Hi guys,

I was reading the sheep rifle thread and noticed a lot of 270's and 6.5mm calibre rifles out there.

I also noticed some mentions of performance at 100yds. What ranges are you typically taking Sheep at?

I've always wanted to go sheep hunting and although Dall sheep would be my main choice I'm thinking that an Alpine Moufflon in Europe might be more acheivable at the moment.

Is there a big variation in ranges dependant on where you hunt and what species or can you usually get into a certain range?

Regards,
FB

Fallow Buck,

Most of us whom have hunted sheep, have at one time or other gotten caught up in the desire for an extreme range rifle. The mountains where they live often allow you to spot them from a great distance, but well beyond shooting distance. Most sheep are actually killed at less than 250 yards. The longest range you can effectively kill a sheep is determined by your skill & ability. It can be very windy in sheep country, so that is a big factor placing the shot. It doesn’t take a lot of firepower to kill a sheep, but you need almost perfect shot placement to anchor it in its tracks. A wounded sheep can run off & take a tumble over a cliff that may ruin both the meat & horns, even being impossible to recover.

Argali has said it all...can't think of a single thing to add, other than to concur.

Cheers,
Canuck

Thanks guys,

I suppose with my desire to hunt a sheep, one of the main concerns was that I would need to be doinng some long range shooting of minimum 350m+ which here in the UK I can't really get much exposure to, (or opportunity to practice).

Out to 250 yds makes the whole thing far more doable as I occasionally take deer out to those sort of ranges, and have access to ground I can practice on.

What would you say is the best value sheep hunt around for a first mountain hunt? Either Europe, US or elsewhere?


Best regards,
Kiri

I'm sure these guys will weigh in but my experience has that Dall sheep hunting in Alaska or neighboring Canadian provinces is the best value in NA now and has been for more than a decade. I cannot comment on Europe and elsewhere like the Middle East, Central Asia or Hawaii.

I agree with Canuck, but will add 1 thing. Finding and determining what a legal ram is can be a game of fractions of inches. Depending on where you hunt and what makes a ram legal also somewhat determines how close you need to look. Unless he's one of those "yep he's legal" types you need to get at least within 300yds (depending on weather conditions) to get the look you need.

Chuck

Up and downhill angles can also complicate long range trajectories, and you might see some of that in sheep country.

Oh Chuck, you are so right. Being a novice, I didn't want to make the call on my first sheep until I was within 150 yards. I could have shot him from 300 yards hours earlier, but I just couldn't tell if he was legal or not.

It's not a game of inches, but of fractions of inches. I recently saw pictures of a ram for which half an inch less brooming would have made him legal. As it turned out now it meant a fine for the unlucky hunter.

Frans

At least in Alberta, you better consult your lawyer, before you go sheep hunting.
The method of determining what constitutes a legal ram is so complex, we have lawyers specializing in defending these types of cases. You see the ram in the field and you make an optical alignment of where his horn tip lies in relation to his eye socket. When you get him into the office, they lay a carpenters square across the horn bases touching the end of the horn. Now, if one horn base is worn slightly back from the other, you could be in shit. The advice I got from a game warden was, If it aint obvious, he aint legal, but it may be the only chance you have, so some of us push the margins.
I once turned down a ram because I didn't think he was legal. the following week, an aquaintance shot the ram, registered it and had it approved. Someone saw the ram at the taxidermists and realizing it wasn't legal, reported it to Sustainable Resources, who investigated. Turns out,the officer who checked the ram was new to the job and fucked up. Too bad for the fish cops and good for my aquaintance.
Grizz

I recently hunted Mouflon in Hawaii. I had to pass on shots at 2 full curl+ rams. No shot presented was greater than 200m. The hunt was self guided. Total cost was <2K. There is no better value on the planet.
A bowman lost a 28" ram due to terrain. My 2 rams were on unshootable properties. One a military base, and one the Parker Ranch (wrong side of fence) But, it was nice to see them, and do it all for not much money.
The lava mountains are hot, and quite tough climbing. They have cull hunts there every year as well.

$2000 for just sighting a ram is cheap by comparison to my $10K for passing up a shot up in the Brooks. It was a nice trip though.

