This is a continuation of https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/8521043/m/539106829

Part 2 - Dall Sheep Hunt 2008


Fast forward to the fall of 2007. Another good friend, Bob, called and said he wanted to hunt Stone sheep in Canada in the same places Jack O’Conner did many years ago. He wanted to do a horseback hunt in the Cassiers. Bob is a hard core elk hunter having taken 40 or 50 elk in Wyoming and Montana. He likes to hunt Alaska and had taken a Dall and a moose there. Before I could check my mouth, I said – “yea I will go with youâ€. Then he said it would be on horses!!! I gave up horses forever. I swore I would never ride one again on purpose. Now I had done it, I committed to something that I really did not want to do.

Fortunately, the deal fell through and the Canadian outfitter did not honor his original prices trying to gouge us for extra money. We dropped the deal. However, Bob then called his sheep guide in Alaska to check on a bear hunt. One thing led to another and he worked out a Dall sheep opportunity for me and grizzly hunt for him out of the same camp in the same area. Now, the deal is “on†again and I am on the hook to hunt Dall sheep, on foot in the Wrangell Mountains out of Nabesna, Alaska.

November 2007, Bob calls and tells me to get ready for an August hunt. I gag and choke as I had secretly hoped the deal would be “off†and just go away. But that was not to be and Bob was enthusiastic about it. I was not. The only good news was that there are no horses involved. They can be bear bait for all I care.

Unlike my reintroduction (or should I say resurrection) to big game hunting in 1990, I was a lot older, not in good shape, my kids are now in college and am extremely busy during the biggest oil boom of my career. I have no time, no money (again, tuition is expensive) and very little desire to climb mountains again.

However, I started thinking about what happened 29 years earlier and how I was “beaten†by the sheep – physically and mentally. Like most of us in our 50’s, we like to see ourselves as still able to take on the physical challenges as well as the mental tests of life. I began to see this as a chance to reprove myself to myself that, yes, you were beaten, you lost, you quit – but you can get a second chance to prove yourself to yourself. Why not? What can I lose?

Well, a lot really. Self-respect, self confidence and motivation to hunt again. I did not want to go through the process of self introspection that resulted in a 12 year hiatus from hunting and the outdoors. I did not want to “fail or quit†again.

There are no guarantees in hunting and I could not guarantee myself that success would follow if I took this on. But, what is the definition of success? Not quitting? Killing a sheep? Persevering? What is success in sheep hunting? I think more than anything it is preparing to take on the animal in the environment it lives in, on fair terms. Killing or not does not define success. Being tested and coming through the test is success.

Locked in on that mindset, I set up a plan to prepare physically and mentally. The physical part is easy to plan but hard to do. I decided to start walking every day at least 2 miles, with 5 mile hikes on weekends, then adding a pack slowing increasing the weight of the pack up to fifty pounds. My wife and I did this together. I also did a lot of deep knee bends to get the old knees ready. I maxed out at 3 sets of 50 every morning. I did light weights, dumbbells for my arms and shoulders. I started this in November and worked up to a pack weight of 50 pounds by April. I tried to go higher and did work at 65 lbs for week or so but started having back pain. I backed off to 50lbs and was fine. From April to August, I started losing weight (20 pounds) and walking stadium steps, first without a pack then with a pack. I did this in the heat of an Oklahoma summer and without much water – to get myself ready for the Wrangells.

Mentally, I started planning the equipment and shooting prep work. I enjoy planning and the equipment selection aspect of a hunt. I started with boots and had a great pair that fit well and were suited for mountains and “wetnessâ€. Next came the pack – an external frame from Cabelas after much research. Then a rain suit from Helly Hanson – reputed to be the best and I confirmed this on the actual trip. Next were the layers – I like Polartec light weights as a base layer with windstopper Mammut Champ pants and Mountain Hardwear shells as an outer later. I used a Cabelas windstopper fleece jacket as well. I failed to get decent gloves and this was a minor problem. The best piece of equipment was getting a shooting/walking stick or a monopod from Stoney Creek. This was fantastic and I used it on every practice/training hike as well as on the hunt. I cannot imagine hunting that type of terrain without a walking stick. I took my beat up Winchester Model 70 in .300 Win Mag shooting 180 grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw bullets from Federal. Scope was Leupold VXIII 3.5x10x42. Bino’s were Swarovski 10x42’s. These were great but heavy and a pain to carry. Next time I will use 8x30’s. I will detail the “stuff†at the end of this narrative.

