Looking at booking a stone sheep hunt in B.C. Currently looking at Gundahoo, Kawdy, and High and Wild. Any recomendation or suggestions?

I would check into an accompanied hunt with a fellow Canuck who is a B.C. resident; I am not sure if this is doable for Stone's, but, it certainly is worth looking into.

I have no experience with Kawdy or Gundahoo, but, I have hunted, solo, out of one of Barry Thompkin's camps. These Stone's hunts are serious coin and Barry has the reputation of being "the best outfitter in the north"; I think that you would find his outfit quite satisfactory.

Mile's Bradford also is supposed to be very good, but, I have no personal experience to back this up. I would call the wildlife boffins in Victoria and check into this whole thing very carefully. The old Peck outfit just north of Barry's also had a first-class reputation as does Stone Mountain Safaris.

For what it is worth, if you don't mind looking outside of those 3 I would no doubt myself get a hold of Bryan Martin with Canadian Mountain.

Mark D

quote:

Originally posted by kutenay:
I would check into an accompanied hunt with a fellow Canuck who is a B.C. resident; I am not sure if this is doable for Stone's, but, it certainly is worth looking into...

Hi Kutenay,

I've already looked into this and it is no longer possible. Sheep and Grizzly are off of the list. The open animals still include Goat, moose, elk, deer, black bear etc...

Cheers,
CL

I thought so, but, was not sure. So, this means that a Canadian will have to pay as much as a foreigner to hunt here in Canada. Many of the outfits that have quotas for Stone's are also "owned" by foreigners with Canadian "front men" and they actively lobby against even B.C. resident access to the Sheep and the wilderness Sheep ranges.

This is leading to a major confrontation concerning "non-resident alien" hunting and ownership of Guide-Outfitter concessions. I expect this situation to develope rapidly during the coming year and major changes are, IMO, in the offing. I am absolutely opposed to any hunting for any non-Canadian that limits opportunities for Canadians in any way.

So, it seems as though Bullgetter will have to pick a G/O from the above list and "pay the piper".

Kutenay, you hit the nail on the head! A B.C. resident can apply for a Bighorn sheep licence here in my home province of Alberta but I must hunt Stone sheep with an outfitter. N.W.T. and the yukon are the same way. I also can not go to Saskatchewan and hunt Mule deer. One also has to live in the Yukon for 1 year and 2 years in the N.W.T. to be considered a resident who can hunt legally. I'm not sure if it has been the outfitters pushing this but it has sure been benificial for them.

So true.

It will also take me over 20 years to draw an Alberta Bighorn tag to hunt in a regular over-the-counter WMU for residents. Unlimited resident tags for most WMUs but only 2 non-resident Canadian tags per year hmmm...Paying the piper for Bighorn is around $20,000-$25,000 Canadian for a Canadian.

I wasn't sure that Stone's were officially off the list for "accompanied" hunts either. I agree with Kutenay that it is absolutely rediculous for any Canadian to have to pay for a fully guided hunt within our borders!

Yukon has had this rule in effect for Sheep for as long as I can remember. It really pisses me off. That and having to live there for two full years to be a resident. (so for a year and a half after you move there you are a resident of Canada, but not of any province or territory!)

As far as stone sheep areas go, well there are lots of great choices. Barry Thompkins is one of the good ones. Dave Weins, Art Thompson, Dale Drinkall, Olmstead/Shockey and Darwin Carey have the prime areas with big numbers of sheep and the prime genetics. Heidi Gutfrecht and the Kostyniuks get nice sheep every year and apparently put on good hunts. Kawdy (Stan Lancaster) does very well every year too. Not narrowing things down much though am I? I would suggest you shop around.

One thing to keep in mind, that the outfitters don't advertise. Most will take Canadian at par (sounds dumb doesn't it!). You should be able to get a decent stone sheep hunt for $15 to $20k if you look around.

Cheers,
Canuck

quote:

Originally posted by Canuck:
I wasn't sure that Stone's were officially off the list for "accompanied" hunts either.

I do not know if it is officially written anywhere or not but when I contacted the permit to accompany office the lady that I spoke with said that high value animals like sheep and grizzly were not being offering through 'accompanied' hunts. She went on to say that for more numerous game animals like goat, elk, deer, moose and black bear permits were widely available for most areas.