Stone Sheep Hunt Report – My Next to Last Sheep Hunt

Hunt Dates – August 15 – 30, 2014. We were the second group of hunters in the area this season. The first group of eight took five sheep with one guy passing up a couple of legal rams and another missing shots on two rams. In our time slot, there were six hunters with two of us taking rams. One hunter missed a shot, another one came out early due to clothing and muscle issues, another passed on a legal ram looking for a 40” ram.

Outfitter – Scoop Lake Outfitters – Darwin and Wendy Cary - http://www.scooplake.com/

Agent – Jeff C Neal Inc. – Jeff Neal and Greg Brownlee – 918 299 3580 or http://www.jeffcnealinc.com/

Game Sought – Stone Sheep, Mountain Goat, Grizzly Bear, Moose, Wolf, Mountain Caribou

Game Taken –Stone Sheep (by both hunters), Mountain Goat, Moose

Game and Animals Seen – Stone Sheep, Mountain Goats, Moose, Grizzly Bear, Marmot, Wolverine (x3), Red Fox, Red Squirrels, Chipmunks – we did not see wolves or caribou

[b]Executive Summary

My hunting partner and I both killed very good sheep. His was twelve years old and 37”. He took his at 28 yards after a two mile stalk up the mountains on the first full day of hunting. I took mine on day five in a high basin/caldron when we were stalking other sheep. Mine was ten or eleven years old and 39”. The shot was 505 yards uphill at 25 degrees in a drizzle. The moose was a drive by killing as he and another one wandered within 400 yards of our camp. They were spotted, stalked and I shot the bigger one at 120 yards. The goat took four days to locate. Had to make a terrible climb in the rain to attempt a shot. The goat(s) winded us and moved across in front giving a 140 yard shot. Turned out to be 10” by 11 ½” nanny. The pictures will show why I shot it. The guides and I each thought it was a billy. We saw one grizzly at long distance and could not make the stalk. We did not see any wolves or mountain caribou. Other hunters in the area took each animal. Overall, it was an adventure – spending 14 days in a remote area fending for ourselves and hunting hard with a good friend.



These were not legal but were tempting nonetheless.



Spend 16 days with a hunting partner and still remain friends.



Background for this hunt

I hate sheep hunting. I hate horses. I do not like to camp out. I am spoiled by Africa. However, I like the challenge of testing myself, even at my age, to see I have still have “it”. Hence, I agreed to join a good friend and frequent hunting partner to go after Stone Sheep. My friend is a Jack O’Connor (“Mr. .270” to many) fan. He has read every book, subscribed to Outdoor Life as a kid and for 60 years has dreamed of hunting Stone Sheep in the Cassier Mountains, the same as Jack O’Connor. My agent, Jeff Neal, suggested we try Scoop Lake Outfitters as they had the best area in the Cassiers. I called my 73 year old friend and he was “all in”. That was a mistake as I expected him to use the “I am too old” excuse. Well he did not, so I was now “all in” also. We made our plans and gathered our energy for this seriously tough trip. It all went well.

The Outfitter

Darwin and Wendy Cary own and run Scoop Lake Outfitters full time. Their two daughters work there also. Darwin has 2.2 million hectares in the Cassier Mountains in British Columbia. This is the area Jack O’Conner hunted in the 1940’s to 1970’s for Stone Sheep. They have owned the area for 27 years and operate 20 camps scattered across this wilderness. It is only accessable by plane. It is wild. It is remote and takes time to get there. I flew from Midland, Texas to Denver to Calgary to Whitehorse, Yukon, then drove 485 km to Watson Lake in BC, then took two successive float planes to our area. Then a horse ride of four hours to get to camp.

Darwin is a straight shooter and you can trust him. He is about 80% successful on Stone Sheep and Mountain Goats. Grizzly and Mountain Caribou are hit or miss. Moose are about 50%. Wolves are strictly targets of opportunity. He offers combo hunts, which I took advantage of. If you are decent shape, you should get your quarry. He is at DSC, SCI and the sheep shows. Go and meet him.

Pics of the main camp on Scoop Lake. This is where all hunts start and end. We actually spotted mountain goats across the lake. One hunter killed a wolf two hundred yards from the main camp kitchens.







Gun Range for sighting in!