I practiced by shooting about 200 rounds at silhouettes out to 450 yards and was very consistent to 300 yards. I shot sitting down and off the monopod as I felt this was the best way to prepare. I have a great range close by that offers every distance out to 600 yards.

The Actual Hunt (Aug 16-28, 2008)

Flight to Anchorage, over night there, then drive 300 miles east to Nabesna to meet the guides and fly out from there. No problems. Great scenery, lousy roads. Saw the Alaska oil pipeline. The houses along the way look like southeastern Oklahoma, run down with broken down cars strewn about the yards. I was a little surprised at that as we drove along.

Arrived at Kirk Ellis Big Game Guides home and headquarters at the end of the road in the Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Reserve. It is literally at the end of the road on land settled by Kirk’s parents in the 1950’s. He, his brother and mother have homes there.


Kirk builds his own bush planes, the standard two seat Cessna with the balloon tires for landing on rough, short places. In my long legged life, I never expected to fly in a plane that person actually built himself. The word “Experimental†was stenciled on the inside of the plane. He knows his stuff and if he is willing to get in and fly, I may as well ride with him. At least he knows how to fix it if something breaks. You sit very close to the pilot, much like a bobsled. He asked me to lift my rear off the seat during take off to raise the center of gravity on the plane as it bounced down the dirt airstrip. I was a little surprised but did as I was told.



The sights are amazing when traveling this low and this slow. I could see a long ways but also a great deal of detail on the ground. Everywhere was “wetâ€. Streams, ponds, rivelets, puddles – water was everywhere.

We unloaded gear, sighted in our rifles and fly straight out to the hunt area as weather was moving in (little did I know that weather played havoc on our hunt and for others). A twenty minute flight over the mountains, or should I say through the passes in the mountains, and we landed on a cobblestone dry river bed.


The guides (Red and Albert) were setting up two Cabela’s Extreme Condition Outfitter Tents, cots and stowing gear.


A bear had come to the camp the day before and torn up one tent, so another was flown in and set up.


In the air and at the camp we could see sheep. The white coat stands out on the dark shale slides that make up most of the mountain sides. We saw one sizeable ram on the flight in, but are not allowed to hunt the day of a flight. That was no big deal as we were tired and it was late in the day when we got settled.

After setting up, someone noticed the food was not here. A quick call on the satellite phone and the food was brought out. Lucky we did not wait a day on this as the weather was about to bite us.

Day 1 – Up at 5am, breakfast and out to look around in a drainage that started about a mile from camp. Weather was cool, 40’s and overcast and damp feeling. I went with Albert, a 30 year old from Colorado, to see what we could see. Right off, I was glad I spent time getting my legs and back in shape. We crossed shallow streams, humped it through muskeg mush that swallows your feet in a carpet like blanket of moss. We slowly climbed up several washes and tried to gain a little elevation in order to start glassing. We used a “boot condom†to cover our legs and boots when crossing streams. It was a novel way to avoid hip waders, but they did not last long with the constant use.

We spotted sheep and saw on sizeable ram about mid-day at 2 miles, but were too far to make a stalk. The sheep are in most of the drainages and relatively easy to see, just hard to get to. We traveled well up the drainage to see as much territory as possible, then started back. I would have thought we could cover 2 to 2 ½ miles per hour but it was more like 1 mile per hour in the mush. I was beat by the time I got to camp. Enjoyed the day and Albert. Bob and Red saw a grizzly about an hour into glassing this morning but were winded and the bear disappeared in the alders and thickets along the river.