The tag was only $100.00
I can think of no better way to try sheep hunting. It's not for everyone.
If you quit, you just drive back to the tiki bar.

If You can Shoot/Skill 300 Yds Your odd's of being successful go up Dramamatically. Pick a Cal. with the Fastest Time of Flight which is suitable for Sheep.. Remember You must be able to carry the Rifle over Great Distances..
AK

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the info. I was looking at some offers for Dall sheep hunts and they all seemed to be in the $12k range, but one or two of them seemed to give the impression that you had to go out alone on the hunt?

I don't mean to sound wimpy but to be honest if I was going to do something lke this I would want to be fully guided from a safety perspective, not knowing the enviroment/weather types etc... In addition not knowing anythng about sheep measurements I would hold off shooting anyhting in case I got it wrong!!

I'm assuming there are fully guided hunts available where all I need are my personall effects and a rifle? bringing a camp from the UK will be almost impossible.

Rgds,
FB

quote:

Originally posted by Fallow Buck:
I don't mean to sound wimpy but to be honest if I was going to do something lke this I would want to be fully guided from a safety perspective, not knowing the enviroment/weather types etc... I'm assuming there are fully guided hunts available where all I need are my personall effects and a rifle? bringing a camp from the UK will be almost impossible.

To the first comment:

It would be illegal for you to go out alone, in all places that I know Dall sheep exist. All non-residents of the Canadian provinces that have Dall need to hire a guide. In Alaska, aliens need to hire a guide. You may have stumbled across some outfits that provide the packing in and out for you and your stuff, basically a service aimed at residents/non-aliens (can US residents from the lower 48 hunt sheep unguided in AK??)

To the second question: absolutely! There numerous dall sheep outfitters, where you bring nothing but gun/ammo/clothing/sleeping bag/camera.

Talk to a good booking agent about what you want, he can steer you in the right direction.

Try Keith Atcheson, for example; www.atcheson.com

Frans

Here in Alaska, a ram has to be "sealed" by a F&G biologist or wildlife officer after being taken.....you take your horns to a F&G office and they check the ram to make sure it meets the legal requirements, aging, measuring, etc.....I think this a good thing.....however, there is no uniform judging and what is legal to one biologist isn't to another......we took a ram by that we judged at 10yo and the bio stated that it was 9(still legal)......I asked how she arrived at the count......she stated that one of the age rings was a false ring caused by disease.....I asked her how you can tell.....she answered "training.".....she further stated that it could be an age ring and the ram had an injury or was sick causing the ring that was a bit smaller than the rest....so, if a ring looks signifigantly narrower than the rest while you're deciding if it's a shooter based on age, don't count it as an age ring.....better to be safe than sorry.

Chuck said it all....get closer and be sure.

The best optics are vital.....if you're paying top dollar for a sheep hunt, don't be penny wise and pound foolish.....save a little longer and buy the best optics.

As far as range, be patient, hunt smart and getting within 250m of a ram won't be that difficult....wind and weather will dictate a lot of things in sheep country.

Check out the Wild Sheep Society of B.C. website....www.wildsheepsociety.org.....they have a neat page on aging a ram.....

Joe

Thanks for all the info guys, It is a great help. This hunt is definately becoming a priority for the next couple of years.

The only down side to it is that I would like to do a wilderness hunt that my wife can come along on as a non-hunter next year and I think this may be quite expensive to take non hunters.

The other half likes the idea of a Wilderness Elk hunt in Wyoming for a week, so nothing is nailed down yet but there are some interesting possibilities out there.

Thnaks again for all your guidance.

FB

quote:

Originally posted by Fallow Buck:
I would need to be doinng some long range shooting of minimum 350m+

FB I doubt the European guide would let you take a shot over 250m unless he had seen you shoot. There was no opportunity to check rifles and show prowess (or not) on my European trip.

I am making plans for a return. I will take my 26" 243 and 85-90gr bullet at 3,300fps. I will practice out to 300m.

1894,

When are you oging back? Is it a replay of the Alpine Chamois and moufflon hunt again?

Rgds,
FB

I hope this November. Exactly the same place but with a friend - can't reccomend it highly enough.