Solo Archery Stones hunt - my daily lessons...

[Andrewh]

It all started about 6 months ago, I had a crazy idea to go chase stone sheep with a bow again but my only problem was my lack of bow hunting buddies that can get the time off. Last year was the first trip where I carried a bow in sheep country but it was mainly to keep myself from shooting another one with a rifle. Most importantly though, it was my sheep hunting partner’s son that needed to get an opportunity at a ram so that is what Aaron and I did. Our efforts and tactics were geared towards a rifle hunt and not a bow hunt.

With no options for a partner, I made the tough decision to plan the 11 night archery stone sheep hunt as a solo quest. I knew very well what this would mean, it would require a heavier pack in with the lack of shared gear, no ‘back-up’ if shit hits the fan and finally a lot of talking to myself. I love to hunt by myself but usually end up going on 2 maybe 3 day trips so this 11 night option was a little unfamiliar to me.

My plan started out as it did for every other sheep hunt, I opened my computer and opened my spread sheet to go over my gear list. I usually make the changes right away after a trip so I have instant feedback and I don’t get bogged down with packing a bunch of ‘what-ifs’. Everything was in order and ready to get tossed in my pack.

Next it was time to choose a location, well that was easy; Todagin Bow zone here I come!!!! I contacted a couple guys off this site with questions and ideas and I went over the maps and google earth. I didn’t spend too much time scouting as I had a pretty good idea that finding sheep in that country wouldn’t be too tough, finding a legal ram that makes a mistake would be the next to impossible challenge. Another concern of mine was going to be the crowd, I had read on this site that some years 20+ guys will be in for opening… I took that as an opportunity to hike farther!

With my plans all coming together I talked the better half into helping me (more like doing it for me) dehydrate all my meals. With that task done, it was now just a waiting game until I could start my journey North.

[thepitchedlink]

Sweet! being it on

[HarryToolips]

Wicked, can't wait for the rest.,..would be interesting to see your gear list as well....

[BStrachan]

Looking forward to hearing how the hunt turned out!

[Asco]

You have some balls, sir. I’m impressed already.

[Andrewh]

With my car packed and last few arrows flung in the backyard, I was on my way North on the 29th. I managed to get up to the trailhead in short order (16 hrs) and the original plan was to hike in on the morning of the 31st but I was there on the 30th. The last decision that I had to make for my gear list was if I was going to pack a 12g up or simply just rely on the bear spray. I hummed and hawed for a little while and ended up leaving it in the car. So just like that I was headed into grizzly country armed with an old can of bear spray from 2004. I tied up the boots and started my hike…up…up and then more up…

https://i.imgur.com/pAKUOgI.jpg

It was a very hot day, around 30* to be exact, so the hike up was a little more exhausting than I was anticipating. I broke into the alpine after an hour and a half or so and immediately jumped off the trail and started heading up to a peak that was recommended to me. It was more work right off the bat but it gave me the perfect perspective of the area as I needed to get the landscape and draws etc. pictured in my head. I sat up on that peak for a couple hours and glassed the entire area but only managed to turn up a few sheep here and there. It wasn’t surprising as the heat most likely had them all hiding and not to mention the bugs!!!!. With the situation, weather wise, I made sure that I checked both spots that they would be found; down low in the timber and up high on the tops of the surrounding peaks.

https://i.imgur.com/k6IXC8q.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/1BRtT57.jpg

While I was up on top of the peak, I ended up glassing a few sheep as well as a couple other guys heading in for their crack at arrowing a ram. After a few hours up top, I started my way down and up the main route which lead me right past the camp of the other two guys. I stopped to say hi and we chatted briefly. They had been in the area a lot and were more than willing to share some info with me so that was very much appreciated. I just love running into guys that understand that hunting is not a competition but rather an experience you can share with others around you.

I ended up setting camp a little past them for the night as it was close to the only water source in the area. It had been a pretty dry summer up there so the creeks that normally had water were bone dry. After dinner, I walked over to the cliff edge to see if I could spot any more sheep as the heat was starting to dissipate for the evening. I ended up glassing and chatting with the two others for a while which was a really nice way to spend the evening. We managed to spot one lonely 4-5yr old ram half way up ‘ram castle’ and that was it for the evening. I turned it in pretty early as tomorrow was another moving day/scouting day so it would no doubt be full of heat, bugs, hills and many km’s.

