Outfitter: Ruby Range Outfitters

Hunt dates: Sept. 3-12th, 2015

Hunters: Myself and older brother

Rifles: Myself - .280 Browning A-Bolt. Brother - .325 WSM


I have to apologize on the delay for this report as it's long, long overdue. Here goes........

Over the years, my brother and I had always talked about going on a sheep hunt. We talked about it many times, but it just never came together. With me having two young children at home and my brother running a business (Pharmacy) it was hard to get away for that length of time.

Fast forward to the summer of 2014………..my brother calls me one day with not so great news. He was at the hospital for a checkup as he hadn’t been feeling good over the months….Leukemia! I couldn’t believe it! My father passed away from Leukemia when I was nine and now my brother has it. The only positive side, if you can say that, is that he was diagnosed with CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia) and not ALL (acute lymphocytic leukemia). Chronic tends to be a slow moving type, while acute is very fast.

A few months go by and my brother calls me. ”I think we should try do that sheep hunt, what do you think”? With his CLL diagnosis, he wants to try do the hunt now instead of later. I tell him that if momma o.k.’s it………I’m in! So, I talk to my wife and although a bit hesitant about it due to the length of the hunt (kids), the cost, remoteness, etc., she agrees with my brother…….we’ve always wanted to do this hunt, and we better do it now while we can.

I knew who to call. I picked up the phone and called Ross (Elliott) at Ruby Range outfitters. We were in luck, he had 2 openings on the last hunt for 2015. The owner of Ruby Range, Fritz, had these two spots set aside for some of his friends/clients from Europe, but they couldn’t make it. I told Ross that we would take the spots. I’d touch base with him in Vegas at SCI and go over some more of the details.

This was the best hunt for both me and my brother, physically. Both of us don’t do well at higher elevations and with my brother’s CLL, he tended to get tired pretty easy if he exerted himself too much. It was one of the easier hunts as far as sheep hunts go, with the mountains topping out about 7,000 feet. The hunt was a horseback hunt, and in certain areas, the horses could be rode most of the way up. Success has been 95% over the years on good mature rams with most hunters tagging out by day 5 or 6. It was the perfect hunt for us.

The concession Ruby Range holds, although the smallest in the Yukon, has one of the highest concentrations of Dall sheep per square mile. Animals one can hunt are Dall sheep, Moose, Caribou and Grizzly. Ruby Range is not on quota for sheep, but is on the others, with very limited tags.


The Trip:

Day 1 - Mon., Aug. 31st
We left home after dinner and drove up to Winnipeg, MB. which is where we would be flying in/out of. Even though I have a ton of miles banked on Delta, it was less of a hassle going out of Winnipeg. Only 2 hrs. away, less flights, one airline, good price (flights) and we would clear customs just a few miles from home instead of having to do it at the airport.
We left home about 7 pm, hit the border at 7:10 and we were out of there at 7:25! We arrived in Winnipeg about 9:30 pm, checked in and hit the hay.


Canadian Customs




Tues., Sept. 1st
Flew out of Winnipeg early a.m. with a layover in Vancouver and arrived in Whitehorse mid-afternoon. No delays and all of our bags made it! Ross (outfitter) was at the airport to meet us. We loaded up the pickup and headed for the hotel. On the way, I asked how the season was going. So far, they’d been 100%. The rams were averaging about 10 ½ years old.

The hotel (Edgewater). Nothing special but a very nice hotel. Front staff was very friendly and they catered to hunters.



Dinner
I had posted a thread here on AR before our hunt about where to eat and based on the reply’s we decided to try Klondike Rib and Salmon. It was the perfect place! Built in the early 1900’s and one of the oldest buildings in town. Very quaint little place………and very popular! Had to wait about an hour to get seated, but definitely worth it. http://www.klondikerib.com/

Klondike




Menu


Brother decided on the fish and chips. He said that they were some of the best he’s ever had!



I tried the Reindeer stew, minus the veggies with Bannock. Very tasty




Wednesday, Sept. 2nd
We met Ross in the lobby of the hotel at 7:30 for breakfast. Here, we were introduced to Grant, from Texas, the other hunter that would be riding in with us for the hunt. Grant was originally from Alberta, now living in Texas working for an oil company. He started working on the rigs at a young age had worked his way up the corporate ladder…..very nice guy.

8:30 am and with breakfast done, we were on our way. It was a 2 ½ hour ride to the lake where we would be meeting the owner. From there, we would travel by boat to meet up with the horses and the previous hunter(s) that would be coming out from their hunt. We arrived at the lake about 11:00 am, loaded up the boat and left. We were told that instead of going to meet the horses right away, we would be stopping at the owner’s cabin, which was on the way, as the horses/hunters were running a little bit late.




