Hey Kensco

How was the sheep hunt?

Just got back in to Mumbai last night. It was the toughest hunt I was ever on. I needed to be thirty years younger.

No problems getting into Canada. The rifle cleared in Toronto easily. I overnighted in Edmonton, then flew through Yellowknife into Norman Wells the next day, and was met by one of Stan's guides. We left our hard gun cases in Norman Wells.

Later that day we took a float plane charter into their base camp. I stripped my pack of all non-essentials there.

Visibility was a factor the entire trip. Fires burning in British Colombia and the Yukon kept the mountains shrouded in a haze. Weather was good the entire time. Lows were around 40, with highs around 70+. If I had it to do over again I would pick an early August hunt.

Bugs were not terrible. Mosquitos were a constant nuisance, but manageable with DEET.

The first day Stan dropped my guide and I off about 15 miles from Hay Lake, and told us he would meet us in about three days at the Lake. (We saw no sheep from the air, but as we landed in an oversized duck pond we spooked a sow grizzley and her cub.) I stripped my pack of all non-essentials and left them in the plane. We hiked a few miles down the river bed that evening and watched for sheep on the mountain. We spotted two young rams through the haze, but nothing interesting.

That night we hiked up to the ridge with considerable difficulty. Solid shale slides. Our pack dog was a big Akita. Kino was upside-down a number of times. If we hadn't had him on a rope he would have been lost over the side numerous times. We found no sheep.

My Petzl lantern was a waste of money. With 24 hours of daylight there wasn't much use for a flashlight. I also bought two pair of fleece pants that stayed in my bag at base camp. The only other item that should have stayed at home was the walking stick. With a gun in one hand, the walking stick was of no use. It stayed at base camp.

We moved a few miles down river the next day and scoped some great looking drainages, but saw nothing.

We moved further down the river the next day and spotted a 3/4 curl laying on a high grassy bench about a mile away. We spent an hour looking the area over but couldn't come up with a decent reason to tackle that peak.

We packed on down river walking through boulder fields, tundra and glacier remnants. (Crossed some grizzley tracks. A number of times I slipped a shell in the chamber just to be ready.) Never saw anything white and decided to go for Hay Lake. Fifteen miles later I was a worn out puppy. My knees were beginning to talk to me.

We spotted a moose on the lake that night in the midst of a rain. The next morning we watched three ewes on a mountain behind where we had pitched our tent. Stan swooped down and picked us up by mid-morning.

We spent a day back at base camp. One of the guides had to bail-out upon hearing that Bob Fontana had been killed in Africa by a Cape Buffalo. He had guided for him for eight years. Stan's wife fattened us back up, and we got to see the big ram of the hunt. A man from New York nailed him. His horns measured 40+ and 40-. The ram we all dream of.

He said they jumped him about 600 yards from their first spike camp. Stumbled into him at less than 100 yards. Missed him four times and nailed him with the fifth. The guide said the man was a 5-15 hunter. He could walk five minutes but then had to rest 15. (I was proud that I never had to ask my guide, Ty, to stop but was glad every time he did.) That was the New Yorker's third Dall's sheep hunt. So more power to him. A little luck doesn't hurt a bit.

My guide had quizzed me about why I had not shot my rifle while I was in camp. I told him I didn't want to confuse myself. I had beat myself to death the previous week sighting in at 200 and 100 and felt very confident. I knew I would be 3" high at 100, 3.5" high at 200, dead-on at 300, 8.5" low at 400, and 23" low at 500. I didn't feel the trip had done anything to the settings. To ease his mind I used their improvised range at 85 yards, aimed the 300 WSM 3" low and banged two in the bull. He was happy. I was happy.

We took the wheeled plane the next day and saw plenty of sheep as we flew north. Low clouds kept us off one "airstrip". We finally put down on the side of a mountain, and Stan said an easy two day walk west should put us into sheep. He gave us two options to walk out depending on where we downed our ram. We stripped our packs of all non-essentials and left them at the "strip".

We basically climbed up and down mountains for the next 15 hours. Brutal walking; boulder fields, rock slides, tundra and nigger-heads. I made the mistake of having my rifle on my uphill side at one point and had my feet go out from under me. Nice scratches on the stock, no impact to the scope. We spotted sheep at intervals but were focused on a point a few ridges over.

I was glad I had a three-liter Platypus even though Stan and the guide thought it was wasted weight. I stayed hydrated and felt strong the entire hunt.

About ten hours from the strip we made sheep on the next ridge a good mile away, and developed a plan. We skirted wide left, dropped into the valley, then climbed to the ridge top and started to move along it. By then I was aware that I had pretty much lost my left big toe nail although I wasn't feeling any pain from it.