Lesson learned: If you don’t think you need an item, don’t toss it in the vehicle. Leave it at home or else it might end up in your bag…

[Redo]

Loving this!

[ljalberta]

Now this is a good hunt report!!! Thanks and looking forward to the rest!

[DStewart]

Can’t wait to hear the rest, love it!

[nature girl]

Really great story so far and super clear pictures.

[nazarow]

Great stuff. Looking forward to the rest.

[Andrewh]

I woke up the sun shining and the wonderful sound of buzzing mosquitoes outside my tent. After I cleaned out my eyes I crawled out of the tent to get some water going for coffee and my birdseed breakfast mix. I then walked over to my glassing knoll overlooking ‘ram castle’ and immediately spotted a band of rams right at the summit. It was too tough to age them from my location a kilometer away but I could tell that there was at least one that needed a closer look. They were in the perfect position, right on top of a mountain with no chance to approach.

https://i.imgur.com/njNw0kn.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/dXGMGtN.jpg

I watched them for a bit and then went back to the tent to get it all packed up as it was now ‘moving day.’ I took a very long way around as I wanted to check out the entire area but no other potential shooter rams were spotted. I ran into and glassed up a few other groups once again but that didn’t bother me as I had a clear plan in place. I needed to get over to the rams and get close enough to count rings which was about 6-700 yrds with good light through the swaro. The plan was to walk all the way around the complex and end up in the draw that ends below the rams. It took some time and as I approached the area, I was able to get a better view of the rams. Things were definitely looking promising for the opener tomorrow!!! I was able to count 7 on a few of them with one looking like he had a lot of space for and 8th ring. He was going to be my focus first thing tomorrow morning.

https://i.imgur.com/YGPmEim.jpg

As I dropped into the area and found a spot for my tent, the clouds and thunder started up. The storm was coming right towards me so I quickly pitched the tent, glassed the sheep and made sure I had my rain gear handy. The rams had moved down the draws off the summit to feed and then fed up to another bedding area. I made a STRONG mental note of the route they took and the time they moved as that might be useful for the coming days. I wasn’t able to age them that night as the light was fading so that would need to wait for the morning.

Just as I was getting settled in the spot, the storm was perfectly in line with my location. Just my luck; I see smoke! (As a little side note – I was evacuated from the East Koots last Sept 2 due to forest fires…)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Atrj1a5TcPY&feature=youtu.be

My only concern that evening –> where were the rams going to end up tomorrow?

Lesson learned – If you see rams, go after them! Don’t sit back and watch them… A few others in the area made that mistake.

[Rattler]

Awesome so far, keep it up. Thanks for taking us along!!

[HarryToolips]

Awesome story and pics so far...

[Liveforthehunt]

Great read thus far looking forward to the coming days !

[ydouask]

I am blessed to be able to say, " I've been there".... it was many years ago now but your writing and pictures have made it seem like yesterday. You only think you're solo, we're all right with you Andrew, thanks for the trip.

[tomahawk]

Wonderful pictures and story, going to follow this one through. I was fortunate enough to hunt this area a few times myself many moons ago and your pictures and story bring me right back to the area!! The Castle and the other regular spots where the rams feel comfortable hanging out bring back a lot of great memories. Thanks for the great pictures and the detailed hunt, feels like im there with you!!

[greybark]

Your detail and wonderful photos bring back memories of four solo hunts so many years ago and are appreciated . After finding a fossil field on a high slope and a perfect petrified fang about 4 in long , curved and a sharp point was brought back to my tiny tent where I placed it on a small rock shelf as to not forget it . It worked I never forgot it as it is still there ,LOL !
Thank you for your post . Cheers

[tomahawk]

Your detail and wonderful photos bring back memories of four solo hunts so many years ago and are appreciated . After finding a fossil field on a high slope and a perfect petrified fang about 4 in long , curved and a sharp point was brought back to my tiny tent where I placed it on a small rock shelf as to not forget it . It worked I never forgot it as it is still there ,LOL !
Thank you for your post . Cheers

I spent several hours on the fossil field as well, never found a treasure as good as a fang but found a lot of interesting fossils, many too big to carry the extra weight back home!!