One thing about this country, it is big, deceiving and potentially treacherous. The hills/mountains are steeper than they look and rougher. The ground is never easy to walk on as it is either mush or rocks or shale. One description of the shale is that it is like walking on a big pile of dinner plates. I agree. It is slippery and requires a knack to get used to it. Also, there is no wood for fires. I was a bit surprised but could see that the terrain and ecosystem could not support a lot of flora and fauna. No soil to speak of and very porous at that.

Day 2 – Weather looks bad but is clear enough to start out and see a little of the mountains. We head for another drainage where some sheep were seen a couple of days ago. Enroute, the weather goes to pot with fog moving in and rain starting. We set up on the side of hill, out of the wind and hope to wait it out. After 4 hours of sitting in the rain and fog, we decide to head back down to camp and hope for better weather tomorrow.

On the way back to camp and within sight of camp, I spotted a black bear eating berries in the river bottom. At 100 yards, I pointed it to Albert and we dropped to look. He thought it was a young grizzly but it was too black. He thought it was a dark grizzly. I had a bear tag and asked him if it was a shooter or not. He was no sure but looked it over in the bino’s and said – “yea, a shooter, a good sized black bearâ€. A shot from the .300 and the bear was down quickly. Turns out the bear was an average sized (for the area according to the Alaska F&G people) female black bear, about 200 to 250lbs. Honestly, I was a bit surprised at the assessment by my guide. This is the first bear of any type I have ever seen in the wild and was not real sure of what I was looking at. All I could remember from “Perfect Shot†and other bear writings was that if the ears look small, it is a big bear and “if the bear looks big, it likely isâ€. Well, having no point of reference for bigness, I was unsure. However, I am the shooter and I shot, so what I killed is what I killed. If I could do an instant replay, I would have not shot a female or one this size. I am not in need a rug that bad to take an average to below average bear, a female at that. When we got back to camp, Red, the older more experienced guide, was not too wordy about the bear. No words were spoken in my presence and I said nothing about the issue. What is done is done. If it was a mistake, it was an honest one and learning experience.



Bob and Red went out glassing about a 10 square mile area of alders and drainage without seeing a bear or any recent bear sign. Weather descended on us with wind, rain and fog starting about 3pm. Little did we know that this was to be a constant for the next week.

Day 3-4-5-6-7 – Rain, fog, wind. Next to zero visibility and no let up. We stayed in our tents, read, told stories, ate slowly, attempted to walk a mile or so up or down river to glass for bears, but no luck. The Helly Hanson rain gear is good. It is hot but keeps you dry. The pants are not as well made as I would like – using a drawstring to hold them up, but overall, I stayed dry. My boots delaminated from the soles on day 3 while crossing a stream for an instant wet foot. These are Meindl boots and extremely well made. They are about 15 years old with average use, but I was surprised they failed. I re-glued them and they stayed fairly dry the rest of the trip.

The fog was up and down. At times we could see the mountains, then, in 30 minutes, it was covered again. In between fog banks, we spotted the same ram we saw on day 1 only a little closer to us. He had moved across a couple of washes and seemed to take up residence on the leeward side of a mountain facing our camp about two miles away. Red checked him with a 60x scope and said he was likely a shooter. Bob and Red did a couple of short hikes to try and glass for bears but no luck due to limited visibility.





Called in to base camp on day 4 and day 6 asking about weather forecasts. They said each time, that the forecast was for two more days of the same fog-rain-wind. They had five hunters stranded at base camp waiting to go out and had other groups stranded trying to get in. I would hate to be in the outfitting business.

On day 7 we could hear a plane nearby but the fog was too low to allow a landing. They had tried to get food and propane to us but could not.