Getting there was part of the adventure. We started in Texas, met in Denver, flew to Calgary, then to Whitehorse to overnight, drove to Watson Lake via the Alaskan Highway, then a couple of float plane rides out.

At Whitehorse, we knew were in hunting country when we saw this at the airport.



Even this in the Calgary airport told us we were among friends.



At Watson Lake, there is an unusual tourist trap where the people driving the Alaskan Highway bring road signs from home and hang them. There were over 10,000 signs at this wide spot in the road.





It is nice to be able to take your float plane with you! This was a Beaver built in the 1950’s that was still in service.



They operate about twenty remote camps from the base at Scoop Lake. The area is huge with many parts never having been hunted due to rugged terrain.









The Guides

We had very good guides and very solid wrangler. Sam and Tristan were the experienced guides and Dave was the wrangler. All three were skilled with horses and worked well as a team. The best part was they were young and had strong legs and backs. Darwin sends a wrangler along on each horseback hunt to manage the horses. This was a “must” for this type of hunt. Sam and Dave are both native New Zealanders and avid hunters. Tristan is a Canadian from Alberta and has a lot of experience on Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. This was his first year on Stone Sheep. Again, all three worked well together and were great to be with on this trip.



Guess where two of the guides were from? In the middle of the Canadian wilderness, you need your favorite food!



The guides went all out to take care of us. Bob’s boots were a bit short for the creek crossing –




The Agent

Jeff Neal has been a friend for many years and has steered me toward some great hunts. He is honest and knows his business. He stands behind his word and I will continue to work with him. Greg Brownlee was the point man for this hunt and did a great job getting me set up. As usual, I had no surprises on this hunt. Expectations were clearly laid out and met.

Equipment Used

Rifles – Winchester Model 70 Extreme Weather (stainless and plastic) in .300 Win Mag with Swarovski Z6i 3x18 x50 scope. My partner used a Browning Silver Medalion .270 WSM with Leupold VX3 3.5 x 10 x40.

Ammo – I used Federal Premium .300 WM 180 grain Barnes TSX. My partner used .270 WSM handloads with a 140 grain Accubond bullet.

Optics – I used two pair of binos – Swarovski 10x42 SLC and Swarovski 15 x 56 SLC. I did not have a spotting scope. My partner used a pair of Leica 10 x 25 binos and a Swarovski Spotting scope (not sure of the model) that went to 60x. I am used to using both, so they were what I needed.

Boots – Kenetrek Uninsulated Mountain Extreme - http://www.kenetrek.com/. I have used these boots on three hunts and they are excellent. Other than the rifle, I needed these boots to work to have a successful hunt. I highly, highly recommend them. Take extra laces as mine parted on this trip.



Rain Gear – Helly Hanson Impertech II – I have used this before but found it not as appropriate for this hunt. First, the side zippers are only boot high rather than going up to the thigh. This made taking them on and off several times a day difficult. Also, I made one climb in the rain and was wearing this. I stayed dry but sweated out my clothes and got very chilled due to being drenched in sweat. I am not sure what I will use next time (if I am dumb enough to do this again) but it won’t be this type. Helly Hanson is a great product but it has limits.

The reason for good rain gear- 11 days we had rain or heavy mist.



Packs – I just started using the Eberlestock line of day packs and backpacking packs. I used the J34 Just One (http://www.eberlestock.com/J34%20Just%20One.htm) but found it a bit bulky for climbing. We had three young guides and they were “horses” for packing out meat and horns. I got this pack to help with that chore but was a bit naïve thinking I could carry meat and horns off those steep mountains. I used the X1E (http://www.eberlestock.com/X1E%20Euro.htm ) on a bighorn hunt last year and should have stayed with it. If I ever carry a pack again (hey, don’t laugh, that is why I hire young guides!), it will be the smaller pack.

Clothing – I really like Sitka gear (www.sitkagear.com ). I wore two types of pants depending on the weather, a merino light shirt, a vest and a jacket on most days. I used the Opti-fade Open camo pattern, but really don’t think camo is needed on this type of hunt. The clothes are water resistant and windproof. You are nuts if you don’t use windproof gear these days. Wind is what makes me the coldest and I don’t buy it if it is not windproof. The pants I chose were the Ascent Pant and the Mountain Pant. The only downer was that the Mountain Pant has a built in belt that you cannot attached anything to.

