I posted this in the Alaska forum, but would really appreciate input from you guys, as well.

I've sifted through hundreds of posts trying to glean info, but would like to start a new post...hopefully you guys that are in the know can help a hopeful sheep hunter out.

I'm looking for a Dall Sheep hunt for 2007. I haven't done much research in the past, as it was beyond my means financially.

What are the pros/cons of hunting in Yukon, BC, or NWT vs Alaska? Are there generalities that can be drawn between the areas (ie, cost, game quantity/quality, etc).

To give some background info, everyone will be in good physical condition, though not great, due to age/job demands, etc, so we probably can't climb 5,000 vertical feet up sheer faces every day, but we also don't require wheelchair access.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

There are relatively few Dall's Sheep here in B.C. and the cost of hunting here for a "non-resident alien" is pretty high; the top Stone's Sheep Guide/Outfitters charge about $25K USD per hunt and there are your tags, travel and so forth on top of this. So, B.C. is not your best bet for Dall's since you MUST have a legal guide and the fines for non-compliance are friggin' brutal! (no offensive insinuation intended).

The Yukon is also expensive and the N.W.T. ain't cheap, either, with Yukon hunts being my idea of North America's premier wilderness hunting and prices tend to be higher than here in B.C. BUT, if you can swing the finances, this is the hunt of your lifetime and something to remember for as long as you live. I figure about $30K for a good hunt, in USD.

You might be better off to hunt Alaska as our Canuck prices are not likely to decrease at all. With the "land claims" bullshit from the pampered Indians here, prices will likely increase. There is fabulous Dall's hunting in Kluane National Park whichh Canadians cannot have access to, but, as the Indians can guide foreigners there, anyone with enough cash can hunt there; this will NOT endear you to Canuck hunters, IF, you can afford what the "natural conservationists" charge to rape our wilderness heritage.

If, you come, good luck on your trip and I hope you enjoy it; the cost is high, but, so are the rewards, both tangible and especially intangible.

If you look around a bit, and/or are willing to go last minute to fill a cancellation, you can still get a reasonable price on Dall Sheep hunts in NWT. By reasonable, I'd say about $15k USD.

Stone's are in such high demand that there are no deals on them.

Cheers,
Canuck

Thanks for the replies. I have to say that $30k for DALL hunt is obsurd to me, and 15k, on a last minute deal sounds high as well. Have you guys actually paid that for a Dall hunt?

I'm certainly not calling your judgment into question, but the highest quote I've gotten yet for a Yukon Dall hunt is $13,500.

Thanks again...BTW, where are the best trophies taken on a regular basis? Where are the highest population densities of Dall sheep in Canada? What is your personal favorite area to hunt (that has Dall populations)?

My comments were based on the cost of Stone's Sheep hunts here in B.C. and I guess I was not clear enough on that; this is also the total cost approx. For example, a Stone's hunt is about $24,500 from one of the top guys in B.C., then licences, travel, taxidermy and miscellaneous as I tend to estimate the overall costs of a given hunt. Sorry for any confusion.

I cannot reply to your other questions as my hunting is now confined to B.C. and the Dall's Sheep here are only located in one small area which we residents can hunt without a guide.

I hunted Fannin sheep with this guy in 2000. He is great, has great equipment and guides. Can't say enough about him. He was very reasonable. Since them he has become quite popular. His base camp is 125clicks north of Dawson city on the Dempster Hwy. You can't go wrong if you get a spot with him. He has both fannin (mine scored 165 4/8) and dall sheep, moose, bears (both) and caribou. The caribou herd winters in his valley.

http://www.blackstoneoutfitters.com/

I just returned from a trip with a Mackenzie Mountain Outfitters in the NWT. It is run by Stan Stevens, and it is a family run operation.

This is a backpack hunt. Stan has two Helio Couriers (one wheeled, one floats) and his son has a plane as well. Each quide has a dog which helps packing equipment and is a good early warning system for bears. Some people like horses, I would rather backpack. No chasing horses, better access to remote areas,etc.

The Mackenzie Mountains is a beautiful area. I posted a couple of picks. And yes, I am going back in '07.

I'll second stan stevens and N.W.T. great sheep areas also check N.W.T. outfitters they have duane nelsons old area where I took one that went 42 5/8" a bit ago. I've know stan stevens outfit for over 25 years and they are 1st class with excellent sheep. Also excellent caribou (mountain) and moose. you can do a good combination hunt there with sheep being #1 and then after you bag one go caribou hunting or moose hunting if its late enough

I really appreciate all the information so far.

Can anyone give more of a compare/contrast b/w hunting Alaska (primarily Brooks or Alaska Range) vs Canada for Dalls? I think the first decision we need to make is where to go, then settle on an outfitter.

It looks like Canada will run about $3000 more than Alaska, on average, for total cost. What about trophy quality? Are Yukon and NWT Dalls generally bigger than Alaska's?

canada should be running less than alaska. so far as size goes - hunters luck - but in general I've found that the sheep in the youkon and NWT run longer but thinner than alaskas. #1 rule in sheep hunting is don't go counting your chickens before they're hatched. The odds of good sheep are probably highest in NWT followed by youkon followed by ak. In alaska the brooks range sheep run small, the alaska range sheep are in the middle, but they get the heaviest hunting, and the chugach are the largest IF you can get to them. The chugach are really rugged & glaciered hills. I did see a ram that went over 50 there once, but in trying to get to him got caught in a glacier stream, and when I came out a mile or 2 down river I found that I finally found something to cure sheep fever.