During this time, I started asking myself – “what are you doing here, what have you got to prove?â€. I promised the Lord I will never do this again, just get us out of here before we need an ark. As a Christian, I spend time every day in the Word and in prayer. Each day, Bob and I would discuss whatever passage we were reading and work to see how to apply it to our lives. This is a great strength and support for me, especially under circumstances that would test the best of friendships and personalities. In this entire time, not one cross word or problem came up as a result of anger or frustration. As to “why am I here†– I had settled that question before I went. I was there to prove to me that I am no quitter and can do this under the right terms and frame of mind. I had prepared and was ready. If the weather knocked us down, we would get up and do our best letting the results take care of themselves. No way were we giving up.

Day 8 – We are nearly out of food and propane for cooking – down to a couple of cans of beans, hot dogs and peanut butter. The weather has lifted and we can see the mountains again. The ram we spotted earlier was still on the mountain in the same general area. We called the base camp for a weather report and found that things would clear for 36 to 48 hours then go bad again. We had to make a decision – call for the plane now and go out or chance one more day and hope to get out then. If I missed the plane out on either day, I would miss seeing my son off to college as he was due to leave when I got home. No way was I going to miss that as he is the baby and the last off to college.

Talked with the guys and decided to hump it hard up the mountain, make one stalk, and one attempt for a shot – success or no, we would come out asap to try and beat the weather.



Both guides would go with me and Bob would stay in camp using the spotting scope to keep an eye on the sheep. If we lost the sheep, he would signal us. We loaded packs and hip boots to get started.

We had to cross the same not-so-shallow-now river about six times to get to the base of the mountain then climb about 400 vertical feet through alders to get to the black shale. What seemed like several hours took about an hour and quarter to cover two miles to the base, then we started the climb over the shale and rock of about 2000’ vertical feet to parallel to sheep. Again, I was glad I trained, but it was still a leg burner to get up the shale while trying to maintain balance.

We got to the where we thought the sheep should be, but he had moved on to a slide further away. We cat walked across some near vertical rock debris that literally had me scared spit-less. I am not claustrophobic nor am I afraid of heights, but leaning outward with a pack from a short over hang cliff that required me to grab the rock and hold on while inching under and around the overhang was more excitement than I paid for. Never again will I do that. One slip or loose rock and down you go to injury or worse. I was spooked and took a minute or two to gather myself remembering a Bible verse about “hind’s feet on high placesâ€. Within ten minutes Red spotted the ram above us and upwind. The ram had not smelled or spotted us. He double checked the horns, both were full curl plus, not huge but a legal ram. He estimated the distance at 225 yards and ranged it at 203 – not bad for being on the side of the mountain looking 60 degrees uphill. I used a coat for a rest, settled for the shot and waited for the ram to turn broadside. In about thirty seconds he turned, I shot, he flinched and froze, I shot a second shot and he dropped and started the “ram roll†down the hill. He stopped on a ledge about 100 yards from us, but across a chasm we could not cross. Both shots in the shoulder with the bullet exiting.

Now the fun began. We climbed about 300 feet up, then across a rock slide, and then skated down to the ram trying to kick rocks down on it and start the “ram roll†again. Relief! Dead, horns are legal and a great stalk! We took pictures, caped and quartered the ram all in view of Bob on the valley floor. He was able to watch the entire stalk from camp and see us and the ram in the lense when the shot was fired.







Packs loaded and down the mountain we ski-skated. It took just under three hours to get up the mountain and about 2 hours to get down loaded with sheep and horns. This was harder than expected due to balancing and not wanting to take a header down slope. We left camp at 8am and were back at 5pm. Bob called for the plane which arrived at 6:30pm and we headed out ahead of the next round of weather. There was no real time to savor the moment due to the weather and time constraints getting out. I do not regret this as we needed to get out or plan to stay for another week (as the weather turned bad again). Plus the outfitted had to get other people moved around as well.







I regret Bob did not get a shot at a grizzly. He never complained and encouraged me all the way. He is a gentleman and sportsman of the highest order.



Back to base camp, a hot shower, hot food and a bed rather than a cot. The simple pleasures make life great.

