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scttcanuck
06-29-2018, 11:32 AM
A lot of hunters are unaware of the Special Mountain Sheep Resident draw. This magic tag allows the hunter to hunt any ram in any public land location (where there is a GOS or LEH season) in BC during an expanded season.
For thinhorns, you can hunt between July 7 – Mar 31st, or big horn during the start of the regular season until Dec 20th.
Unlike other draws or tags, a large portion goes to the resource - $10 of the $15.75 goes to HCTF sheep projects and you can buy as many tickets as you want….upping your chances to win and your contribution.

Now to my question: if you were to draw this once in many, many lifetimes’ tag, what sheep and area would pursue?
If it was me, I would start mid-July up North looking over a bunch of dall sheep. I would be looking for a really old sheep. If I didn’t find an exceptionally old ram, I would scout the Koots for big horn and hunt the extended late season once all the GOS guys had to go home.
Don’t forget to get yourself a golden ticket LEH and help sheep conservation in BC. $15.75 is worth the dreaming alone.

From the LEH Synopsis :
The Special Mountain Sheep resident draw is available to resident hunters for fall 2019 and the Hunt Code is 6000. Hunters have the option to submit multiple applications for this draw.
There is only one resident Special Mountain Sheep authorization for one Mountain Sheep.

The successful applicant for the Special Mountain Sheep hunt must hold a valid resident hunting licence, a Mountain Sheep species licence and the Special Mountain Sheep authorization while hunting. Please note that, while the Special Mountain Sheep authorization allows the hunter to exceed the provincial bag limit of 1 and harvest an additional Sheep in the same licence year, the hunter CANNOT hold more than one valid Mountain Sheep species licence at any one time. A second species licence may not be purchased until after the first species licence has been cancelled. If an animal is harvested during the special hunt, it will not be considered in the calculation of reduced odds for future LEH applications. All other restrictions, including the location of open seasons, weapons restrictions, species, and sex listed in either the 2019-2020
LEH Synopsis or the 2020-2022 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis, when available, apply to this special hunt. The successful applicant need not follow horn curl regulations that apply in the area hunted as the Special Mountain Sheep authorization will be for “any ram.” In addition, the successful applicant will have the opportunity to hunt either a bighorn or thinhorn ram Mountain Sheep during the dates listed below. If hunting a thinhorn ram sheep, the successful applicant may hunt up to 21 days prior to the opening date listed below for the intended hunt region.

The non-refundable application fee for each Special Mountain Sheep application is $15.75 (includes GST). $10.00 from each application fee will be directed to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation for projects specific to Mountain Sheep Management.

2019 OPENING SEASON DATES FOR
MOUNTAIN SHEEP
(Subject to Change)
Region 3 Thompson Sept. 10/19
Region 4 Kootenay Sept. 10/19
Region 5 Cariboo Sept. 1/19
Region 6 Skeena Aug. 1/19
Region 7 Omineca/Peace Aug. 1/19
Region 8 Okanagan Aug. 25/19
2019 CLOSING SEASON DATES FOR
MOUNTAIN SHEEP
(Subject to Change)
In all Regions the closing dates are as
follows:

Bighorn Mountain Sheep Dec. 20/19
Thinhorn Mountain Sheep Mar. 31/20
Go to www.gov.bc.ca/hunting for more
information and to find out when the 2019 Special
Mountain Sheep is open for applications.
The deadline for the 2019 Special Mountain Sheep
applications is 11:59 p.m., Friday July 27, 2018

Linksman313
06-29-2018, 02:49 PM
Never heard of this before, thanks for the info

Would most definitely be going for the "bucket lister" Granby Ram (8-15) of I drew the tag!!
Buddy drew it a few years ago and got an absolute monster Ram, he is still making payments on the wall mount.

Danny_29
06-29-2018, 02:55 PM
I'd take six months off and go from north to south. Probably wouldn't even shoot anything to keep the trip going haha

Piperdown
06-29-2018, 03:10 PM
I'd take six months off and go from north to south. Probably wouldn't even shoot anything to keep the trip going haha

You hunt ......

Weatherby Fan
06-29-2018, 04:05 PM
Thanks for the heads up......just bought the winning ticket........now to test out that new 6.5 PRC on a big Ram !!!!

BCHunterFSJ
06-29-2018, 04:11 PM
Definitely a California Bighorn to complete my BC Grand Slam!

Rackmastr
06-29-2018, 04:17 PM
I'd go look for a white sheep for a bit for sure, and then likely aim my sights on a late season bighorn in the Kootenays. Something about watching those videos growing up of the late season hunts for big black horned rams that makes me want to do it.

Asco
06-29-2018, 04:58 PM
I just glossed over that bit in the LEH newspaper. I'm in. I'd be in for the $10 for sheep if they asked me for it, with or without the draw.

Jelvis
06-29-2018, 05:29 PM
I'd go Reg 3 for the full curl with a twirl, Kammy Lake --Right out our front door --
Jel -- thanx for the heads up on HBC -- scttcanuck with a great thread and a heads up --

butcher
06-29-2018, 05:36 PM
Bighorns. No question.

Rackmastr
06-29-2018, 05:49 PM
I just glossed over that bit in the LEH newspaper. I'm in. I'd be in for the $10 for sheep if they asked me for it, with or without the draw.

Great attitude and a great reminder on this way of spending some money towards BC sheep and all we have to protect here!!!

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?145473-Wild-Sheep-Society-Membership-Drive!!-Join-Today!

scottwh
06-29-2018, 05:55 PM
Would be a Dall for me. Have a Cali and a Stone....