[northof49]

Fantastic start.....looking forward to this. Back early so must have a happy ending ;-)

[4blade]

Come on I shut off Netflix to start reading

[BStrachan]

Oh man I was really hoping to continue reading about our hunting trip! The way you are telling us about your hunt, makes feel like I am right there with you! Cant wait to read the rest!

[KimberKid]

Keep it coming!

[Andrewh]

Opening morning!!!!!

I get up at the crack of dawn with high hopes that the smoke wouldn’t be too bad and that the rams would still be in the same area. I was in luck, they were all down from the peak and feeding in the green below. I watched them for a little while and they made their way back up in short order. I made note of the route they took; the same one they took the other day…

Once they arrived at the summit of ‘ram castle,’ I snuck down the valley to the closest rock formation I could find in hopes that I would be able to get glass on the big guy. I wanted to get him aged before I made any plans to go after him. I got very lucky, I ended up about 700 yards away from them and with the sun cresting the mountains in front of him, the light on his rings was perfect. I was able to get 7 no problem but the 8th was a little more challenging to find. I had what I thought was 8 but wanted to make sure so I waited until he turned towards my direction and I was clearly able to see the 8th groove that runs around the front of the horns.

https://i.imgur.com/4FPB08k.jpg

It was game on!!!! I snuck back out of the draw and back out of sight of the rams, my plan was to sneak up the draw and then up the slope and finally traverse across towards the base of ‘ram castle’. I would have a few exposed areas so that involved some belly crawling and slow movements but I was able to make it across without detection.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sz6unEidgB8

[Andrewh]

I knew the only thing that was going to screw me was the wind. Since they were going to come down in the late afternoon, I had no idea if the thermals would shift to be going ‘down-slope’ by then. When I got to my spot in the middle of the green area, the wind was coming up which I knew it would be. I positioned myself in some rocks in the middle of the draw and started the waiting game.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7wgzWH7Cn0&feature=youtu.be

It was now the waiting game; I sat in the same spot for over 4 hours until I heard the first rock start falling from above me. The rams were on the move!!! At that point the wind was very mild and my ‘windicator’ powder was giving me a new direction every 30 sections, shit. I thought to myself this might work or might blow them out.

As the rams started funnelling down to feed, they ended up right on the greenery to my left and right. It was intense to say the least. Some of the younger 5 year old rams fed right up to me; to the point I was concerned I was going to get stepped on and no farther than 20 yrds!!! After about 15 minutes of zero movement and I mean zero (even blinking was slowed down), I finally saw a glimpse of my big guy. He was the last one to come down and he was on the move. All of the other rams were now below me and out of sight so I just had the big guy to concentrate on. Just as he stepped down off the cliff he started walking towards the top of the draw then he stopped. He hung up at 42yrds with the only shot being a frontal. He was motionless, just staring down the draw. He must have caught a mild, mild scent as he was not coming down. All the other rams had zero concern with the swirling wind but this guy was a lot smarter. He stood there for about a minute and then slowly turned and walked back up to the top of ram castle. He was not spooked at all, he just figured something wasn’t quite right so the feeding could wait. During this time I could feel my heart pumping in my fingers, It was a rather intense moment as you can imagine.

The funny thing about this situation was that it turned out, two other groups watched this whole thing unfold from a ridge away. They didn’t know I was in the spot and had no idea why the ram turned and walked back up.

With the arrow back in my quiver, I made my way back to camp to ensure I didn’t spook anything in hopes they would be doing the same thing the next day. I relocated the rams from back at camp and settled in for evening behind the glass.

What a great day!!!!!

Lesson learned – If the wind isn’t 100%, older rams will not be fooled. Younger 7 yr. olds might walk by but those older guys will hang up.

[BStrachan]

Loving the story!

[Astepanuk]

Love the story cant wait to hear more!!

[northof49]

Awesome.....the patience game!!

[decker9]

This is awesome! Eagerly waiting!!

