Rookie Sheep Hunter
Wild Sheep
Contributors to this thread:
OK all you veteran sheep hunters out there, in spite of resisting as long as possible, I have booked my first Dall Sheep hunt for this September. I am looking for any and all insider information I can get on gear, preparation etc.... Thanks in advance!
Enjoy every minute of it. I haven't hunted Dalls yet but I have hunted bighorns and the only advice I could give is get in the best possible shape you can be in and bring a good book. If I was to go again, I would make sure I had a good book but I was also hunting in the timber and glassing wasnt a good option and the middle of the days there wasn't much to do other than kill time. What outfitter are you going with? Best of luck.
Cut your tooth brush in half and drill 1/4 inch holes in the remaining half to reduce weight:)
That's one of the silly things I read before my 2005 all hunt. I've only been on one Dall hunt in the NWT but follow your Outfitters lead as to what you need and get in the best shape possible. You will likely have a 22 year old guide who is 5' 8" tall, 130 pounds and can out-hike a Mtn Goat. You may also get fogged in for a couple days at a time and have to stay in the tent. Be prepared mentally to not give up as this causes a lot of guys to quit and grab the guides rifle. Don't be afraid to slow your guide down if needed.
Good for you biting the bullet and taking the annual "trip of a lifetime"!! C
njbuck I am hunting with Kirk Ellis of Devil's Mountain Lodge in Nebesna, AK
Tiny toothbrush with a fluted handle... Check! Get fit.... Check! Get mentally prepared....Check! Enjoy the journey.... Double Check! Thanks for the input!
If you would advise where you doing the Dall hunt, folks might be better able to advise on things like logistics and what to expect.
NvaGvUp's Link
Take a look at a Bowsite feature Pat put up in June of last year, "Getting and Staying in Sheep Shape."
That will help you with the fitness part of it.
See the link.
njbuck I am hunting with Kirk Ellis of Devil's Mountain Lodge in Nebesna, AK
Tiny toothbrush with a fluted handle... Check! Get fit.... Check! Get mentally prepared....Check! Enjoy the journey.... Double Check! Thanks for the input!
Thanks NvaGvUp! That is great stuff!
Volsfan116, Being mentally prepared is as important as being physically prepared. Get in the best shape YOU can. Not knowing you I can't say but you will almost definitely not be in the same shape as your guide, He will have been at it for a month or more by the time you get there. You set the pace. It does no good if he gets somewhere first and blows everything out of the country. Bring good optics including a spotting scope if you have on. Do not get talked into leaving it behind. If you're sitting watching nothing is worse than a guide say "you should see this one". It can get boring glassing sometimes but it really gets old if you are just sitting there while your guide glasses, plus you're taking an active role.
Start saving now for your next one. If you get bit you will be trying to figure out how to do it again before you even get home.
Charlie, Had a guide who cut his toothbrush handle off! A few days into the hunt I had my ram and we got back to our spike camp 3-4 am and crashed. The next morning he pulled a pound of butter out of his pack and a small pan and we sat and ate sheep meat fried in butter. I asked him why he would cut his toothbrush in half but carry butter and a pan. He told me a man has to have his priorities!
Thanks Jim! Good advice on the spotter. I was wondering whether I should bring mine or not. I work hard to stay in shape but I do understand that my "in shape" and a full time mountain guide's in shape may be quite different. Great story about the priorities!
So you get there. Met the guide. Camp miles from no where. Climb up and down the mountains. Get snowed and rained on. Fogged out a few days. Blown off the mountain a few times.
So now the moment of truth and you are 50 yards from a legal ram standing broadside and not aware of your presence.
He may be on the level. He might be 50 degrees below you or 45 degrees above. The cross wind is blowing 15 mph.
Are you ready and have you practiced the shots in a variety of conditions? If not, all of the getting in shape, wearing the right clothing and boots, choosing the right guide will not do a bit of good.
Food for thought!
My best , Paul
Be mentally tough with a never give up, refuse to lose attitude.
Take care of your feet w/ the best boot/sock combo that works for YOU.
If either of these fail you then all the practice shooting, physical training, new tech gear will not help you fill your tag.
But yes you need to be in the best physical shape you can get yourself in, plus upteen hours of shooting, and bring the best gear along.
Pass on drilling the toothbrush...but yes def pack the binos and spotter!
Vols...is this a gun hunt or a bow hunt?
Makes no difference to me, I'm still envious. :-)
Yeah feet probably number one priority. Break those boots in well before. Take some blister treatment items just in case you develop them.
Always keep a positive frame of mind. Even if things are not going the way you think they should. Never give up.
No such thing as being in "too good" shape! Don't let lack of physical conditioning ruin your hunt. Also, be prepared for the mental toughness required for most sheep hunts. You will likely walk across dangerous terrain where a fall will result in serious injury or worse. Winds so strong you can hardly stand. There were days where my sheep hunt felt more like a survival expedition than a romanticized sheep hunt that you read about in magazines and books.
Best of luck to you on your hunt. I believe that the mental part of the hunt is the hardest and that most trade in their bow for the guides rifle. Get in the best shape of your life and have the confidence to do it with the bow.
I've been on two archery dall sheep hunts and still haven't launched an arrow. Saw plenty but it didn't happen. If I'd been hunting with a muzzleloader or rifle I'd been done in short order.
Like stated get the best gear possible, get in the best possible shape, and make sure your confident shooting your bow at steep angles.
Will I go again probably, but just getting the opportunity to hunt them is success itself in my book. They live in some majestic country!
Good luck and have fun!
Thanks to all for the fantastic advice! Writer, this is a bow hunt with Grizzly as a possible add on. I always stay in shape but I am working extra hard right now and spending a lot of time with the weighted pack. I am also (as suggested by Paul) putting in the time shooting from every position & range that I can conjure up. As for the mental toughness, I guess time will tell.
Probably does not need to be said, but be sure that you have an angle compensating rangefinder. If these existed since the 80's there would be a lot more dead sheep and goats rather than guys stories about shooting over and missing.
You'll have a great experience. My first sheep hunt was with Dick Gunlogson on the east side of the Nebesna River just out of Nebesna. Got a very nice ram. Get your feet calloused up before you go. Walk with a load sidehill&/or on hot concrete or asphalt all summer. I mowed my large yard barefoot with a push mower all summer to boot.