An hour or so later we ran into a yearling and hit the deck. He couldn't make us out although he was only 100 yards from us. He watched us for a good while, moved closer, then moved by us on the opposite side of the ridge. We continued on with a 100 yard drop on our left and a 60 degree incline on our right. We stayed on the sheep path until Tyler caught sight of rams ahead of us. We dropped and he glassed them, then we creeped up and looked down over the rim. We had six more below us at 200 yards. Three that looked decent. While I watched them feed, Tyler dropped away from the rim and ran back the way we came to look at one other group of sheep he had seen. He came back saying the rams were smaller than what was in front of me.

It was now after midnight on day four. I had shooters in front of me, knees that wanted me to pull the trigger, and a need to cut the hunt at least one day short anyway.

I picked the biggest ram up in the scope. Tyler asked me to wait until he fed onto a shale bank that he thought was flat, and then go for the shoulder, not behind it. I had the scope dialed in at 18, which probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but I felt confident.

Knowing the ram was 100 yards below me I put the cross-hairs low on his shoulder. He fed onto the shale, Tyler said "now", and I touched it off. The 150 grain Winchester BST hit midway up his shoulder, the case and core separated probably, and two exit holes punched their way out right above his heart on the off-side.

The ram dropped dead without a kick, then did what we had feared. He made a slow roll to his side and started down hill. After flopping for 100 yards he seemed to come to a stop, then eased over and bounced another 50 yards down the slope before his head turned back and a horn stuck himself in the shoulder, preventing him from flipping over again which would have put him on a non-stop 500 yard slide.

It took a half hour to work our way down to him. He was big bodied, 10 1/2 years old, with 35" horns that were broomed a little.

After picture taking, Tyler took the head and cape, both shoulders and hams, and the backstrap, before sending him on downhill.

After a number of failed efforts and another hour we were back on top of the ridge, it was after 2:00am, and we pitched the tent for the night.

The walk back to the airstrip was a bitch the next day. We shot some gophers, stayed at the strip for the night and was picked up the next day.

Five hunters killed five rams on this hunt. Mine was the middle in size. Stan felt like the previous winter had been hard on the bigger rams.

We laid around camp the next few days catching grayling and trout, and fattening back up.

I hitched a ride with Stan when he dropped two of his guides at spike camps and continued on to Norman Wells to try to get out a day early. Everything worked to perfection. The horns, cape and a backstrap just fit in a equipment bag I carried. I had the horns plugged by the Game Department, hopped on a plane and headed for Dallas.

It was slow clearing the trophy through U. S. Customs in Toronto, but everything worked out. The bag arrived in Dallas with one horn poking through it. I decided not to send the trophy to Denver, and am having the head mounted (shoulder-pedestal) in Rockwall.

The backstrap is now frozen in Mumbai. It should be plenty aged, hopefully not "over-aged".

I'm tempted to go after Bighorn, but at age 59 (in two years) I'm not sure I have it in me.

Wow, that was a great story. Your ram might not be as big as the fat guy's from NY, but he is a hell of better trophy in my book.

Congratulations. You should go to Mongolia and hunt sheep and/or ibex. You are right there.

Awesome hunt.
Pictures?
Better to go for the Bighorn at 59 than 69.
Did you need the frogg toggs?

I have 28 days to wait...hope I have as good
a trip.

Stay in shape and keep after those sheep. With some work, I have found that I am in and stay in better shape at 58 than when I was 40. Probably because at 40, I didn't think I had to work at it. Because of sheep hunting, I'd wager my health today is actually better than 15, 20, probably even 25 years ago. I hunted bighorn at 57--no problem (if you stay in shape). Go for it!! DO IT!

The Frogg Toggs worked for me. We only had rain one day, and I never slipped on the pants, so I don't know how durable they will be. Their weight was certainly an advantage.

I used an internal frame pack (REI - Mercury). It worked great and is the same size as the external Alaskan II of Cabela's.

The hunt was hard on my Rockies. I had a seam split, but then one of the other hunters had a seam split on his Meindles.

(The fleece pants and pullover was good for hanging around base camp in the evenings, but you don't want to stand too close to the fire. I have a .22 caliber hole in the new pullover.)

I've got some photos, but haven't had time yet to figure out how to post them.

Great story it sounds like a fantastic hunt, please post photos when you have the chance.

Doug

Anytime there are highlights, there are also lowlights. I'll tell this only because the gentlemen told it on himself and took quite a ribbing.

