Contributors to this thread:
I am back in front of a computer screen on my last day of vacation. I will submit a very brief report on my hunt in the upcoming days. I returned from the hunt to finish out my vacation at home and shot a decent deer and have really been doing well with the waterfowl. Back to work tomorrow and will post some throughout the days when I can find time. Bustaribs told me that the Canmore was "no joke".... and he was right!
PUTRID!! RANCID!! These were the two words that came to mind as I awoke on November 18. I was positioned within the mountains of the Canmore bow hunting zone of Alberta. Arriving in camp on November 3,the days were now becoming confused but I knew that I was deep into the hunt. Never give up! That phrase repeatedly went thru my head as well as I slowly ate my oatmeal and wondered if today would be the day that I would become a grand slammer. The wood burning stove crackled as I finished the spackle and I also began to realize that it was somewhat warmer now than it was earlier in the hunt. I was happy for that. Maybe above zero I was thinking. Gathering my pack and exiting the tent the two earlier adjectives returned to my head and I was happy to leave my sleeping bag behind for the rest of the day. Putrid and rancid indeed described the inside of it.
This should be really really good. Congrats.
Patiently waiting for pictures and story!
Great another Archery Sheep hunt!
cant wait to hear the rest of this one.
I didn't take many pictures and the ones that I did take I may not be able to post. It seems proper as to not give away the area we hunted with the scenic shots that I took. Eight tags are issued to outfitters and another 30 are given on draws to residents. So it can be competitive thus I will refrain from posting a lot of my pics. In addition to that, there is not a lot to tell. Wont be near as long as my Stones sheep story. lol
Looking forward to this one...
It seems like quite a few years ago that I booked a Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunt. I had seen Tom Miranda's account of his Canmore hunt and became intrigued. His outfitter had 2 tags a year and I had a buddy that wanted to take a bighorn also. We booked the hunt together for a couple years out and we were excited that we could hunt the entire month of November together. In addition the outfitter used horses to get up the mountain and had a running water source. The outfitter did inform us at the time that his tags were in jeapordy of being lost and that the hunt may not happen. We booked the hunt anyway. Well the year before we were to leave, the outfitter informed us that he had indeed lost his Canmore tags. I scrambled and was able to secure the hunt with Frank and Flint Simpson for 2014 and my buddy did shortly afterwards. We were going to be able to hunt together like we had originally planned. In hindsight this was not an ideal situation as we agreed to alternate hunt days. 2 days off and 2 days on. So when its your 2 days off it is a drag yet you are still encouraging your buddy. We both agreed, although we were having fun together, that this is not the way to go. I had been told by many people to book with the Simpsons before I had booked with the other outfitter. I can now see why. They are great!
Bustaribs went on a hunt in the Canmore and shared with us here on Bowsite. His account was unbelievable and very informative. I read it often and got chills every time I read it. Chris's equipment review is spot on and I tried to copy much of his equipment. He agreed to lend me his pack also. For that, I was very greatful. It is a huge pack and allows space for all the necessary gear needed to hunt the Canmore. I envisioned carrying down a ram in that pack and told Chris that I would return it after I washed the blood off. I tried hard to keep my word about that statement.
So after reading Bustaribs story and hearing from many that it is a grueling hunt physically, I told myself that I was going to be in the best shape possible prior to my hunt. Fast forward to just before the hunt...I was in the worst shape of my life, the heaviest I have ever been, and the least healthy that I have ever been. I tried to work out and began by agreeing to play basketball every week with a group of guys, as well as play on my soccer team, indoor and outdoor, throughout the year. Within the first 5 minutes of the first basketball game I was down for the count. Sprained ankle that sidelined me for well over 6-8 weeks. I threw out the idea of playing team sports at that point and got a membership to the local Planet fitness. It is not far from my work and told myself that I would go there often and use the treadmill. I used it for about 3-4 weeks and developed a strained mcl. I wore a brace for quite awhile. Shortly thereafter I tweaked my back badly. It sucks to get old. Xrays revealed a curve in the spine and I was diagnosed with arthritis. Several chiro appointment made me feel better but I knew that I was in trouble. I went on a Roosevelt hunt and struggled with my back so I made an appointment to get some steroid injections in my back. I got this done about 3 weeks before the sheep hunt and I did feel better. However, I knew that I was terribly out of shape.
