Late season solo sheep hunt gear list.

[chinook7]

I have been getting a lot of pms and requests for a gear list for the solo sheep hunt. So I’ve decided to start a new thread for it. I’m sure decker9 and Andrewh can chime in cuz those epic adventures for sheep where gear is of utmost importance.
I tried to make it as comprehensive as possible cuz it’s all about the details.




Hunting list.


Kimber mtn ascent
Swaro z3 scope with ballistic turret
Swaro flip up scope lens protector
Swaro scope guard
10 rounds reloaded 150 grain accubond with small ammo wallet
Swaro el range binos
Kuiu bino harnesss with Lens cloth
Swaro 60x scope with fabbed up braid connections to eyepiece scope cover so I don’t lose them
Slik 624 carbon fibre pro tripod
Manfrotto fluid head mvh500ah
Eye patch to help cover one eye so it doesn’t get tired:)
Kestral mountain caper knife
Havalon knife 5 blades
Kifaru pack (mine is discontinued now but about 100 litres with all the add ons)
Kifaru gun bearer
Kifaru game bags x2
Pillow case to stuff for pillow and doubles as extra game bag.


Cont...


Clothes.
Remember my hunt was late season so I had to prep for really wet conditions and/or wet/dry snowy cold conditions for 12 days.


La sportiva g2 sm mountaineer boot
IKEA njuta slippers :)
Kuiu merino wool socks two pair
Kuiu Yukon gators
Kuiu merino wool long john
Kuiu guide pant
Kuiu climbing belt
Kuiu super down pant
Kuiu under wear two pair
Arctreryx waterpoof shell pant
Kuiu Chugach waterproof shell pant
Ultralight wiggys waders for deep creek crossings (crossing deep creeks in crocs seem counter intuitive to me when you can use these and not take off all your foot gear and it doubles as waterproof stuff sacks)


Kuiu Merino wool long sleeve two pair
Kuiu super down jacket x2
(Second jacket for extreme cold,wrapping around water bottle and wrapping around feet in the sleeping bag)
Arcteryx waterpoof shell jacket
Kuiu chugach rain jacket
When you bush wack in the rain, rain gear gets soaked through. A second ultralight layer is great to stay dry.




Gloves
Kuiu guide glove (technical climbing)
Kuiu merino wool glove (base)
Kuiu Yukon pro glove (general glove)
Kuiu glassing mitt
Glassing mitt outdoor research gortex shell (so glassing mitt doesn’t get soaked)




Kuiu merino wool beanie x2 (for extra warmth under helmet)
Merino wool neck gator
Helmet
Protective eye wear for bush wacking


Merino wool sucks when it gets wet cuz it takes so long to dry but it’s ability to keep you warm or cool and no smell and light is worth it imo. Just don’t get it wet. And if your sweating profusely while climbing then change your pace or something cuz that’s not good.


Cont..

[twoSevenO]

I have discovered the same thing with merino wool base layers .... they do not dry out as quick as i would like. I have switched to polyester ones. You stink like a bum's nut sack, but you are pretty dry pretty fast.

How are those mountaineering boots? Do they have any flex, or is it like waking in ski boots? I have no idea how you guys do it in those stiff boots. lol.

What was your food/meals like? did you find yourself eating more than usual to stay warm in the cold?

[decker9]

Thank you for the list chinook!! Your late season hunt there was an epic adventure, and story!!

My list is pretty basic, I’m not a planner, days in the mountains change without warning, some are hot, some are cold, some days I eat, some days I don’t, so I just take it day by day and make sure I’m prepared for anything, I may be unorganized, but I’m always prepared.

My clothing is simple,

Top,

arteryx light weight synthetic long sleeve
Sitka core heavy weight top
kuiu SD jacket
no name fleece zip up
sitka assent jacket
sitka dewpoint jacket
sitka tuke

Bottom,

sitka core heavy weight
sitka timberline
Sitka cloudburst
Smartwool light weight socks.
Hanwag Alaska GTX

I used the Kifaru DT1 on my hunt, about 8600 cubic inches I guess it worked out to. I gotta say, with all my gear, and the sheep, it was still a tight fit. There is no doubt in my mind, I would not have packed that load that far, with any other hiking brand / no name packs that Iv used. The Kifaru made that hike out possible, and quite manageable. i was prepared to make 2 trips if I needed, without my dog with me, there’s a good chance it would have been 2 trips.

Dog pack!! For anyone who spends time in the hills with their dog, I could write paragraphs on what a pack does to my dog, but I’ll keep it simple, just get your dog a pack!! You and your dog will thank me later lol. I very highly recommend the palisades by ruffwear, this was our third season on this pack, we use it all year round, and it is still holding up great. The palisades has some cool features, I personally woulnt look at any other pack for my dog, unless it was a custom built one... cough cough... come on Kifaru get on this!!

