It all started six years ago on the HBC site...and ended well

[Jerlynn]

I typed up this story so that I could remember the details in the years to come and then thought I’d share it on HBC since I’ve read soooo many stories from others.

Finally!
Scott and I always plan ourselves a hunting trip each year and I knew this one was going to be a good one. In the past we had to work around my university schedule, new jobs, and then a wedding but finally we had a year with two whole weeks dedicated to the trip. Ever since visiting the HBC site about six years ago we have fallen victim to the sheep bug and dreamed of hanging a sheep on our own walls.
Our first year we managed to head into an area without sheep north of Williston Lake where our only trophy was an already dead massive elk. Things didn’t get much better as we toured Red Fern, Tweedsmuir and Invermere but we did start amassing some nice photos, sore bodies, and good stories. On one of those trips we even managed to spot some possible shooter rams, but couldn’t get close enough to ID and shoot. But back to this year, where our trip plan was to travel 1112 kilometers away from home with four horses and two excited hunters.
Horses…not that I’m inexperienced with animals, but I haven’t spent much time riding and I was warned several times about what a long ride will do to your butt. However, I wanted a sheep and this small fact wasn’t about to deter me in the least bit. Two days of driving later and there I was, becoming friends with my two horses or Dumb and Dumber as I began to call them along the trip. http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q741/Jerlynn2727/DSC_0022.jpg

[Jerlynn]

We passed several hunters on our way in, but after the access restrictions limited travel to horses and hiking we began to get the countryside to ourselves. What a beautiful countryside it was!
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q741/Jerlynn2727/DSC_0018.jpg

[Jerlynn]

Looking down the river valley towards our destination

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q741/Jerlynn2727/DSC_0021.jpg
Scott holding the horses while I snap some pictures

[Jerlynn]

We took the first day easy since we had no rush and we didn’t want to push the horses too hard; they don’t do this sort of trip every day like guide outfitter horses! We were hoping to see some sheep as we traveled up the valley, but all I managed to spot were a few black bears and some goats.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q741/Jerlynn2727/DSC_0049.jpg
This place is well known as containing a stupid amount of goats but they were not the targets for these hunters. If we were unable to find sheep, the plan was to maybe take a goat or moose in the last few days as a consolation hunt.

[Jerlynn]

The end of day two had us arriving in the upper headwaters of the valley where the
guide outfitters in that area maintained a cabin. Thanks to the guide owner who
was good about sharing the cabin with us (yes we did talk to him on our trip).
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q741/Jerlynn2727/DSC_0058.jpg

[Jerlynn]

Day 1 (There he is!)
The next morning was already Wednesday (on a trip that started on a Saturday) but it sticks out in my head as day 1 since it was the first day where we were fully in position to start chasing rams. Scott and I had planned to take alternate days hunting hard. The hunter could start out at day break and hunt until dark while the other person would feed the horses, pasture them a little during the day since we didn’t have hobbles and wanted to stretch our feed and generally stay closer to camp to keep an eye on things. More experienced horse hunters might say the horses would be fine if we left them all day, but 50km back down the trail is a long ways to walk if something happened to our ride so we kept an eye on them. Day one was my turn to be the “hunter” and I decided to start my adventures by climbing up the other side of the valley. Thankfully the river isn’t very deep in the upper valley so I was able to roll up my pants, get across the freezing water and then dry my feet off again before starting my climbing. There was a promising looking bowl that I was aiming for and it didn’t take me long to climb up into it.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q741/Jerlynn2727/DSC_0064.jpg
Picture taken a few days later from the other side of the valley looking down into the “bowl”

