Why the Obsession with Sheep Hunting?

[325]

I started sheep hunting about 4 years ago. Now I think about it almost everyday. Why?? Is this unbreakable fixation a form of mental illness?

[hunter1993ap]

I feel the same way but towards mule deer and elk, not many days I don't think about it. I don't think i'm mentally ill, just obsessed!:mrgreen:

[ianwuzhere]

Maybe its just you ;) hehe
Ya i think i am obsessed about it as well- sometimes i think that it would be great if i could work in an outdoor store and be able to talk, explore, see more related to the fields that i obsess so much- but then i think how much smaller my paycheque would be i dont think that id have enuf to buy much more then noodles, but id sure have lotsa kewl stuff :-D
I think its just how some of us are wired- some cuz people like to do things like play video games and sit in front of tv watchin the canucks lose every week and they find that fun??

[vip_ruger]

I hear u I dream about it and talk about it read about study maps and web site and research every day go to sheep shows hundreds of miles away I'm crazy about it
the wife says if u love me like u do sheep hunting we will be together forever lol

[rides bike to work]

Those are your happy thoughts.

[oclarkii]

Lots of wieners measured against the sheep hunting stick... Just sayin'. And yeah, I spend a lot of my time thinking about rams and the highcountry too.

[Bc Deer Hunter]

I don't even sheep hunt ( Yet!) and I have dreams about hunting for a nice full curl ram! :) For the last 3 years all I think about throughout the day is when I can hunt/look for mule deer or elk! Defiantly a full blown addiction..

[bruin]

I obsessed about it so much that I turned it into a career path! Sheep hunting has alot of different aspects that make it addicting, the place, the solitude, the challenge, the animal, the reward.

[kennyj]

They are COOL critters, thats why!
kenny

[Stone Sheep Steve]

They are COOL critters, thats why!
kenny

Not to mention the country they like to inhabit!

SSS

[Jerlynn]

It's funny. I've been known to have a video game obsession and I haven't missed a Canucks game yet this year (from my treadmill) but that won't stop me from a month of sheep hunting this fall!
Maybe its just you ;) hehe
Ya i think i am obsessed about it as well- sometimes i think that it would be great if i could work in an outdoor store and be able to talk, explore, see more related to the fields that i obsess so much- but then i think how much smaller my paycheque would be i dont think that id have enuf to buy much more then noodles, but id sure have lotsa kewl stuff :-D
I think its just how some of us are wired- some cuz people like to do things like play video games and sit in front of tv watchin the canucks lose every week and they find that fun??

[Crawfy42]

Because all the planning, thinking and talking about it that goes into a sheep hunt is fun in itself. Then actually turning those plans into a reality and doing it is better. Every adventure is never the same and you don't know what to expect. You can't change what is.

[HarryToolips]

Havent hunted for sheep yet, but I wanna try it for sure..I know I'm up for the physical challenge, just gotta make it happen...

[Rattler]

I love the country they inhabit. My favorite animals to hunt are alpine Muley's and Stone sheep.

[ElectricDyck]

I think it's the country, the solitude and the challenge that it brings. I don't have the sheep bug but I am addicted to hiking those northern hills...

[Apolonius]

You must have some greek in you if you think a lot about sheep!But there is help.Talk nicely to a farmer.....

[argyle1]

I started sheep hunting about 4 years ago. Now I think about it almost everyday. Why?? Is this unbreakable fixation a form of mental illness?

yup it is that

[Roughneck Country]

Because all the planning, thinking and talking about it that goes into a sheep hunt is fun in itself. Then actually turning those plans into a reality and doing it is better. Every adventure is never the same and you don't know what to expect. You can't change what is.

Amen

Now if only my wife could understand this!

[bearheart]

I obsessed about it so much that I turned it into a career path! Sheep hunting has alot of different aspects that make it addicting, the place, the solitude, the challenge, the animal, the reward.
You hit the nail on the head!
Climb, hike, sweat , ache, for days, weeks, sometimes year after year, when you are sitting with that ram in your hands, the smile won't come off. drive home, ram 's horns on the seat beside you, reach over , pat it, the smile comes back, look up at it on the wall years later, the smile comes back. If one was wise,lucky, wealthy, one would hunt sheep ever year. Period

[ace76]

I hear u I dream about it and talk about it read about study maps and web site and research every day go to sheep shows hundreds of miles away I'm crazy about it
the wife says if u love me like u do sheep hunting we will be together forever lol

I am exactly the same way vip_ruger, and I am fortunate that my beautiful wife understands this sickness called sheep hunting or hunting period for that matter.

[proguide66]

It's Deffinitely the experience . It's about as wild and remote hunting you will experience.As a species lets face it , they are as smart as a pickle, lol

[BCbillies]

If one was wise,lucky, wealthy, one would hunt sheep ever year. Period

The good thing about living in BC is that we can hunt them every year for relatively little expense. Give me only one hunt per year . . . I'm chasing sheep!

