Sheep Adventure

[Orangethunder]

Since its August 1st today and I can't stop thinking about sheep hunting I thought I would post my sheep story from a couple of years ago. The adventure started on the 22nd of August when we, my brother and a good friend, left home heading North for Dease Lake. Not being in a huge hurry and this being a holiday by all accounts we like to take our time and do the drive in two days. The first night we spent in Smithers which has to be one of the nicest towns in BC. Between the scenery, the fishing and the people I've never left there without a smile on my face. We made the rest of our journey to Dease on the 23rd stopping a couple of times to stretch along the way. We rolled into town in time to meet up with some friends for dinner after we checked in with our pilot. Plans were made to fly out the following day around lunch. We spent the night packing and repacking gear to make sure we had everything in order for our flight.
http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff321/Orangethunder77/SD532526.jpg
The next day we eagerly awaited our flight and finalized plans as the 4th and final member of our group showed up, my friends dad. We moved all of our gear down to the lake and loaded the plane shortly after our pilot returned from flying another group in. Before long we were ferrying down the lake and then we rumbled into the air.

The scenery on the way into our chosen lake was awesome as usual. We spotted many moose, caribou and a few goats before arriving at the lake. The plane was unloaded at a well used location. As the plane roared to life we waved goodbye to the pilot and started working on our base camp. After that was done we hung our extra supplies out of easy reach before departing for the alpine.
http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff321/Orangethunder77/SD532539.jpg
We made plans for one group to head one way and one group to cross a stream and head up a different drainage. Not long into our journey my brother and I decided that walking in a ~15 year old burn sucks. In fact it sucks a lot. We gave up on gaining elevation and decided to head for a creek we could hear in the distance. As luck would have it we stumbled onto a horse trail that followed that creek. What a relief to be out of the burn!
http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff321/Orangethunder77/SD532543.jpg You can tell by the huge smiles eh...:???:
Soon we were out of the real timber and into the scrub brush just below the alpine. While we looked for decent spot to set up camp for the night we almost tripped on a small bull caribou. After getting a bit of video of him we set up the tent on a small flat mossy spot just in time for a storm to blow in.
http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff321/Orangethunder77/SD532547.jpg
It rained most of the night and into the next morning. Finally around 9:00 it stopped and the fog began to lift off of our mountain. This being our first day of hunting we wasted no time getting going. About 150 yards above camp we crested a ridge overlooking a steep canyon with a waterfall at the head of the draw. Just above this was a nice green bench. Something was out of place, we threw up our glasses, sheep....NO WAY...RAM!!!!!

To be continued....

[Buck]

I'm all ears, so far so good!!

[Weatherby Fan]

You've got my attention !

[Whonnock Boy]

and............

[Orangethunder]

We dropped our packs and dug out the spotter. The ram was only about 400 yards away and had no idea as to our presence. My brother looked through the binos and I confirmed with the spotter, legal ram. An inch or so past his nose and at least 9 solid annuli. We couldn't believe it, a legal ram not 600 yards from camp. We looked at each other and said whose shot is it? I said you spotted it and he replied well its your birthday so you shoot! Did I mention it was my birthday?

I grabbed the range finder, 330 yards now as he fed towards. Then he looked up and stared right at us as I settled behind the rifle. He dropped his head and started feeding behind a ridge. He paused for a moment but I could only see about 2/3 of his body. I thought now or never and dropped the hammer. The ram spun around and ran in a circle stopped looking straight at us again. I held on him again, fired and he dropped.

NO WAY!!! Did I just shoot my first stone on my birthday? We carefully picked up our gear and made our way up to where the sheep lay. It was an amazing moment, walking up on your first sheep with your brother on your birthday.

Oh and here is what the sheep looked like...

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff321/Orangethunder77/SD532566-2.jpg

I'm off to work so I'll have to finish up later.

[whitetailsheds]

Love it! Thanks Orange.....great stuff!

[hunter1947]

Great post thanks a lot for taking us along on your hunt and story and also congratulation on getting this stone sheep ,great stuff http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon6.png http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon14.png H-47....

[snareman1234]

Awesome man!! I'm soo excited for my hunt now!!

[Orangethunder]

We spent a while taking photos and enjoying the moment. Even still it seems that you could always have taken a few more. Shortly after we had started caping we noticed the other two members of our crew standing on the edge of the canyon looking up towards us. They had decided that they weren't going to cross the creek and to join us on that side of the drainage. Before long they were up at the kill site and we got some pictures of all of us with my sheep. We stashed the meat in a rock pile near the waterfall. This seemed to be the coolest place we could find. It was also really visible to approach in case a bear decided to make a meal out of it. I spend the rest of the day caping and relaxing while the others glassed and dried gear out. It was sheep tenderloins cooked over a fire for dinner, a meal that I will never forget.