Meeting Fritz and our ride



Owner’s cabin



2:30 pm: We met the guides, horses and the other hunter (Jack) at the beach for the 3 hour ride to camp. There were originally 3 hunters on the hunt before us, but two of them had tagged early and left. Jack had also tagged out earlier (day 5) on a beautiful ram, but stayed for the remainder of the hunt to try for caribou. The caribou were sparse and he didn’t fill his tag, but Jack didn’t care. Tags were cheap and he’d taken a really nice bull a few years earlier with Ross……this was his 3rd hunt with them.

The beach


Jack's ram


Ride to camp




Base camp (Rock Creek):
We arrived into base camp at 5:30 pm and got settled in. We were to stay here for the night and head out in the morning to one of the other camps to start the hunt. Dean and I, with our guides (Aiden and Evan) would be going to one camp, while Grant and his guide, Dustin, would try another.


View from base camp - beautiful!


Hunters' cabin





Guides/Tack shed



Cook shack





Waiting for supper and taking in the surrounding beauty, I decided to glass a little. Lo and behold, right across from camp, was a band of sheep. 5 rams. Grant also had a group spotted, but all were lambs and ewes. We all examined the rams, two of which were definitely legal. When I asked about them (size), one of the guides responded “they’re just sheep”. Even though legal, I suppose they’d be equivalent to taking a 120” whitetail. Not what we were after………








Thursday, Sept. 3rd – 1st day of the hunt
Woke at 6 am, ate breakfast and left camp at 8:30 am.

About 10 minutes out of camp while on the trail, I thought I noticed something. In a low/boggy area off to the right, was something brown. I told one of the guides. We all stopped……turns out it was Tank, one of the horses. Tank went missing last night/this morning and the guides couldn’t find her. Here she was, stuck in a bog, lying on her side in about 10-12” water, shivering. Not being a horse person, I didn’t think much of it. Turns out that it wasn’t good. I could tell from the reactions of the guides that they were really worried she wouldn’t make it much longer if we couldn’t get her out. We tried and tried. Many times we thought we had it, only to have Tank fall back over into the bog. She was getting weaker by the minute. Finally at 12:30 pm, we had her out. It took two horses, 4 guys pulling, and one of the guides slapping her in the ass to get her up and out.

Tank stuck in the bog









1:30 pm
Grant and Dustin split off from us and headed North.

On the trail


2:45 pm
About 1 mile from our destination we spotted a grizzly. It was up on the hillside about 300 yds. off the trail. The bear watched us for a while and casually wondered off.

Grizzly


3:30 pm
We arrived at our outpost camp (Buster). This would be our home for the next few days. Since we arrived later than expected, due to Tank being stuck, it was really too late to unload and head out to hunt. Since it was a couple hours to our hunting area in the morning, it just wasn’t doable. We spent the rest of the day relaxing, talking.

Buster


Our little cabin


Cook shack - guides quarters



Friday, Sept. 4th – Day 2 of the hunt
Headed out of camp at 8:00 am. We rode the horses as far as we could up the mountain (2/3 of the way) and 2 hours later we were at our first spot. Weather wasn’t great. It drizzled rain off/on for most of the day. There had been some pretty crappy weather with some snow before we arrived. Pretty hard to see a white sheep with all of the snow! Cloudy and drizzled off/on throughout the day. We glassed from three different areas from the mountain that day. No sheep seen.

Leaving camp


At the top - all white!




Another area we glassed




Saturday, Sept. 5th – Day 3 of the hunt
Woke up to low clouds and rain. Didn’t look good. Had breakfast, waited a couple hours, talked it over and decided to give it a try, even though the clouds were still pretty low.

The morning weather



At 12:30 pm, while rounding a bend, there they were. 4 little white spots off in the distance, 2/3 of the way down the mountain. We stopped, quickly dismounted and looked them over. 4 rams bedded down. 2 of the rams were shooters. I asked if we dared to try a double, but the guides said that it was too much of a risk.

The rams





After watching the rams for about ½ hour and trying to figure out the best route/plan, my brother and his guide were on their way! We originally thought that they could just sneak along the bottom using the brush (taller than it looks) for cover, but just past the rams, was a ledge with a sharp drop off. With that, there wouldn’t be a shot from below unless they were within 50 - 60 yds. Having to get that close and with all the brush (noise), that plan was scrapped. The only other option, other than backtracking and coming in from the top/outside of the mountain, was to sneak along the bottom as far as they could and then cut up the hillside to try get parallel with the sheep using the rocks/boulders as cover. We watched patiently for 45 minutes as they slowly made their way. Finally, at 1:45 Evan said he could see they were in position. We waited and waited, watching through our spotting scopes. It was taking forever! A couple of the rams were constantly up and down milling around. The ram that my brother was after, had stayed bedded the whole time. At 3:30, Evan said it looked like it was going to happen. The ram had finally stood up and my brother had shouldered his rifle. I had bought/brought along a PhoneSkope for my cell phone and while waiting, mounted on my spotting scope. With the Bluetooth remote, I took pictures as fast I could to try get the shot. The shot went off………..he missed! Shit! Luckily, the rams didn’t spook from the shot. He fired again and the ram was down!! My brother had his sheep!!! Evan and I made our way to my brother and his ram. What a moment! Hugs and high fives all the way around. His sheep…….. 36” x 35”, 13 ½ bases and 10 years old. After taking tons of pictures, dressing/caping (full body mount) the sheep, we arrived back to camp at 7:30 pm.