Day 9 – Drive to Anchorage to catch a flight. Lots of delays due to roads being flooded and construction. Great scenery as we drove – glaciers, mountains, passes, rivers and an odd assortment of other vehicles on the road. Make it 300 miles to the airport within fifteen minutes of departure and make the flight back.

Afterglow Thoughts

1. Mission accomplished. Preparation met opportunity and a great Dall sheep was taken. Mentally prepared and physically prepared this time. What did not happen 29 years ago was completed. A sense of great relief and restored faith occurred.

2. Sheep hunters are a rare and unusual breed of hunter. We met a guy in camp that was about 65 and after all of the sheep in the world. He was headed to Tajikistan for Marco Polo and to Russia for one of the snow sheep this year. He took a nice Dall as well. His passion seemed to be collecting the heads. He was all about inches and SCI this or Boone and Crockett that. My passion is collecting the experience of doing this.

3. I doubt I will ever hunt sheep again. I appreciate and admire the various sheep and the men that pursue them. For me, I do not have the desire to test myself continuously in the pursuit of a Grand Slam or some other goal. The experience taught me that a lot about what I like to do and do not like to do. If I do, it will be with my sons.

4. Having hunted Africa twice and many times in the Rockies in elk camps and deer camps, and now having hunted in a sheep camp – I prefer Africa. Ok, I know you die hard sheep hunters or horseback hunters in the US and Canada will jeer a bit at me, but let me elaborate. In my younger years, no hill was too high, no distance too far, risks did not worry me. At this stage of my life, I prefer less hills, warmer weather, no horses and companionship with family on hunts. On the trips to the Rockies and Alaska, I went with friends but not family. Great people, but not family. School was in session and my wife does not like roughing it. Africa is hunted in the summer (our summer), the camps are pretty cushy (laundry done, toilets, showers, gourmet food), the people we meet are unique to us and the cultures are interesting and new. Our family talks about Africa nearly every day. We relive our hunt/adventure over and over. It is hard to relate an elk hunt or sheep up to my loved ones when they did not participate. Plus, there are no horses in Africa.

5. The guides in Alaska and Rockies are great breed of people. They are addicted to hunting – be sheep or elk or whatever, they live for that as they only get to ply their trade 6 to 8 weeks per year. The professional hunters in Africa work nearly year around and are as committed as their North American counterparts. I like and admire both, but they are different. The PH’s seem to run the show a lot more as the hunting is a lot different. There is a tracker and a spotter on the team whereas the guides serve as tracker and spotter. There is a camp staff taking care of food, skinning, cleaning, washing and preparing everything for the hunters. Guides do this themselves, however, in some camps there is a cook. In Africa, tracking is the main form of hunting. In North America, it is spot and stalk. Similar yet different. No horses in Africa, just the ever present Toyota Land Cruiser. It is an entirely different atmosphere. When I talk to PH’s, they want to come to America to hunt in an elk camp or sheep camp. Guides want to go to Africa to experience that type of hunt. It is different hunting but the focus is still on hunting.

6. If I hunt bears again, I plan to do a little more homework on what is big and what is not. I am not consumed with size, but prefer to always take the old boar rather than a young bear or a female. My fault, not the guides, for pulling the trigger too quick and not looking a little longer. Maybe a boat hunt next time.

7. I still hate horses.

Equipment Summary

Rifle – Standard Post-64 Winchester Model 70, controlled round feed, wood and blue. If I go back to a wet place, I am getting a stainless or a coated metal in a plastic stock. Hints of rust showed up early and I was nervous about how wet the rifle stayed. In the end, it performed, but I would still go stainless next time.

Ammo – Federal Premium 180 grain Trophy bonded Bear Claw. I like this bullet and use it a lot. I would also like to have tried Barnes Triple Shocks but did not.

Optics – Leupold VX III 3.5 x10 in matte finish with standard duplex crosshairs. No problems. Used a rubber scope cover that was much needed, not a bikini type, but a full enclosing scope cover.
Swarovski 10 x 42 SLC binoculars with harness. Great clarity, but too heavy for a sheep hunt. Next time, I use an 8 x 30 pair that weigh much less.