Like I said in the Alaksa forum, I think the horseback hunts gives you the chance to see more area and more sheep. On Mervyn's hunt I saw over 150 sheep a couple of the days. If doing the backpack way in appealing, I am all for it. It is what is important to the indivduial hunter is what matters. The hunt has to fit your criteria for the style of hunting that YOU will get the most out of. If shooting the biggest sheep you can is what you want, imho, I think the horseback hunt let's you look at more sheep. Again, after taxes a fees I think the hunt is right at $13,000.00. Money well spent in my opinion. I did alot of research on this. What I found to be true for me was that Mervyn's area had slightly heavier sheep on average. My buddy and I just got back and we can attest to how good a hunt this was! Good luck in whatever you decide!

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
canada should be running less than alaska.

We've found several dozen outfits with Dall Sheep hunts in the Brooks and Alaska ranges for $9-10k. We haven't found any hunts in Canada for less than $12.5k...and most are $13k or more.

Check with Cabela's. They have several hunts for Dall sheep in the $8,500 to $9,000 range.

I hunted with Stan Stevens in 2004. The same hunt Peakebrook described. You can't beat it. Tremendous country. The Stevens are great people to hunt with. Backpacking was a blast. Just you, the guide, the dog and God. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

We saw a little bit of everything: moose, caribou, grizzly, sheep

Expect to pay $14,000+ for the Dall hunt.

check out, alaska trophy outfitters, dan montgomery. he is 100% year in and out. he is a small outfit takes small number of fit guys each year and has reasonable prices. these are a hard comb' of things to find. booked up every year, no advertising or going to shows. all word of mouth.

he got me a nice 14c sheep in 2002. i had no complaints when done. i always have something to complain about...

coldzero, what type of hunt would you expect with Dan? Maybe rate it 1-10 with 10 being "climbing k-2 in your underwear" and 1 being "shooting a sheep from you sofa."

There are some physical limitations in our group, so a 9 or 10 difficulty hunt would probably be out of our zone.

Hello

In my opinion Stan Stevens provides the best Dall Sheep hunt for the money. His Success rate is very high and the country is beautiful.I agree with everything Kensco and Butchloc have said.

Regards
Aziz

t.t.;

i hunted inside the park/14c, 2002. most people would say that the terrain is more difficult inside the park than outside. so i would give it a 9.5. i killed my sheep 21.5 miles from the nearest road. it took 1.5 days with 110 lb. pack to get out of the park. this was about as far back in my area that i could go without leaving my assiged area.

his hunts outside the park are easier. for one reason, is that he can land his plane near to where the camp is, instead of having to hike all the way in, like in the park. when you get a sheep, he may be able to land near the kill site, also not allowed inside the park. i did see a crashed plane inside the park that attempted to land illegally though. the terrain is also easier. he is 100%, because he takes a small # of guys that are either repeat customers, family/friends of former customers and interviews them before taking a deposit. no fat soft guys here. he goes to no shows and does 0 advertising. he also has more guys than he wants to take. this is due to his cheap prices and 100% success rate. i have been to ak. 7 times and hunted canada and mexico extensively. this is the best outfitter that i have found so far. i am fussy and even i had no complaints. he is the "sheep terminator". he is also 100% on b.b. and if you do not get one, you come back for free, not even expense $. try and find another outfitter that will do that.

with much difficulty, you may find someone a little cheaper. you will not find an outfitter with his work ethic, success rate and price point. he is thousands less than everyone else. he also is argueabley, the most successful outfitter for chugach state park, per number of hunters taken with permits.

R. and R. takes more lotttery permit winners, but does not have as high a success rate. no slight on other ak. guides, he has been the only guide in n. america that could out hike me, if he wanted to. he had to show me for me to beleive it.

stan stevens is an excellent outfitter, but not the value that d. montgomery is.

if i did not already have a B. and C. b.b., i would be going with him for one, because i know i would not go home empty handed. he also does not mind my very high trophy standards because he is up for the challenge and big animals are the best advertising he gets. that's the reason i went with him in the first place, not the price. i never expected to draw a permit in the first place, so i wanted the best. i have applied every year since and will continue to do so, maybe i will be lucky again.

i have been trying to get him to take me for a b. and c. caribou since 2002, i will keep trying.

if you do a search, i wrote a hunt report on this hunt several years back. interesting reading. if you have more questions, email me.

good luck.

Coldzero, thanks again.

It sounds like you have to draw a permit to do the "inside the park" hunt? Is that correct?

Does anyone know what the draw rate is?

t.t.;

for non-res about 3%. the year i went i was the only non res on the first hunt.

you can get just as good of a sheep right outside the park. the sheep don't know where the boundary is. the terrain is easier as well.

i applied for 5 years before drawing the permit. i never thought i would draw it at all. dan had a guy from n.j. that drew it 2 years in a row.

good luck.