I have another BC sheep question.

I am just curious as to exactly how many Stone sheep permits BC issues each year, exactly how many are reserved for BC residents, and how many can be sold to non Canadian folks. is there a web site that tells all of this?

Oh oh asking that is like waving a red flag in front of a bull---for Kutenay. He'll have yer info but I think he'll have an opinion to share too!!

the chef

yikes think your going to wake up Kutenay !!!
Unlimited stone's sheep tags for BC residents, all outfitters are on a very tight limited quota that changes every year that why they can charge $20,000.00 plus US $$ per tag they have .The old story BC + the Yukon have all the stone's sheep and if you want to hunt them you have to pay the $$$ ,god bless free enterprise.

Just so I understand this correctly, any B.C. resident can hunt stone sheep every year by going into a store and purchasing a license and tag. Is that correct?

quote:

Originally posted by 22WRF:
Just so I understand this correctly, any B.C. resident can hunt stone sheep every year by going into a store and purchasing a license and tag. Is that correct?

yes, except for certain areas where:

Thinhorn Mountain Sheep: The regional bag limit is one sheep in three years. A hunter who harvests a thinhorn sheep cannot hunt or kill another thinhorn sheep until the calendar year of the kill and two subsequent calendar years have expired.

Despite the above, if a thinhorn sheep is determined on compulsory inspection to be at least 8 years of age, the bag limit is one. Hunters who harvested an under 8 year sheep will have that bag limit carried forward such that they cannot hunt or kill another thinhorn sheep until the calendar year of the kill and 2 subsequent years have expired. Contact the MWLAP office in Prince George for more information.

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/wild/synopsis.htm

quote:

Originally posted by free_miner:
Despite the above, if a thinhorn sheep is determined on compulsory inspection to be at least 8 years of age, the bag limit is one. Hunters who harvested an under 8 year sheep will have that bag limit carried forward such that they cannot hunt or kill another thinhorn sheep until the calendar year of the kill and 2 subsequent years have expired.

Too cryptic for me, what does this mean? If you shoot one over 8 years you can never shoot another? Or you can get a tag again two years after? And if that is the case, how is this different from when you shoot one under 8?

Frans

quote:

Originally posted by Frans Diepstraten:
Too cryptic for me, what does this mean? If you shoot one over 8 years you can never shoot another? Or you can get a tag again two years after? And if that is the case, how is this different from when you shoot one under 8?

Frans

I cut and pasted that straight from the regs

The way i read it is that if you get one over 8 years old you can go back next year.

I could be wrong though.

Alberta needs something like this so there is less incentive to blast every legal sheep you see.

Brett

I agree with you Brett but you telling me you wouldnt shoot the first legal ram you see?

ID BET A TON YOU WOULD,

see yea in sheep camp next year, dont worry ill shoot the first legal one you can hold on to your tag for another year.

just joking,

see yea tomorrow.

Chris

quote:

Originally posted by Bullet_Proof:
Alberta needs something like this so there is less incentive to blast every legal sheep you see.
Brett

I shot my first sheep two years ago. That was after some 20 days of hunting that year (if you look at the stats, that's pretty good (read 'lucky'), and a handful of days the year before. According to the fishcops it was a 7 year old ram (I think it was 6), unbroomed, about an inch over legal.

NOTHING can take away the joy of hunting sheep that year... it was a good year, a good effort, a good stalk. Crowned with a small ram. I will not shoot another one that size. I'm all psyched up to go sheep hunting again this year, having seen a few that will better my ram by a good margin. I see no harm in a person shooting a ram that is legal, if only just, especially if it is ones first. I personally don't see the need to shoot every legal ram I come across. For me sheep hunting is the pinnacle, something special. I forfit deer hunting, elk hunting, moose hunting, just to spend time on the mountain, chasing sheep. For others, who maybe grew up around here, and who have hunted sheep and enjoyed the mountains all their life, it may be just another way to get meat.

I know a few sheep hunters who would not shoot the ram I shot, and I am now one of them. I'm not looking for a huge ram, but I will look for an old one. And I've seen him, and he saw me. While his buddies kept grazing, unaware of my presence, he had spotted me as I crossed the only open spot in the climb. He just turned around, climbed up a few terraces, and bedded where he could keep an eye on his domain. I may break my neck trying to get up there with him, but I will try. For me, sheep hunting is all about feeling the urge to see beyond the next ridge... what better way to keep that urge alive by increasing my standards on what I consider a trophy. As I wrote in an article about this hunt, when I shot the ram, there wasn't instant joy. What I felt was that the drive was no longer there, and that was kinda sad. But nothing like sitting out for a year to get the drive back up!

I wouldn't mind a restriction on age (now), but that is pretty cheap... now that I got one, I wouldn't want to rob a virgin sheep hunter from the same experience I had.

Maybe everybody should be allowed one younger ram in his life...
Just thinking out loud, not trying to change the world...

Frans

totally agree with you Frans

After I kill a sheep I will be looking for a bigger one than the one I shot before.

Chris,

sounds good you shoot the small one and ill get the big guy. With our luck ill rpobably have my black powder out and see a big one about 300 yards away.

Brett

Are the tags for Alberta Bighorns unlimited for Alberta residents?

quote:

I wouldn't mind a restriction on age (now), but that is pretty cheap... now that I got one, I wouldn't want to rob a virgin sheep hunter from the same experience I had.

Thats what I like about the BC regs for thinhorns....it allows a young full curl to be taken, but it has to be worth forgoing a season to you.

Those that hold out for the older rams are rewarded with a more liberal bag limit.

Cheers,
Canuck

22WFR
In Alberta you are allowed as a resident to buy a sheep tag every year, but when you get a sheep you cannot get a tag the following year. There are also some areas where you have to be drawn in our goofy version of a lottery to hunt. Different areas also have different size restrictions. 3/4 curl some areas full curl others. There is also several draws for ewes every year that you can hunt along with hunting for males.