Stone Sheep

[slyfox]

I,ll be getting my stonesheep from the taxidermy on friday and boy i just cant wait i take some pictures and post it.Any other sheep hunters with sheep mounts id love to see them SLYFOX.

[bigwhiteys]

SlyFox,

My dad shot the following Ram (on right) and has it mounted life size. It's pretty cool. The ram measured 43". These were the 1st and 3rd Stone Rams the year they were taken.

I only have a pic of the rams right now I do have some of it mounted somewhere but I'll have to dig them out.

http://www.ezleadcapture.com/huntingpics/dadsram.gif

Happy Hunting!
Carl

[youngfellla]

Awesome stone sheep! Especially the one on the right.

[slyfox]

Real nice rams real big to congrats.

[hitch]

Great Rams! Any legal ram is a good ram. i'll post mine up soon. Not a titan by any means. Only 37" but anyone who's sheep hunted knows how hard it is to get.:-)

[bigwhiteys]

Yes they are big sheep...

The one on the left is actually the biggest.

My old man (on right) guided stone sheep among other things for my grandpa for over 20 years. (112 Rams Or Something)

Any legal ram is a good ram...? I don't know about that... Not when you can only shoot one once every 3 years... I am going for a hog or nothing and I have no problem coming home with nothing. It's an excuse to go again :)

Last year was my first "real" sheep hunt for myself we got off to a rocky start after dumping one of our pack horses off a cliff but we did get on Rams and I passed on a group of 7 rams (2 legal) because there wasn't anything in the bunch I wanted to hang on my wall. We were about 70 yards away from them for well over an hour just watching them.

Sheep are truly an amazing animal. Can't wait to go again this Aug.

Happy Hunting!
Carl

[youngfellla]

Seeing those pics makes me wish it was Aug 1st, and I was standing on top of a mountain glassing some sheep.:grin:

I think what hitch means by any legal ram is a good one is the amount of time & hard work put into a sheep hunt, that just being able to get one is a trophy, no matter how big it is.

[bigwhiteys]

YoungFella,

I hear ya... They are tough little *******s to hunt. That's why I won't just shoot any "legal" ram. I am after a hog to make all the hard work totally worth while.

If you spot a nice legal ram (not a hog) but nice just take note of where you found him and come back the next year. If someone else didn't shoot him... He'll be there (or very very close) and he'll have another year of growth on him.

Thats my take anyways :)

Happy Hunting!
Carl

[slyfox]

I think that any legal ram is a trophy for your first one now that i have a stone the next one would have to be bigger.

[hitch]

That's my story too. my next will be bigger. I just a can't go every year anyhow. With a 20 hrs drive and a pretty long jet boat ride and 10 days in the mountains, a legal ram is a pretty good trophy. Non-residents pay $20,000.00 to go for a hunt. A lot of time, money and effort usually goes into somebody harvesting a legal ram. I, too would and hopefully will hang a hawg on my wall. I've been on a number of sheep hunts and only takin one but had the best trips regardless.:smile:

[Maxx]

I think that any legal ram is a trophy for your first one now that i have a stone the next one would have to be bigger.


Very well said. For someone to be picky about their first ram, that is there choice. My opinion is the same as your's, get the first one on the ground, and the next one you can be choosy,

Now as for goats, every goat is a trophy, no matter the size!

[1/2 slam]

http://www.trophyphotos.com/photos/full/2027.jpg

http://www.trophyphotos.com/photos/full/2028.jpg

http://www.trophyphotos.com/photos/full/2635.jpg

http://www.trophyphotos.com/photos/full/2258.jpg

Here are my 2. The first 2 pictures are of my stone and the pack out. It's 40 inches. The 2 mounted are my stone and NWT Dall (38 inches). They are both 11 years old and thats more important, to me, than length. The last one is ram stalkers stone from the same valley as my 40 incher.

[hitch]

Nice Rams! The fact you've taken 2 from the same valley is cool. Just like bigwhitey's say they like to stay in their own little territory. Where I sheep hunt, we know the mountains with the ewes and the Ram mountains. This is because you do see them on the same mountains and in the same valleys. This thread is making me want to change my elk hunt into a sheep hunt next season.:idea:

[youngfellla]

Nice sheep, 1/2 Slam. This is gettin' to be torture seeing all these nice rams, and Aug. 1st is so far away! Oh well, I've still got a goat hunt to go on, that should hold me until sheep open.:grin:

[Maxx]

Great Rams 1/2 slam , what were the bases on your stone?

[1/2 slam]

Both of the stones were shot in mid September.

Maxx the bases were only 13 1/2..if memory serves me. It scored 161 4/8.

[tangozulu]

loved the photo of two rams, this 1 goes 41"

[hitch]

That's a great ram. I think the stone's that are really heavy and brawny look a lot like bighorns. Sometimes the big boys show up a bit more after all the pressure in Aug.

[Kody94]

Here's a pic of my first ram...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/Staggerino/stonesheep1.jpg

Here's a pic of my best ram....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/Staggerino/mount2.jpg

This is a "before" picture....I think a bunch of you have probably seen it before...

http://www.accuratereloading.com/ssheep.jpg

Taxidermy for both was done by Reg Parsons of Cranbrook.

Apologies for being a show-off. ;-)

Cheers,
4Ster

[Kody94]

tangozulu,

Your ram is a real beaut! Congrats!