I glassed the sides of the bowl that I could see from my vantage point but couldn’t find any signs of life. Before actually moving towards the back of the bowl I thought I should scan the opposing side of the main valley while I had such a good view. It didn’t take me five minutes to find the distinctive white ass of a sheep moving up the hillside! I setup my tripod to get a better view since the sheep was also quite a ways down the opposing valley side. With a stable rest I was able to watch him jump up a final rock and disappear in a small crevice, but not before seeing the beautiful image of a full curl! Needless to say I was quite excited as I threw my spotting gear back in my pack and raced back down the hillside, across the river, and back to the cabin where Scott was still feeding the horses and hadn’t left on a hike of his own. Ten minutes later we were trotting down the valley trying to triangulate which crevice in the hillside the ram had actually disappeared into so that we could make our attack. Apparently sheep can become ghosts on command because we spent the rest of the day slowly working our way along the mountaintop without finding anything. I also discovered that it can be extremely hard to find the place where you saw something from across the valley. I had even had the sense to snap a picture of the hillside with my camera, noting the location that the sheep had been seen at but we found it hard to compare when you are actually standing on the slope.

[Jerlynn]

Day 2 (Where did you go?)

Day 2 started with Scott pushing farther up the valley at first light while I got the horses fed and then started glasses close to our camp. I didn’t see anything all morning and it started to get more overcast as the day went on. Finally in the afternoon I managed to get my eyes on some sheep! One lone ram turned into a small band of three rams and they had pushed along the mountaintop towards our camp. Not only that, but they had descended out of the rocks to munch some grass on a small plateau. I was pretty sure that I could make it up to the sheep and back before dark but I knew that if I was forced to make a slow stalk I would be pushing the limits of getting off the hill in the daylight. I decided that I would make a stab at it and that if I was lucky enough to get a ram, I could always leave him up there until the next morning to retrieve. As I started my ascent the wind picked up and some light rain started. By the time I was three quarters of the way up the hill it was getting kind of ugly and I was hoping that it would be clear enough to be able to determine full curl through my spotting scope. I finally crawled up the edge of the plateau I had last seen the sheep on (off to the side and a little farther uphill) only to discover that there was not a sheep in sight L I’m guessing that the rain and wind was enough to deter the sheep back in to the shelter of the rocky crevices not very far off. I didn’t have time to waste pursuing sheep into areas I could barely climb on a good day, so I made the dejected hike back down to the cabin.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q741/Jerlynn2727/DSC_0066.jpg
This is the area the sheep had been for the last two days (Taken on day 1)

It turns out Scott had found some young rams himself farther up the valley (half curls only), a dozen or so goats, a bull elk, and two legal bull moose. I don’t have the pictures of those since they are just on Scott’s video camera. We noted the location of the moose since one of the four footers appeared to have six inch top tines that looked pretty nice and might be worth looking for again at the end of our trip.

[Jerlynn]

Day 3 (There you are)

I woke up on day 3 feeling pretty optimistic since we were still two for two in terms of spotting promising rams. Can’t say I was having good sleeps at night though since I get cold way too easily and below zero temperatures aren’t my body’s idea of fun. We had also awaked in the dead of the night to the sounds of rasping wood having no idea where it was coming from. The best idea I had was that a horse was chewing on the logs? Seeing how the sound wouldn’t quit we pulled out the flashlights to find a porcupine chewing on the underside of the deck! I had heard that “quill pigs” can be a nuisance to hunter camps but I had never had problems with one myself yet. The problem is that we couldn’t chase him out very well since he had to come out the front and that’s where we could poke him from. Finally with myself poking an axe handle between the deck logs and Scott poking him from the side we chased him out so that we could get back to sleep. I say chased but the thing more like slowly waddled out and into the night (pretty sure they don’t have more than a slow gear). For those of you wondering, we didn’t want to blast him with a rifle since the horses were close by and we didn’t want to have to settle them down in the dark of night.

So morning comes around and by now I know what I’m going to do. Rams on the same slope the last two days, why not start by glassing that? Seemed obviously to me and I quickly reaped the rewards by spotting the band of three rams. By this point they had moved farther along the mountaintop and were now almost directly above our camp! It was the closest and clearest opportunity that I had had with a spotting scope and I was pretty confident that one ram was worth investigating while his two companions were short of the nose.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q741/Jerlynn2727/DSC_0065.jpg
Back up the slope we go!