Pack – Cabela’s Alaskan Outfitters Pack with External Frame – it was too big for what I needed. I was unsure of what size pack to take. This one was about 25% too big for daily use but perfect for packing out the sheep. The frame has a built in rifle carrier and a pack rain cover, which I used every day. Overall, I would use this one again. I tried the Dragonfly pack while testing but did not like the fit; however, it is a well made pack.

Pants (outer shell) – Mammut Champ brand wind pants. These were recommended by several sheep hunters. They have a flexible and padded knee along with being wind proof and water resistant. This was the best pair of hunting pants I have ever used. They are elastic-stretchy and give with you, they keep you warm in the wind and dry in the mist. For back ups, I had a pair of Mountain Hardwear wind-stopper pants that were vented at the boot and hip. I never put them on but they would have worked well if needed.

Jacket (outer shell) – Mountain Hardwear wind-stopper jacket with zippered vents (from REI) under the arms. Great, form fitting jacket, and performed well. Also used a Cabale’s heavy fleece wind-stopper jacket that was great in the cold wild. I used both every day with great satisfaction.

Hats – used a traditional ball cap for most days along with the hood on the rain suit. Used a stocking cap for cold and wind days. This helped a lot.

Boots and Socks – Cabela’s Meindl 10†insulated mountain boots – I like them and would use them again. My pair was 15 years old and delaminated from the sole, but that was due to age (I think) rather than construction. I like the 10†height for stability on the steep slopes. Used Smartwool socks with silk liners. I had no problems with blisters or foot related problems. Used regular tennis shoes for camp shoes.

Rain Gear – Lots of debate before I went. I have a Cabela’s GoreTex rainsuit I have used many times. However, referrals from several Alaskans said to go with Helly Hanson. I did and think that was the best option. The GoreTex stuff gets wet and is hard to dry out. The Helly stuff dries out with a hard shake and a few minutes in heat or the sun. It is hot when hiking, but it does keep you dry.

Gloves – I took two pair, one deerskin lightweight for climbing and one neoprene waterproof for cold and rain. Neither worked well – the deerskin gloves got wet due to all of the rain and never dried out. They hold there shape but were of no use. The neoprene were warm, too warm causing my hands to sweat too much and get cold. I do not have a good solution for gloves. Duck hunting or skiing gloves may be better.

Under Wear – I had two sets of Polartec merino wool/polyester tops and bottoms – one a light weight and one a mid weight. I use both and they wicked perspiration off me and kept me warm. I bought these are Bass Pro Shop.

Under-Under Wear – I bought briefs and t-shirts from REI, all 100 % polyester. Very comfortable and light.

Sleeping bag – Mummy style Mountain Hardwear 0 degree bag. No problems. Used this many times in many places. Used a compression bag to shrink it for easy carrying.
Also used a light weight Thermarest sleeping pad, much needed while sleeping on a cot.

Walking Stick – Mono-pod shooting stick from Stoney Point. This was a life saver, very light weight and adjustable up to 62†tall. I used it every step of the way, especially crossing creeks and rivers. I fell on it and bent it the last day, but it did its job. It has a V rest on top to use to shoot from if needed. I practiced at length with this and was very handy at adjusting for sitting or standing shots.

Camera – Canon A710 IS – did great and is easy on batteries. Used Saeed’s review to pick out this camera.