Sleeping Gear – I used a lightweight Mountain Hardwear sleeping bag that compressed fairly small and was warm to 25F. I used a new type of inflatable sleeping pad we bought in Whitehorse as a mountaineering store. It was called an Exped Synmat - http://www.rei.com/product/780...lw-air-pad-with-pump This was a step up from the old Thermarest I was going to use. It provided insulation from the ground and was very comfortable.

Gloves – Take some but be sure they are durable and waterproof. Mine tore up early in the hunt. The weather was not too cold but I need better gloves for hand climbing up the mountains on sharp rocks.

Gaiters – An absolute must have on this hunt. Get gaiters that cover your boots and fasten just below your knee. I used Outdoor Research Crocodiles - http://www.rei.com/product/846...ch-crocodile-gaiters . They really helped keep me dry.

Personal Items – Take an anti-inflammatory of some type and a pain killer. You will need them. I like Aleve. Take plenty of baby wipes for use at the latrine and cleaning your hands. I went through eight packs of ten wipes. Take a bigger wipe to use for wiping yourself down at the end of the day as well. You will not get a bath during this hunt, so you need to wipe off when you can and not stink up your sleeping bag. If you have a small pad that you can sit on while glassing, take it. Something like a small stadium seating pad or foam as your bottom will get sore sitting on rocks or logs.

Hunt Method

For sheep and goats, the key is glassing. We spent a lot of time getting to good look out points and glassed hard. It took a couple of days to get to where I could pick out sheep up in the rocks and then even more time to judge them. The young guides were good at this. Take good optics and use them.

For moose, we patrolled the marshes and valley floors looking at the “edges” and in the timber. We saw moose often but only saw one bull good enough to shoot. We usually passed through these areas on the way to glass for sheep or goats.

For grizzly, caribou and wolves- these are “bump into” encounters. You may or may not see them or just bump into them. We saw one grizzly at about 2 miles foraging on a hillside and did not see caribou or wolves. One other hunter in our area shot a female grizzly and a different hunter had a bull caribou come into his camp, which he promptly shot.



All the comforts of home in one of the camps.



All of our meals were cooked on an open fire – Reminded of my Boy Scout days.





Horses
I hate/love them. I hate/love them with a fierce passion. On this hunt, I was in the saddle at least four hours per day with a couple of days reaching eight or nine hours. My legs hurt, my fanny was chapped, my knees cried and I hate/love horses. The problem is a Catch-22 for me. Without them, I cannot get to the places I need to go to look for sheep or goats. Without them, we would have spent 2 to 4 days packing out a moose.

As a kid, my granddad had several horses and ponies. My sisters and cousins loved to ride. I was the designated saddle carrier, groom and brusher. My earliest memories of ponies and horses was lining up for a family picture when one of the ponies bit me on the chest leaving a nasty bruise. Since then, horses have stepped on me, tossed me, tried to bit me, kicked me and ignored me. I feel the same way about them. I have friends that say it is in my imagination. I tell them, “take me to your horse and I will show you”. When I walk in the stable, all ears are laid back and the battle is on. Everyone wants a piece of me and tries to get it.

Needless to say, I resolved myself to be as horse polite as possible just to keep peace in the camp. My hunting partner is a serious horseman. He rides a lot, hunts off horses a lot and never has a problem. He picked out a couple that looked brain dead for me to ride during this hunt and I managed to only get monkey butt raw from riding and not once was I thrown off. A big accomplishment for me.

My most frequent view of a horse.



We packed up often and moved a couple of times.



Advice – if you are going on a horseback hunt, you will spent about 40% of your hunting day on a horse, taking care of a horse or looking for your horse. There is no getting around this. We had a full time wrangler and each of the guides was a skilled horse handler and we still had the usual train wrecks and load tossings along with the occasional lost horse.

Further advice – learn how to get on and off without falling down. If you are an over achiever, learn how to ride and steer that darn animal. I struggled with the steering and the whole “giddy up” thing. My horses quickly learned I did not like them nor did I understand them, so they just did what they pleased most of the time. Thank goodness that was following the other horses to wherever we were going.

One of the camp bunk houses.



Kitchen



The Hunt

Rather than do this as a diary, I will break this up by species so you can see we hunted each one.

