Triggers Solo Dall Ram

[trigger]

just added my video. sorry for the delay

http://youtu.be/fIhKD2UTqsU



Well it's been awhile since I've posted here.
But this is worth while.

I moved to the Yukon in June of 2011. After waiting for the year to become a resident , I purchased my first Yukon hunting license. Along with a sheep, grizz , and black bear tag.

This is a very brief story as I have video footage of the entire hunt. Will let the video do the story telling. But on July 31 st I set out by float plane and was dropped at a high mnt lake and began my quest for me first sheep.
Day 1 found me climbing and glassing mountain number one. It held plenty of ewes lambs and young rams. Later in the morning I glassed across valley up another mountain, and there, some 2 miles away. We're my first rams. There were 4. And two looked like they were worth a better look. So I set off, down the mountain and an hour later was climbing up another. After a few short hours of slowly climbing and glassing I got to where I last saw the rams. With the way the winds were swirling I decided it wa getting late and I would retreat for the evening. And start out fresh after them in the morning.
Day 2
back up the same mountain. I had a later start but had planned that by the time I had got to where I last saw the rams bedded they may be doing the same thing. As I slowly peaked over ledges and humps in search of these rams , I took a moment to admire the scenery. And looking down a draw , I spot a group of sheep. With a quick glance with the binos I could see there were some rams there. I set up the spotting scope and my jaw dropped when I saw what this band of rams had for talent. There were at least 3-4 legal with 2 absolute dandies. The stalk was on. I walked around one side of a mountain to stay out of sight. And when I showed up and expected to see them, they were no where to be seen. After several hours of creeping along checking over benches and hills and looking over valleys and hillsides finally a young ram appeared in the bottom of a drainage which was at the top of a avalanche shoot. I had them pegged now.
I closed the distance from 800yrds to 250 with very little risk of being spotted. After looking over the sheep for 20 mins or a few of them anyways. Not all were in view. I spotted 1 of the 2 I had earlier decided that I wanted. He was bedded watching below him. He didn't even know I was in town. I calmed my nerves steadied my breathing and waited for him to stand. 20 mins later he was still bedded so I whistled 3 times. All this did was raise an ear. Then I howled like a wolf and he stood immediately looking for this predator. It was all over for him. He was quartering to me and with the way the wind was blowing I placed the crosshairs towards the back of his belly. Compensating for the wind I knew it would take out his front shoulder and go through to his vitals and come out the other side. He took one step and fell over a bank and I knew he was dead.
After watching the other rams scatter and flea from this avalanche shoot like ptarmigan I walked down to admire my beautiful trophy.
I spent the rest of that night skinning, boning , and caping and then slept under a tarp with my ram beside me on this mountain.
It took me all of the next day to pack out my sheep, some 8 miles from the lake I was to be picked up at. I wasn't scheduled for pick up until the 6 th of August. So I called for an early pick up for the evening of the 3rd.

This was the toughest hunt I've ever done. Both physically and mentally, and I'm just so happy it turned out the way it did. I'm very fortunate to be able to live in this country and hunt these animals in areas that are general open.

As I said I wanted to keep this brief as there is a full video of this hunt. Please have patience while I edit it so I can post for everyone.
I hope you enjoy
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e368/trigger22/c0e21ef9.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e368/trigger22/b753280e.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e368/trigger22/6c70d776.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e368/trigger22/4b7b7443.jpg

[Chironomid_16]

Nice work Trigger, What a beauty Ram!!!!

[whitetailsheds]

Dandy is right!! Congrats! Gorgeous dall!!

[Rackmastr]

Wow that's awesome!!! Congrats!

[spear]

Yeeeowww love the twisters!! Right on!!!

[Caribou_lou]

Beauty ram. That's worth moving to the yukon for!

[Duk Dog]

Awesome, congrats on a dandy ram.

[eric]

Looks like your plan is working out rather nicely.
Beauty of a ram.
Congrats. Whats next, big azz Caribou, 60 in Moose.
Gotta love the Yukon.

[Gateholio]

Awesome! :)

[TheProvider]

awesome, best be keeping us up to date on your yukon hunts !

[coach]

Incredible ram! Great story and pictures, too. Congratulations! Looking forward to the video.

[tristanmac]

awesome ram, looking forward to the video!

[Buck]

Well done That is a dandy Ram.

[WesHarm]

Heyy Good to hear the story!! What a beauty!

[Brez]

Beautiful! Way to go.

[olharley guy]

Howdy, now that is why I stayed up there for 30 years. Lots of great 2-3 day hunts like that. I definitely miss that country but getting to old for a hunt like that - so keep the pictures coming so I can drool some more. Great looking ram! Later

[ianwuzhere]

Beautiful animal, racks nice and wide.. Good Job!
Congrats on such a dandy ram!
Mounting him i assume??
How old is he?

