How to glass for sheep effectively?

[BiG Boar]

Hey guys,
I'm heading out for my 3rd attempt to fill a stones sheep tag. This one will be a very serious effort and I plan on coming home with a mature ram. One thing I do know is that you need to glass, glass, glass. My question is: How do I do it more effectively? My tools are 10x42 binos, and 20x60 Spotting scope, on a K&K pistol grip tri-pod.

Where is best to glass from?

What times of day is best?

What kind of terrain am I looking at first?

Where are the rams on august 1st, most likely?

How many days or hours do I spend in one spot before moving on?

How often do you glass through binos vs spotting scope?

Is there a system to covering a hillside?

How much time do I spend hiking versus glassing?



I really want my first stones sheep in a bad way. I have all the tools to do it, but I want to know how to increase my chances of coming home with a ram. Any tricks that would up my chances would also be appreciated here. Flying in August 1st for 18 days, or two dead rams, which ever comes first.

[kuiu]

[QUOTE=BiG Boar;946853]Hey guys,
I'm heading out for my 3rd attempt to fill a stones sheep tag. This one will be a very serious effort and I plan on coming home with a mature ram. One thing I do know is that you need to glass, glass, glass. My question is: How do I do it more effectively? My tools are 10x42 binos, and 20x60 Spotting scope, on a K&K pistol grip tri-pod.

Where is best to glass from? Every where. Every new spot you glass from will give you a new angle at the mountain.

What times of day is best? Rams will be up feeding early morning/late afternoon. Always keep an eye out all day.

What kind of terrain am I looking at first? Start with a quick look at the entire mountain, if nothing seen start at one point and glass the mountain in a grid pattern. After you havn't seen anything, get up and move 50-100m and glass again. The new angle will reviel new spots to glass.

Where are the rams on august 1st, most likely? Up high on windy peaks to keep the bugs away. If they are pressured at all they can be down low in the thick stuff.

How many days or hours do I spend in one spot before moving on? Depends on the area. A good day in one spot is enough, Then move over the next ridge and start again.

How often do you glass through binos vs spotting scope? Give a quick glass with binos, then switch to the spotter while doing a grid pattern.

Is there a system to covering a hillside? yep.

How much time do I spend hiking versus glassing? Once in a sheep area. 75% glassing 25% hiking.



I really want my first stones sheep in a bad way. I have all the tools to do it, but I want to know how to increase my chances of coming home with a ram. Any tricks that would up my chances would also be appreciated here. Flying in August 1st for 18 days, or two dead rams, which ever comes first.

[mfarrally]

Best advice I can give ya is if ya see some rams and arent totally sure if there full curls or they slip out of view before ya can get a real good look at them, go after them. Find a way up the mountain keeping out of sight and try to get closer. Ya it might take a few hours of hard climbing, but thats sheep hunting. Lots of people sit at the bottom of a valley for days staring at sheep hoping they come closer, turn there head the right way or magically grow another inch. just my opinion and what has worked for me in the past.

[proguide66]

Here's what I do...( dont claim to be an expert but seem to kill em each year)....

unless you previously KNOW where rams hang out do this :

climb up opposite side of valley ( if narrow enough) maybe 500 yrds and glass the shit outta the opposite side. Get comfy with a back rest , elbows on knees , scope between legs..glass away.

ANYTHING that looks like 'something' , check with scope...back to glassing.

DO NOT LEAVE for minimum 3 hrs as all ungulates get up to pee , scratch their nuts or have a nibble every 2 to 2 1/2 hrs.

See rams..stay put , watch em all day , watch where they bed , go to feed , mark beds , mark time thermals change , pick your route up , and how much time you have to make a stalk while the cool air is coming down.
Every day is a new day sheep hunting in the same spot.Those buggers are nomads and on constant 'tour'.Sometimes in 'certain areas' I 'know' there's pressure up and over the height of land from me in a couple places so I just sit and wait for up to 5 days as I KNOW their gonna be comin over to me.

good luck !

ps...smokin hot out they are high up in the bug clearing thermals...snotty rain drives em lower into the basins and stunted spruce. Wolves drive em into the cliffs!

[eric]

Thanks for the great info Proguide. Gonna print this off and add it to my Sheep hunting how to list :-D

Good luck Big Boar

[Call of the Wild]

Great information again thanks, I understand there’s pro and con from mainly being located in valleys or on mountain tops during a sheep hunt and it’s more successful to stock sheep from above (obviously if thermals are going up). I’d would like to know from experience sheep hunters what is your preference to hunt, glass and move: from the mountain tops to the next (trying not to get skyline) or from the valley during a backpack sheep hunt if it’s an option.

[leadpillproductions]

Good info guys ,thanks .