[Andrewh]

The next morning I was really hoping to wake up and glass the sheep on top of castle once again. It was not the case, I pulled myself from the tent a little after 5:30 and gave the castle a quick glass to find it vacant. I then quickly scanned the area around me as I normally do and BAM!!! I see the tops of horns bedded about 200 yards away from my tent. Oh my goodness, can this actually be happening? I grabbed my spotter and crept over to a rock pile about 100yrds away from him to confirm he was the legal ram. Sure enough he was!!

https://i.imgur.com/BDdKzTj.jpg

I got back to the tent and quickly gathered my bow and release and went after him. He was bedded in the perfect spot, strong wind in his face, knoll right behind him and all grass that was super quiet. I was easily able to get to 40 yrds and that is where I stayed. I could have probably pushed the issue and got to 33-34 around the other side but I didn’t want to risk it. At this point, please keep in mind that I am still a rather green bow hunter with this being one of my first dedicated bow hunts ever. He was bedded and I didn’t know what to do, do I wait for him to stand or make the 40 yrd shot in his bed??? I tossed my binos on him one last second and that was all it took, he noticed the movement and up to his feet he went. He wasn’t startled but wondering what moved out of the corner of his eye. At that time I went to full draw, settled my pin on him and just as I was pulled through the shot, he bolts. He takes off just as the shot breaks and I couldn’t believe it, arrow smashed into rocks right behind him. The shot felt perfect but there was no animal where the arrow was heading… what a down I felt after that. The ram tucked down into the draw and that was the last I saw him that day.

I went back to camp and had breakfast and got my gear ready for a hike. My plan was to head south and check out the country that I hadn’t put eyes on. I spent a lot of time glassing the draw that the ram tucked into but I did not turn him up. I was afraid he was off to the next drainage.

https://i.imgur.com/Ul4krZx.jpg

I put in a good days walk and managed to find a few 7 year olds around, but nothing that was legal. I had a great time exploring the country and checking all the little areas that I would normally find rams. On the way back towards camp, I ran into the couple guys from day one. I went up and had a chat about my few days and I heard stories about theirs. It was nice to catch up, share some laughs and talk about the plans for the next few days. It was an early night with me glassing castle into the evening hoping that the band would suddenly appear. The only guy that showed himself was a little 5/6 year old bedded close to where I hid on opening day.

https://i.imgur.com/JRQx4vq.jpg

The next day was going to be a big day as I wanted to check out the entire complex…

Lesson learned – if you can hit grapefruits at 60 yrds, shoot a ram in his bed at 40 yrds.

[Avalanche123]

Lesson learned – if you can hit grapefruits at 60 yrds, shot a ram in his bed at 40 yrds.

Funny, I learned that same lesson about 15 years in almost same area lol.

One of the better HBC Threads lately. Nice read!

[northof49]

Yup funny how despite all the practice with a bow, at that moment when time on your side you start to second guess. Nothing wrong with wanting to be sure of a clean ethical kill shot. Best to be sure

[Andrewh]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyc5TA0UQus

Today was going to be a big hiking day. I wanted to cover the entire complex and try and turn up some sheep. I figured if I covered enough ground, I would surely get into more rams and I was right. I found a few 7 year olds pretty quick but then it got pretty quiet. I logged about 25-30km that day and much of it was up and down. I was very careful to pick areas apart and pay special attention when cresting ridges to peer into blind basins and draws. I knew that the chances of me finding sheep bedded in a small draw was pretty good but even with all the miles I put on, I didn’t manage to find anything legal.

https://i.imgur.com/yBW3NL0.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/cHIvJyV.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/6sxrYWB.jpg

It wasn’t a very exciting day other than the fact I got to see a lot of new country that had plenty of potential to hold rams. I ran into a couple guys once again and did a quick catch-up of what was seen over the last few days.

I arrived back at camp after an 11 hour day. I was pretty beat both mentally and physically. I spent a lot of time thinking about the last few days and the chances that I had at the ram. I kept on replaying those situations over and over again in my head, “what if I just shot, what if I got to 33yrd?”. It took a real toll on me and is just one of the reasons why people find bow hunting so addictive. It is truly an activity with huge ups and ultimate lows and very little can prepare you of the coming events.

Lesson learned – keep positive no matter what has just happened. You can’t control what events had taken place, just the ones that are going to take place.