[kennyj]

What a beautiful heavy ram. Way to get er done. Can't wait for the Video.
kenny

[yama49]

Awesome ram, congrats..Also looking forward to the video.

[BlacktailStalker]

Hell yeah Scotty, nice work bud !
Now wipe the shit eating grin off your face, put down your beer and finish the damn video :lol:

[MOUNTAIN MAN - TOYOTA/ATV]

Nice Ram and good story!

[Rattler]

Dandy ram, congrats! Thanks for sharing...

[d6dan]

Way to go Trigger!. Beauty Dall sheep. Great story and looking forward to your video.

[KB90]

Awesome Ram!!!!

[shallowH2O]

nice job there trigger, looking forward to the vid. i flew in that same plane last year back into the Tat, wasnt quite as succesful as you were though

[trigger]

Beautiful animal, racks nice and wide.. Good Job!
Congrats on such a dandy ram!
Mounting him i assume??
How old is he?


Actually what does everyone think on his age?

[ianwuzhere]

Actually what does everyone think on his age?

Ill guess first at 9 yrs..

[sako_300]

11.5 and 41"

Or... Well Legal and dead

[leadpillproductions]

Congrads they sure are nice lookin sheep

[guest]

Absolutely COOL and amazing Trigger !

Congrats and thanks for sharing, oh to be young again.

Great pics !

CT

Note to add, my guess is 10 1/2 but then again I'm no expert.

[Rhyno]

Congrats again Smitty, that guy is a beauty!

[d6dan]

Actually what does everyone think on his age?

9 1/2 and 39" ;-)

[nature girl]

Trigger. Nice Ram for sure.
And to go on a trip solo.
Thanks for the story and photos.

[Call of the Wild]

Way to go man, nice ram. Reading your story inspire me since my sheep hunt is now a solo sheep hunt.

[180grainer]

That's a great ram. Congrats

[yama49]

9.5 and 38.5

[sawmill]

Outstanding!Ain`t it cool to live in Canada!

[Blainer]

Great ram!
Great tale!
Exactly why I frequent this site!
Good on ya

[kootenayslam]

Beauty Ram Trigger and great story. 10 1/2 yrs & 39" is my guess.....

[MB_Boy]

Great work Trigger! Nice ram!

[JohnS]

Awesome! when you look at that ram on the wall Trigger it will make you smile each and every time!! Congrats on a beauty Dall.

[goinghunting]

Beauty Ram Trigger! My guess is 10.5 yrs and 38"

[Hillbros_96]

Congrats on the ram, it will be something you will never forget.

[srupp]

now THATS what Ive been dreaming of...well done absolutley amazing ram..congradulations

srupp

[trigger]

Well everyone is pretty bang on with the guesses.
This ram is in question whether he is 10-or 11 1/2.
He is just shy of 39"
either way he is an absolute trophy in my mind.
Wait till you see the other ram that comes within 40 yards of me after I killed this one.
I knew he was there to but it was getting late , too many sets of eyes, and he was not in view so I happily settled for this guy.

Now the reason why he is in question is because the annuli that most. Including me, but I'm no expert, would think is the third year. Is actually only his 2 year.or that what the game branch is calling it. There is a very faint one in between his lamb tips and his 3rd or "2" but there is a crack through it and apparently that is very in common.
What do ssome of you veteran sheep hunters think.
Myself I think that is an absolute huge growth in its second year if this is the case.

[rem338win]

Need video.....ram so nice.....envy making me green.......

[pg83]

Congrats on a a fantastic Dall. Looking forward to the video, thanks for sharing with us and best of luck on your future hunts!

[sako_300]

I thought it was longer with the way it sweeps out, Beaty ram though.

There is no way that much growth occurred, just sayin'.

[todbartell]

beautiful sheep Scott!

[Rock Doctor]

That's awesome, congrats.

RD

[bigwhiteys]

Great Ram! Trigger and solo too which makes it that much sweeter, congrats! Here is what I can see. His 2nd year is an approximation based on what I could see in the blown up image and using a similar thinhorn ram for a reference. If the options are 10.5 or 11.5 then I choose 10.5.

http://bchuntingblog.com/wp-content/uploads//trigram.jpg

Here is a plugged 10.5 year old thinhorn with very clear annuli to compare it too...

http://bchuntingblog.com/wp-content/uploads//ram13.jpg

[Bc Deer Hunter]

What a great ram, good for you!!!!!

