases and wide horns that go straight out....I can't tell if he's over the nose as Im looking at him from behind, he stops walking and my brother says let me look just then the Ram turns sideways and stops for a look back and Yowsa way over the bridge of the nose, Leif has a look and says yeh he'll do !

The ram turns and walks across the snow bank over the Saddle and out of sight.............holy shit my buddy was right theres Monsters in here !

The next morning can't come fast enough as I hardly slept and I'm up early as I crawl out of the tent I look up the bank and heres two Caribou bedded a few hundred yards away........
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We get under way to find the Ram from the night before and my legs feel like rubber as its another nasty hike, my older brother the Goat pretty much had to pack my ass up the hill.....up and up we go we get to where we can glass the saddle where the big Ram walked over as he's going to show tonight, glassing waiting glassing until 8pm and we still have a 3 hour hike back to camp nothing shows nothing moves.......maybe Ill stick to Mule deer hunting, Leif comes back over from his hill and seen one young ram.

On our way back down through the saddle having a rest on an open bluff above our valley where were camped and Im having a snack and Leif who was sitting about 10 yards away yells Donnie look out.............as I look to my right a half curl Ram is coming straight at me full speed as I jump and go to grab my pack to block the brunt of his horns Leif jumps up and the Ram sees him and swerves just to the right of me runs past about 10 yards stops and turns around and runs back up the draw in which we just come out of.......

WTF was that as were both laughing sort of.........If he would have hammered me I may have been over the bank to a 300 foot drop ??
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Back to camp and Im thrashed, into bed and I'm awoken again at about 1am to something trotting through the stream by our tent seems to be a nightly occurrence.

My brother the goat is under the weather today so I go off for a hike on my own and spot a Cpl small rams and jump a young bull Caribou out of the rocks on a windblown slope,

the next day I get up early and go back to find that Monster Ram and Leif goes to the North on a different hill, as I ask BigBoar for a hand getting up this hill again for a third time as my lungs are on fire and my hearts pounding from the climb which never seems to end,jumping another Bull Caribou bedded in the glacier that lays in the saddle

I'm in position by 3pm glassing......by 5pm I have my sil tarp over me and its pouring rain and thunder and lighting beating me into submission, by 6:30pm it passes and the suns out but the fog is rolling in.........dam you BigBoar haven't you got some pull up there !

I stick it out to 8:30 pm thinking I would spend the night but the fog was relentless rolling in and out with the ever changing thermals everytime the sun come out from behind a cloud.......shit I'm hiking back, halfway down the saddle I have about 100 feet of visibility.......by 11:30 Im a few hundred yards from camp and my brother jumps over the rock bluff as I can make out his outline in the fog he says I was just coming to find you !!! The Goat he's a good brother !

Im soaked to the ass and wobbly tired as we approach the tent as its pouring rain we load our stuff in the Vestibule change into dry merino and off to bed, at 1am Im awoken to winds blowing about 40 mph and pouring rain......by 3am it stops and the thunder starts, its so close the ground is shaking.

Lightning and thunder til 6am..........I highly recommend a Hilleberg tent, wow what a shit kicking we took.......I get up at 8am to pea soup fog, make a coffee and something to eat and back to bed......10pm that night still pea soup fog

[Weatherby Fan]

I wake at 4am the next morning thinking more fog but nope it was just me in a fog and the skies were clear....yahoo, after a coffee were discussing strategy and this its best to go back to where we seen the Monster Ram........I knew the Goat would say that as I was not sure I could do that gruelling hike again........

I always sit with my spotting scope out at first light and Leif says hey look a Ram as I go to glass the saddle where the Monster went over....I can't see anything as he's pointing how the hell can he see a ram with his naked eye ??? no right there as he's pointing......at the hill......the Goat has finally lost it......oh shit right in front of us theres a small Ram walking through the rocks not 80 yards from us !

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Maybe Ill stay in camp and glass today........nope we pack up with the intention of spending the night up top, the Goat waits for me everytime I rest my fat ass as we do the torture hike one last time, we find a spot up top set up our sil tarps just in time as it's starts to rain.....Thunder and lightning......shit here we go again.......it passed in an hour and was beautiful and sunny......now to find that Ram !

over to the Northeast corner of the ridge and leif spots a young Ram in a little rock hole.....wow these things can hide out, as we move along the spectacular ridge we spot 6 cow elk down in the Valley but no more sheep, I anchor up and wait for dark watching the east side and Leif watches the north end of the ridge, we meet at our makeshift camp at dark as I seen nothing more and he seen three young rams.......

