Stone Sheep tactics

[North]

Hello,

I am heading out in August for 10 days on a Stone sheep hunt. I have a fair amount of experience hunting Dalls but this will be my first Stone hunt. The Yukon does not have a high density of Stone sheep and I have not found too many locals that hunt them so I am seeking some advice from the hunting BC crowd.

I am heading into an area that has produced rams in the past. On a typical Dall hunt, I hike until I locate sheep as they are rarely in cover and it comes down to covering enough ground until I locate the ram I want before attempting a stalk. The area I am heading has much more vegetation and I doubt I will find them as high and in the open as Dalls.

From what I have heard, Stone sheep tend to hide out in cover so my strategy wont work. Is it likely that Stone sheep will lay in cover all day? Or if I spend a whole day glassing a valley, is it safe to say they should come out of cover at some point?

I want to know how long I should give an area before moving on to the next drainage. I have a lot of terrain I could and am capable of covering but I am not sure what the best strategy for success will be. I do also have a good chunk of time but don't want to be sitting in one valley for days on end if there are better approaches to success.

Thanks in advance,

Andrew

[eric]

Hey Andrew, look up sheep hunting tips, started by Bridger, some great tips in there.Actually it's on page 2 but I don't know how to direct you there

[SHACK]

I havnt gotten the opportunity to hunt dalls, but I would not think the tactics would be much, if any different. Glass, glass, glass...hike, and if lucky stalk!
Maybe someone with experience with both will chime in, but they are basically the same animal.

[squeege]

What I found that works for me is to hunt early in the morning when they are out and feeding on the more open areas and then watch them bed down and make your plan.

[Wild Images]

What I found that works for me is to hunt early in the morning when they are out and feeding on the more open areas and then watch them bed down and make your plan.

Bingo !! Once they bed out you generally have 4-5 hrs before they get up for a pee unless they get bothered by something. We killed two rams right in thier beds after a 3-4 hr stalk and they never moved
Good luck and keep your eyes open in the mid afternoon for those ram getting up for a pee and a stretch, when they stand its like they come out of nowhere

[ryanb]

Stones are grey like the rocks, Dalls are white unlike the rocks. Spend a bit more time behind the spotter scouring and re-scouring terrain for these sneaky buggers.

[North]

Thanks for the advice. I read over that other thread and it was full of great info. I think the major differences are the challenges associated with spotting Stones compared to Dalls. I have lots of time and my brother and I will spend it glassing. Good luck to everyone in the upcoming season.

[dbergen69]

What time is morning for Sheep in mid august ?

[silvertipp]

What time is morning for Sheep in mid august ?

As soon as you can see through your glasses

[358mag]

Hunt with your eyes not with your feet ... glass.. glass..glass .. there called Stone's sheep for a reason

[Tuffcity]

there called Stone's sheep for a reason


... that reason being that they were studied by Andrew Jackson Stone, in the late 1800's, and named after him. :)

RC