He had a Leupold Mark 4 scope which is a Tactical (Sniper type) scope. The problem as he explained it to me was that he needed to know the range of the game and then he would dial-in the shot. He didn't communicate that information to his guide.

They got into some rams so they stripped their packs and started the climb. The hunter put three bullets in his pocket and had four in his rifle. They stalked within 200 yards of the ram they wanted and had a broadside shot. The guide gave him the range, and as the hunter started to dial-in the shot his guide told him not to re-adjust his scope. Rather than explain the situation, the hunter guess-timated the hold, since he didn't know, and shot off a front leg. The ram started moving off and the hunter guess-timated five more times, missing each time.

The guide told him to shoot again. That is when the hunter told the guide that he only had one more bullet. The guide knew it would take an hour to go back down to his gear, retrieve more shells, and return. He told the hunter to shoot again. The result was another bad guess and a second broken front leg. The hunter didn't know what to do, but suggested cutting the ram's throat. The guide said it would destroy the mount, started searching through his pack, grabbed a garbage bag, and took off after the ram.

By the time the hunter caught up, the guide had the bag over the nose and mouth of the ram and had him subdued. When he thought it was the over the guide relaxed his grip, and the ram came back to life. A second prolonged effort did the trick.

The only thing I can say is I'm glad I wasn't that hunter. I couldn't believe that he didn't know how his bullet performed at various ranges. What he described to me was that at a specified range he would make a quick calculation, with the end result being a specified number of adjustment clicks, then hold dead-on. The guide and he weren't on the same page. When told not to touch his scope, the hunter was lost.

Kensco
E-mail me the pics,I'll post them for you.

Sounds like you brought the right hunt.

Jeff

Congrats! It sounds like a treasured experience. Your's was a true trophy in my book. It's not just horn size that matters.

I'll e-mail them to you tomorrow.

By the way check Cabela's prices against Campmor on the Internet. Nearly everything was cheaper there. I found a lot of good stuff at REI including iodine pills to treat the water. The guides were all drinking out of the streams, but I played it safe. (I had pills to counteract the iodine color and taste.)

The North Face Cat's Meow sleeping bag was great, but I don't fit in a mummy like I used to.

My silk long underwear was perfect.

I didn't carry any cotton clothes except one T-shirt that was 15% cotton. I couldn't find a wool-type shirt which was a lucky break since the weather was warm. I hunted mostly in a Scent-lok Savanna polyester shirt that worked great, and had two pair of RedHead light hunting pants.

I had three kinds of socks, but liked the Ingenius combination liner/sock best.

I thought the Duofold 88% polyester 12% lycra briefs were as good as it gets.

I had two pair of gloves but only used the unlined leather ones to protect against the rocks.

I took light clothing which helped a lot since five minutes into a climb I was overheating. I kept my ball cap hanging on my pack most of the time.

When the deed was done I had three 30 gal garbage bags to carry the meat and cape. (The guide forgot to bring any.)

I was happy that I got to camp not needing anything that I didn't have. As the days go by you find some items that seemed "essential" end up getting taken out of the pack. I was packing fifty pounds that last day with a ham in the pack. I probably was packing no more than forty pounds most days.

I tell you, it was a good feeling to pull the trigger and see the other five rams standing around for ten minutes wondering what to do. I knew then I had killed the dominant (biggest) ram of the group.

Some people might say the 150 gr. Winchester Ballistic SilverTip "failed" when it split up, but an instantaneous kill on the first shot was a Hell of a lot more satisfying than the five-shot average it took to down the other four rams taken on the hunt. (Premium bullets are of little value if you can't shoot.) The last five Winchester BSTs I've fired at game have killed a bull elk (2), kudu, gemsbok, and a Dall. I'll take that any day.

Thanks for the gear review.A forty pound pack is more than
enough for that type hunt.On my hunt we have a base camp
at night and I figure to keep the pack total @20-25 lbs
top.I have been doing 2200 foot climbs.With 50 lb pack it
takes a little over three hours.With the pack at 25 lbs
It takes half the time,and I can do it with no breaks.
With 50 lbs I have to rest a couple times.Hope I'm ready.

As for bullets...dead is dead.I see no failure there.

Expensive hunt $$$,Expensive airfare $$$,pain and suffering
OUCH,Killing mature Dall ram,PRICELESS.You done good.

T-27 days

Kensco, glad to hear you had a great hunt and I would also love to see the pictures. You have given me more motivation to continue to sweat walking, running and lifting weights, as I leave on the 28th for Norman Wells and my first sheep hunt. I am really looking forward to this and have been finalizing clothes, shooting my rifle and trying to get in better shape, as it sounds like that is a key. Any tips you have or info about gear you liked, let us know. Thanks and congratulations again.