I was aware of 4 other hunters that were to hunt the Canmore with my outfitter. I either knew them or had read about them. So that was neat. Later in the hunt I met the other hunter. I did not know him but I will say a little bit about him near the end of the story. I got to meet Gene Fleming which was nice and I fell in love with his vehicle. He had driven it all the way to the Canmore. I congratulate Gene on his bison. That is awesome. Four of us met at the Simpson's and the next day we dispersed into various camps. Me and my buddy in one, Gene in another, and Tom in yet another. I was able to climb for a couple hours with Tom before we split off. I chuckled when I saw that he did not have his crocs on for this climb.
Before we climbed we shot our bows at a range they had.
Dang Ned you sound like me! I just got back to the office from foot rehab, getting old isn't for sissys! LOL, Looking forward to your story! Mike
Ha. Now I am having carpal tunnel issues.
looks like a great start to a sheep hunt.
We began the climb and, as I started, I began to worry about my lack of conditioning. The climb took us 5 hours and 40 minutes. I arrived at camp exhausted but my friend and I were happy about how well we handled it. My back felt good as we settled in and completed some camp chores. Tomorrow would bring to us the first day of hunting.
I've been waiting for this one Ned...Congrats man...
Yes, a actual 'bow hunt' for sheep on the BowSite! Finally!
It takes courage to get old Ned.
Overcoming the physical obstacles brought on by age is a really interesting subject that's rarely talked about. Deserves another thread someday maybe?
Really looking forward to your story and hoping to see a few bloodstains on the pack!
Canmore, it's truly hallowed ground!
Damn Busta you nailed that!!
I followed Busta's recipe of clothing while climbing and moving for the most part. Top was a merino wool shirt with a lightweight vest and a lightweight beanie. Bottom was either an under armour base layer or a merino wool base layer with the sporthill pants. Those sporthill pants are the bomb!. I also wore gaiters over my boots/pants that were made by kenetrek. I wore Kenetrek 1000's mostly but did take some Schnee's packs that I wore probably a third of the time. I preferred the Kenetreks for whatever reason. I wore 2-3 pairs of socks a lot of the time. For gloves, I had some of the thin under armour ones with those mitten type gloves to pull over. These gloves are the ones where you can pull back the finger aspect to expose the gloves under neath. They worked fine for the entire trip. At times I would put hand warmers inside the gloves.
Ned-this will be an epic thread. Congrats and you REALLY earned it man.
Busta or Ned-which sporthill pant specifically?
Sporthill 3SP XC pants if I remember correctly
I used those pants as well and very much liked them. Got them from Barney's in AK.
When I would stop, and away from a fire, I would wear a KUIU lightweight down jacket most of the time. When it was really cold, I slipped a Sitka blizzard coat on. It is relatively heavy and there may be something better out there, but I had one so I took it. For pants while stopping, Busta lent me some of those from Barneys. I only wore those once as most of the time I slipped a fleece camo pant on that Jake had lent me. I was fine with that setup. I had a heavy weight Sitka beanie and Flint gave us a Simpsons beanie that I wore most of the time. I utilized a neck gaiter a lot also.