Misc. Gear– Packed everything in one wheeled duffle and one carryon. I use light weight, nylon bags from Cabela’s, not for longevity as ever bag I have ever had been wrecked by the airlines. These are cheap and replaceable. I do not use canvas or hard plastic due to weight. I packed all items in various sizes of zip lok bags for sorting and easy of locating. This was a good move.
I used an SKB single rifle case that was impressive. This is the lamb leg looking case that holds one scoped rifle. All went well until the return flight when the TSA twerp would not accept the case because it only had one locking latch on it (there were four latches total). No issue on the trip to Alaska, but this guy made me put my rifle in my partners case. Thank goodness he had a large enough case for both rifles. Neither rifle cases made it home until the next day and Bob’s was banged up badly.
I took an extensive first aid kit with forceps, various bandages and compresses. This was needed as the young guide cut himself with a knife and needed more that a regular band-aid. I took a survival kit consisting of a compass, space blanket, whistle, mirror, matches, and tinder. This was not needed. Bob brought a satellite phone (Iridium) that he rented. This was money extremely well spent as we used it daily to call home and to check weather. The guides had no way to communicate with the base camp.
Take some parachute cord and some clothes pins for hanging clothes. I did this in the tent and it helped some. Another helpful item was a sheet of plastic to sit on while glassing. The Girl Scouts call this a “Sit-Uponâ€, the Boy Scouts used these at Philmont along with Crazy Creek folding seats for sitting around. The guides used a small piece of foam where as I used plastic. This kept my rear dry. For sanitary issues, I took three packs of wet-wipes (like what you use on babies) and a small bottle of Purell (evaporative hand cleaner). These both help me stay relatively clean.

Pleasant Surprises

1. I like the bush planes. What a hoot flying on one of those.

2. The older guide, Red, was a dyed in the wool sheep hunter. He was reformed hippie from an older life and is settled in Oregon. He is a great grandfather and under 60 years old. Hunts sheep in the fall, bears in the spring, follows trade shows selling coffee from a coffee cart in the summer. He had great stories to tell and was fun. The younger guide, Albert, was energetic and positive. He was thirty and full of energy. He is a extreme skier as well. Never complained, never had a negative word. Good guy, will be a really good guide with more hunts under his belt.

3. The overall operation is centered out of the homes of a couple of brothers. These guys were raised in the area and have hunted all their lives. They both fly, and fly a lot, and have been at this for 40 years. They had a neat “trophy room†on the property, which was a log house full of momentos of the area (gold mining stuff, homestead stuff, Eskimo stuff) and a bunch of mounts of sheep, polar bears, 70†moose, brown and grizzly bears, caribou, an albino moose, wolverines and many other critters. I was amazing and impressive. There were about 20 Dall sheep mounts that would dazzle you – a couple of 44†rams! I asked them about the hunter that wants a 40†ram. They said that the big ones are very rare and are “where you find themâ€. You could go an entire season or two and never see one or could see several in one drainage. It is like whitetail hunting, the really big ones are a factor of genetics, food and access to where they are. There are large areas of the Wrangell-St. Elias area that they cannot access due to glaciers and lack of a place to land a plane. They see very large sheep from the air but cannot get to them.

4. I found that these brothers and families have a tough life in the Alaskan bush. They board their kids in Anchorage for school, fight winters and use a generator for electricity. Along with this, they deal with hunters for several months a year. I admire them and appreciate the effort they make to carry on this family business. The lifestyle is much different from mine. I get upset when the power goes out in a storm. I wait for the power company to turn it on. These guys live 40 miles off the lousy main highway down a dirt road with no support. I appreciate my lifestyle a little more now.

Minor Annoyances

1. This was my first trip to Alaska. I have been in “bear country†in Boy Scouts as a leader and we took a lot of precautions to avoid attracting bears. The guides took no precautions other than to have loaded pistols in camp all the time. Excess food and waste was bagged just outside the tents, no latrine was set up, the food was kept and prepared in the guides tents. I was worried about this but the guides said our scent would scare away any bears. I am not so sure but we had no bear trouble.

2. Lack of propane kept the dishes from being washed with hot water nor washed regularly. This was partly due to the weather. I was concerned about food poisoning or bowel problems, but this did not occur. I guess I worried for no good reason.

3. Food was a little on the light side. This may be the norm for a sheep camp with the guides doing the cooking. We did not starve but I am spoiled by the food in other places. I suppose I should count myself as many sheep hunts are conducted using freeze dried food.