Stone Sheep

Glass. That is what you do to hunt sheep of nearly any type. Glass and glass some more. We spent every still moment glassing the mountains and looking at sheep-rocks that would hopefully turn into sheep. On our first full day, we got a bit lucky as one of the guides, Tristan, picked up the great ram on top of a cliff and rocky outcrop feeding in a patch of grass. We were about two miles away when he saw the ram in the spotting scope. This ram milled around then bedded down. We made a plan and long hike to get to the mountain he was bedded on.

We saw Bob’s sheep on the far mountain near the snow about two miles away.



Bob and I along with two guides made the climb of about 1500 vertical feet to get up on the ram unseen. Our wrangler stayed behind to watch the ram and tell us if he moved. We made a serious hike and climb and were basically crawling over benches of rocks from one cut to the next when our spotter said the ram was up and directly in front of us. We could not see the ram at all. We climbed one more little bench of rocks and there he stood, 27 yards from us broadside. Bob made a quick killing shot and over the ram went. Fortunately, the sheep did not tumble down the mountain but landed on a ledge making the pictures and recover easy. The ram was ancient – 12 years old and had only a couple of front teeth. Horns were broomed off and he was heavy. I am no expert but he was a bit skinny and seemed in poor shape for the coming winter. A great sheep with heavy horns.

Walking up on a 60 year dream!







This was Bob’s dream, to take a Stone Sheep in the area frequented by Jack O’Connor in days gone by. Bob came from humble beginnings and has made a name for himself as an oil well fire fighter. He was in Kuwait putting out fires when Saddam Hussein torched the oil fields there. He was the lead man on the BP Macondo blowout in the Gulf of Mexico a few years ago and has done some amazing things in his career. However, this sheep was the culmination of a 60 year dream – to hunt Stone Sheep in the Cassiers. I was proud to be with him when he did it.



On the way out with Bob’s sheep.



The sheep I eventually took was never targeted as we were stalking others. On the fifth day Tristan again spotted six rams in a group in a caldron/valley about half way up into some high mountains. The area was the size of two football fields, covered in grass and nearly invisible from below. He knew of the area and hiked up an offset mountainside to get a look “over the edge”. He spotted the rams very close to the rim but they wandered out of his view. Our other guide and wrangler, Sam and Dave, and I decided to climb up for a look into the basin to see if anything else was there. We made the 2400’ vertical climb and got slightly above the basin flats and saw the six rams that Tristan spotted. Below are pictures.

This is one of the non-legal rams we stalked.




What confused us was that only two of these rams were close to being full curl and legal. We watched them for an hour or so in steady rain and wind before we decided they were not legal. At this point, Dave started glassing higher in the mountains above and spotted a single big ram that was 500 yards away and above us. That ram had not seen us and we were able to see that he was a stud. We watched him for a bit and tried to make a plan to approach him but there was no cover whereby we could close the distance. My rifle can make shots at that distance but the uphill aspect (25 degrees incline) was confusing me. We ranged the sheep at 505 yards and I set the scope for a 375 yard shot – and promptly shot low on the first shot. Dave, the wrangler, saw the shot hit and told me how low it went, so I adjusted my holdover to the top of the ram’s back and let fly again. This shot connected low in the front shoulder, breaking the leg and catching both lungs. The sheep started down the mountain toward us and I let my inexperience show by firing twice more and missing as he then turned parallel to the slope and headed for the rocks out of sight.

I should have just let him come on down the mountain as a wounded animal usually does in the mountains or hills and the entire process of finishing this would have been less stressful and much easier. Lesson learned for next time.

We had a perfect spot on where the sheep went and knew he could not get up and over the mountain without us seeing nor could he move sideways from the rocks. We waited about thirty minutes thinking the sheep would lay down and die, then Sam decided to hike quickly up to see if we were right. I gave him my rifle as he could cover the ground much faster than I did. He made it across the basin and up a long rock chute toward the sheep as I worked my way down to the basin then up the other side. I glanced up in time to see the sheep rise up from the rocks well below the place we last saw him and to see Sam make a quick shot that finished the ram.

This was where I took the shot from – 505 yards at a 25 degree incline.



Sam and Dave made it to the sheep a lot quicker than I did and we were surprised to see that he ever moved at all. The shot that I made wrecked his shoulder and both lungs as blood was running out his nose and mouth. Sheep are tougher than I thought. Anyway, the sheep was down and we were all delighted with this 10 year old stud. This was number three for me. One more sheep to go for the slam.