RustyF
Who are you hunting with?

Jeff

Hi Jeff, I am hunting with Eric Mikkelson, Northwest Territories Outfitters. I hunted Bear with them on Van Couver Island and was impressed with them. I am looking forward to a new experience for an old Whitetail Hunter. Jeff, who are you hunting with?

I am hunting with John Latham in the Alaska Range.
Like you I'm jazzed and can't wait.Been shooting and
backpacking the hills,a little weight training and
calesthenics(push-ups,sit-ups,etc...)
Hope I am ready.
Like Kensco you picked a top notch outfit in a good
area.Are you hunting bou or moose too?

T-27

Jeff, yes, I can take a Mountain Caribou and a moose on Trophy fee, assuming I take the Ram first. My primary focus is the sheep and given the choice of a great Ram and no Bou or Moose, I would take that in a second. Hey, if I dont get the Caribou and Moose, I have an excuse to go back someday . How about you?

I can take moose,bou,grizz,black bear and wolf...but I am
there to kill a good ram.I can't say 40 inches,38,36,34 or
what ever,but I'll know him when I see him.
The knees could have some input too. But like Kensco
I want a mature ram.

The waiting is killing me.

At least your tag fees are cheap!
Kill a big one, story and pictures are mandatory.

Jeff

Jeff, yes, I think I can shoot a wolf as well, no charge . Good luck to you on your hunt, I am like you, can't wait to get there. I am like you, no set number, just mature and hard won works for me. Best Regards.

Just another heads-up on an ambiguous subject - Tipping. I asked the two brothers that were hunting in our group what they paid their guides. They told me US$1,000 each. I nearly crapped. I had in my mind to pay $500 for a 40" ram, $400 for 38", $300 for 36", etc.

I like to pay for results, but there was a lot of effort put out by my guide (even though he spent a lot of time on the sat. phone talking to his wife about personal business), and we were successful.

The kicker was this; The brothers got their hunts free. The one worked for a rich guy in Texas that paid for his hunt. The brother got to go for free because the rich guy backed out at the last minute. So they could afford to big-dog-it when it came to tipping. They were all-in for $1,000 after the tip. I was in for about $14,000 (including airfares) before the tip.

I compromised on my thinking and paid $500. My guide seemed O.K. with it for five days work.

Let your conscience be your guide.

I don't want to sound like I am pontificating, but you guys who want to be in shape should not neglect your feet. No flatland workouts will toughen you feet. Find some hills/mountains, and go up and down with a heavy pack. Keep your toenail clipped too.

Sore feet kill more mountain hunts that a lot of people imagine.

Dumb can happen at any time. A month or so before my hunt I played golf in borrowed shoes that were too small. Both big toenails turned black and I lost the left one three days into the hunt. Major stupid on my part, luckily it didn't cost me.

One of the younger guides was wrapping one of his feet at base camp because of a bad cut on the bottom. I asked his hunter what happened. He said the guide was in their spike camp barefooted, but wanted to walk to the creek. The hunter warned him about putting on boots, but he didn't want to bother. BINGO! Cut foot. Be careful.

My major concerns were my knees and ankles. Nothing you step on will be flat or remain stable once your weight transfers. Be careful and watch where you step. I could have easily sprained an ankle. As many times as my foot rolled over, I'm surprised I didn't.

Jeff,

I sent you five photos. I'm not sure I have your correct e-mail address. At first Outlook didn't recognize your address, but eventually I did get an indication the photos were sent.

Regards

Kensco, Weidmannsheil on a great and succesful hunt. A resounding: "Well done!" is in place.
- mike

Ken

great pics.I love the live ram shot.

Thanks for the help with the photos Jeff. I thought sure you could do some computer magic and give me a little more hair, or add about four more inches to each horn.

I tell you that was one long day. My guide wasn't the best photographer, but he sure knew sheep.

I missed an opportunity. I had a video camera when we were on top of that rim watching them feed below us. I shot some video while Ty was scoping out the other bands of rams then laid it down. I don't know why I didn't hand it to him and let him video the shot.

