ufishifish2
09-06-2010, 08:31 PM
Before I headed out on this trip, a good member on this site told me that this would be easier than my previous 3 unsuccessful goat hunts. This was my first time going on a hunt up north, and it turned out to be just as hard as the goat hunts. Maybe I am just a sucker for punishment.
We left Kamloops and headed out to the Muncho Lake area. Just before arriving there we passed a totally legal Ram on the side of the Hwy. After carefully checking the regs, it seems to us that the ram was in an area we could have legally shot it. Oh well, I'm not one for public displays of hunting affection anyways.
Day 1: We went into the back end near the mine and set up camp. We hiked up to the top for a look around and snuck up within 150 yards of 16 sheep. (No shooters)
http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv194/ufishifish2/SheepHunt1015.jpg
Day 2:
We stayed down in the valley because we wanted to give our legs a rest before the spike camp we planned to establish on day 3. We hiked up a couple side canyons before proceeding to the end of the valley and a box canyon. I hiked to the end where a plan had crashed a long time ago. Here is a pic of the motor. It says "Continental" on the valve covers. (If that's what those are.)
http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv194/ufishifish2/SheepHunt1028.jpg
Then we hiked back down the valley in a wide dry creekbed. I was able to sneak up within 47 yards of this guy.....
http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv194/ufishifish2/SheepHunt1021.jpg
We also saw 10 more sheep feeding on a nearby hillside, but we were far too low in elevation to expect a shooter in that group.
A few minutes more of hiking down towards the quads and my hunting partner takes a spill in the middle of the dry creek bed. I kinda laughed and told him to get up. Then I teased him because he broke both his trekking poles when he landed on them. He didn't get up and that would prove to be the last steps he would take unassisted on this trip. My dreams of a "Spike" camp up top died with his ankle injury as well.
The verdict was a badly sprained ankle with tendon or ligament damage. He is still hobbling around very slowly an entire week later.
Day 3:
We decided to stay in base camp and see how much his ankle would improve. I made a delicious pancake breakfast to raise our spirits, but had no butter or oil. I also forgot a flipper. Nice pancakes eh??
http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv194/ufishifish2/SheepHunt1043.jpg
We headed down the mountain to refuel the quads and grab a bit of beer for the invalid. On the way down I spotted 2 guys doubling on a quad. Turned out to be KB90 and his friend. We had a nice B.S. session. It's always nice meeting other members from HBC, especially legends like KB90. It was nice having met you Kyle.
Later that night back in camp, we spotted 25 goats on top of a nearby mountain. I also went for a quad ride and saw a cow moose, plus 2 bull Elk, one being a 5 x 4, well, almost. .... It had the nub on the side with 4 points up top, but no nub on the side with 5 up top. Too bad, not legal.
Before heading to bed, we discussed leaving early because we weren't both having fun. I knew that the clock was ticking.
Day 4 : We woke up to a drizzling rain and broken low cloud cover threatening to fog us in. We did glass about a dozen goats on the same peak as the night before. I decided to make a dash for it, but wasn't looking forward to doing it alone.
I hiked in raingear for 3.5 hours. Just before I hit the top, I stripped off the noisy raingear. Hiked up the last 400 yards wearing nothing more than my favorite Stanfield wool long underwear on top and bottom.
I came over the hill and there was nothing there. They had dropped over the other side. They were bedded down and I managed to stalk down on top of them to less that 20 yards. It was very awesome, but once the 7 goats stood up and started to feed I was pinned down and couldn't move. Sometimes close can be too close. Live and learn eh?
Anyways, eventually I got busted and they ran around the corner into the cliffs, but not before I was able to pick a really nice goat out of the group.
Once they ran around the corner into the cliffs, I ran through the grass above to a better vantage point and got a quick chance at a billy on a tiny grassy point just before they ran around another corner. This was my last chance and I made good on it.
After the shot I was horrified to see that there was the big Billy I had seen previously still standing with the group, but that there were still 7 goats when there should have been only 6 now. I felt almost sick thinking that my first Goat was going to be a Nanny. I was certain that it was a Billy before I pulled the trigger, or was I??? "Is it a Nanny??? " I asked myself. I hiked over to it and was relieved to find that is was indeed a Billy! I was very disappointed to see that I shot a much younger and smaller Billy than the one I was gunning for. I am still very pleased with finally getting my first goat after many stalks over the last few years., even if it is tiny!! They can only get bigger in the future right?
http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv194/ufishifish2/SheepHunt1054.jpg
Funny thing was that the sun only shone from about the time I pulled the trigger until I put my pack back on to head down the mountain. Then the rain started again.
Day 5-7: Kept trying to get back up a different hill that I had seen many sheep on but I kept getting rained out.
We finally pulled the pin early due to rain and having a handicapped hunting partner. Even that little goat felt heavy when I had to carry it back down the mountain all by myself.
Biggest Lesson I learned on this trip: Don't head straight up or down throught the buckbrush (willow and scrub birch) because it will kill your legs for days to come. Find a game train and follow it up, just be ready for the bears also using the same trail!