Ram down!



My brother and his ram






Sunday, Sept. 6th - Day 4 of the hunt
It was decided late the night before that we were going to pack up and head back to base camp. We would spend the night there and head out to a different camp the next morning. Ross had texted the guides (all use Delorme InReach to communicate) and was going to be at the beach the day after with more supplies. One of the guides would leave from base camp with my brother’s meat/cape and meet up with Ross. I would continue to hunt and the guide would catch up to us later.

We took our time on the way back, stopping every now and then to glass. We saw a few lambs/ewes, but no rams. We arrived into camp mid afternoon






6:30 pm
Dustin and Grant had returned. Grant also had taken a ram yesterday morning. Very nice ram……37” on each side with 13 ¼” bases. Sounded like his ram was also down a little lower (elevation) as after he had shot the ram, they were able to ride the horses right up to the sheep to pack it out.

Grant's ram


Supper – Sheep meat!!




Monday, Sept. 7th – Day 5 of the hunt
Woke up around 6 am and had breakfast at 7. Our guides were nowhere to be found. Dustin (other guide) explained that the damn horses wandered off during the night and they were about 1 ½ miles down the valley! Aiden and Even were rounding them up……

Grant had decided he was going to leave. With his ram taken, no other tags in his pocket and nothing really to do, he would be heading out with the other guide to meet Ross. They would take the boat back across the lake and drive back into Whitehorse. Grant had a daughter Alberta and decided to spend a few days with her before heading back to Texas.

Waiting for the guides to arrive with the horses, we decided to glass from camp. We spotted 2 rams. They were straight across from camp again near the same area we had spotted the 4 rams on the first night, but higher up the mountain. We took a closer look at the rams. Only one was legal. One horn flared way out, while the other horn was tighter to his body and broomed. Maybe 8-9 years old.

Rams across the valley





9:15 am
The guides finally arrived back at camp with the horses. Since we were starting a little late, we decided to hunt out of here (base camp) today. We would head out and go around the backside of the mountain where we had just spotted the rams.......maybe there were more (rams).

11:00
We arrived on the backside of the mountain and glassed for a few hours. No rams. Only thing we saw that day was a bunch of lambs/ewes far across the valley.

Wanting a treat


Lambs/ewes


Heading back to camp





6 pm
Arrived back at camp. Aiden was there also. He had taken the sheep/capes and Grant to meet Ross. He would be with us the rest of the trip to help.



Tuesday, Sept. 8th – Day 6 of the hunt
Off to a different camp……….the plan was that we would hunt out of this camp until the last day. We would then head over to one of the other main camps that was located on a small lake. Here, we would take a float plane back to town.

The three of us packed light and left early. Aiden was to finish packing up camp and bring the rest of the gear/horses and would meet us at camp later on.



11:45
Stopped for a little glassing. Saw three caribou off in the distance. Turned out to be two cows/calf.

12:45
Stopped for some more glassing. Nothing but lambs/ewes

3:00 pm
Arrived into camp, unloaded and had a quick snack/coffee.







3:40
We saddled up again and rode about an hour up to an area they called the “glassing point”. From here, one could see many different valleys. Only thing we saw were some fresh grizzly tracks in the snow. Looked like a sow and two cubs.





6:30 pm
Arrived back at camp



Wednesday, Sept. 9th – Day 7 of the hunt
Even now, the guides were wondering what the hell was going on. Even though we’d seen a few rams, this wasn’t the norm. The weather must have pushed the rams out of their normal range(s). For the amount of ground that we covered so far, we should have seen numerous good rams. Most guys in the past had filled out by now on their hunt.

We left camp around 7 am and headed back up to “glassing rock”, for a quick glance…..nothing. From there, we walked the horses down the mountain and rode for about an hour down the valley, glassing everywhere. Once again, nothing. Aiden and Evan then decided that we should try “the bowl”. It was on the way back and it always seemed to have sheep in it. So, we climbed up to “the bowl” and glassed. Nothing……..not even a lamb/ewe!



Heading down


Climbing up to the "bowl"





Stopping for a break



6:30 pm
Arrived back at camp



Thursday, Sept. 10th – Day 8 of the hunt
We left camp a little late (8 am) as the weather wasn’t real good. Cloudy/light drizzle and windy. We headed off in a different direction this morning to try a new valley. As the ride progressed, the wind picked up. When we left camp, it was probably 15-20 mph. By the time we stopped to glass, it had picked up to 25 mph with gusts hitting 30-40. We glassed for a couple/few hours and not a single sheep.




