4-02 late leh sheep tag wigwam river

[bighorn]

was wondering if anyone knows anything about this area.the odds are high 500:1.after 15 yrs i now have all my kids in there so were down to 125:1.

[fourbyfour]

well i still think your odds are still 500:1 just like your kids odds. good luck !!!

[6616]

was wondering if anyone knows anything about this area.the odds are high 500:1.after 15 yrs i now have all my kids in there so were down to 125:1.

I can tell you that the success rate is very low for the Phillips Creek late LEH hunt. In the last decade 3 rams were harvested, 2 rams were harvested in 2005 and 1 in 2008. Population estimate is 100 sheep.

The area is also open for general sheep hunting during the regular GOS season. The reason this late LEH season exists is because sometimes some big old Montana rams come into BC to winter and this provides an opportunity to get one of them. Some really big rams have been taken there during that late LEH.

[Fisher-Dude]

You or your kids might be drawn in the next 125 years. There's a chance I'm gonna win $32 million tomorrow night too, but I haven't told my boss buh-bye yet. :smile:

[boxhitch]

What is the GOS success ?
Maybe a lazy straggler takes up residency in BC once and a while. Any hunter effort in GOS ?

[bridger]

sucess is low as are sheep numbers. my hunting partner drew a tag three years ago. we hunted full 10 days saw the same few ewes,lambs, and small rams every day. saw one borderline legal ram. we thought we had died and gone to heaven when jon drew the tag, turned out to be heaven on a budget. probaby better places to draw.

[bighorn]

sucess is low as are sheep numbers. my hunting partner drew a tag three years ago. we hunted full 10 days saw the same few ewes,lambs, and small rams every day. saw one borderline legal ram. we thought we had died and gone to heaven when jon drew the tag, turned out to be heaven on a budget. probaby better places to draw.
did your partner have the late hunt,i figured they would be in the rut then.

[6616]

What is the GOS success ?
Maybe a lazy straggler takes up residency in BC once and a while. Any hunter effort in GOS ?

Don't have any numbers for effort but have GOS harvest data for all of 4-02 (not just Phillips Creek). There are two outfitters one in the Wigwam and one in the south end by Phillips Creek, two seperate quotas. Harvest data that I have is not broken down by outfitter teritory.

2003: 2 res, 2 nr
2004: 0 res, 5 nr
2005: 1 res, 5 nr
2006: 4 res, 7 nr
2007: 3 res, 5 nr
2008: 4 res, 5 nr

Total harvest in six years: 14 resident kills, 29 non-resident kills. Most of the sheep live in the north end of 4-02 and most of the harvest occurs in the north end as well, not down by Phillips Creek. The Galton Range is pretty tough hunting, Bridger's experiance in there is pretty much the norm except for a few local boys that know the honey holes.

[Kody94]

Don't have any numbers for effort but have GOS harvest data for all of 4-02 (not just Phillips Creek). There are two outfitters one in the Wigwam and one in the south end by Phillips Creek, two seperate quotas. Harvest data that I have is not broken down by outfitter teritory.

2003: 2 res, 2 nr
2004: 0 res, 5 nr
2005: 1 res, 5 nr
2006: 4 res, 7 nr
2007: 3 res, 5 nr
2008: 4 res, 5 nr

Total harvest in six years: 14 resident kills, 29 non-resident kills. Most of the sheep live in the north end of 4-02 and most of the harvest occurs in the north end as well, not down by Phillips Creek. The Galton Range is pretty tough hunting, Bridger's experiance in there is pretty much the norm except for a few local boys that know the honey holes.

That must include Leuenberger too (Baldy Mt Outfitters, China Wall). Still a lot more rams than I was aware of coming out of 4-02.

[6616]

did your partner have the late hunt,i figured they would be in the rut then.