[Andrewh]

OK, morning of day 4. The roller coaster of emotions that I felt that day will be something that I will never forget. I got up a little later today as I was pretty beat from the previous day.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1RWvRAaXzk&feature=youtu.be

With the rams spotted on top of castle once again, I had high hopes of getting it done today. I was going to be very careful and ensure that there was a 100% chance of positioning myself in a good wind area.

I made my way up the ridge once again and snuck over to the same draw that they came down a few days ago. This time, I wasn’t going to position myself in the little rock formation because it didn’t work last time. I got to really thinking, I needed to be in a spot that had very consistent wind if I wanted a good chance. Since the slope that I was on originally was East facing, it would be in the sun all day and the other side of the ridge would only have sun later in the day. There was a pretty good thermal coming up the East side as I approached once again as well as a thermal coming up the West side. Hmmm, with the rams going to funnel down right on top of the ridge, I had to make a decision and quick. I thought to myself that being on the West side would make the most sense as I hoped that the thermals coming up would not be as strong as the ones coming up the other side so my scent would not get to the top of the ridge with both of the thermals colliding. It made sense to me and once again I got myself hidden about 38 yrds away from the two rocks that the sheep all came through. I sat for 4 hours and waited for the blessing sound of rocks falling as the rams worked down off the summit. They came through the rocks I had set up on and my plan with the wind seemed to be working perfectly as they didn’t seem to hesitate at all. I was expecting the big guy to come down slowly and cautiously so I would have a few seconds to get settled for the shot. After about 10 minutes of rams moving down, I saw a glimpse of my ram. He was with 3 others and they were on the move down. I saw the ram enter the rocks and I lost sight of him for a second or two before he popped out the bottom. He emerged but didn’t stop, didn’t hesitate, just kept walking. I tried to get myself composed for the shot but one major oversight on my part made itself clear. I couldn’t get my feet into a stable area, I was tucked down amongst rocks and out of sight but as I stood up I struggled to get balanced. I was up, at full draw, sheep in the sight housing, steadying pins and the shot breaks. I watch the arrow sail over the back, and off the rams go. I couldn’t believe this had happened. I ranged the spot where the ram was and it was about 20 yrds not the 38 yrds I was shooting for. I was so focused on making a good shot that I didn’t even realise the ram didn’t stop walking from the rocks and closed the distance considerably. I was not expecting to have to rush the shot, but once again, things were out of my control. On a positive note, my plan and location worked perfectly with the wind.

With the rams spooked, I went up to the area he had been standing in to try and locate them. They ran down the draw and were now at the bottom feeding. I couldn't believe it, they seemed to have settled right down as if my shot didn’t even take place.

[Andrewh]

Now I thought to myself – what do I do??? Do I let them feed and relax fully? Set up thinking they will come back up? Follow them with distance to find where they bed? Well the choice was easy, I glassed them from a ways away and planned on following them to hopefully see them bed or at the least know where they would be tomorrow.

I let them feed for a while and they fed right into a small basin that had a little water running through it. I had seen rams bedded in the area before and figured they would be bedded if I had any more luck. I snuck up on a cliff that stared straight down into the basin and from about 150 yards. I peeked over to see them all bedded. Oh my, I was getting a second chance today!

https://i.imgur.com/e6ncqtT.jpg

I had a decision to make once again, do I sit and wait or go after them? They were at the bottom of the basin so no chance of shooting from the top but there was a very nice rock formation that I could use as cover to sneak over to just next to them. I dropped all my gear once again and dropped in under the cliff I was on. I didn’t count on bumping a ewe and lamb that were bedded at the bottom of the cliff but they just walked off. I waited for all of the rams to work up behind the rocks so I had a clear path along a sheep trail to the top portion of the rocks. The wind was good, and I mean really good. It was about a 20mph wind straight up the draw so no chance that would screw me over. I slowly made my way over to the rock and that is where I sat for a minute not knowing my next move.