Hunkering down from the wind



12:00
With no rams found, the guides mentioned that maybe we should head back to camp, pack up and move down to the camp where the float plane would be picking us up. We were near the edge of their concession at this camp and couldn't move any deeper into the area. Since we hadn’t seen any sheep in this area, I thought it was worth a shot.

The ride took us about 4 hours. At the top of the pass, the snow was knee high. Along with the wind, it made for a very cold ride.


Heading up the pass











7 pm
Arrived at our final camp. Dustin was already there along with the rest of the horses. He was busy fixing up some damage from a grizzly. It had gotten into the tack/feed shed and also the cook shack. Dustin mentioned that while he was there, he had spotted some rams a couple/few miles south. With that said, we knew our destination for the next morning.

Camp - once again, very comfortable
http://i1082.photobucket.com/a...day%208/P9100634.jpg





Our cabin






Friday, Sept. 11th – Day 9 of the hunt
Woke up to nice weather. We ate breakfast and left camp about 8 am.

To the South, where the rams were spotted, it had snowed during the night…… quite a bit (up high). It took us about 3 hours to get to the area. They hadn’t hunted that particular area a lot in the past so finding a decent trail was hit and miss. Some of the areas were very soft. At one point, my brother’s horse veered off the trail a little and went up to its belly in mud. Luckily, the horse was able to get free itself after a few tries. Could have been a repeat of day 1!







Heading up



We climbed up to a good vantage point and glassed for a few hours. Not one sheep.


Once again, we took our time on the way back to camp, stopping every now and then to glass. We did finally spot some sheep, but it was all lambs/ewes far off in the distance.


7:30 pm
Arrived back at camp



Saturday, Sept. 12th – Day 10 (final day) of the hunt
My brother just couldn’t make it today. While riding yesterday, his horse jumped over a little creek and his tailbone got smacked pretty hard on the back edge of the saddle. He could barely walk. He wished me luck and apologized for not being able to make it. I was with him when he got his sheep, and he wanted to be with if/when I got mine.

Today’s destination was to be “Hard Pass”. About 2 hours from camp….it had been a good area in the past. Just a mile or so out of camp, we noticed some sheep on one of the side hills. One ram and It was sublegal……….damn!

Glassing - ram was up in the saddle



We arrived at “Hard Pass”. Dustin and Aiden were also along. They were going to split up and see if they could find a ram. Evan and I climbed up. At the top, there were tracks everywhere! But, no sheep. Looked like lamb/ewes (tracks). We glassed/followed the tracks through the snow in all directions hoping to find a ram, but all led to nowhere. We walked a few more ridges over and glassed some more. Nothing.

Getting ready to climb up "Hard Pass"


Tracks up top


Selfie at the top



We glassed all day from a few different spots. The rams were just not there. My hunt was over.......I was going home empty.


On the way back to camp






Sunday, Sept. 13th - Fly out

Picture of the group: From left to right - Dustin (Ross's son), my brother Dean, Aiden, Myself, Evan






Coming into Whitehorse






I do have to admit that it was a hard pill to swallow, coming home empty. Especially on an expensive hunt like this. But, hunting is hunting, nothing is guaranteed.

Would my chances have been better if we would have split up and not hunted together......maybe, maybe not. One will never know. The hunt was about the two of us being/hunting together and I was fortunate enough to watch my brother take the ram of his dreams!

On a side note, my wife is letting me return..
I am heading back in a couple weeks (Aug. 23rd – Sept 3rd) and can’t wait…...

Great report with some wonderful photos. I hope your brother is doing well.
Best of luck to you this year. Look forward to the next report.

Awesome report and pictures, this is a hunt you will hold close for the rest of your life. Big congrats to your brother, what a great sheep! This is why I love to hunt, never a sure thing, very difficult, but always satisfying, and in your case, heart warming. Hope you have a great hunt, let us know.

Brett as you said this is hunting not collecting.

but you had a blast of a hunt with your brother.

no hunting alone is always hard but in the same time so rewarding.

wish you the best for the hunt coming. so far it is really warm over here, i may be around your spot for grizzly hunting ...

all the best.

Phil

Thanks for sharing, a great report.
Great photos.
As you say, hunting is not collection.
In a way you have, memories.

Wish you all the best for the next trip.

Fantastic report, it looks like a gorgeous place to hunt. You certainly put the work in.

Great report - thanks for posting all the photos!
Best wishes to your brother and family. Great that he got his ram and good luck for your return trip!

Thank you for the outstanding report and photos, I enjoyed it very much.

Regards
Aziz

Reading this had me going to edge of my seat as the hunt progressed and hoping you would get one.

I have had this happen, but on elks. They were there one day and then gone and we didn't see them again.

I will look for the hunt report where you get a great sheep for your efforts.

Nice post, sorry you didn't get a ram, hopefully you'll do it again and take a nice one.