There are equal numbers of rams harvested in both hunts. There are only two access points and one is a private road closed to public use. The sheep you can see and hunt from the main road are resident sheep and really big ones are unlikely, most legal rams are weeded out during the GOS. The sheep that winter in the south along the border winter and rut at 8000 ft above sea level and are not visible from the road, so your chances are probably better in the early hunt for a resident ram (the ones Bridger probably saw). Really the chances are better in the GOS for resident sheep. The late hunt is probably better if you hope for a Montana monster but Montana has been pissed off at BC for several years because of this hunt and they feed the sheep now in hopes of stopping them from migrating into BC.

Truth is, the only hunters who have harvested rams in this LEH hunt are guys that have intimate knowledge of the area (local guys and guided non-residents), the locations where the sheep are is just too hard to find if you don't know the area, where to go, or how to get there. Don't give up though, go there and give it a shot, like boxhitch says, who knows what could happen.

[6616]

That must include Leuenberger too (Baldy Mt Outfitters, China Wall). Still a lot more rams than I was aware of coming out of 4-02.

Yes, Steve accounts for the majority of the non-resident kills.

[6616]

It's really too bad, but most people see these high odds and maybe hear of a monster ram someone shot a decade ago, and they jump to the conclusion that the hunt will be a piece of cake if only they can beat the long odds and get drawn. Where did the concept come from that high odds automatically equates to lots of sheep and good hunting? If there was lots of sheep in these areas they'd probably be included in the GOS.

Lots of research is required before hunting sheep in the East Kootenay unless you have some local help or inside knowledge. Myself, I wouldn't even bother with the East Kootenay LEH hunts, odds are too high, success rates are almost zero in most cases and access is usually extremely difficult. There is some decent sheep hunting in the East Kootenay for a knowledgeable sheep hunter, and all the best hunting is available in the GOS.

[6616]

That must include Leuenberger too (Baldy Mt Outfitters, China Wall). Still a lot more rams than I was aware of coming out of 4-02.

Sorry, I actually meant Harry.

[budismyhorse]

from what I have gathered, its not an overly large area, it boils down to whether or not the snow pushes rams into that country.

now that the americans are putting salt licks in to keep them in the US.....this hunt is not the same as it once was....there were a few crankers taken in the early days resulting in the folklore producing the long odds.

however, its nice country to hunt sheep in and makes for a good excuse to hunt sheep late in the year....if you get drawn.

[bearass]

There are equal numbers of rams harvested in both hunts. There are only two access points and one is a private road closed to public use. The sheep you can see and hunt from the main road are resident sheep and really big ones are unlikely, most legal rams are weeded out during the GOS. The sheep that winter in the south along the border winter and rut at 8000 ft above sea level and are not visible from the road, so your chances are probably better in the early hunt for a resident ram (the ones Bridger probably saw). Really the chances are better in the GOS for resident sheep. The late hunt is probably better if you hope for a Montana monster but Montana has been pissed off at BC for several years because of this hunt and they feed the sheep now in hopes of stopping them from migrating into BC.

Truth is, the only hunters who have harvested rams in this LEH hunt are guys that have intimate knowledge of the area (local guys and guided non-residents), the locations where the sheep are is just too hard to find if you don't know the area, where to go, or how to get there. Don't give up though, go there and give it a shot, like boxhitch says, who knows what could happen.

Hello 6616 I have a question for you. Do you have any knowledge of the sheep numbers now compaired to the mid 90,s. I used to hunt 4-02 as a child and remember seeing alot of healthy rams back then.I was wondering if the numbers are the same as the 90,s. The last time I was in 4-02,was in 2001,we were hunting wolves and cyotes. the only ram we saw was the three quarter curl ram that a pack of wolves had taken down minutes before we arrived.Have not been back sinse.

[boxhitch]

now that the americans are putting salt licks in to keep them in the US
Their feeding our sheep south of Phillips and we are feeding their sheep at Salmo. Tit-4-tat ?

[6616]

Hello 6616 I have a question for you. Do you have any knowledge of the sheep numbers now compaired to the mid 90,s. I used to hunt 4-02 as a child and remember seeing alot of healthy rams back then.I was wondering if the numbers are the same as the 90,s. The last time I was in 4-02,was in 2001,we were hunting wolves and cyotes. the only ram we saw was the three quarter curl ram that a pack of wolves had taken down minutes before we arrived.Have not been back sinse.