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The next morning I was up at 4am again and sneak over to where the monster come over the saddle........nothing as I glass a bit further...sheep....8 sheep as I grab the spotter and look all ewes and one small Ram......they start to run towards me....there over 2 k away and they keep running towards me and the last two ewes would stop every so often to check their back trail then run to catch up....they did this until they were into the shade of the hill in front of me and weren't looking into the sun.........but no Legal Ram......as it started to heat up Leif come over the hill to see me and seen 2 small Rams nothing more....the whole valley is filled with smoke as we can't even see river below us..........

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The Monster Ram is safe for now as we reluctantly packed up and headed back to our pick up point, having an early dinner at our camp and in trotts in another bull Caribou right by us at 50 yards........wow these things are beautiful.....

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j466/WeatherbyFan65/IMG_2519_zpsddp2kokt.jpg (http://s1087.photobucket.com/user/WeatherbyFan65/media/IMG_2519_zpsddp2kokt.jpg.html)
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We didnt get that Monster Ram but had the most amazing time in an area where the scenery was spectacular beyond belief, even better that I got to share it with my brother and walk in the footsteps of a Legend.......RIP BigBoar.....miss ya buddy.

[Boner]

Great write up Don. Thanks for sharing.

What kind of rifle and caliber did you bring with you?

[325]

Great pictures! Thanks for sharing!!

[Weatherby Fan]

Great write up Don. Thanks for sharing.

What kind of rifle and caliber did you bring with you?

Thank you

I packed my Gary Flach built 280AI on a Husqvarna HVA action 7lbs 2.8oz with a Leupold 4.5-14x40

[IronNoggin]

Felt like I was right there with you!
And really like those pictures!
Excellent write up Don!

Many Thanks for sharing!

Cheers,
Matt

[ACE]

Thank you Don ...... good stuff!

[moosinaround]

Nice write up, I was there with the three of you!! Beauty pictures! Way to tough it out up there! Thank you for sharing! Moosin

[Weatherby Fan]

A quick gear review

Pack- Mystery Ranch Nice Frame and 5500 bag, a great comfortable pack but bag needs to be bigger if your carrying your camp on your back for 10-14 days, the pack is heavy at 8lbs but dam comfortable.....it gets an A

Leica 25-50x65 Spotting scope and 1.8 doubler to 90x gets an A+

Leica Geovid HDB 10x42 binos A

Sitka Merino wool, the only shirts I wore for 12 days, I used the bottoms once in the evening when it was cool....awesome A+

Columbia Convertible pants, awesome comfortable for early season, dries easily if wet but I did tear the ass out of both pairs, B+

Sitka Timberkine Jacket perfect weight for early season, windproof but not waterproof...... A

Sitka Timberline Pants, to heavy for early season hunting, great pants though......my brother only wore his at camp

Sitka Gortex Raincoat A+

Sitka Puffy, made a great pillow every night as well as super warm when sitting glassing A+

Icebreaker merino wool socks....awesome, they even have left and right written on them for dummies like me A+

Helly Hansen Odin Hiking boots, Stiff enough for great support, super light and durable, withstood a lot of shale, very comfortable A+

Hilleberg Nallo GT 3 person tent, perfect for two guys for 12 days, seen the worst wind and rain-hail Ive ever hunted in and never leaked A+

Valandre Shocking Blue sleeping bags,Kept us warm no problem never even zipped them up A+

Thermarest Evolite.....won't leave home without it ! A+

Jetboil stoves worked awesome only used 2.5 containers of fuel in 12 days A

Trekking poles with cork handles, can't Imagine Sheep Hunting without them.......A+

[Linksman313]

Great story Weatherby, loved the pics, thanks for the fitting tribute to our fallen friend.

[Whonnock Boy]

Good stuff. Thanks for sharing the story and pics with us...... A friendly piece of information. Trevor Linden gym is 16 bucks a month. Even 3 days a week will help you out for next year. Or.... buy some horses. ;)

[digger dogger]

Awesome story Don, it is an amazing, beautiful place.
I had a sense of being with you, good writing. (Brought back some good memories)
Respectfully
Dave.

[glennw89]

Fantastic story - thanks for taking the time to put it together. Since I spent 9 days hiking in the high country of Kluane National Park in the Yukon in 2015 I have thought sheep hunting would be a tremendous experience. Alas, as an Ontario resident I would have to sell my house to make it happen! Regardless, great to read of your adventure.

[Weatherby Fan]

Awesome story Don, it is an amazing, beautiful place.
I had a sense of being with you, good writing. (Brought back some good memories)
Respectfully
Dave.

Hey Dave,
thanks for everything and yeh your names got mentioned a few times during our hunt.......all good of course buddy !
Cheers
WF

[VFX_man]

Great share. Thanks for the journey!