[Jerlynn]

The plan was to hike along the mountain base and then climb up a drainage gully as to gain the rams’ elevation without letting them catch sight of us and it didn’t take us too long to accomplish this feat. Upon reaching the top of the drainage we climbed up the edge to peer over at where we thought the rams would be. It was starting to become all too familiar as we gazed upon yet another empty stretch of mountainside; where the hell do these things ghost off to! Since nothing was visible we decided to move out and start working our way along the top of the mountain again to see what we could find. Apparently we had misjudged which little knoll we were aiming at from the bottom because a couple hundred feet and one slight ridge later we were staring at our rams. The crazy part was that we had been practicing our target shooting at farther than normal distances and here we were 50 yards from our targets! The biggest ram (and only white-faced one) was nicely lying in front of us facing downhill. Since we were coming from his side and he didn’t notice us right away it was easy to see that he would be just legal and it didn’t take me long to sneak my rifle over the peak and fire a shot; I have my ghost!
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q741/Jerlynn2727/DSC_0086.jpg
The two companions that seemed reluctant to leave with their leader gone

[Jerlynn]

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q741/Jerlynn2727/DSC_0089.jpg
My first ram!
I wasn’t sure how caping the sheep would go since neither Scott nor I have any experience with that part of sheep hunting but I think we did a good job. I had brought an X-acto knife with spare blades and that seemed to have worked really well. We got him caped out and packed down the mountain.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q741/Jerlynn2727/20120928_173337.jpg
Scott trying on my backpack once we made it down.

[Jerlynn]

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q741/Jerlynn2727/DSC_0092.jpg
Day 4


http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q741/Jerlynn2727/DSC_0095.jpg
Day 5
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q741/Jerlynn2727/DSC_0099.jpg
Day 6

[Blair]

Very good reading so far and great photos. Waiting to read more. Oh that was quick! There already is more. Congrats on a beauty ram.

[Jerlynn]

All in all it was the trip of a lifetime for me and I achieved the hunting goal that I've been dreaming of for years. Thanks to the guide outfitter who was very generous and kind when we met him (even gave us some fresh baked muffins he was taking to his crew!). For those wondering, the ram was CI'd to be 9 years (I think that may be stretching it) and measured 38 3/4". And thanks to everyone on HSBC especially BCRams who was really helpful and encouraging this summer as I planned my trips.

[Jerlynn]

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q741/Jerlynn2727/DSC_0014.jpg
Some pictures as we rode in.

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q741/Jerlynn2727/DSC_0048.jpg
Another scenic shot
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q741/Jerlynn2727/DSC_0050.jpg
First day was really beautiful and I'm glad I snapped a lot of photos

[Jerlynn]

I look forward to reading everyone else's stories and good luck to everyone else!

[lovemywinchester]

Epic! Looks like a great time in amazing country.

[finngun]

thanx about a story and beautiful pictures...well done...just question when was you trip done? sorry if i miss timing..september?

[Jerlynn]

No that's a good point, I don't think I ever mentioned that! We were there for the last week of September and the first week of October. The snow chased us out of the high valley before Scott could find a ram. By the time we got back to the truck (and descended 2000ft or so) the snow was pretty much gone.

[moose2]

Great story and pictures congrats on the ram.
Mike

[yama49]

Nice Ram, and sounds like a great trip.. Awesome photos...

[Jagermeister]

That is a truly great read Jerlynn and congratulations on your trophy. Scott's turn next time.

[Spy]

Thanks for sharing your trip & pictures ! Great ram to go with it !

[ianwuzhere]

good stuff, i bet your hooked now!
congrats on nice ram!

[Little Red Man]

Outstanding!.....Looks like a hellluva trip....congrats!

[hunter1947]

Very nice story as for you and your buddy connecting on the sheep congrats to the two of you...
Fantastic hunting trip for the two of you and beautiful looking country ,,thanks fore sharing your hunting trip with us members http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon6.png..