[Scuba_Dave]

I think I am just addicted to anything and everything about hunting...Its pretty much all I think about...23 hours a day. Last hour is food, beer and sex :D

[doubler]

Because all the planning, thinking and talking about it that goes into a sheep hunt is fun in itself. Then actually turning those plans into a reality and doing it is better. Every adventure is never the same and you don't know what to expect. You can't change what is.

Remember Crawfy42.... If u can't change what is.... Then you can't change what was and what will be.

[Ltbullken]

I started sheep hunting about 4 years ago. Now I think about it almost everyday. Why?? Is this unbreakable fixation a form of mental illness?

Yes... no known cure but symptoms mitigated through sheep hunting, sheet hunt training, and range practice. And web searching anything related to sheep hunting and Google Earth views of future sheep hunting areas. And buying expensive mountain kit - Kuiu, Sitka, UA, etc. Known to be a life-long affliction only manageable, not cureable.

[Alfonz]

It's the terrain and solitude for me mostly. Overcoming the grind into the high country and thoughts of giving up when you have not seen a ram for days are hard to do. But like mentioned in a previous poster on this thread the pride you feel when you finally connect is pretty awesome.
Sheep are I think a pretty special critter to hunt, usually you see them first and can plan a stalk which sometimes can take days. The excitement and anticipation while planning the stalk is awesome.
I try and make trip every year and have been able to do that for over 20 years. I remember them more than my moose trips.

To each his own.

Alfonz

[358mag]

sound very interesting some day I might have to find out for myself

[Jelvis]

Sheep hunters are a different cat lol, nuttier than a fruit cake for rams.
In shape like no udder and can't get enuff of the sheep whoa!
Jel -- My hats off to sheep hunters unless they get the Kammy leh any ram, that's a walk in the park

[.264winmag]

It's Deffinitely the experience . It's about as wild and remote hunting you will experience.As a species lets face it , they are as smart as a pickle, lol

Nailed it, smart as a pickle hahahaha so true. Even easy as pie to spot compared to a coastal/island blacktail!
Its all about the country and being able to see for miles and miles. The hard work also makes it more fun, maybe not at the time but looking back on it!

[375shooter]

Nailed it, smart as a pickle hahahaha so true. Even easy as pie to spot compared to a coastal/island blacktail!
Its all about the country and being able to see for miles and miles. The hard work also makes it more fun, maybe not at the time but looking back on it!

From an inexperienced sheep hunter, where would you typically spot a Stone? Do they usually bed on the rocky hillsides or can they also be seen on the grassy slopes? On my first Stone hunt, I saw some nice looking trails in one bowl and was excited to go back the next morning. All I ended up seeing was a whole bunch of goats, 28 in all. I still think they were sheep trails though because they were quite a ways below where the goats were. Maybe the sheep were just not there that day.

[.264winmag]

From an inexperienced sheep hunter, where would you typically spot a Stone? Do they usually bed on the rocky hillsides or can they also be seen on the grassy slopes? On my first Stone hunt, I saw some nice looking trails in one bowl and was excited to go back the next morning. All I ended up seeing was a whole bunch of goats, 28 in all. I still think they were sheep trails though because they were quite a ways below where the goats were. Maybe the sheep were just not there that day.
Too be honest if the sheep are there at the time they can and will be spotted anywhere from creek bottoms to 7000ft peaks. Seen them literally everywhere in between. If they are bedded in the nasty rocks, as is often midday, they can be tough to spot. A little patience and once they are up and about their white arses and pant legs are a dead giveaway. Early season it seems they are only in the lowlands first thing in the morning and last part of the day, otherwise seeking refuge up on the windy ridges away from bugs n heat. Late Aug on they seem to cover more ground at varying elevations throughout the day. They seem to prefer certain areas depending on the time of year, every year we find them in different new spots, couple old standby spots but they seem to migrate as the season moves along.
I would suspect what you seen were sheep trails, and will be back there sometime. Quite often see goats and rams side by side.

[375shooter]

Too be honest if the sheep are there at the time they can and will be spotted anywhere from creek bottoms to 7000ft peaks. Seen them literally everywhere in between. If they are bedded in the nasty rocks, as is often midday, they can be tough to spot. A little patience and once they are up and about their white arses and pant legs are a dead giveaway. Early season it seems they are only in the lowlands first thing in the morning and last part of the day, otherwise seeking refuge up on the windy ridges away from bugs n heat. Late Aug on they seem to cover more ground at varying elevations throughout the day. They seem to prefer certain areas depending on the time of year, every year we find them in different new spots, couple old standby spots but they seem to migrate as the season moves along.
I would suspect what you seen were sheep trails, and will be back there sometime. Quite often see goats and rams side by side.

Good to hear. It was weighing on me that I may have missed spotting sheep, but now I'm confident that the sheep weren't there that day. I glassed that bowl 3 times throughout the day and saw nothing but those goats.