The following day we decided to head across one mountain and into the next valley. Sheep could be seen on most of the mountains around us so our hopes were high of finding another ram. We took our time and glassed our way up and across the hillside. About a kilometer from camp I decided to stop for a bathroom break. We had just thrown our packs on and gone about 50m when we heard a WOOF!!! I spun up hill and my jaw dropped, GRIZZLY at 20 yards in a full charge....OH F#@K!!!! I raised my rifle to my shoulder and closed the bolt as she closed in, now less than 10 yards...BOOM!!!

To be continued

[Ghillie]

Ahhh! The suspense is killing mee! Oh and great Ram!

[Call of the Wild]

Thanks for sharing your story and nice ram. Can't wait for the rest of it.

[Weatherby Fan]

I hope he's still around to finish the story !
Awesome Ram,happy birthday and thanks for sharing.
WF

[wsm]

I CANT BELIEVE YOUR GONNA KEEP ME HANGING . . nice ram grats

[Orangethunder]

The first shot caught the sow in the fore shoulder but didn't slow her at all. I frantically chambered another round as the distance between us melted away. The sound of her claws tearing up the tundra and her roars are still fresh in my mind almost two years later. My brother who was about 3 yards down slope and slightly behind me had fired twice hitting her both times in the chest. As we scramble backwards to avoid her he tripped and fell, in slow motion I closed the bolt and fired as she flew at him, less than 2 yards away. The shot knocked her enough that she missed her target and carried on by momentum or choice we'll never know. As she flew passed him he shot a third time hitting her in the spine and rolling her into a steep draw below us. What I would call a 'death roar' followed moments later. I chambered a third round and looked up to see the cub following the same path as its mother. I fired once and dispatched the cub.

It was the longest 2 or 3 seconds we had ever endured. Both of us unscathed but sadly two bears dead. We both stood in shock at what had just happened. We confirmed that both bears were in fact dead and gathered our senses. What provoked the attack? We found no kill anywhere near by. There was no den that we could find. The wind was blowing from us to the bears. We were talking out loud leading up to the site...it was all seemingly random. We thanked each other for the shooting display and paid our respects to the bears.

We then climbed hard from that point to gain some elevation and continue looking for sheep, rattled and glad to be alive.

To be continued...

[Piperdown]

Yikes there goes one pair of underwear, ok long enough of a break get typing :)

[pg83]

Quite the hunting trip you were one. Sheep down on your first hunting day and charged by momma grizz after... can there be more?

[835]

oh my,,,,,
wicked thread!

[Elkaholic]

HOLY SH!T BATMAN!!! Wow what an adventure! Can't wait for the rest of it.

[Weatherby Fan]

Holy Jack O'connor jr keep writing !

[MIL720]

Come on Ryan....Rest of the story please.. Awsome so far.. Hope your trip this year goes just as well, minus the grizzlys of coarse!!!

[Orangethunder]

Sorry boys, long afternoon at work.

We spent a few hours climbing and glassing across a small basin to another 'sheepy' looking area. Caribou were out and about in numbers that day. Mostly smaller bulls but one that made you consider packing him out for two days. Huge tops, long tines, double shovel...and he disappeared into the brush as soon as I got my video camera out.

We crossed the basin and worked our way up the other side finding lots of sheep sign along the way. Moose and caribou sheds littered the edge of the alpine including this set.

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff321/Orangethunder77/SD532622.jpg

On the way back to camp that night we found one half of a full curl ram horn on the mountain. We rigged it into my brothers pack to look like we got another ram. As we made it back to camp the rest of our group saw the horn and thought we'd done it again. We shared our bear story with them and spent some time cooking a bit more sheep meat and tending to my cape. Suddenly we realized just how exhausted we were as night fell. The adrenaline rush from that morning had left us completely drained. Sleep came easily but it was fitful, every sound had our hearts racing.

The next few days were essentially uneventful by comparison. We saw sheep everyday including lots of rams. None were legal by curl, one perhaps by age but not what we were looking for. With two groups in the area we exhausted the area we could with the food we had. We had to make our way back to the lake for more supplies and to regroup. The haul back down the mountain was both strenuous and gratifying. We were all glad to be back at the lake to eat some real food. Actually any food was welcome since I'd run out at lunch the day before!!

After some discussion and pouring over our maps we decided that heading back out for 3 days wasn't really a viable option considering how far we'd have to go to hunt 'new' ground. We agreed (with some reluctance) to call for a flight. It wasn't until well into the next afternoon that our ride arrived. It was a very relaxing time at the lake and we were more than ready to load the plane and head out. On the homeward flight we got a better look at the 'new' country. It looked like we needed to go back for a closer look.

Maybe this year, maybe not...time will tell.

Here are a couple more pics from that trip.

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff321/Orangethunder77/SD532611.jpg
http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff321/Orangethunder77/SD532592.jpg

[nature girl]

You've got us all glued to the computer screen to wait and see what else happened. Nice Ram you shot on your birthday.