Special thanks to Jim from PG for all the help planning this trip!
Hope you all have an excellent hunting season!
Brent
We left Kamloops and headed out to the Muncho Lake area. Just before arriving there we passed a totally legal Ram on the side of the Hwy. After carefully checking the regs, it seems to us that the ram was in an area we could have legally shot it. Oh well, I'm not one for public displays of hunting affection anyways.
Day 1: We went into the back end near the mine and set up camp. We hiked up to the top for a look around and snuck up within 150 yards of 16 sheep. (No shooters)
http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv194/ufishifish2/SheepHunt1015.jpg
Day 2:
We stayed down in the valley because we wanted to give our legs a rest before the spike camp we planned to establish on day 3. We hiked up a couple side canyons before proceeding to the end of the valley and a box canyon. I hiked to the end where a plan had crashed a long time ago. Here is a pic of the motor. It says "Continental" on the valve covers. (If that's what those are.)
http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv194/ufishifish2/SheepHunt1028.jpg
Then we hiked back down the valley in a wide dry creekbed. I was able to sneak up within 47 yards of this guy.....
http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv194/ufishifish2/SheepHunt1021.jpg
We also saw 10 more sheep feeding on a nearby hillside, but we were far too low in elevation to expect a shooter in that group.
A few minutes more of hiking down towards the quads and my hunting partner takes a spill in the middle of the dry creek bed. I kinda laughed and told him to get up. Then I teased him because he broke both his trekking poles when he landed on them. He didn't get up and that would prove to be the last steps he would take unassisted on this trip. My dreams of a "Spike" camp up top died with his ankle injury as well.
The verdict was a badly sprained ankle with tendon or ligament damage. He is still hobbling around very slowly an entire week later.
Day 3:
We decided to stay in base camp and see how much his ankle would improve. I made a delicious pancake breakfast to raise our spirits, but had no butter or oil. I also forgot a flipper. Nice pancakes eh??
http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv194/ufishifish2/SheepHunt1043.jpg
We headed down the mountain to refuel the quads and grab a bit of beer for the invalid. On the way down I spotted 2 guys doubling on a quad. Turned out to be KB90 and his friend. We had a nice B.S. session. It's always nice meeting other members from HBC, especially legends like KB90. It was nice having met you Kyle.
Later that night back in camp, we spotted 25 goats on top of a nearby mountain. I also went for a quad ride and saw a cow moose, plus 2 bull Elk, one being a 5 x 4, well, almost. .... It had the nub on the side with 4 points up top, but no nub on the side with 5 up top. Too bad, not legal.
Before heading to bed, we discussed leaving early because we weren't both having fun. I knew that the clock was ticking.
Day 4 : We woke up to a drizzling rain and broken low cloud cover threatening to fog us in. We did glass about a dozen goats on the same peak as the night before. I decided to make a dash for it, but wasn't looking forward to doing it alone.
I hiked in raingear for 3.5 hours. Just before I hit the top, I stripped off the noisy raingear. Hiked up the last 400 yards wearing nothing more than my favorite Stanfield wool long underwear on top and bottom.
I came over the hill and there was nothing there. They had dropped over the other side. They were bedded down and I managed to stalk down on top of them to less that 20 yards. It was very awesome, but once the 7 goats stood up and started to feed I was pinned down and couldn't move. Sometimes close can be too close. Live and learn eh?
Anyways, eventually I got busted and they ran around the corner into the cliffs, but not before I was able to pick a really nice goat out of the group.
Once they ran around the corner into the cliffs, I ran through the grass above to a better vantage point and got a quick chance at a billy on a tiny grassy point just before they ran around another corner. This was my last chance and I made good on it.
After the shot I was horrified to see that there was the big Billy I had seen previously still standing with the group, but that there were still 7 goats when there should have been only 6 now. I felt almost sick thinking that my first Goat was going to be a Nanny. I was certain that it was a Billy before I pulled the trigger, or was I??? "Is it a Nanny??? " I asked myself. I hiked over to it and was relieved to find that is was indeed a Billy! I was very disappointed to see that I shot a much younger and smaller Billy than the one I was gunning for. I am still very pleased with finally getting my first goat after many stalks over the last few years., even if it is tiny!! They can only get bigger in the future right?
http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv194/ufishifish2/SheepHunt1054.jpg
Funny thing was that the sun only shone from about the time I pulled the trigger until I put my pack back on to head down the mountain. Then the rain started again.
Day 5-7: Kept trying to get back up a different hill that I had seen many sheep on but I kept getting rained out.
We finally pulled the pin early due to rain and having a handicapped hunting partner. Even that little goat felt heavy when I had to carry it back down the mountain all by myself.
Biggest Lesson I learned on this trip: Don't head straight up or down throught the buckbrush (willow and scrub birch) because it will kill your legs for days to come. Find a game train and follow it up, just be ready for the bears also using the same trail!
Special thanks to Jim from PG for all the help planning this trip!
Hope you all have an excellent hunting season!
Brent