[Rattler]

Once you have given the area a quick spot with your binos, I recommend spending time behind the spotter more than binos.....find I can break apart a hillside better doing this....

[TyTy]

I always need to remind myself to landmark as best I can. Between binos, a compass and some flagging tape, its easier to locate where you are in relation to the game.

[blackbart]

1. Glass everything that you can see with your bino's. Fairly quick scans looking for animals in the open.

2. Glass the same area as #1, but go slower and spend more time looking at everything - don't just look for a whole animal.

3. Glass the same area as #1 & #2, but look things over till you are sick of looking through the bino's.

4. Repeat #3, but use your spotting scope.

Some other advice would be:

- set your spotting scope up before you do the bino work. An animal may be out and about for only a few moments. If this happens it is really nice to be on it with the scope in seconds as opposed to minutes.
- take a break from the detailed glassing fairly frequently and give the whole area a scan with the naked eye and bino's. The much increased field of view will pick up animals that may have gotten up or are moving around.
- Bedded sheep are very, very difficult to spot. Even if you know they are there.
- Find an area that you can see lots of terrain from and stay there.
- Shale and rock is used for bedding. They usually will move to lusher "green" stuff to feed if you wait long enough.
- Don't rush a stalk, better to pattern the movement than blow them out with a hurried stalk.
- Naps are a good thing, they rest the legs and the eyes!

[willy442]

The most common mistake made is "people glass for sheep". This is fine during high activity periods like early morning. When glassing at other times of the day, look for small indicators in color that appear to stand out from the natural background of the mountain. I have found many a sheep during the day by spotting a horn or small strip of white off the back of a leg etc. Also when glassing use the center of the glass in your grid pattern, you will not often see things in the outer area of view. Watch for tracks in the fine shales, you will see how they cross and go from grass patch to grass patch in the cliffs. These tracks will usually give a good indication of sheep being in an area and often how many in a group and direction of travel to the keener eye. With all the rain and moisture in the North this year, I would guess that many early rams will be high as the grass should be lush instead of parched and drying. Lush grass and moisture also means more bugs.

Good Luck to all the first time sheep hunters. Remember before scratching that itchy trigger finger. It is good for all including sheep to keep the dink harvest to a minimum.

[BiG Boar]

Thanks guys! So far so good. This is all very helpful. With the hunt only a few weeks away, I am getting more and more excited! Can't wait to touch off the trigger on my first sheep.

[digger dogger]

Does anyone use a high end camera to take pics after sheep
have been located to zoom in on and check lenth or rings?

[moose2]

I like to pay attention to bedding areas when I see them when I am walking ( small flattend areas covered in droppings or hollows dug in the mud or shale also lots of droppings). I study where they lay , where there look outs are and in general what they seem to like to lay on or in. Once you check enough of these areas you will gain the knowledge you need to help you when glassing. I like to look in areas near feed. A rocky out cropping rising out of a grassy side hill , a grey shale slide or chute or above any cliffs where theres small benches would be my first choices. I tend to walk alot more than most sheep hunters recommend , but for me it works. I like to get up to the top as soon as i can and glass from there. As one of the guys said watching rams for days at 800 yards from the bottom may not result in one. Being high will offer you views into drainages you can't see from the bottom either. Also like proguide said it will give you the heads up on rams being pushed out by other hunters. In August the rams are high so it makes sence to me to be up there with them. A sky lined ram shows up well , I like to scan the ridges often in case something stands up or is coming over. It dosn't take long so I do it often. I don't have alot of sheep experience , but these are a few things that work for me.
Mike

[hitch]

Lots of good tips here. Not much to add but I do try and maintain a watchful eye all daylight hours. I try not to have my partner or client napping at the same time as me! Take turns on the naps cause ya never know when they might show.
Make sure you look long and hard at the rocky/shale slope's. If the rams are bedded in the "stone's" they can REALLY blend in. Look for anything that isn't right or doesn't follow the natural line of whatever your looking at.
Above all....patience !(ie. PG66's 3 hour tip) Lots of hunters hike right by or thru spots that they should be glassing.

[Wild Images]

Always sneak over a ridge to glass, if you walk out and skyline for a look around you just got busted, way easier to kill a ram that hasn't seen you first
With stones you can watch a spot for hours and all of the sudden one stands up right in the middle of your view
Once in a while you get a gift though
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o309/wildimages/StoneSheep2010081.jpg
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o309/wildimages/StoneSheep2010078.jpg

[Hunt'n Guide]

I've found the single greatest thing that I've done to improve my sheep spotting was....






Hunting Dalls instead of Stones. Gotta love white sheep!

[bowhunterbruce]

a ton of useful information,great thread bb

[mfarrally]

http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac270/mfarrally/DSCN1337.jpg


Gettin on top of them and sneaking over the ridges really helps not gettin busted

swimming trunks optional