i love how this hunt is a non resident special. all other hunters on this ground are just pesky residents there to 'compete' for 'your' ram. i have no issue with guided hunts or outfitters. i guided myself for a time. but...this area in particular is plugged by outfitters on every migration route,winter ground & anywhere theres a ram in between until the tags are filled.   last time i drew this tag(2007) i hiked the same hike you did, alone with everything on my back. easily over 70 lbs. that night from a vantage i spotted three rams one a real dandy i could see clearly from a long ways out. the next am long before light i headed up the drainage that held the rams. right on the trail was an outfitters tent. i was just ghosting by,  just as i was passing a voice inside(not speaking to me) said 'hey you want coffee?'   i could not resist... 'sure id love some!' i declared as i swung through the door of the tent.  the occupants of the tent looked rather surprised. after saying hello i focused my conversation on the guide trying to work out where they were headed so i didn't disturb there hunt. during that conversation i recall 'we dont see many residents this far' and  'WERE GOING WHERE THE RAMS ARE' is what i got out of him. so much for being considerate. heck all i did was wait eight years! who the hell was I!Â
i already knew they were going right because i watched them leave there perch the night before. so with that i said goodluck to the smiling hunter sitting on his cot.  finally i had a good look at that mans face & as i turned and headed up valley i knew that man was Pete Scheppley of pse.   as i arrived at my perch to the left of valley i couldn't shake that i was about to cut Pete's chances. after the 'were going where the rams are' comment i had replied 'i guess it'll be a foot race then'   easily an hour later i watched the guide & packer far ahead of pete indulge themselves with a cigarette  they shared? must have been the last one?  i decided i was leaving this basin to Pete. on the way out with my 70lbs the day after i arrived... i met allen & another hunter on the trail. we chatted & shook hands, the thing i remember most clearly is he had rubber boots on.    so now the spot i picked on a map 6 months earlier was done. on to the next one. another grueling long hike into another drainage. saw rams again, basically a replay of the last drainage. so there i stayed on ground in between the 'outfitters ground' and the highway, praying. sleeping under a tarp, eating rice & beef jerky for ten days. i saw one legal ram with a broken off horn & numerous bands scatter at the head of drainage by the outfitter camp.   so now ive waited 16 years for my chance. im not meaning to crash this thread just clarify how much 'competition' there is. the outfitted hunts are in wall tents,with helicoptered supplies right to the migration route. residents can get a chopper drop but it wont go near the outfitter on 'prime ground'.   i understand there needs to be a level of respect between the outfitter & residents. this area has no prime area unoccupied by outfitters. in this regard i would hope the guides and outfitters are more accepting of residents in there midst. there are no other options guys.  i dont want to hunt on top of you but THERE ARE NO OTHER MIGRATION ROUTES! 2015 ive got a 62% chance of being there in direct competition with a p8.  i made way last time. this time im staying to foot race or be civil depending on the guide.   looking forward to the rest of your story, particularly how brutal the conditions were....
I also had another lightweight Kuiu jacket that I seldom wore. I followed Busta's sleeping system also. I had a 15 degree helium bag and ordered the 40 degree big agnes over bag. It was fine but I wasn't totally warm. I wore my pants to bed along with the merino top. I put the hand heaters in the bag at night which helped. The biggest thing that helped me sleep was to heat up water in the water bottles and place them in the foot area when turning in for the night. It felt like heaven to my feet. I wore a beanie on my head and it didn't freeze to the side of the tent like I heard Madtrappers did.
Gheezz you borrowed 90% of your gear.
You may as well be using a rifle to hunt with. ...JK
carry on...
Neveragain, I can relate to your concerns. I thought about a lot of your points while being there. I did see one resident while being there. He was a decent fellow and had taken the entire month off to hunt. He had waited I believe 8 years to draw. I was heading down and he was heading up. He said that he had been into the sheep and had a cool story. One afternoon he was glassing a number of sheep on a mountainside. The sheep were relaxed, some feeding, some bedded and chewing cud. Then the entire mountain side exploded with sheep running every direction. He then noticed two mountain lions in pursuit. He said that the lions were not successful. At least on that opportunity anyway. Other reports were that several other lions had been spotted. There must be a fair number of predators present at this time by the sounds of it. My thread is just to be informative and a fun read. At the same time I want to be respectful to the outfitter. In no way am I trying to negate residents from information. I just know that there are few places where a hunter can have the opportunity to hunt bighorn sheep in the rut. One of those being the Canmore bowhunting zone. The only way for me to be able to hunt there as an nonresident alien was for me to hire an outfitter. Obviously the outfitters have their perks. I hope you have success next time!