Sam tried the New Zealand method of animal recovery by making a pack out of the ram. In NZ, they do this on pigs and fallow deer. I have seen this and works well, a bit messy, but works. Sam gave the sheep a try but it was too awkward to manage on the rocks on the descent. Tristan made the climb to join us and helped in the pack out. The terrain was far too steep for me to be of any help packing out. I was doing well just to get myself down the mountain uninjured.







Sheep backstrap on the grill tonight!



Moose

This area is a good place to hunt moose. There are many marshes, streams, bogs and wet places that attract moose and are excellent habitat. We picked up several large shed antlers as this was evidence of the large resident moose population. I was told before the hunt that moose was possible but to spend my time on sheep and goats as they are the difficult animals to hunt. If a good moose showed up, take it – was the advice I got.

Well that is just what happened. Each morning as the guys rounded up the horses from feeding all night, they watched for moose. On the seventh day, Tristan bumped two bulls, one of which was “pretty good”. He came to camp and got me and we made a bee line to the bulls. We watched for all of a minute and decided to shoot the “good one”. I made a good shoulder shot that rocked the moose, then followed with two more to be sure he did not wander into the brush. All three shots were killing shots.

I had no idea how big a moose was. They are “ginormous” as my sons would say. I have no past experience to draw on so this was a first of me. I was impressed with him for sure. Horns were about 54”, a little above average for the area according to the Darwin. The good news was that we were only forty yards from a horse trail to be able to pack him out. The bad news was that we would have to pack him eight hours to a lake so the meat could be flown out quickly. The good news was that I did not have to ride the horses to the pick up spot. The bad news was that a day was used to get this done while we settled in camp to make a plan for goats.





Moose a lot bigger than I thought.



The Wrangler Dave carrying out the moose antlers.


The only good use for a horse (in my opinion)



Mountain Goats

Basically, you hunt goats the same way as sheep – glass and glass a lot. It helps that they are white and easier to see. It also helps that they tend to stay on one mountain or general area not moving around much. Further, in the Cassiers, they are not pressured much, so they are less wary than other places.

The goat season did not open until we were ten days into our hunt. According to Darwin, we would like see a lot of goats while hunting sheep. We would then stake him out and hunt him on opening day – easy as that. Well, we saw just one goat and he disappeared a couple of days before the season opened, so we spent several days scouting for goats. We split into two groups and finally located several after three days of hard scouting. With the persistent rain and mist, we were on/off on getting to where we could spot them and make a climb/stalk. Fortunately, we had a break in fog and were able to spot some goats – several in fact, one of which had really long horns. We checked them out via spotting scopes from about a mile before deciding to try a stalk.

We made the base of a nasty, rocky, slippery mountain and started up not knowing exactly where the goats were. One of our guys stayed at the bottom and watched the area we had seen the goats. Apparently, the goats bedded down out of sight and the fog set in. The climb was about 3000 vertical feet and very tough in the rain. I wore the Helly Hanson rain gear was promptly soaked with sweat making it more uncomfortable was we gained altitude. As we neared the area we hoped to see the goats, they got up and started to feed. The guys below let us know where they were and how to get to them.

All was fine, the sun came out and rain stopped, when we were seen by two goats that were well above us and not part of the group we were stalking. From their view, they could see us and the other goats. We watched them look at us and then at the other goats for quite awhile. At some point, the targeted goats got nervous or smelled us or got bored and started to walk toward us behind some rocks. The guys below warned us and I set up for a shot. Shooting uphill at thirty degrees was uncomfortable but it is what it is. The goats did not come out where we expected but were higher up the rocks. We glimpsed the big one and the others as they disappeared then reappreared on a rocky outcrop. The guides took one glance and said “Shoot that one!”. I did and connected. The goat dropped off a ledge and fortunately did not roll down the mountain but landed on another ledge stone dead.

We hiked up and found a super goat with great horns – that was until we looked between the back legs. This was a nanny! It fooled all of us as it sported one 10 1/8” horn and a heavy 11 ½” horn in the shape of what you see on a billy. Look at the pics below and tell me you would not shoot this goat!





Anyway, it was a well earned goat and a brutal climb up and tough decent. Goats are hard to hunt and hard to get to. Sam and Tristan did a great job of getting me up the mountain and in position to shoot.

