I have been dreaming of chasing sheep since I was little. My wife and I are moving back (thank goodness) to Montana within a year, where I have a whopping 3 points for moose sheep and goats.
I am also saving up $ to go on a Dall sheep hunt down the road, looking like 2024/2025 by the time I'll be able to afford it ( I will be 35/36 at that point).
Anyways, I really enjoy reading about everyone else's sheep hunting adventures, "successful" or otherwise.
If you are able, I would love to be able to get a link to all of your stories on one post that I can favorite, and look over whenever I need a quick reprieve from work!
Thanks- Jake C
I have been dreaming of chasing sheep since I was little. My wife and I are moving back (thank goodness) to Montana within a year, where I have a whopping 3 points for moose sheep and goats.
I am also saving up $ to go on a Dall sheep hunt down the road, looking like 2024/2025 by the time I'll be able to afford it ( I will be 35/36 at that point).
Anyways, I really enjoy reading about everyone else's sheep hunting adventures, "successful" or otherwise.
If you are able, I would love to be able to get a link to all of your stories on one post that I can favorite, and look over whenever I need a quick reprieve from work!
Thanks- Jake C
You may have to change your handle now that you have moved back to God's Country!
You've seen my story, so no link, just some advice.
If I knew in my 20's what I know now, I would have never slowed down in Colorado. I would have gone directly to BC. British Columbia has Rocky Mountain's, Stone's, California's and even a few Dall's. The only one missing is the Desert and you can do applications for the Desert and start saving up for a hunt in Mexico, Texas or an Indian Reservation where you can just buy a hunt. For residents, the licenses are not very expensive and mostly OTC. You will learn a lot about sheep hunting by doing it. Along with the sheep, BC also has mountain goats, whitetail deer, mule deer, blacktail deer, black bear, grizzly bear, rocky mountain elk, Roosevelt elk, moose, mountain caribou, mountain lion, and some great steelhead fishing!
Alaska is also good with OTC tags for Dall Sheep and has plenty of other species to hunt every year. It would be second choice to BC due to the logistics of getting around and fewer sheep species. I would have probably considered it as soon as I had shot my Stone, California, Rocky Mountain, Mountain Caribou and Canada moose in BC, though! Figure maybe 8-10 years in BC, then haul butt to Alaska. The tax situation and politics are much better in Alaska than BC.
Since you are in MT now, you might also look into the Unlimited Areas for Rocky Mountain Sheep. Heck, you could get a tag this year and whack a Rocky Mountain ram, and then move to BC! Those are typically really tough hunts, but do turn out a few rams for a few lucky hunters every year. You won't be able to apply as a resident this year, so maybe just apply for 680 or 482 (super long shot) and plan to spend some time with someone in an Unlimited area. The odds are better for residents in MT for sheep, but it can be a very, very long wait. The best units up there don't break a 1% chance of drawing as a resident until 10 or 11+ points and are not getting any better over time. The best odds are still less than 1% to draw the easiest resident draw unit that is about a 7% chance of drawing with max points.
Getting tags in the lower 48 is extremely difficult for any of the sheep species. You can't shoot one unless you have a tag. You can't get a tag unless you play the application game or have the BIG BUCKS to buy an auction tag. There are a lot of guys applying every year in every state that offers NR tags in hopes of beating the odds and drawing a tag or two in their lifetime. Lots of us are still plugging away year after year and have upwards of 20 points for sheep in multiple states. Either way will cost you a lot of money, unless you get super lucky and beat the odds to draw before you are 100...
I have looked into moving to BC, it is a very difficult proposition to gain residency there unfortunately. Does seem like an amazing place however!
Iowabowhunter, Google is your best friend for finding old relevant posts on many websites......I use it for researching our local "Hunting BC" forums all the time, as well as for Bowsite searches.
Yea, Kurt, still working on getting up there to BC at 50! Dang-it, you just had to put up a few more critters to add fuel to the fire!
With 10 years in BC, I might be able to skewer a few sheep there, could make Alaska my "out of state" hunt for a few other critters, and then maybe work out a deal for Desert sheep in Mexico with a buddy that has several ranches with sheep... Might just be able to get the real tough ones out of the way before I am too old to climb the hills!
So many critters, so little time!