All I kept thinking is that someone from Alberta is rotting away in Texas. That's really too bad!

Well, I’m back from my follow up hunt this year for my Dall Sheep…………below is the report.

Hunt dates this year were Aug.23 - Sept. 1 – one week earlier than 2015.

This year, I would be going solo. My brother would not be joining me. He had committed a year earlier to going with a close friend of his on a muzzle loader elk hunt in Colorado. They were to leave only 3 days after my return. He just couldn’t swing both….time wise.

Since I was going solo, my kids decided I needed something……..some good luck charms. My daughter presented me with a little pc. of art, which I made into a necklace. My son, a survival bracelet he had made while at a day camp for 4-H. I loved them……..I promised the kids that I would wear them every day!

The good lucks charms:


I leave home on the evening of Aug. 20th and spend the night in Winnipeg.

I arrived into Whitehorse on Sunday Aug. 21st and spent the night. Since the Edgewater Hotel was booked well in advance, I would spend the night at the Best Western Gold Rush Inn. Rooms were very adequate/clean and the hotel has an elevator, which was nice. The Edgewater doesn't. Price was comparable, about $180.00 a night.

Monday morning, Aug. 22nd
We eat breakfast and leave to the lake. Once again, we would take the boat across the lake to meet the guides/horses and ride into base camp.

1:00 pm
At the lake, I was introduced to the other hunter that would be riding into base camp with us.........Ralph. Another hunter, a doctor from N.Y., was also supposed to be in camp with us, but had to cancel. A few days before the hunt, the doctor called and said that the hospital wouldn't let him go. His partner/colleague that was supposed to cover for him at the hospital was out due to an illness so the hospital needed him to stay and cover! Luckily, it sounded like the hospital was going to reimburse the doctor for the hunt cost.......

We leave the lake with the horses around 2:30 pm and arrive into base camp around 5. Here, I am introduced to the newest member of the crew........Buzz. Buzz was a 6 year old blue healer that Dustin had picked up a few weeks before hunting season. The family that had him, ran a sled dog adventure business with huskies. Buzz and the huskies didn’t’ mesh for some reason, so Dustin said he would take the dog. I was informed that Buzz went everywhere with Dustin and/or the guides, even on the stalks!


Buzz



7:00 pm
Dinner
During the meal, I learned more about Ralph. Ralph was 42, single, and from Germany. He worked in facilities management with his father. His family comes over to B.C./Yukon every year for vacation, usually spending a month or two. They have a small cabin on a lake in B.C. where they spend most of their time. When not at the cabin, Ralph spends a lot of his time travelling around B.C., mainly fishing. Years earlier, he purchased a 16 foot boat and an older (2007) Ford F-350 with a camper on it. The rig is used for all his travels and is put in storage the other 10-11 months of the year. He also tries to go on a hunt every couple/few years when he’s over.


After dinner, we discussed the hunt plans for the following day. I would be guided by Aiden, and Ralph would have Dustin. Aiden and myself would hunt out of base camp for the day and ride south to a valley that hadn’t been hunted yet –“The Bog”. Dustin and Ralph would join us on the ride, but would split off and hunt another valley.



Aug. 23rd - Day 1
Weather – clear and sunny.....beautiful! High was 70-75 degrees.


9:00 am
Head out of camp


10:15 am
Dustin, Ralph and Buzz split off from us and head southwest.


10:45 am
We stop to glass down “The Bog” – nothing. We continue on down the valley


12:00 pm
Aiden stops. Sheep! Off to the right of us in a large bowl was a group of sheep. 4 rams. But, due to the distance, it was hard to tell if any of them were legal. We get back on the horses and ride in for a closer look. 15 minutes later, we are in a better position. We glass the bowl again……..there are now 10 rams. We spend an hour or so eating lunch and glassing the sheep. Only 1 ram out of the bunch looks to be legal. We decide to pass.


The bowl



3:00 pm
We stop to glass. A few minutes later, Aiden finds a couple of sheep. They are WAY down the valley, laying on a ledge. Due to the distance/heat signature waves, it was impossible to tell if they were rams or not. We decide to ride on for a closer look


Glassing the rams on the ledge



4:00 pm
We stop again and glass. One of the rams isn’t legal and the other, we still can’t tell. He is laying down and facing away from us. We decide to stay put and wait for the ram to move/turn. At 4:30 from behind the ledge, sheep start pouring out…..15 in all. Mainly lambs and ewes, but a few rams – sub legal. Finally, at 5:00, the ram that we have been waiting, get up and turns - sub legal. Damn! We mount up and head back towards camp


6:45 pm
We decide to stop at the area where Dustin and Ralph had split off from us to take a little break, stretch and to see if Dustin and Ralph are on their way back. A few minutes later, Aiden spots them coming down the valley. He says that it looks like Dustin has sheep bags on the horse! I ask him what he means……..he tells me that the guides usually use the white feed bags (for the horses) for carrying the sheep meat.