Shug, lol. It sounds that way. I borrowed Busta's pack, his Barneys pants, and Jake's snow camo. I am very grateful for their generosity. They wanted me to be successful. In hindsight, I probably wont do that again for different reasons. Mostly because of the fear of breaking stuff and wear and tear. Busta's pack has had a taste of sheep so I couldn't resist. And Jake being a superslammer, well his gear has a bit of luck wrapped around it also. Once again I couldn't resist. I shot the ram with Jakes camo pants on!
Yup. Don't like to derail the thread, but this "draw" hunt is really designed for outfitters. They sit on top of the 3 main drainage saddles and have complete access to the best sheep hunting. Imagine the discouragement of waiting over 10 years for your draw, hiking over 6 hours to your camp, to have the outfitter have his camp supplies helicoptered in...glad some of you can afford this hunt.
Thanks for the info Ned. Looking forward to the rest of this adventure:)
The first day of hunting we climbed to a good vantage point. Within the first few minutes I was able to spot some sheep. Holy smokes! This never happens. I rarely am the first to spot anything. And the sheep had some heavy horns. We looked them over and discovered a ewe as well. 4 sheep in total. Two very nice rams. After looking from different vantage points and from every angle possible, we just couldn't make them legal. A legal sheep has to be 4/5 curl I believe. A line from the base of the horn to the front of the eye has to be determined. If the horn extends beyond this line then the ram is to be legal. In this case, both of the older rams were just short.
4/5 curl to be legal kind of sad rule , I say this cause we had a giant mass old ram that was broomed so not legal , yet we had a dink skinny horned with lamb tips 5 year old ram that would have been legal to shoot . The younger rams i guess are less likely to broom . Old rams look like a totally diff species !
Great story so far Ned! Looking forward to the rest!
Following your great adventure, Ned. Keep it coming.
I agree with you City!!! After two weeks of looking at these rams especially.
So for lots of days the routine was to hike to the vantage point and look for sheep. The vantage point was a good one and looked over some good sheep habitat. It was a lot like sitting in a stand for whitetails. Over 14 days one new young ram and a couple more ewes made their presence. We were able to build a fire which made things nice. In reality, although it was cold, we had things pretty comfortable. Our stove was not cooperating well inside the tent so it didn't get terribly comfortable there. The place I could get the most comfortable was waiting beside the fire. My friend had a tough time keeping his extremities warm and I felt bad for him. Those hand heaters and toe warmers helped us a bunch. But man they are heavy to haul up there. lol
Thawing out water bottles and roasting "sammiches" over the fire were fun chores wilst waiting for legal sheep to show.
Back to the tent at nights. I hung boots above the stove regularly. We ate pretty well and I didn't hold back. I ate as much as I could every morn and every night. This matched my prehunt conditioning program.
In the mornings this was routine also. Heat up ol Auntie Jemimah and dish soap.
I feel obligated to comment regarding Neveragain's comments. There is no doubt that it is a tall order for a resident to take a ram there. Just dealing with the conditions alone, not to mention the presence of outfitter camps, make it difficult. Based on what I saw and, for that matter, didn't see on my hunt, my gut tells me that the sheep population in Canmore is not what it used to be. I saw a lot of cougar sign. I hope that Alberta Fish and Game is making an effort to get the cougar population under control. Maybe they can use some of the funds from the non-resident tags to undertake some cougar control. The answer is not to wring our hands in disgust and have residents and non-residents cussing each other while engaged in races up and down the mountains, but to ensure that there is an adequate population of legal rams for all tag holders to pursue. My two cents. Now back to Ned. Hurry up by the way. If you keep going at this speed, it will be Christmas before you complete your report.
Great info, pics and story telling thus far! Keep it rolling Ned!
Mark
Matt, I applaud you for doing such a difficult hunt on your own. You deserve your chance at a good ram because you've clearly earned it. But I have to tell you, I'd love to have the problems the residents have in Canmore. As an american, you either come up with the $30K to pay an outfitter or you just look forward to reading about it on the Bowsite.
I'll never (read that again, NEVER) be able to hunt Canmore again.
Unless I move to Alberta.
And for the record, I killed my ram from a very meager backpack tent camp that we carried in for miles and slept in the snow in minus 40 just like any resident could have done. Melted snow, no water, the whole deal.