Cheers,
4Ster

[hitch]

Hers's my first ram. 37 in Next one will be a biggin!

[bigwhiteys]

Some Real Nice Sheep Here Guys!

Can't wait to be up in the mountains.

Happy Hunting!
Carl

[tomigunz]

I've never hunted sheep before but next season i want to go on a hunt, does anyone know a good spot to try out, or a good area put in for LEH?

[tangozulu]

tangozulu,

Your ram is a real beaut! Congrats!

Cheers,
4Ster

Thanks and yours is awsome...................but argalies don't count

[Kody94]

.....but argalies don't count

:grin:

Cheers,
4Ster

[BCrams]

All I can say ssster ... is that is a ram of many lifetimes !!! Congratulations.

[slyfox]

Had to work late yesterday but going to get my ram at 9 in the morning ill have the pictures up buy 12 or 1 some real nice ram that you guys have taken.I think that ill be trying californias next year still have a year before i can hunt stones.What does every one think?What is the hardest sheep to get in b.c. stones,califorias,rockys or dolls.

[bigwhiteys]

SlyFox,

It's always exciting going to pick up your taxidermy...

I would say go for Rocky Mtn. Bighorn instead of Californian... Then it actually counts for your slam.

I think Stones would probably be the hardest species of sheep to hunt in BC for several reasons.

Happy Hunting!
Carl

[slyfox]

Check out the pictures of my Ram... he's 9 yrs. old. He is legal by age, but not by horn size...but I am still HAPPY!

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/107-0741_IMG.JPG

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/107-0739_IMG.JPG

[tangozulu]

congrats man, he's a beaut, love those early capes

[slyfox]

Thanks got im on aug 6.

[tangozulu]

Had to work late yesterday but going to get my ram at 9 in the morning ill have the pictures up buy 12 or 1 some real nice ram that you guys have taken.I think that ill be trying californias next year still have a year before i can hunt stones.What does every one think?What is the hardest sheep to get in b.c. stones,califorias,rockys or dolls.

Probably the dalls in BC, I cheated and took a few in Yukon

[BCrams]

Slyfox - that is a pretty ram that is mature and has a nice cape too !! Congrats.


Stone's get my vote for being toughest to get.

Dalls are tough only because you need to get drawn first. Dolls can be easily had at any store.

Cali's are relatively easy with exception of getting drawn.

Rockies are a tough hunt but still not as tough as Stone's.

The above are for self guided hunters to work hard and are rewarded by their efforts of self perseverance .......

All four species of sheep are easily bought and obtainable if you have money to get guided to one. (a.k.a hand led to your sheep)

[hitch]

I think the Rocky is the hardest. The mountains that rocky's are in(the rockies) are usually alot steeper than stone. I've usually gone for stone in early Aug. which makes it a bit easier from a weather sense. I think there is also more places to go and hunt a Stone than Rocky. Of course just my opinion. All sheep are difficult to hunt, one of the reasons why they are so rewarding.

[slyfox]

Well i think ill but in for cals for leh and hunt rocky mountains in sp bridge area.I also like reg 3 for cals to but have not seen a legal ram in 6 years i think you need a draw for that area.

[Kody94]

Nice mount slyfox! I think all mature rams are true trophies. Congrats!

I think which sheep is most difficult to hunt is very tough to say. There are places where relatively "easy" sheep can be had for any of the species. It really depends on where you hunt and how you hunt.

I'd probably rank stone sheep as the toughest on average due to the access and competition from outfitters.

Bighorns (my nemesis...I am 0-fer in 10 seasons!) are next, unless you want a trophy with black coal stained horns...then they may be the easiest. I avoid those areas, and other areas with lots of people, so I have severly limited my chances. Full curl bighorns are always tough to come by though, so I think they still have to rank at least #2 on average.

Dalls would be next due to access, but once you're in there, they are easier to find than Stones and you generally have less competition. I have not hunted them myself, but a couple very good friends have been succesfull in there twice (not to mention finding the ICEMAN at the same time!).

Easiest, on average, would be californias. On this I am just going from heresay, however, never having hunted them myself.

Just my 2c, from a fellow wild sheep fanatic!

Cheers,
4Ster

[slyfox]

Well i would say that stones are easyer then rocky mountains just becuase there is a bigger population.Talking about all the sheep hunting is killing me i just cant wait till hunting season opens just thinking about that full curl ram is driving me crazy!!

[Ridge-Runner]

I feel the Bighorns are the most difficult, I think you just have to look at the harvest rates and see which are the least harvested and the most harvested? Stone's sheep would be the easiest in my oppinion, with the greatest rams harvested every year. Three of the subspecies are on open seasons and you can hunt them every year if you please. Both bighorns, Rocky's and Cali's during the regular open seasons have relatively low harvest rates and lots of hunter days, so I would say these are far more difficult that stone's sheep?

Cheers, RR

[rocksteady]

4Ster - Nice Ram...Have to add my 2 cents here, and a plug for Reg Parsons...

He did a whitetail buck, a badger rug and has also tanned some bear hides for me..

Does top rate work AND is also a hell of a nice guy....

Would not hesitate to get the most valuable trophy mounted by him...:biggrin:

[huntwriter]

Very nice rams in this thread congrats to all the hunters fortunate enough to chase after this magnificent animals. Makes me look forward to the day when I will finally chase one too.