https://i.imgur.com/9qgLslA.jpg

I thought to myself, do I climb over the rock and take the 5 yrd shot? Do I sit and wait? Once again, my rookie bow hunting skills were shining through. Although I am a rookie bow hunter, I do know sheep and had a good idea they were going to work out the bottom on an evident sheep trail so that is what I chose. Not 30 seconds later I see my ram on the trail right below me, he was the lead ram of a group of 4 and luckily I had already nocked an arrow and clipped my release to my D-loop. I ranged at 45 and he was walking away. I came full draw, leveled the bubble and steadied my 50 pin on him. He kept walking but as he was walking, I was counting his steps. Since the other rams were trailing him, they all stopped and looked at me which caused the lead ram to also stop and turn to see what was going on. At that point I had counted 15 steps from the 45yrd location so I settled my 60yrd on him and pulled through the shot. The arrow broke free and flew true and towards him. I heard a big thwack and saw blood right away. I hit him a little far back and looked to catch the far side lung as it was quartering away slightly. I sat and watched him run down the draw while pondering why my shot hadn't been perfect. At that moment I realized that at 60yrds, I needed to take a 20mph wind into consideration and I had not. Since he was bleeding and it was a solid hit I wanted to get another arrow in him. He had bedded about 40 yrds from the location of the hit but as soon as I saw him he saw me. He got to his feet and made his way to a green area on top of another cliff. I tried to get another arrow in him at that point but he worked over the cliff and down the other side with only the sound of falling rocks filling the basin. I backed out and circled down under the cliff and searched for a solid 20 minutes (there is not much to hide in around there, all open rocks/shale). I was concerned, I couldn’t find any sign of him and was scared that he worked down into the timber below. As tough as it was, I chose to back out and circle around above and try and locate him from the top of the ridge with my spotter. Between each ‘bumping’ he had only gone about 30 yrds. so I knew he wouldn’t be far.

https://i.imgur.com/qgXI4ml.jpg

After the grind back out, with emotions running high, I got to the spot and set up my spotter and within minutes I had him located. He was about 8 yrds away from where I was standing at one point but in a hole that prevented me from seeing him. Emotions came out and I could barely keep my shit together. I was overwhelmed.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaFn17otEAE&feature=youtu.be

With it being 7:30, I made the decision to give him the night and go in first thing in the morning to pull him out. The last thing that I wanted to do was pack out an animal in the dark with a can of bear spray on my side. I got back to the tent, made dinner and sat. I can’t remember what I thought about but I do know that the events that happened that day will never be forgotten.

https://i.imgur.com/mQh70mJ.jpg

Lesson learned – never give up. Put yourself in positions where fantastic things might happen and fantastic things might happen.

[Andrewh]

I was up early and with high hopes of getting to place my hands on my sheep. I didn’t sleep more than 2 hours the night before as I was so wound up from the day before. I started my trek down to the sheep all while making mental notes of the best route to come back up. It was steep, very steep and the rocks slid. I was a little concerned about getting out safely but figured I had a good route picked as I approached my ram. The ram was right where I had left him the night before, he was magnificent. Once I got my hands on him, I was able to age him at 9 years; I was in complete bliss. Not only did I arrow a ram but I also took my first archery animal of my life.

https://i.imgur.com/RESeLW0.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/8BbrnK9.jpg

I caped him out in a hurry and left the bone in as the wind was heading straight down the valley. The valley bottom was thick and with the scent of fresh sheep carcass, I didn’t want to spend any extra time dealing with my ram. I pack him up, got to my feet and proceeded to try and take one step up while sliding back down ¾ of the distance. Oh shit, this is heavy and the ground is not solid. I kicked, crawled and climbed out of the basin and managed to cover the 300yrd distance in about 1.5 hrs.

Once back at camp I made the decision to flesh out and turn the cape, debone the meat and try and pack out that day. I left camp at 2:45 with a full load of 130+lbs and many hills in front of me. It was a 6 hour pack out of one step in front of the other all while trying to gather the energy to keep going. I made it out before dark and welcomed the sign of my vehicle.

I stripped down, changed and headed straight for a burger as I was rather starving!!!!

It was a trip I will never forget and personally think it has ruined rifle hunting for me. The emotional roller coaster bow hunting sheep takes you on can’t be described to anyone.

Lesson learned – one step in front of the other covers miles, might be slow but you will eventually get there.

[MadCat]

Congrats on a hunt you will never forget. Thanks for sharing I really enjoyed it

[twoSevenO]

Epic story my heart rate went up reading the second to last post. Nicely done. Congrats!

What is the breakdown on the 130lbs? I didnt think sheep were that big. How much meat? How many LBS for horns and Cape? 50lb camp, 50lb meat, 30lb Cape and horns?