7:00 pm
Dustin, Ralph and Buzz pull in. Sure enough, Ralph has his ram! Unbelievable……….on his first damn day! We want to hear about the hunt, but due to it getting late we give a quick congratulations and head back towards camp……..we can hear about the details later.


8:00 pm
We arrive at base camp, have dinner and talk about the day. Turns out that Dustin and Ralph, along with Buzz had been riding about an hour or so down their valley when they spotted 4 or 5 rams. The rams were feeding higher up so they decided to watch them for a while. About 2 hours later, the rams started to move. Due to the terrain and their location, they couldn’t see exactly where the rams were headed. They decided to mount up and ride on, towards the sheep to get a better view. They had only been riding about 15-20 minutes and were coming up over a knoll when all of a sudden, the sheep were right there……150 yds. away. The rams had come down off of the mountain and were crossing the valley floor. Dustin and Ralph quickly dismounted and Dustin called out the best ram. Two shots later, and Ralph had his ram………. 37 ¼” on both sides, 14” bases and estimated at 10/11years old.


Ralph's ram



After talking about Ralph’s hunt, we discuss the plans for the following days. Aiden stated that since we didn’t see anything really worthwhile down “the bog”, we would pack up and head to a different camp tomorrow. It was to be one of the camps that we hunted out of last year…….the same camp that by brother had taken his ram out of. Both Aiden and Evan said that there was an old heavy double broomed ram in the area that they thought we should go after. Sounded good to me!



Aug. 24th - Day 2
Weather – partly cloudy, but nice. High was about 70 degree


11:00 am
We take our time in the morning, finish packing the horses and head out of camp. We take our time, stopping to glass a few times on the way. No rams/sheep were spotted, but I didn’t expect it. Sheep were rarely spotted on the way to this camp, but one always has to check.


3:00 pm
We pull into camp, unpack and just spend the rest of the day glassing from camp. Nothing.



Aug. 25th - Day 3
Weather – partly cloudy and a little cooler. High was about 55-60


8:30 am
We leave camp and head east to a mountain top that we glassed from last year on day two of our hunt. The one with all the snow! Once on top, five or six different valleys can be glassed.


10:15 am
On the ride up, we spot some sheep…….15 in all. Lambs and ewes.


10:30 am
We’re near the top. The horses can’t go any further. We unmount, tie up the horses and head out on foot.


10:45 – 12:00
We spend the time walking around the top of the mountain and stopping here and there to glass a few different valleys. We only find a single ram…..sub legal and about 4 years old.


Glassing the first valley



12:15 pm
Way off to the west, across two valleys, Aiden spots a group of five rams. Even at the distance we are at, Aiden can tell at least two of the rams are good good.


12:40
Six more rams are spotted – this time, to the east of us. Again, the rams are across two valleys. Closer examination shows that at least one of the rams would be a shooter.

I ask about going after some of the rams………either bunch. Aiden tells me that due to the distance of where they are at, there wouldn’t be enough time. “Really”, I asked. Aiden explained……we would have to walk the horses down (about 2 hours), ride over two valleys (another 2 hours), find the rams, put on a stalk (1-3 hours), and if one got a ram, dress//cape the animal, and then walk back down to the horses and ride to camp. Just couldn’t be done before dark. I thought about it for a minute and he was right, there wasn’t enough time.


2:15 pm
Five more rams are spotted way over to the west, about 1000 yds. from the other bunch of five that are now bedded. They are definitely rams, but are too far to judge their size.


3:20
WAY WEST, I spot another group of 10. Too far to tell if rams, or lambs/ewes.


4:30 pm
We decide to call it a day and walk the horses down the mountain....it takes 2 hours.


6:30 pm
We pull into camp, had dinner and talk about tomorrow. The plan for tomorrow was to ride north from camp. We would try see if we could find the two different groups of rams that we saw today off to the west. If they had stayed in the same general area, they should be visible from the valley in which we were going.



Aug. 26th - Day 4
Woke up at 6:45 to horseshit weather…….it had started to rain about 4:30 in the morning and was still raining. Low clouds/fog were present in all directions and things didn’t look good for getting out today. The clouds, fog and rain continued throughout the day. We never left camp. We did spot one lone ram from camp that was down pretty low, but he wasn’t legal.


Weather on day 4 - it never lifted



Aug. 27th - Day 5
Weather – crappy again! Low clouds, fog and rain off and on.


12:30 pm
Weather cleared enough for us to head out. We are going to head north to try locate the rams to the west we had spotted on day 3.


2:30 – 4:00
We glassed the areas we had seen the rams on day 3 – nothing. The weather once again starts to turn for the worse, so we headed back…………just before leaving, this appeared!


A double!



6:00 pm
We arrive back in camp



Aug. 28th - Day 6
Weather – once again, crappy. Low clouds, fog and rain off and on.