[trigger]

Big whiteys,

I agree with your diagram. But the game branch does not think where the 2nd year growth ring is an actual growth ring. So they are using the 3rd as the second.
There are some very tight at the base which is how they are getting 10 1/2.
If where you put the 2nd is actually true then this would be an 11 1/2 yr old ram.

[Rackmastr]

I would say they are confused if they think that his 2 year ring is actually where bigwhiteys has it marked as 3.

I'd just think it comes down to growth patterns on this one and that "2" that bigwhiteys has marked has gotta be awfully close to where it should land. I'd think it would be crazy for the game branch to think that they would use the 3 mark as the 2. Just my opinion.

Awesome ram!

[d6dan]

Carl's got it right. No dispute on the 2 yr annuli. He's 10.5 and 39".:smile: . Soak those horns in water and you will clearly see true/false annuli. A super ram for your first one Scott. Congrats again.

[bigwhiteys]

If where you put the 2nd is actually true then this would be an 11 1/2 yr old ram.

He may very well be 11.5 and that's why I never marked him any further I just wasn't sure what's there.

[trigger]

Thanks for everyone's input.
MIT doesn't matter to me whether he is 10 1/2 or 11 1/2. All I know is he is a mature ram and I'm very proud to have him on my wall.

[BlacktailStalker]

Thanks for everyone's input.
MIT doesn't matter to me whether he is 10 1/2 or 11 1/2. All I know is he is a mature ram and I'm very proud to have him on my wall.

Yup !!!!

[sheep.elk.moose fanatic]

congrats scotty awesome ram that's a trophy of a life time

[325]

What a great ram!

[BCrams]

Great ram!! Congratulations.

If it were me, I'd be having an argument with the game branch if they called that '3' Carl put down as a 2.

[untilthelastbeat]

wow thats awesome. im so jealous of every sheep hunter. i just want to go so badly. congratulations man that ram is gorgeous...

[The Dude]

Someone mentioned a videoooooo...... ?

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj313/Heliox18/Forum%20Ammo/_Waiting.gif

[BiG Boar]

Awesome ram man! I look forward to one day moving up there hopefully! Just inspiring, I can't wait to see the video.

[Spy]

Beauti ram ! Can't wait for the video!

[Rubberfist]

Mad respect!

As someone who loves to solo hunt goats and sheep, I'm turning greener than Kermit with envy.

Congratulations on an epic hunt and beautiful Dall!

[hntcrazy]

For age of dalls do not compare against stones.... I see 10.5 without to much trouble . The yukon branch is better than BC when it comes to
age of sheep. again an awesome ram . now a grizz and a black. caribou and wolverine. yukon has some nice critters for sure.

[whitetailsheds]

For age of dalls do not compare against stones.....

I am under the assumption that both Stones and Dalls, being from the thinhorn family, that they were aged the SAME? How are they different hntcrazy? Apologies to Trigger for the side-track but I think this is worth the discussion due to having both thinhorn species in the province.....another thread?

[pappy]

Nice ram, I might be heading up that way for work so it will be nice to check out that part of the country (wishing I could hunt while I'm there). Looking forward to the video as I'm gonna make a short solo trip or two for stones down here in-between my work schedule.

[hunter1947]

Mr Mciver you are the man just got home from holidays and I see this new thread that you put up ,it blew my mind to see you holding this fantastic Dall sheep ,what ells can I say but WOW ,WOW ,great story and pictures my good friend ,congratulations ,hope to hook up for one more hunt with you before I get to old ,H-47..

[moose2]

Congratulations on a great dall ram , the story and pictures were great. I know of a couple guys that actually move to different provinces to get in on resident hunting benifits. Its a good way to get many species if you don't mind moving and have a job that works with that.
Mike

[trigger]

Wayner ya old son of a gun.
I would sure like to come hunt with you in the kootneys. One day will make it happen. I dont believe you will ever slow down sarge. This guy is going right beside my kootneys elk.


Mr Mciver you are the man just got home from holidays and I see this new thread that you put up ,it blew my mind to see you holding this fantastic Dall sheep ,what ells can I say but WOW ,WOW ,great story and pictures my good friend ,congratulations ,hope to hook up for one more hunt with you before I get to old ,H-47..

[325 wsm]

nice heavy ram, good job trigger

[trigger]

bump back to top. just added video

http://youtu.be/fIhKD2UTqsU

[rohall77]

great looking Ram!!

[Buck]

Freakin awesome video !!! Thanks man congratulations on a great Ram .

[Steve W]

Well Done!

[MattB]

Cool video, looks like you saw a lot of game on the flight in!