VFX

[Blainer]

Great share. Absolutely love the title , it's all about the memories. I'm glad your home safe, the next adventure awaits you.

[Elkhound]

Thanks for sharing Don. Very cool write up

[Salty]

Great pics great story great hunt thanks for the thorough write up Don enjoyed it a lot :)

[Jrax]

Great story! thanks for sharing, how many pounds did you shed? I will guess about 10

[goatdancer]

Good way to describe an awesome hunt, even though you came back empty. Hunting sheep and goats will put you to the test. Bagging an animal will be the ultimate bonus.
Are you planning for the next trip?
Do you think the big ram may have spotted you and went for a long hike?

[Weatherby Fan]

Great story! thanks for sharing, how many pounds did you shed? I will guess about 10

15lbs..............

[browningboy]

Too bad you didn't connect bud, anyhow great read and looks like a great time, minus the rain!

[Brew]

Great stuff Don. Thanks for taking the time to share with us.

[Rattler]

Well written story with great pictures. Thanks for taking the time to share with us...

[REMINGTON JIM]

Very Kool Buddy ! Nice pics and gear write up ! See ya Soon ! ;) RJ

[Rhyno]

Thanks for posting, that was an awesome write up.

[HarryToolips]

Awesome writeup and pics, unreal scenery for sure thanks for sharing..

[nazarow]

Great photos and story. On my bucket list to get up north on the mountains.

[darkside]

sounds like some good times ,those thunder storms are always intense moments when there right on top of you no where to go just pray your not the ground . great write up love your gear review at the end . thanks for sharing your hunt with us .
darkside

[srupp]

Hmmmmm awesome possum.....
Srupp

[luckofthedraw]

Awesome. This is the stuff I look forward to. Cheers.

[Getbent]

Thanks for taking the time

[hellojello74]

Thanks for sharing. Very good stuff. This is what keeps me coming back to hbc

[BiG Boar]

Awesome story Don, thank you for sharing and keeping Dave alive! The tribute means a lot and I know Lexi will love to read it one day!
Mrs BiG Boar

[RiverOtter]

Great right up Don. No such thing as an unsuccessful hunt in that country, you done good.

Reading your story was pretty funny, as you're weather was a carbon copy of ours, just a different chunk of the same mountain range. That 24 hours of fog eas unreal. You get the cool rainbow the evening before?

[swampthing]

Good stuff this read!

[markomoose]

Great read and Tribute. Cheers Mark!

[Weatherby Fan]

Great right up Don. No such thing as an unsuccessful hunt in that country, you done good.

Thanks Clint, As much as getting a Ram would have been awesome I've hunted enough that I don't need to kill an animal to have a good time hunting, I just enjoy the time afield and that place consumed a guy visually......it truly was spectacular, even better I got to spend it with my brother.

Reading your story was pretty funny, as you're weather was a carbon copy of ours, just a different chunk of the same mountain range. That 24 hours of fog was unreal. You get the cool rainbow the evening before?

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[Weatherby Fan]

Awesome story Don, thank you for sharing and keeping Dave alive! The tribute means a lot and I know Lexi will love to read it one day!
Mrs BiG Boar

Thanks Lexi & Mrs Big Boar, it was really neat to find digger dogger and Big Boars names in the little hut where Urs (pilot) sits with you and discusses weather conditions and if and when you were able to depart.

Funny thing they were the biggest names amongst the hundreds of names and initials in the hut......there was no missing them !

Uncle WeatherbyFan !

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Had to wait until I got some computer time so I could appreciate your post and pictures a lot more than on a phone.

Great write up, Don!
Love the title, good story and great pictures!!

You will finally catch up to that ram one day....and it will be so much sweeter than catching him on your first attempt.8-)

Thanks for sharing your adventure in the sheep mountains!!

SSS

[Sako81]

Great story and pictures Don. Hunting is about the experiences and memories and based on that it sounds like you were successful!

[Blockcaver]

Don, Great writeup! Sure is beautiful country "up-top". Go sheep hunting every year......great reason to stay in shape year around and a simple way to lose a pound a day! Next year you'll get the big one.

[4pointer]

Thanks for sharing your adventure. That truly is god's country up there. Enjoyed the many wonderful pictures.

[Weatherby Fan]

Thanks for all the kind words everyone, it was the trip of a lifetime, the visual experience was simply amazing, hopefully we can go again.......now back to hunting those Mule Deer...........

[wideopenthrottle]

even though no shots fired, it was still among the best stories ever here!!!!!!!!

[newbie604]

great read, thanks for that.