Grizzly and Wolves

We had tags but only saw on griz at about two miles and we did not have daylight for the stalk. These are both “encounter by chance” targets but there are plenty in the area. Another hunter shot a wolf about two hundred yards from the main Scoop Lake base while we were there.



Mountain Caribou

Due to the wolf population in the area, caribou are scarce. There are not that many to start with and the wolves have made them scarcer. One other hunter killed one that blundered into his camp late one afternoon but that was the only one I heard of being taken. There are usually found by glassing and by luck.


Observations and Perceived Realities

1. No matter how good of shape you are in or if you are into CrossFit or whatever, the mountains will kick your tail. Climbing stairs or using an elliptical machine will help, but the only way to get in climbing shape is to climb. You will have to climb a lot just to not pass out on the hunting climbs. This was my fourth sheep hunt. I was in decent shape as I knew what to expect and I still suffered on the mountains.

2. Make a large part of your conditioning hiking and climbing on uneven ground. There is no flat ground on the mountains, the climbing and descending is treacherous and on very shifty rocks and dirt. Hike on uneven ground a lot.

3. If you are not in shape or have physical limitations, tell the outfitter and it is possible he can make something work. If not, don’t do this hunt.

4. Lower your expectations for the amount of time you will spend hunting. We were on the horses about 40% of the time, we glassed about 25% of the time and we spent the rest of the time getting the horses gathered up in the mornings or let out in the evenings. We actually only hunted after we spotted something and were making the stalking climb to see it better.

5. Your two most important pieces of equipment are your boots and your rain suit. If either of these fail, you are finished on the hunt. Expect a lot of rain in the Yukon or British Columbia or Alaska. Make 100% certain your rain gear is waterproof and works. Make 200% certain your boots are broken in, waterproof and will not fail you. I used Kenetrek mountain boots with no problems.

6. Learn how to shoot. Learn how to shoot at distances beyond what you are used to. Learn how to shoot uphill and downhill. Two of my shots were at 25 to 35 degrees up angle. I missed my first shot as I mis-estimated the hold over. My guide spotted the missed shot and I adjusted and killed the ram. I suggest you shoot several hundred rounds in a variety of positions and angles. You may get only one shot, so do not blow it due to not practicing.

7. Take a stainless/plastic stock gun. It is wet all the time and you will not have the time or will power to keep your gun dry and rust free. My Winchester Model 70 Extreme Weather rifle was perfect for this type of hunt.

8. Your guides will make or break the hunt. No matter how good you think you are, they are better provided they some level of experience. Listen to them and be sure you are both in agreement on what you want. Our three guys were good and we never had an issue.

9. Drink plenty of water even if it is cold. I got dehydrated a couple of times not realizing that I was sweating off a lot of water. I cramped at times due to not having drunk enough water.

10. Take only the equipment the outfitter recommends. He has the experience, so buy what he suggests. Another hunter that was there while we were brought cotton clothes and cheap boots. His boots delaminated and he lost several days hunting. He also got chapped badly by the cotton on his backside in the saddle. He quit his hunt several days early.


11. Take and use premium optics. I like Swarovski and the rest of the guys used Leica or Zeiss. This is no hunt for cheap optics.

After the hunt thoughts –

1. I hate sheep hunting but love to hunt them. They are maddening and challenging. They are supremely gorgeous and downright frustrating. I have made four sheep hunts and swear I will never do it again, but I do. I really do not know why I do this. Goat hunting is even worse as they are higher up than the sheep. I really think brain damage is caused by this kind of hunting.

2. Darwin and Wendy Cary do a great job in setting you up for a Stone sheep hunt. They have a great area, have 18 to 20 camps, good guides and know the logistics of getting you where you need to be. If I were to hunt Stone sheep again, I would go with them.

3. This hunt is hard. I am almost 60 and Bob is 73. We were dog tired by the end. This is young man’s sport but us old farts kept up ok.

4. The ultimate question is – would I do this hunt again? Well, probably not. I really liked the hunt, the people and the quarry, but old legs are not for mountains. If I had not gotten a Stone sheep, I may have chosen to do it again. If I did, I would go with this outfit. If you want to kill a good Stone sheep, this is the place and the outfit.

5. Will I hunt sheep again? Yes, unfortunately. I want to do one more for desert bighorns, but I will hang up my sheep boots after that …..maybe.

