kootenayelkslayer
09-27-2011, 05:57 PM
I had been planning a Stone's sheep hunt for almost a year. The plan was for me and my friend and fellow guide to hike in off the highway for a quick hunt after we finished our season working in the NWT. It seemed like a great idea, but after two and a half months of guiding sheep hunts, living in a backpack tent and eat dehydrated food, it was difficult to find the motivation and energy to go backpacking for Stone's. The motivation came from the fact that I've spent 5 years helping others get their sheep, but I had yet to get a ram of my own. In fact, I hadn't even been on a sheep hunt of my own.
So my partner and I finished work around the 3rd week of September. Driving along the Alaska hwy and seeing lots of nice sheep country boosted morale quite a bit. We had planned to hunt a couple of big drainages, but after a lengthy discussion we decided they would be difficult to hunt effectively. So, we looked for our plan 'b' valley. When we got there, we found that someone was already up there hunting. We had no choice but to come up with a plan 'c', and found a nasty little valley that we would pack into.
The first day, we left camp at the mouth of the valley and hiked up to get the lay of the land. It was a miserable place. Perfect. We found some ewes and lambs, lots of goats and caribou. The next day we packed camp several kilometers into the drainage, made our camp, and split up to hunt the rest of the afternoon. I followed the valley bottom to the back end where it split into two beautiful basins. I was walking up the left basin, but the right basin was just screaming 'sheep country'. I glassed way up high in a hanging basin within the right basin and found 3 sheep. The spotting scope revealed they were rams, and one looked to be a dandy. They were a couple kilometers away, up high in a place where they were untouchable. It was already 5 o'clock. I was already planning on coming back in the morning, when the two larger rams began butting heads and running down the mountain side. I knew I was short on time, but for once in my life, I didn't have to worry about dragging an out-of-shape client along on the stalk. I could run over there in less than an hour, no prob! So I worked my way out of the left basin, into the right basin, and did a steep climb up into the hanging basin where I'd last seen the rams. Here's the basin, the rams were up high in the hanging basin that you can barely see on that right side of the picture:
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q223/mikeb04/108_45061024x768.jpg
I eased my way up and immediately found the second largest of the 3 rams, feeding 500 yards away. I searched the rest of the basin but couldn't see the other rams. There was a small ravine running thru the basin about 300 yards from my location, I knew the other rams had to be in there. I set up my pack as a rest, got nice and steady, and waited for the rams to appear. I had been waiting for over a half hour now and not only was I getting cold, but I was starting to run out of good light. With time running out, I decided it was time to force these rams out of their hiding spot. I started howling like a wolf. I could see the upper ram had heard me, and he started working his way up the hill. Still no sign of the others. A couple more howls, and a minute or two later, I finally saw the two other rams appear out of the cut. It was obvious which ram I wanted. He was 330 yards and I had a calm, dead rest on him. At the shot, I saw a rock explode right above the ram. High. The rams went back in the cut, but I knew they'd have to come out and they did, but on my side this time. 300 yards and I shot again. High...what the hell?
Now the ram is walking across the basin in front of me at about 275 yards, I tried to stop him but no dice. So I lead the ram a bit and held a little lower. At the shot I knew he was hit this time, but a bit far back. The ram started stumbling down the basin towards me and layed down in front of me at 100 yards, where I was able to put the finishing touches on him.
What a feeling it was to walk up on a ram that actually belonged to me. He was a gorgeous sheep, beautiful cape, with long horns, broomed slightly on his left side. 10 years old. Perfect. I knew he was a nice ram ahead of time, but I was pleasantly surprised when I put my hands on him. He was longer than I thought. He taped out to 40" on his right side, and 38" on his left.
I took a few self-timer pictures, but unfortunately had to leave him over night, as I need to navigate safely thru a rough creek canyon before darkness set in. Safety first. I made it thru the canyon just before dark, and then spent the next two hours battling thru willows, scrub birch, alder, spruce, and rocks by headlamp. I made it back to camp around 10pm, where my partner was waiting...slightly worried I think. High fives ensued.
We woke up just before first light the next morning to get back to the ram as quickly as possible. The scenery had changed slightly, as now there was a couple inches of snow all over the ground. The sun broke out eventually, and made for some spectacular views. By the time we got to the ram, I felt like we had climbed into the Himalayas. We took pictures, and my partner took off in search of another ram. I caped and butchered the ram and headed back for camp. My partner had no luck that day, and the next morning we made the long, ugly trek back out to the truck.