When it comes to my rifle setup, this hunt, had a new rifle. For years I hunted mountains with a 26” barreled 300wm, man o man what a waste. I didn’t realize how much torcher I put myself through, until I had a compact rifle put together. I now pack a t3 6.5 Swede, barrel cut to 20” and fluted, bedded in a wildcat stock topped with a z3 3-9. I packed 2 clips (6 rounds) then 2 extra rounds in my pack. It is absolute night and day compared to my long 300wm. It did not add to the success, but it sure made packing it, a lot easier.

Without a doubt, something that did make my hunt a success, was the swarvo I spotter. I bought it last year, and had been kicking myself for doing it, as it was no step up from my Pentax spotter.... until I found myself trying to pick out detail, like rings in horn. That is where the swarvo shined imo. In all honesty tho, it’s the only place the swarvo shined, over my Pentax.

For anyone who’s read the writeup I did, you’ll remeber the rangefinder, imo, next to your rifle, it is a key piece of gear!! I hadn’t thought of it as to big of a deal, until my time came, and I blew it. A good range finder is a must, although with my previous experience with my ranger 1000, I would not recommend it. Maybe it’s just mine, but it’s been a Lemmon since day 1, but does do the trick if your within 400-500 yards lol.

Food list, it’s not much of a list, depending on how many days I plan on going, I’ll take 1-2 less mountain houses then days I plan on being out there. Lots of nuts and jerky, a few itchyban, a handful of instant mush, I’m no ounce counter.... “that looks like about 10 days worth of grub!” Lol.

I’m not a drinker, but one thing that’s always in my bag on a mountain hunt, is orange tea and overproof rum. Tough to beat a hot rum on a mountain top for a nightcap.


A couple gear failures i had,

my sitka cloudburst pants. I had a stick jam in my side leg zip and tore the stitching and later on my zipper slider fell off, even tho it was mostky my fault, it’s still a failure. A quick call to sitka tho, I had a new pair shipped to me free of charge the next day. Customer service is top notch

black diamond distance flz poles (not carbon), this was the second pole that had failed on me (2 sets) both failed the exact same way, the glue let loose inside the shaft, and the pole fell apart. Another quick call to BD, and I had a new set of my choice coming free of charge, again, great customer service. I do not recommend these poles!! Even the person I talked to at BD said they are not a serious pole, and not to use them for setting up tarps or shelters.


for as much gear as a guy packs on a mountain hunt, the number 1 thing for me personally, is my dog. Wether it’s solo or hunting with a partner, a good dog is priceless. On unsuccessful hunts, she packs out the garbage, on successfull hunts, she packs meat. She’s saved my arse twice now from grizzly bears, the one, would had surely ended bad for my dad and I. A good dog takes a ton of time, but if your serious about mountain hunting, they are a great (time) investment.


Counting down days, with any luck, there will be a solo winter goat story to share soon.

Cheers all!

[huntcoop]

What about any other gear that was brought, ie: cook systems, utensils, tent, sleepin' sac and pad etc..........

[chinook7]

The stiff boots are good for regular hiking with a heavy pack with 50 plus pounds. Prevents ankle turning. But I knew there was going to be steep frozen rock sections so I brought crampons and that is imperative to have a stiff boot.


Yeah decker a good range finder is key. I like the swaro el range cuz once you locate you can range immediately instead of trying to find the animal again on the mountain.
And Swaro are just so good at low light.


Some more gear. ...


Feathered friends sleeping bag (from my mountaineering gear but any high quality down bag -20 to -30 western mountaineer kuiu Kifaru stone glacier etc)
My opinion down is better than synthetic. Warmer and lighter. But keep down bag in a waterproof stuff sack in your pack then always put back in the waterproof stuff sack in the tent when you go hunt. Keep it dry!!
Black diamond bibler two man 4 season tent.
Therma rest air mattress
One thick water poof stuff sack for food cache outside of tent
Marine hand flare for grizz protection.
Trip wire alarm system
Additional 12 gauge trip wire system for food pyrocreations.com
Msr pocket rocket stove
One fuel cannister
Two lighters
Storm matches
Quick start fire packs
Long spoon to not get hands dirty from mountain house bags
One 800ml msr titanium pot with cover
Gravity water filter (bags double as water reservoir)
Leuko tape (amazing stuff for blisters)
Camel back chute water bottle with clip for pack hip belt. Small and a big opening and puncture proof.
Duct tape around the water bottle.


Food next ...