We left our “hunt report” on moose sheds at the last camp we stopped at on the way out. Many hunters before us had done the same thing. This hunt was the culmination of a 60 year for my hunting partner. He left this behind for those that follow.





In the skinning shed – results of the hunts in the first two groups of the season.





Appendix

Bird List
I am an avid birder and added several to my life list on this hunt.

Baby Barn Swallows



American Robin
Dark-eyed Junco
Barn Swallow (on nest with young)
Crow
Raven
Killdeer
Least Sandpiper
Kestrel
Bank Swallow
Common Golden eye
Willow Ptarmigan
Rock Ptarmigan
Canada Geese
Gray Jay
Yellow Rumped Warbler
Belted Kingfisher
Song Sparrow
Merlin
Orange Crowned Warbler
Yellow bellied Sapsucker
Northern Hawk Owl
Pacific Loon (male, female and young)
Blue Grouse
Spruce Grouse
Swainson’s Thrush
Dipper
Harlequin Duck
Ruby Crowned Kinglet

Great posting Dog. I love reading stories like this. Kinda makes me feel like I was there. Your experience looks to be one you won't soon forget.
Your guides loom like they were having as much fun as you were. That's very important.
Congratulations on your accomplishment.

Fantastic report and pictures! Thanks for posting the story.

Awesome hunt - congratulations!

Great Read!! Well Written!!

Wonderful report! Really enjoyed the photos.

Lee

Fabulous report. Makes me want to go.

As usual Ross, great report! Darwin runs a good outfit. Congratulations on a couple fine animals.

Just WOW! Being 70 years young brought your hunt close to my heart! Great pics and well written - thanks for sharing and a big S. Texas yeeeha for ya'll.

Wow great write up, great pictures and beautiful animals.

What a great adventure!!

Well done on the successful hunt, and thank you for sharing with us the story in such detail and wonderful photos. You've given me inspirations that I've still got a few decades left to do a hunt of this order!

Dream hunt!!
Nice read on a sundaymorning up in norway.

Congratulations and tanks for shearing.

bloody nice report, yep those bloody Kiwi's are every where

Dogcat,

That is a fine posting describing a great hunt! I'm sure that once the desert sheep is in the salt you'll take a break and then start thinking things like "A billie would look good beside that nannie..." or "the mountains Dall sheep live on are sort of low and rounded...."

Dean

Awesome report and some very good points made sir Congratulations

Morten

Well done Ross. Congrats!

the real deal

you guys stand tall

This hunt was the real deal. I came back with a deep appreciation and admiration for the hard core sheep addicts. I am a casual sheep hunter, going when I get the itch but not full blown addiction to it. It takes me a year or two to get past the thought, "I will never do this again" promise I make myself when I am cold, wet and very sore.

If you want to hunt Stone Sheep and maybe some others, this is the place.

Great report as always, Ross. Love your write ups and look forward to them after each hunt. Thank you for taking the time to write this up, and thank you for allowing us to help!

Greg

Great hunt and report!

What a kick ass hunt and a kick ass report. Thank you for sharing.
After just getting back from a bighorn hunt in Alberta on horseback I loved your writeup on the horseback aspect of sheep hunting. Awful damn animals but if it wasn't for them I couldn't get to the sheep.

SDR,
Post a report please! BigHorns are tough.

WOW! What dream hunt - congrats on some fine trophies. I really like the moose - lots of long points; you don't see that often. Well done!

Man, good for you both!! Excellent report, thank you!

What a fantastic hunt report! Congratulations on your wonderful experience, and thanks for describing it so beautifully. Outstanding "tell-the-story" photography as well.

Thanks also for including the bird list, always a nice secondary "trophy" on any hunt. Willow and Rock Ptarmigan on one trip...very nice!

That's the nicest outdoor toilet I've ever seen!

Really great story and photos. Congradulations on your hunt.

awesome trip report and photos! Thanks for sharing.

Outstanding! Congratulations on pulling off this difficult mountain hunt. I'm 65 yo and the knees and heart have enough wear that there will likely be no more mountain hunts for me. Thank goodness for the flat-lands.
Those are superb rams--and a heck of a nanny! Thanks for sharing all the great pix, too.

Damn fine report Mr dogcat!
It took me back to my sheep hunts!
Thank you sir.
Zeke