Well written. Great animal. Congrats again.

[ErKu]

Awesome story, thanks for sharing!

[todbartell]

great stuff, thanks for posting!

[Blainer]

Fantastic
That is a tough hunt, great share!
Plenty of reason to feel proud of that one.
Congratulations

[tomahawk]

tremendous effort, every bowhunter who arrows a fair chase animal using spot and stalk will experience the best highs hunting will produce and most will also get to some level of serious lows at some point. Congrats on a great effort, beautiful ram and such a great read !!

[RyoTHC]

One of the best threads on here in a while... Very impressive and congratulations !

[BStrachan]

What a great read! Congratulations on a successful hunt and on your first archery kill!

[Wild one]

You will never forget this hunt congrats on the ram

[northof49]

Congrutulations that’s a fantastic achievement. Thank you for sharing and taking us along. For those that haven't tried bow hunting.....until you have hunted spot and stalk with a bow you can’t truly appreciate the patience and skill required. Its a whole other level. Sheep with age restriction and multiple eyes to consider, lack of veg cover for concealment, now thats just insane. Quite the feat Andrew!

[quadrakid]

Thanks for sharing your hunt.Great photos and an epic hunt.

[whitetailsheds]

Great write up and photos Andrew!! And terrific bow ram!!! Thanks for sharing!!

[kennyj]

Congratulations on a great ram, and your first bow kill. Thanks for sharing your great story and photos. Very enjoyable read.
kenny

[dino]

You are a freak! I cant think of a harder animal to hunt with a bow, some think a goat but i say sheep.
A new king has emerged and you are the king!
Congratulations!!! WOW

[northernbc]

Oh I was praying you would get one. Great story and pictures. Thanks very much

[goatdancer]

Great write up and an awesome ram, solo with a bow. Congratulations.

[pg83]

Congrats Andrew! I was chatting with one of the other guys up on the mountain with you today at the Okanagan Fall Hunting show and he had nothing but great things to say. Well done, thank you for sharing.

[decker9]

Loved reading this!! Our hunts sound nearly identical except I used a rifle, and took me a few more days. Great ram you harvested!! And excellent job on the patients!! You earned that ram, congrats!!

[RackStar]

Epic...
i liked the small YouTube moments with the story.
Way to elevate HBC!

enjoy that ram. What’s next on the list for 2018?

[untilthelastbeat]

Unbelievable story Andrew. Felt like I was right there with you. Congrats on your bow kill and thanks so much for sharing

[jimzuk]

Great story thanks for posting. This hunt is on my bucket list

[guest]

Great Share Andrew.
It's the hard work, dedication and perserverance that got you that Ram. Good on ya.

Now get out there on the Chuck and slay some Sox ........ Or poacher crab fishermen.......

your rockin it!

CT

[SR80]

Great story man! Congrats again!

[Jimbob]

WOW! great hunt! Well done Sir

[IronNoggin]

Hell of a nice job all round!
Actually felt like I was right beside you for much of that!
Excellent writing, excellent pictures, and an excellent first bow hunt!!

Congratulations Sir!! https://bigshotsbc.ca/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/Pozitive.gif

Cheers,
Nog

[LBM]

Congrats on your ram, great pictures and write up, if your planning another early trip to the EK hopefully they give more of a heads up if the
bush is going to be closed, a fair amount of fires going now with a few more starts last night.
Good luck on the resyt of your year.

[Romain]

Great story! Very well written, great pictures and I loved the daily video clip updates! Congrats on a great ram.

[DDD]

Thanks for sharing Andrew. Amazing, well done!

D

[REMINGTON JIM]

Congrats on a Awesome Ram and sharing your Great Hunt ! Your a Hell of a Hunter with that never Give up Attitude ! :smile: Cheers to you ! RJ

[rudysteelhead]

Really, really enjoyed that story. Kudos for showing the video after you knew you harvested the animal. Takes a 'big set' to share those emotions. Good for you. All you are left with in the end is memories.... this one will stay with you till the end!

[cuervosail]

Great story. An awesome ram. So much admiration. I'm headed out in a couple of weeks and with a great deal of luck and plenty of effort, I too will break out of the fewer than one club.

