2020 Sheep Hunt

[264mag]

It’s a long ways off but the planning has begun. My 23 yr old son and I, 51 are going on our first sheep hunt. We are both experienced back country hunters and have all the right gear. I should say I (Dad) has all the right gear, 2 of everything. I have been slowly upgrading everything over the past couple years. Merino socks to super accurate lightweight rifles and the best optics available and everything in between.

We have done 2 elk hunts on the Tuchodi and have gotten to know Kevin very well and he has been very helpful in pointing us in the right direction as far as gear etc. Kevin has sold Riverjet and the new owner has his work cut out filling KW shoes.

The big dilemma for us is deciding which way to go, obviously jet boat transport is the way we are leaning however fly in to an area is also a consideration. The challenge for fly in for us is sorting out where to begin. With the jet boat option you get more or less placed in a good area even if you aren’t familiar with it.

I am looking for opinions on which way you would go for a first time sheep hunt. Boat or plane.

We joined the wild sheep society last year and intend on going to the Kamloops show.



thanks to all
be safe

[Weatherby Fan]

The Kamloops show is awesome, I would highly recommend you and your son taking in the aging seminar, I was lucky enough to take when Clay Lancaster was teaching it and it was invaluable.

As far as flying or Jetboating I would fly in but thats just me, Im sure the area chosen would be the deciding factor in choosing your method of transport

[decker9]

One nice thing about flying, for a couple extra bucks, a guy can get toured around a little, it’s always nice seeing what your getting into from the air. Depending on where a guy flys into, it could get a guy closer to timberline too.

[SR80]

One nice thing about jetboat is you won't get grounded due to shit weather..

[Rackmastr]

I shot my ram in 2014 up the Muskwa after hiring Kevin. Amazing adventure, beautiful country and a great hunt.

I've flown in for caribou and would fly in for sheep without concerns as well. Both have their advantages and disadvantages for sure. As SR80 points out, flying can have some weather concerns that can cause delays. The river can also have different levels of crowds on it as more and more people have boats these days. Distances you can or are willing to hike can play into it.

Probably why I enjoy the planning and deciding as much as anything....its all part of the journey!

[264mag]

I agree the planning is half the fun. Did you go early or did you wait for other species to open up?
This is also a consideration.

[Rackmastr]

I agree the planning is half the fun. Did you go early or did you wait for other species to open up?
This is also a consideration.

If you're going on a sheep hunt, I personally am of the belief that you should hunt sheep and sheep only.

I went later in Aug when elk was open, but made sure I didn't buy an elk tag or try to blend hunts. No distractions, only sheep.

[325]

Another option is Steamboat Mountain Outfitters. They use horses. I've used them several times, and have taken a couple nice rams. PM me if you want more details

[.264winmag]

Never flown or boated in for anything yet, too poor or cheap I guess. There are a lot of good Rams taken hiking in from the Hwy every year. Mine may not be the nicest, but they were very satisfying and enjoy having them on the wall;). Horses would be my 2nd choice after feet.

[BCbillies]

If you're going on a sheep hunt, I personally am of the belief that you should hunt sheep and sheep only.

I went later in Aug when elk was open, but made sure I didn't buy an elk tag or try to blend hunts. No distractions, only sheep.

I agree unless you aren't really thirsty for a ram and you might be so lucky to bump into one. My first sheep hunt was mixed bag and we took a caribou and that essentially ended the sheep hunt. I then went on 11 sheep only hunts and no regrets. Now I would consider a mixed bag hunt but circumstances have changed . . .

[Sitkaspruce]

First one I went on, I had to have two extra pages added to the book for all the tags I had......didn't get 300m off the lake before we ran into our first distraction....elk, which was open....then it was mule deer, which were closed for another 2 weeks, then it was a good grizzly a 100 yards from us and he was open. All this in the first day after we flew in. Then, after we spent 6 hours heading up the mountain, we were resting and watching a couple really nice bull moose feeding in the lake, again open. But we focused on sheep and in the end, we killed 3 rams, two good billies and a chocolate coloured black bear....but there were days when the distraction was really pulling us away from our focus.

Ever since then, it has been a sheep, goat and one of us carried a caribou and the other a moose tag...just in case we were weathered out. We always went the last week or 10 days of September

Go in for one species and concentrate on that species: sheep and goats live is some of the most beautiful country in the world, so spend some time up there and enjoy the whole hunt

Cheers

SS

[264mag]

I agree, I have a couple good meat hunts for this year. One being a New Mexico elk hunt. We have 4 hunters in the house and will be applying for all kinds of hunts this year. So hopefully we fill freezers this year. We are planning first priority sheep for 2020.

[backcountry99]

Flying is the way to go hands down, so many more options and like mentioned you get a really good idea of the area your hunting.....birds eye view before you start.

[bcmulie]

I would pick the area I wanted to hunt and adjust the mode of transportation accordingly, rather than letting your preferred mode of transport dictate where you will hunt. I've flown, boated, hiked and ATV'd for sheep - all are reasonable ways to get into sheep country.

When picking where to hunt, focus on areas known for sheep, rather than trying to find an area where you can hunt multiple species including sheep. As others have said above, you will have more success focusing on one species. And shooting a moose or a caribou can end a sheep hunt pretty quickly - I've done it!

Wild Sheep Society is a fantastic organization. The convention is a very good time, and you can learn a lot about sheep hunting there. I will be going again this year.

Best of luck when you do get out there sheep hunting!

bcmulie