[proguide66]

Best video Ive seen on here hands down !8-)

[ydouask]

Thank you very much for sharing your pictures, story, and video. Wonderful abundance and variety of wildlife... what a country, eh?

[ThinAir]

Wicked video!! Not many people can take that kind of footage, let alone on a solo hunt. What song was playing when you shot your ram?

Very impressed!

[yama49]

wow very impressive, loved the video.. thx for taking the time to share.. Awesome tunes also..

"Sail" by Awolnation

[Trekker]

Awesome video, you did a great job putting it all together. Congrats on the dall.

[WKCotts]

nice ram! hell of a job on the video! i could watch that a few more times

[Caveman]

Great Job, on both the ram and video. fun to watch! Envious!! Congrats!!

[North]

Great video!! Nice work. I know where your be next August 1!!!!

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Wicked Vid Scotty!!
Glad you waited to post the vid portion as I only had a chance for a quick skim back in the summer.

Congrats on a great Dall!!

SSS

[Mugger]

Great Job. Great video. Two days but a lifetime of dreaming.

[yiorgo3]

Thanks for the great story and video! Congrats!!!

[pistolpete]

Great hunt, lot of good memories. Love the pic's with the movie.
Take a long time for the sun to rise the next day. LOL

[Swamp Rat]

Wow.. congrats on your solo hunt. Beauty ram. Great video.. thanks for sharing.

[Pioneerman]

Great animal and fantastic video memory, thanks for sharing !!

[hunter1947]

What ells can I say again but ,,,,,,WOW ,,,,WOW ,,,,Great Fantastic Video my friend ,,best Video on this forum for some time ,,,,again Mr Miciver well done again ,,well done Scotty..

[Fosey]

Great video and thanks for sharing. Great Ram and this will keep me motivated for next year.

[trigger]

thanks guys.

The rest of my season was not as exciting. I worked pretty much through the whole season.
i did take the girlfriend out moose hunting one wekend. called and called in an area all day on the saterday. went back in on sunday called for another two hours. The girl friend was starting to get cold and wanted to head home. just as she said that i heard two grunts very close by. A bull had snuck in OFCOURSE down wind. and clammed up about 200 yrds out. When we saw him he had us pegged. staring front on. The girl friend didnt take the shot because i have preached to her about taking a broad side lung shot and he did not present one. He turned tail and took off.
oh well. better luck next year.

again thanks for all the comments.

[BCbillies]

Great hunt in all regards and thoroughly enjoyed the video! Next time you'll have to stretch the hunt out for a full week.

[kootenayelkslayer]

Great hunt, thanks for the vid!

[kennyj]

Awesome video!!! Congratulations again on your successful solo Dall sheep hunt.
Thanks for sharing your adventure.
kenny

[dogger]

That looked like an awesome hunt. Thanks for sharing the video.

[Rubberfist]

Love the story and video. I'm a fan of solo hunting and appreciate the time and effort it took for you to capture all of that video. Thanks for sharing an exceptional hunt!

[sheep hunter]

Wow!!! Great video...You have harvested a fantastic ram on a great hunt. I know I would be back in the same area looking for that exceptional ram that walked away next hunting season...

[Benthos]

Great video, awesome

[James52]

Nice video! What a great experience you had.

[bowhunterbruce]

absolutly the best solo hunt video i've seen, very well done and congrats on a wicked ram. totally a dream come true
bhb

[BCbillies]

Too bad the video was pulled . . . how does one use music without copyright infringement? I do see a section on Youtube in regards to copyright issues but perhaps if you don't want to use the authorized music selection you need to contact the recording company directly?

[decker9]

Got to watch your video a few days ago there, all i can say is WOW!! what an amazing hunt there trigger!! that right there would be my ultimate dream hunt, congrats on gittin'r dunn!!

PS....BS that they removed your vid!!

[rocksteady]

Tried to watch it at work one day at lunch... Internet connection must suck or somehting, was choppy and pasuing every 20 seconds, now that I try to watch it at home its gone... WTF??

[buford19]

Like the music played on the video, who was the artist? Would like to download that song. Anyone???

[trigger]

Hey guys,
yes its absolute bullshit that they pull it for copyright infringement.

its also falls in us law because youtiube is a us company. Im researching fair use.
i hope to one day have it back up as i speant alot of time making this video to share with everyone.

If there are any lawyers or anyone that jhas had previous experience with the copy right shieeet. please feel free to send recomendations.

as for the music.

it was
awolnation -sail
blood sweat and tears - and when i die
ozark mountain daredevils- if you want to get to heaven

[North]

Try uploading it on Vimeo? Its another good place you could share it with. Just came back for a second watch and saw it was yanked off youtube.