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Great pics, story and beautiful ram!!

Congrats!!

SSS

[Hombre]

Thank you for a great story , and pic's of your adventure.I always look forward to, and appreciate the mountain hunting stories.

[MacMtnHunter]

That is a beauty ram! Awesome pics and good story behind the whole trip. Was that in your area north of Williston Lake? Looks like wicked country up there! Congrats!

[Sitkaspruce]

Thats what HBC is all about!!! People helping people and the success that is the result!!!

Thanks for taking us along, great pics, great story and an awesome ram!!!

Cheers

SS

[The Dude]

Looks like you squeaked by, weather-wise! Great luck and hard work go well together.
Good story, better pics, thx for sharing!

[Rodd]

Great Hunt Guys! Thanks for sharing, and congratulations on a gorgeous dream Ram..

[Rubberfist]

Awesome read and one of those stories that reminds you why hunting is such a great hobby and lifestyle. Thanks for sharing and that's a beauty ram!

[Knute]

Thanks for sharing your hunt, that's a beauty ram!

You and your friend had a great adventure and it's well documented with some outstanding photos.

Good luck on your next outing so Scott can get his prize.

[MB_Boy]

Very, very nice and thanks for sharing! :cool:

[xtremearchery]

Right on. Those pics are a thing of beauty. Thanks for sharing.

[325]

Great story!

[Jerlynn]

@ ToddB: Nah it's actually farther north. Went west of Nelson this time and had better luck.

That is a beauty ram! Awesome pics and good story behind the whole trip. Was that in your area north of Williston Lake? Looks like wicked country up there! Congrats!

@ianwuzhere: You better believe I'm hooked. Of course I'm only support next year since it's Scott's turn for a ram, but I can always dream of a double header.

good stuff, i bet your hooked now!
congrats on nice ram!

[trigger]

great read!!!!!!!! awesome ram. Congrats on a very fine specimen.
thanks for sharing

[BlacktailStalker]

Really nice ram and pics, congrats.

[Call of the Wild]

I totally enjoyed your story and your pictures are great. You two were in great country and all you hard work payed off.

Thanks now all I can think of tonight is sheep hunting!!

[ThinAir]

Great story and pics! Nice deep curl on that ram.

[kennyj]

Awesome story and photos. Thanks for sharing your adventure. Congratulations on a fine ram.
kenny

[Dre]

Great story. That is my kind of hunt, get away from the croud and into the hills. Congrats on a beauty ram.

[The Hermit]

Great way to start the day, thanks for your story. Sounds like a great time and congrats on the ram!

[Jerlynn]

4750 Finally got the mount back from this trip and thought I'd wrap up this old thread.

[hunter1947]

Very nice shoulder mount the taxidermist did a fantastic mount on your sheep.

[Skull Hunter]

The mount looks great!

[BiG Boar]

looks awesome. I had forgot about this whole thread.

[treehugger]

Great read! Lots of great photos. Looks like there room for a porcupine mount next to that ram if your double header doesn't pan out :-D

[glen8221]

Looks like you had an awesome trip. Gotta love horse pack trips. A lot of work and responsibility buy worth it. I think that the worst part is the legs in the stirrups. Good Luck on your next adventure!

[srupp]

Awesome........

Steven

[rifleman]

Very good story & Pictures. Sure is a beauty ram & mount....

[Jerlynn]

...and I just found out I got the dall draw this year :-D. It appears that should be an extremely satisfying challenge and definitely the farthest I'll have ever gone for a hunt. I'd be up for any tips about access from the highway if anyone feels like it and willing to share anything I know, although I imagine stone info isn't new for anyone with dall experience.

[sparkes3]

thanks for the story and pics

[250 sav]

Well Done!

[xfactor]

Great read, great pictures. Thank you for sharing!

[Kitimat Killer]

Awesome story and great read love all the photos

Kk

[guest]

Great Story and Nice PICS !

Congrats to you both

CT

[BillyBull]

Great job guys, thanks for sharing.