It was truly something special to walk up to a ram of my own. Not something I will forget anytime soon. Next year the plan is to take a Dall in the NWT. Can't wait!
Here he is:
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q223/mikeb04/108_45221024x768.jpg
So my partner and I finished work around the 3rd week of September. Driving along the Alaska hwy and seeing lots of nice sheep country boosted morale quite a bit. We had planned to hunt a couple of big drainages, but after a lengthy discussion we decided they would be difficult to hunt effectively. So, we looked for our plan 'b' valley. When we got there, we found that someone was already up there hunting. We had no choice but to come up with a plan 'c', and found a nasty little valley that we would pack into.
The first day, we left camp at the mouth of the valley and hiked up to get the lay of the land. It was a miserable place. Perfect. We found some ewes and lambs, lots of goats and caribou. The next day we packed camp several kilometers into the drainage, made our camp, and split up to hunt the rest of the afternoon. I followed the valley bottom to the back end where it split into two beautiful basins. I was walking up the left basin, but the right basin was just screaming 'sheep country'. I glassed way up high in a hanging basin within the right basin and found 3 sheep. The spotting scope revealed they were rams, and one looked to be a dandy. They were a couple kilometers away, up high in a place where they were untouchable. It was already 5 o'clock. I was already planning on coming back in the morning, when the two larger rams began butting heads and running down the mountain side. I knew I was short on time, but for once in my life, I didn't have to worry about dragging an out-of-shape client along on the stalk. I could run over there in less than an hour, no prob! So I worked my way out of the left basin, into the right basin, and did a steep climb up into the hanging basin where I'd last seen the rams. Here's the basin, the rams were up high in the hanging basin that you can barely see on that right side of the picture:
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q223/mikeb04/108_45061024x768.jpg
I eased my way up and immediately found the second largest of the 3 rams, feeding 500 yards away. I searched the rest of the basin but couldn't see the other rams. There was a small ravine running thru the basin about 300 yards from my location, I knew the other rams had to be in there. I set up my pack as a rest, got nice and steady, and waited for the rams to appear. I had been waiting for over a half hour now and not only was I getting cold, but I was starting to run out of good light. With time running out, I decided it was time to force these rams out of their hiding spot. I started howling like a wolf. I could see the upper ram had heard me, and he started working his way up the hill. Still no sign of the others. A couple more howls, and a minute or two later, I finally saw the two other rams appear out of the cut. It was obvious which ram I wanted. He was 330 yards and I had a calm, dead rest on him. At the shot, I saw a rock explode right above the ram. High. The rams went back in the cut, but I knew they'd have to come out and they did, but on my side this time. 300 yards and I shot again. High...what the hell?
Now the ram is walking across the basin in front of me at about 275 yards, I tried to stop him but no dice. So I lead the ram a bit and held a little lower. At the shot I knew he was hit this time, but a bit far back. The ram started stumbling down the basin towards me and layed down in front of me at 100 yards, where I was able to put the finishing touches on him.
What a feeling it was to walk up on a ram that actually belonged to me. He was a gorgeous sheep, beautiful cape, with long horns, broomed slightly on his left side. 10 years old. Perfect. I knew he was a nice ram ahead of time, but I was pleasantly surprised when I put my hands on him. He was longer than I thought. He taped out to 40" on his right side, and 38" on his left.
I took a few self-timer pictures, but unfortunately had to leave him over night, as I need to navigate safely thru a rough creek canyon before darkness set in. Safety first. I made it thru the canyon just before dark, and then spent the next two hours battling thru willows, scrub birch, alder, spruce, and rocks by headlamp. I made it back to camp around 10pm, where my partner was waiting...slightly worried I think. High fives ensued.
We woke up just before first light the next morning to get back to the ram as quickly as possible. The scenery had changed slightly, as now there was a couple inches of snow all over the ground. The sun broke out eventually, and made for some spectacular views. By the time we got to the ram, I felt like we had climbed into the Himalayas. We took pictures, and my partner took off in search of another ram. I caped and butchered the ram and headed back for camp. My partner had no luck that day, and the next morning we made the long, ugly trek back out to the truck.
It was truly something special to walk up to a ram of my own. Not something I will forget anytime soon. Next year the plan is to take a Dall in the NWT. Can't wait!
Here he is:
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q223/mikeb04/108_45221024x768.jpg