Wild one
06-29-2018, 05:55 PM
Whatever area provides the best road hunting opportunity lol

walks with deer
06-29-2018, 06:46 PM
how many tags on average is generally sold?
i will buy a couple anyway...

i generally dont hunt sheep as for the same effort i still need to fill my freezer yearly..
that said i have seen my share of full curl thinhorn and bighorn but was generally targetting other species and did not want to end my hunt...
if drawn i would just hunt dalls...i know where i can harvest stones and bighorn if i put in the time.

walks with deer
06-29-2018, 06:48 PM
one time i did see a pure white bighorn ram he was in gos area but it was december and he was not even 3/4

pg83
06-29-2018, 10:17 PM
Put in every year!

You've got it all right with spending early season on the Dall's and late season on the Rocky's imo. I currently have 0/4 BC slam going, but would probably hold out for the bighorn. I will be chasing Stone's in some form every year, and I'm overdue on the Dall and Cali draws I put in for yearly. Gotta stay positive!

Thanks for spreading the word on this. It's a valuable tool for conservation.

j270wsm
06-30-2018, 08:28 AM
I thought this tag has been in place for 5+ yrs. pretty sure if you get the tag, you have to choose which sheep your going to hunt.

Rackmastr
06-30-2018, 08:29 AM
I thought this tag has been in place for 5+ yrs. pretty sure if you get the tag, you have to choose which sheep your going to hunt.

Been in place for a long while now. You don't have to designate the area like in the past you had to mark it (though still weren't restricted for some time now)

j270wsm
06-30-2018, 08:41 AM
I knew that you don't have to specify where your hunting on the application. I though once drawn you had to choose which sheep you were going to hunt. A guy in town had the tag 2yrs ago and I though he said he had to choose.

Rackmastr
06-30-2018, 08:53 AM
I knew that you don't have to specify where your hunting on the application. I though once drawn you had to choose which sheep you were going to hunt. A guy in town had the tag 2yrs ago and I though he said he had to choose.

Nope, can hunt throughout the province once drawn.

Back in the paper LEH days you had to mark down the region when you submitted the application, thats what I was referencing in the past.

ramshorn
06-30-2018, 11:37 AM
how many tags on average is generally sold?
i will buy a couple anyway...

i generally dont hunt sheep as for the same effort i still need to fill my freezer yearly..
that said i have seen my share of full curl thinhorn and bighorn but was generally targetting other species and did not want to end my hunt...
if drawn i would just hunt dalls...i know where i can harvest stones and bighorn if i put in the time.
I believe they sell around 4000 per year

ramshorn
06-30-2018, 11:46 AM
Also not sure if they drew a winner last year as no name was announced, could have been a Greenpeacer, because anyone can purchase a tag.

bearvalley
06-30-2018, 02:33 PM
Also not sure if they drew a winner last year as no name was announced, could have been a Greenpeacer, because anyone can purchase a tag.
There was a winner and it isnt a Greenpeacer.
After past bad publicity why would the winner of this tag want thier name publicized?

LuckyHorseshoe
06-30-2018, 02:44 PM
I was lucky enough to get this tag in 2006 I think it was. Took a 189" ram out of elkford late December. I think the odds at that time were around 1100:1. An unbelievably great excuse to see some of the province and hunt at a time that you never would be able to otherwise. Make sure you get yours!!

Rackmastr
06-30-2018, 03:18 PM
There was a winner and it isnt a Greenpeacer.
After past bad publicity why would the winner of this tag want thier name publicized?

No doubt....

LBM
06-30-2018, 03:55 PM
There was a winner and it isnt a Greenpeacer.
After past bad publicity why would the winner of this tag want thier name publicized?

Hey BV no nothing of this was wondering if you could explain the bad publicity a bit
curious as to if it came from non hunter or hunter groups/person.
Thanks.

LBM
06-30-2018, 03:56 PM
I was lucky enough to get this tag in 2006 I think it was. Took a 189" ram out of elkford late December. I think the odds at that time were around 1100:1. An unbelievably great excuse to see some of the province and hunt at a time that you never would be able to otherwise. Make sure you get yours!!

Any picks of your ram you are able to share.

bearvalley
06-30-2018, 04:08 PM
Hey BV no nothing of this was wondering if you could explain the bad publicity a bit
curious as to if it came from non hunter or hunter groups/person.
Thanks.

It came from hunters getting technical against a hunter that has done more for hunters than most in this province.

boxhitch
06-30-2018, 05:46 PM
hunters getting technical against a hunterOuch! thats gotta hurt ..........those with no skin

B, any link to the carnage thread ?

LBM
06-30-2018, 06:08 PM
It came from hunters getting technical against a hunter that has done more for hunters than most in this province.

Ok I think I no the incident your referring to thought that there had maybe been more.

Brew
06-30-2018, 06:49 PM
For me it would be bighorns in spences bridge and the east koots. I want a bighorn more than anything.

bearvalley
06-30-2018, 07:02 PM
Ouch! thats gotta hurt ..........those with no skin

B, any link to the carnage thread ?

I don’t think I’ll go there Bill.

.264winmag
07-08-2018, 04:47 PM
I'd be hunting late season in the rut that's for sure, nice hair on em too...

SaintSix
07-08-2018, 10:54 PM
Thanks for this, i did not know about this draw. I'm not sure what I'd target probably Bighorns after a lot of researching.

nazarow
08-08-2018, 07:55 PM
Draw has been run. Good luck everyone.

northof49
08-09-2018, 06:54 PM
My streak is still safe.....just like the Canucks;-)