[Orangethunder]

And some more...
http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff321/Orangethunder77/SD532660.jpg
http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff321/Orangethunder77/SD532633.jpg
http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff321/Orangethunder77/SD532643.jpg



Hope you all enjoyed and have a safe and successful season.

[Merch]

Good read. Any pics of the bears?

[Ride Red]

Orangethunder,
Great story, pics and sheep. Glad you weren't a casuality in the bear senario. Been there too and yes it sure takes alot out of you once you come down from that high. Gorgeous country. Where did you fly into? Thanks for posting.

[Orangethunder]

Good read. Any pics of the bears?

We decided not to take any pics of the bears. It wasn't something we wanted to glorify in any way you know?

[Call of the Wild]

That's an awesome story and it's pumping me up more.

Best of luck for this year if you go.

[Orangethunder]

That's an awesome story and it's pumping me up more.

Best of luck for this year if you go.

Thanks, I'm glad it got you revved up to go! I'm heading out on Saturday morning, should be a wicked trip.

[quadrakid]

Great story and nice to see the Ruger with the boat paddle!

[steveo32]

Good story orange! Defiantly got the blood pumping good luck!

[Call of the Wild]

Question. What is the proper/legal thing to do in the event you have to kill a grizzly like you had to do, self defense. I'm assuming you have to report the incident to a CO with all the required information (location, chain of event, sex, time etc.) as soon as possible when out of the mountains. Being up front about it is the right thing to do and should be a positive sign to a CO, at least in my mind.

[BillyBull]

Great story... thanks for sharing the adventure. I'm guessing that you needed a mountain bath after the ordeal with the bears. You mentioned you did not see a kill or den, maybe it was the sheep's smell from the previous day that caught their attention and they decided to target you. Glad you escape any physical harm. You didnt mention if the night in the tent was full of screaming and kicking as you relived the day.

[Brambles]

Hell of a story, glad you came out alright, nice ram to boot.

[Backcountry archer]

Very good story of an exciting hunt and incredible adventure. Excellent pictures and very well written ............good job.

Had the same thing happen with a sow griz except she only came to 5 yards. The weight was coming down on the trigger at that moment, when she decided to go back for her three small cubs. I had two bowhunters with me and one of them got it all on video. The video only lasted for a day, when he forgot that he had rewound the tape and taped over the entire ordeal. He should have removed that tape from the camera right away.

[MIL720]

Cool story Ryan... Good luck on your trip. Take lots of pics and be safe.

[DMAN009]

Very crazy/awesome story. If it were me I woulda had to have taken pics of the bear to prove it to the family. But I totally respect your decision. Good on you!

Thanks for sharing!

[mark]

Nice story and pics, looking forward to a similar adventure! ;)

[moosinaround]

Nice story and pics, looking forward to a similar adventure! ;)
You have wifi on the mountain?? Thought you would be hiking and counting sheep already? Moosin

[Orangethunder]

Yeah reporting the kill 'promptly' is the thing to do. Call the RAPP number ASAP and save yourself a lot of hassle. The bear(s) could very well have been targeting us based on the smell of sheep, I'll never know for sure. One thing I do advise is keeping your gun handy. We were in very open country, not really the kind of place you'd expect to be surprised.

[Orangethunder]

Mills, I'll be in touch when I'm back in town. Stop by for a beer, some pictures and a lot of lies!!

[porcupine]

Good story and a real nice ram.

[kennyj]

Great story and photos. Really enjoyed it. Awesome ram on your birthday to boot.
kenny

[VIRuger]

Awesome story thanks for sharing. I've been thinking about going out for a sheep hunt one year and reading your tale makes me want to do it soon.

[Rackmastr]

Great story and some great pics!!!! Man I cant wait to get out in the hills!

[Rattler]

Wow that sounds like one hell of an adventure. Glad you made out okay with the bears....

Did your first shot hit him? Nice ram btw...

[rifleman]

Well done you guys. That was a great story & a beautiful ram. Being charged by a grizz sure adds to the excitement.....

[SHAKER]

I do enjoy a morning coffee reading these stories with great pictures added in, i'll raise my mug to this read! Great story.

[Krico]

Nice sheep and a cool story to boot! Thanks for sharing!

[willow]

great story orange thunder my heart was racing as I was reading isn't it amazing how fast those grizzlys can run!!!! Have a great hunt this year and watch out....cheers

[BlacktailStalker]

One of the better threads in a long time. Glad you hammered your stone on your birthday and took care of that grizz before she took care of you.
Man I hope I get laid off before stone season ends :lol:

[leadpillproductions]

Wow good story thanks for the read and great ram

[hunter1947]

Fantastic story as for pictures You 3 where very lucky back ten to come out of the bear ordeal in one piece some one up above was looking after you this day ,thanks very much for sharing you journey with us HBC members..