4. My guide was new to this specific area. He had hunted in the general area, but not in the specific area we were in. He was relying on the older guide to direct him. He had a topo map and could read it, so we muddled along together. The good thing is that the area was open and the chances of getting lost were nil. However, we could have done a lot of walking for nothing (if the weather had been decent) looking for sheep in sheep-less areas. In the end, it did not matter. He helped on the successful stalk and packed a lot of the meat out. I appreciated that.

5. Traveling with guns is a pain. Airline security and the TSA people are not the sharpest knives in the drawer. Sportsmen are not the problem – Middle Eastern disenfranchised men in their 30’s are the problem. Sorry for the politically incorrect profiling, but they are the ones shooting people, setting off bombs and such. I have yet to see or hear about a hunter causing a problem with his LEGAL firearms.

None of these things were “trip killers†as none of the issues created any problems.

Well - What Do I Think?

The question I ask myself – did I achieve what I hoped to achieve? Yes, absolutely. If we had failed on shooting a sheep, I would be fine. I prepared, I went and did the best I could. Would I do it again? I doubt it. The reason being that I prefer to do these types of adventures with my family in a less intense setting. My hunting partner was fantastic and I will hunt with him again. But a trip like this is more than I am willing to endure. My goal was to prove that I could do it. I have done it, albeit clumsily, but did it anyway. After much self introspection, I just prefer Africa. You sheep hunters are a committed bunch and my hat is off to you. It only took me 29 years to finally finish a sheep hunt.

Great report,felt like I was there.

Thanks for the gear review and summary comments...

29 years... you should feel damn good about yourself and your trophies.

Outstanding.

dan

Thanks for taking the time to share this story with us. I really enjoyed part 1 and part 2.

Nice write-up. Thanks for taking the time to organize your thoughts, and sharing them....very helpful.
Don
PS I've been there and done that, and I cherished every day and can't wait to go back. Africa hasn't caught my eye.....yet.

Thanks for your honest report and narrative. sheep hunting shure is a commitment!

Great Report. Many Thanks.

dogcat, After seeing this and reading your 1st Dall hunt from the earlier years, and now your recent bighorn hunt, all I can say is you now enjoy the pain of sheephunting, it's addicting isn't it? Big Congrats to you.

Stupid me, I booked a Stone Sheep hunt for August. I am seriously in need of a 12 step recovery program for sheep hunters.

Stone sheep are awesome to hunt, do it pretty much every year... Get your legs in shape... hehehe My buddy and I are looking at the last two weeks in August....

Who are you going with?

Can't wait to hear the report and see the great pics on a stone hunt, they live in some pristine country like the dall. I take it the desert bighorn will soon be in the cards for a future hunt. Good Luck my friend.

AKsheephunter

quote:

If you looked up "faceplant" in the dictionary, you would find that picture.

quote:

Originally posted by Ovis Chaser:
Stone sheep are awesome to hunt, do it pretty much every year... Get your legs in shape... hehehe My buddy and I are looking at the last two weeks in August....

Who are you going with?

Scoop Lake Outfitters on the advice of my agent, Jeff Neal.
Getting the legs ready now....

Scoop Lake is a great area... Beautiful country and some really nice rams... I am headed there as a resident this year, but they guide in areas most of us residents can't reach... My sheep partner and I are hoping to jet boat in and hike from the river... I did hunt that area about 6 years ago, and although we saw rams, they were only just legal so we let them walk. Did find a 12 year old ram skull that was very impressive. Would loved to have saw him alive....

Best of luck and tip over a big one... Feel free to pm me if you have any question for that area....

Cheers
Chris

Really enjoyed your wonderful report. Alaska is like no other place, great when good...horrible when it wants to be. You embraced the adventure, got a fine ram, and will always be able to have a private satisfaction that you hung in there to the end. Hunting careers are all about those private moments that make us who we are.
You earned the memory. VERY well done!