I don't know the total population estimate for 4-02, but the population estimate for the Galton Range is 100. There should at least as many in the Mount Broadwood/Wigwam Valley area. Probably fewer then the 90's but MOE does not seem to have a concern for that area. There has been extensive winter range enhancement at Wigwam Flats and Rocky Ridge. Predation is certainly an issue, my friend from Sparwood shoots a wolf or two at Wigwam Flats every winter. He hikes in from Elko.

The greatest area of conservation concern for sheep in the EK is the north end of the Steeples Range and from there north to Premier Ridge. Forest ingrowth/encroachment on the winter range areas appears to be the most significant issue there.

[ferndogger]

I was down fishing in that area last weekend. Seen a group of probably 30 bighorns. Most definatly some full curls. If you know where to look you should have success. PM me and I will tell you where they were.

[6616]

The name of the thread is sort of a misnomer, the late season LEH area is not in the Wigwam, it further south at the border in the Phillips Creek drainage. Wigwam Creek is GOS.

[budismyhorse]

Their feeding our sheep south of Phillips and we are feeding their sheep at Salmo. Tit-4-tat ?


Hey maybe another thread but I thought those Salmo sheep were residents and the salt is keeping them off the highway????

not sure though.

[6616]

Hey maybe another thread but I thought those Salmo sheep were residents and the salt is keeping them off the highway????

not sure though.

I hope they're not actually using salt blocks. Helen Schwantje told us under no circumstances to ever use salt blocks as they encourage and spread sore mouth.

[budismyhorse]

sorry Andy, I don't mean to say salt "blocks"........just salt.

[boxhitch]

Hey maybe another thread but I thought those Salmo sheep were residents and the salt is keeping them off the highway????

not sure though.
IIRC the sheep used to be transient, but are spending more time near the good feed. Nelson and Trail are involved, one feeds hay the other pellets, which probably have trace minerals. Not sure about the salt, but suppose someone threw out a block with good intentions.
IMO the feeder should be moved further from the hiway...........
or better, build some good habitat so the feeding isn't necessary.

[Seeadler]

IIRC the sheep used to be transient, but are spending more time near the good feed. Nelson and Trail are involved, one feeds hay the other pellets, which probably have trace minerals. Not sure about the salt, but suppose someone threw out a block with good intentions.
IMO the feeder should be moved further from the hiway...........
or better, build some good habitat so the feeding isn't necessary.

I thought the issue at Salmo was due to high snow fall and the general unsuitability of the area for sheep because of this. As far as I know the area is not historic sheep range.

[bearass]

I don't know the total population estimate for 4-02, but the population estimate for the Galton Range is 100. There should at least as many in the Mount Broadwood/Wigwam Valley area. Probably fewer then the 90's but MOE does not seem to have a concern for that area. There has been extensive winter range enhancement at Wigwam Flats and Rocky Ridge. Predation is certainly an issue, my friend from Sparwood shoots a wolf or two at Wigwam Flats every winter. He hikes in from Elko.

The greatest area of conservation concern for sheep in the EK is the north end of the Steeples Range and from there north to Premier Ridge. Forest ingrowth/encroachment on the winter range areas appears to be the most significant issue there.

Thanks 6616, Ya the wig wam flats is were we hunting wolves.Came in from elko.We herd the wolves howling when we first got in there walked over to take a look and they were running so fast we could not get a shot off.

[bchunter1]

Hey guys, I'm 15 and I drew the Phillips creek sheep hunt this year, if any of you have any tips on where to find the rams? North or south? High or low? I'll be able to walk anywhere they are! Thanks

[123.brewski]

were you successful? my 11 year old boy has the early draw this year.

[RoNIN]

I had this draw two years ago I didnt shoot a ram but it was a awesome experience I seen 5 different rams but no full curls they were all broomed off but thick and dark horns , it will help if the snow comes in time for your hunt cause they do migrate from the states the area is small so with a little luck and you could shoot a ram if you message me your # I will call you and give you the info I figured out while hunting the full 10 days