[The Hermit]

Great hunt! Man that is one for the memory bank for sure! Huge Congratulations!! Thanks for sharing

[Ourea]

Top shelf thread.
Andrew, thanks so much for sharing an epic hunt.

THIS is what HBC is about.

[charlie_horse]

Awesome story man thanks for sharing!!

[Alpine85]

Job well done man!. Great story and congrats on an archery ram. What’s the next sheep goal you’re setting for yourself???

T

[Timberjack]

Awesome buddy. Well done.

[nazarow]

Another great share. Thanks for taking the time and well done!

[goathead]

great story.congrats on a great sheep and photos

[Brez]

congrats on a terrific hunt and outcome. Thank you for posting such a well written account and excellent pictures. The photos brought back 25 year old memories. You truly have created memories of a lifetime for yourself.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Awesome story and great documentation!!!

Well done!! Huge congrats!!!

SSS

[Rattler]

Congrats on a beauty archery ram. One of the best threads this year for sure. Really enjoyed your story, pictures and videos. Your lesson learned section was great as well.

[silvertipp]

Wow thanks for taking us along for the ride
I really enjoyed the way you presented your hunt
congrats on a great ram
that’s going to be tuff to beat
well done

[nature girl]

Nicely done on getting a ram on your first archery kill. Great story I liked how you put lesson learned a few times. A very nice photos.

I was wondering how your wife was with having you go on a solo sheep hunt. Was she okay with it or a little worried if you don't mind me asking.

[kootenaycarver]

Congrats!!!! on taking a beautiful archery Stone ram. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. Very well done.

[Rackmastr]

Congrats!! What a story and way to tell it. What an accomplishment!

[Wctbowtech]

Congradulations, great story and a perfect ending to your dedication on getting a great ram!

[Andrewh]

thanks for all the kind words, had a blast reliving the trip as I typed too.

For all the arm-chair sheep hunters that are thinking he is 7, word got back to me so here is a better pic.
He was also CI'ed at 9...

https://i.imgur.com/v7mjGyw.jpg

Lesson learned - some people on HBC will never change...

[decker9]

Looks 9 all day long to me, excellent job Andrew!!

Did you have him checked in smithers by chance? iv been trying to get ahold of the guy for 4/5 days now.

Thank you for taking the time to share your hunt, its inspired me to be working on one also..

cheers!

[butcher]

Excellent post. I got 8 on my first count. 9 on the re-count. Either way, good ram.

[Ron.C]

What a hunt!!!!!!!! My hats off to you.

You have my vote for best thread of the year. AWESOME

[Stroodle]

Excellent write up and great pics - congrats - feeling the itch!!!

[325]

Great adventure!

[JDR]

Congrats Andrew on your success and thanks for taking the time to write your story, post pics, and share your great adventure with us!

[Sitkaspruce]

Great story about an awesome hunt!! Congrats on an great ram!!

Thanks for bringing us along and sharing your story!!

Cheers

SS

[islander7mm]

What a great story! Thanks for sharing such an epic adventure with us. Don’t let any negative comments get you down. You achieved what many only dream of.
#makinghbcgreatagain

[ydouask]

Well Andrew, that was wonderful recounting of an amazing effort. Again, Congratulations ! :)

[Brian011]

Congrats on a nice ram with your bow! Great story!

[AgSilver]

Great write-up.

Since you aren't going to use them, can I buy your guns??

[Asco]

Thanks, that was the best thing I’ve read on HBC. Educational and inspirational.

bravo

[glennw89]

Outstanding story. Thanks for the taking the time to share in such depth.

[Calico]

Nice arrow!

[northof49]

Bump back up.... just because

[Muskydawg]

So Awesome! Watching the videos and hearing your emotions makes it even better! Bow hunting does that to us, such a roller coaster!

[Luka77]

Great story, thanks for sharing!

[Brambles]

sweet sweet success, and with a bow to boot, congrats and thanks for sharing an awesome adventure.

[CheesyLimper]

Bumpity Bump.

[never.truly.lost]

Great photos and cool trip report.
Taking a few minutes to read these helps get through the office days!

[JLP]

Hi I know it’s 3 years later would you go back with a partner I will be interested to go for stone sheet