9:00 am
Even with the crappy weather, we decided to head out. We were going to head east towards the area we saw the group of 6 rams we saw on day 3. We didn’t see a thing. Had a light mist and low clouds/fog the whole morning. About 11:30 – 12:00 we decide to head back to camp. We would stop, have a cup or two of coffee, warm up a little and then maybe go out again, depending upon the weather.


Valley to the east we tried to glass



1:00 pm
We pull into camp. Aiden gets off his horse and for some weird reason, it spooks. Due to this, my horse also spooks……….and I’m on him!! He takes off like a bat out of hell! I try everything to get him to stop……pull back the reins, yell whoa, etc. It didn’t work! He was going so fast that within 30 – 40 yds., I couldn’t hold on any longer and I wound up falling off the horse, piling up in some bushes. The damage……. a slight bruise on my side and a scratch in the face. Turns out that yelling wasn’t the best thing to do………probably made it worse. Whole thing lasted about 10 seconds.


1:30
Head out again and go north to look for the rams we saw over to the west on day 3


2:30 – 4:00
Spent the time glassing – nothing


5:30
Pulled into camp - Evan was there along with Buzz. He had brought more supplies and was going to stay and help! I had the dynamic duo once again!

Before dinner, while walking behind camp, I found a horse shoe! Was it a sign, a good luck charm? Should I keep it and carry it with me? I wanted nothing to do with it…….to me, it was bad juju. I had found a horse shoe on last year’s hunt and had carried the damn thing in my pack for 8 days…..didn’t work worth shit! Plus, I had my lucky charms my kids had made/given me. I had worn them every day and had no intention of using something else.

The weather was starting to drive me nuts, especially after having bad weather most of last year’s hunt. Was this going to be a repeat of last year? I was really beginning to wonder!



Aug. 29th - Day 7
As on cue, it started raining about 4-4:30 in the morning and was continuing off and on. It had snowed higher up!

While eating breakfast, the rain stopped and the weather lifted a little. We decided that we were going to go out and try it……we were going to head north again. Third time’s the charm right?


11 am
We stop to glass and Aiden spots some sheep. 5 rams. They are up near the cliffs where we found the rams on day 3. We decide to ride to ride the horses up as far as we can, and then climb up to a better vantage point.


11:30 am
We reach the vantage point and glass………there are actually two different groups of rams! The group of 5 higher up and another group of 4 that are down low, in a basin near the valley floor. All 9 are rams, three of which are shooters! All of the legal rams are up higher in the group of 5. They are walking/milling around feeding. One ram looks better than the others, but we really can’t tell as it starts to snow a little, blurring the view. We decide to sit and wait for a while to see if the rams would bed. While waiting, I would look every now and then through one of the guides spotting scopes. The snow finally stops…….I am behind the scope at the time, and get a clear view of the one ram. He looks nice, well worth trying for, in my mind. Both Aiden and Evan take a closer look. They both agree, we need to try for him. One side appears to be between 38-40” while the other is slightly shorter and broomed. He carries good mass and appears to be at least 10 years of age.


The vantage point and the rams (red arrow)



Closer view of the rams



12:00
The rams finally bed and we decide to make our move. The wind should be good and there’s plenty of cover. We walk down from the vantage point and cross the valley floor……..I’m dying. I’m overheating. I have my long underwear (bottoms) on along with my hunting pants and rain pants. On top, I have 4 layers, a full pack and my rifle. I’m sweating my ass off! We stop a few different times and I peel off some layers. We get across the valley floor and start the climb up. If the rams stay bedded, we should come up within 2-300 yds. of them. To be honest, the climb was a bitch for me! My knees have started getting worse over the years and it was now showing! By the time we hit the top, my knees felt like jello.


2:30 pm
We finally reach the top. We sneak up and look around…………nothing. A few minutes later, Aiden sees a couple of rams. They are off to our left, down lower, and heading away from us up the cliffs on the other side. Range is 600 yds. My heart dropped. Did the wind shift? Had they spotted us? Aiden quickly glasses the rams………thank god, it’s not the group we are after. It’s the four rams from the floor of the basin we had seen earlier.

I realize at this moment that I hadn’t chambered a round yet, just 3 in the clip. Maybe I should….we’re getting close. I work the bolt and try chamber a round….it won’t close! I try again, and again………it still won’t close. WTF, you’ve got to be kidding me! I’ve NEVER had a problem with this gun and it has to happen now! Evan finally reaches over, grabs my gun, pulls back the bolt and ejects the bullet. He examines the bullet. The brass casing is screwed up (factory issue) and not allowing it to seat properly in the barrel. We toss the bullet aside and I replace it with another. I throw the bolt again……all is good. We’re back in business!