The day we arrived while waiting for the float plane to take us to base we were watching one of the guide's hunt videos. He had one he took where this great looking ram is standing broadside about 150 yards out. The hunter gets all excited. The guide keeps repeating, "be careful, you're going to hit the rocks (just in front of his muzzle)". The hunter finally settles for the shot, and the guide repeats, "you're going to shoot the rocks, raise up". BAM! Rocks fly every which way in the video. The hunter is dumbfounded, can't believe what he had just done. Blown opportunity? Nope. The sheep runs towards him not knowing where the danger is. The hunter blows two shots as the ram keeps coming, then finally settles down and drops him at about 50 yards. He measured just under 40".

Good story and congratulations 1That is what sheep hunting is all about.Having been there and getting back to base camp with horns.Other folks dream about it or fantasize- you done it !
Now with your second statement: like to go for bighorn,but ..
If you are now a sheephunter there aint no but ,you will nevr rest in peace,never die with a smile on your face until you've done it,no matter what it takes.
That done ,there is still stonesheep,...
,you're on the right track

Kensco: Congratulations! Absolutley beautiful ram. It is no small feat. I have busted my butt trying the hard way (walking into the mountains) and the mountain was tougher than I was. I'm using an airplane next time. I love the photo with the dog! Good work!

Nice hunt man! Hope you follow the advice to go hunting in Mongolia, where a huge ibex won't set you back much more than 4K.
By the way, was the dog used as a pack animal/bear protection or just a pet?
I bet you are the first person in Mumbai to be dining on Canadian Dall sheep tenderloin.

The dog was multi-purpose as far as I'm concerned. He was a big Akita, and this was his first hunt as a pack animal, and he was none too happy about it at first.

The guide picked him up as a result of a drug raid. He apparently had been used to pack more than hunting gear. He was due to be put down when the guide got him. The people holding him said he was too dangerous to keep as a pet. They thought he was between 4 and 8 years old. I would think the way he acted he was 4 or less. He acted like a big puppy. When showed a little attention he was eager to please. I think he would have made a good drinking buddy. Looked to me like if you gained his loyalty he would engage the enemy at the drop of a hat.

He didn't much like loading up in the planes. He didn't much like his pack the first day or so. His main claim to fame was that he could drink water like a camel. When it was time to work he wanted to drink water for thirty minutes. If let off the rope while carrying his pack he would end up 100 yards behind us, drinking water.

Having said all that, he grew into the job as the days passed. How his feet stood up to all those sharp rocks and shale slides I'll never understand. He never bitched out loud even when sheep were present. He didn't particularly like gophers, but didn't get loud about it.

He was very alert. Any time Kino was staring off into space, he was staring at something. I found that comforting except when he was staring right behind me.

We were hoping if a bear was in close proximity he would raise a little Hell. The only time I saw him pissed was when they flew in a new pack dog to camp late in the hunt. Kino explained the pecking order to the new hand practically before the rookies paws hit the ground. Kino spent time roped to a tree for that.

I consider him to have been a valuable part of the team. I damn sure didn't want to help carry his load. As we consumed his load day by day the guide balanced his load with rocks. He never complained about carrying rocks. Had the guide decided to balance my load by having me carry rocks I would have bit his leg as my first response, and spent more time drinking water.

I'm going to try that Dall backstrap in about a month. I've got absolute faith in my wife, I just hope all that aging it got from Norman Wells to Mumbai didn't do it any harm. I'll let her try it first.

Ken
Send it to me...I'll check it out and see if it's ok
to eat.Then I'll send it back.

Did you guys roast the ribs the nite you killed him?

How much weight did your dog pack vs a lab?

T-24

We ate someone else's sheep the night after we got back to base camp. The backstrap was very good. (I'll send you my leftovers.)

The guides swore they were going to cook ribs one night while we were all hanging around the fire. I think the Canadian whiskey got to them. By 3:00am there was just me and one other hunter at the fire, the bottle was dead, and the ribs were still hanging in the shed.

They had a 12 year old lab that was on its last hunt probably so it wasn't a fair comparison. He was hurtin'.

I'm guessing really. I thought when I handled the Akita's pack it felt like 20 pounds plus without the sheep meat later.

I noticed my pack weighed more the less I had in it, the longer I carried it. Seems to defy physics, but I'm sticking to my story. I think I was carrying my own body weight in cameras alone. I nearly pitched that video camera a number of times.

I handle my liquor better than that.

I believe my ram was still attached to them when we came off the mountain.

I would not have a problem with an Ibex hunt in this part of the world. My problem is my guns are under a bed in Dallas. Do you know if any hunts in Kazakhstan or Mongolia can provide a weapon?

My next trip may be cape buffalo in Zimbabwe in 2006. I know someone from there who goes home to Zimbabwe to hunt with his family.

Right now I'm leaning towards a hunt with smaller mountains and bigger game.