2:50 pm
Aiden tells us to stay put. He is going to sneak along the top to look for the other rams. He only gets about 40-50 yds. when he motions to us……the rams are right over the crest. We stay low and crawl up to Aiden. I look over the crest and there they are……..the 5 rams. And, they’re looking directly at us! Aiden tells me to quickly get into position as the rams are getting nervous. He will tell me which ram to shoot and Evan will give me the distance. I quickly grab my pack and throw it down for a rest. It’s not good. With the rolling terrain, I need more height for a clean shot. Evan pushes his pack over to me and I throw it on top of mine. The height is there, but it’s not steady. It’ll have to do…….and quick! With all of the moving around I had to do to get into position, the rams were now on the move, heading towards the top of the ridge. Aiden tells me to take the back/last ram. Evan gives the range at 225 yds. It takes me a little while to find the back ram in my scope, but I finally find him. I click off the safety and pull the trigger…….I miss! I chamber another round, quickly find the back ram and fire again. He’s hit! The guides say to hit him again. I fire again…….another miss. I now realize that I have to reload, as my clip only holds three. I have another shell in my front pocket, so I pull it out and quickly reload. I fire for the 4th time and he’s down…….I have my ram!

After some high five’s and quick hugs, we head over to my ram. It was the one we were after, the largest in the group of five. He was magnificent!


My lucky charms. True to my word, I wore them every day!



The money shot!
39 x 33 3/4 with 14" bases and 11 to 12 years old.



A closer view of my ram




3:30 – 6:00
We spend this time taking pictures and dressing/skinning my ram – took a little longer since I want to do a full body mount.
While dressing out the ram, I happened to look down towards the valley floor. I couldn’t believe it......here, directly below us about 7-800 yds. away was the exact spot my brother took his ram on last year’s hunt. Pretty cool!


Spot my brother took his ram last year - small x on the picture below the cloud shadow




7:00 pm
We arrive at the horses and head back to camp………was the quickest horse ride back ever!


8:00 pm
We arrive back in camp and have supper – the guides’ traditional supper after getting a ram.
Chili-Mac. It’s a combination of Kraft Dinner (mac and cheese) and Hormel chili, minus the beans. It’s actually very good……..something the guides threw together one time and now a tradition.

After dinner, a message was sent via In Reach to see about the possibility of me getting out early. With my hunt over and nothing left to really do, I wanted to get home. Even though it would only be a few days early, I promised my wife I would try. That, and it was Labor Day weekend coming up. It was a go. Turns out that they needed to go to town for supplies and would give me ride. We would meet the boat at the lake on Wednesday at 1:00 and head back. I would spend the night in Whitehorse and hopefully head out on Thursday afternoon. Thursday morning, we would head over to fish and game to register my sheep and get an export permit for my meat.



Aug. 31st - Wednesday
We leave camp, meet the horses and boat and I get a ride to town. I check into the hotel (Edgewater this time) and call Air Canada. I can get out tomorrow at 12:30 pm. And, it’s only about $120.00 USD. I book the flights.



Sept. 1st - Thursday morning
8:00 am
Ross meets me up at the hotel, we have breakfast and then head over to fish and game to register my sheep. We are lucky……..we are first in line. We wait about 5 minutes and are then led to a small room where a Biologist is waiting. First up, my ram is given a number and photographed. Next, it is measured and aged. Finally, the ram is plugged. Total process took about 1 hour.


Registering my ram - the biologist aged him at 12.



12:30 pm
With a tremendous ram, a cooler full of meat, and memories that will last forever, I am on the plane heading home.............two days early.

I am not even a sheep hunter and I enjoyed your report! Persistence pays off, well done.

Proof persistence pays!

Totally awesome.

Congratulations on your well earned ram.

Your photos are spectacular. Thanks for sharing your adventure.


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Congrats on a "true adventure x 2" and a great ram! Well done. I agree that the picture of you and your ram with the mountains in the background is one of the better trophy pix I have seen on these boards.

Great report and congratulations on a fine adventure.
Funny how hunts work out. The hard climb testing you, the bad cartridge, multiple shots and finally the payoff. Great animals always seem to be hard earned. I think that's the way it should be. Thanks for posting.

great report, I enjoyed every bit of it.

Brett, Thanks for sharing. This is one of the best hunting reports ever on accuratereloading! Persistence is easy to imagine and tough to do with soooo many days hoping for a chance in a lifetime. Plus, the ram pic is just awesome and I bet your kids were pretty excited with their good luck charms.

Congrats!

Great reports. Glad you finally got your ram. He's a beauty!

That was a great read with a great result..and NO FENCES!

Thanks for taking the time to do the full report.

Bloody hell that was an intense report. Well done on your kids giving you all the luck.

Great looking sheep and fine report.

Great report. Loved all the photos. Pays to be persistent(and have some luck).

The Yukon is one of the most beautiful places on earth. I can relate to the horse issues, you can't hunt without them in that country but they come with their issues. That is a lot of miles in the saddle. Beautiful ram, you worked for him.

Great reports X2 the next best thing to being there. Memories and quality time spent with your brother. Very well done on your Ram . jc