And there actually was a resident hunting the same drainage but he was sleeping in town or in his truck and hiking in every morning and hunting from the bottom. We packed in our spartan backpack camp and endured it up on top for days in brutal conditions, living with the sheep.
Guess who killed the ram?
Don't be fooled into thinking that just because the hunt is outfitted that its any easier or that it's a slam dunk.
And you can be sure that there is a lot of productive ground in Canmore that isn't being hunted by outfitters. Just ask Tom Foss and his boys. But running up Cougar Creek when you know your gonna bump into two of Simpson's camps is a mistake if you want to avoid the possibility of having competition. Even hunting the front from town can be productive. We almost killed a really good ram that we spotted from the kitchen counter in Flint's house!
I uploaded a video next. will wait for the editors. come on boys. its not much really
Sounds like it's always been a race to the top and even worse when it wasn't a draw for residents.
Chuck Adams' book (This occurred in 1985) "Chuck and Guide put themselves at an advantage during their bighorn sheep hunt by camping on the mountain. That gave them a head start over the hunters below."
"We ran into seven resident hunters on the ridge while we were going down, they were all after the same sheep. The first guy was the leanest and meanest (was probably Tom Foss) and he was chugging along and said 'you see those sheeep' and six more guys were behind him."
I bet thetthomas left a poppy for Chuck on the trail,his special way of letting you know he 3 moves ahead....
steve yea i found Toms poppy s on a trail, and his camp but we went 10 moves ahead of them
I've hunted with a young man from Alberta who took a dandy ram in Canmore years ago on a solo hunt.... wrote it up for bowsite as well. Cool story. Nice guy.
Could be the sheep numbers are down. If I recall he was into sheep a good deal of the time. Was my impression from him the residents did pretty well up there.
Great story! Hanging on every post....pardon the interruption... =D
please dont take me the wrong way busta. in no way am i downplaying the accomplishment it is to bowkill a ram in -20 or colder.
as far as competition the outfitter holds the best ground & helicopter access to it. its that simple. as a res you either be a prick and hunt on a guys lap or pray for a ram in between.
kudos to anyone whom has endured kill or not.
there are other spots than the main outfitter camps but.... BUT...there hit & miss. certainly not on the migration route & for the most part treacherous steep.
when i first went to canmore i was unaware of the outfitter choke hold in every drainage.
as a non res you can return as many times as you can or want to pay for. there is no cap other than availability of a tag with the outfitter. as a res you get one shot every 8-10 years. no fast track available even if you have the funds.
i was just down to canmore for three days to look at where the sheep are. i saw two rams near legal and a handfull of young rams. had a good chat with the local conservation officer about recent harvests.
not quite like the days when chuck was there & residents could hunt the rut on a general tag.
i like to hear the stories from those that have been.theres no bad blood with the non res crowd, or outfitters. im just hoping theres an understanding, ive got no choice but to hunt near you. its nothing personal & id love to give a guy the whole area. but thats where i need to be.
so for anyone headed up next year... if you see a fella with a scruffy red beard be nice, shake hands and be considerate. were both hunters trying to complete a dream few have realized. if i hear 'where going where the rams are' again im up for a race.
I think you mean "we're going where the rams are" (as in we are). Not busting on you just loses the meaning of your post by using the wrong word..
No hard feelings at all Matt, I truly hope to read your success thread next year with a big honking ram! Like I said, it sounds like you deserve it. And you sound like a gentleman that would really try to avoid crowding anyone if you could help it.
My perspective, accurate or not, on some of the resident hunters in Canmore is that they aren't really willing to do what it takes to kill a big ram. Camping in those extreme conditions is not for everyone, wall tent or not. And living up there in minus 20-40 for two weeks is unthinkable for all but a few of us true lunatics.
And when a non res eats his tag after a half hearted effort, it's easy to blame it on the outfitters having all the prime spots tied up instead of looking in the mirror and asking if you honestly did everything you could have to get a big ram killed.
You obviously have put in the effort and are willing to do what it takes. So I have no doubt that you deserve an opportunity and I hope you get it next year.
But for now, let's let Ned get this trip report back on track!
Come on Ned, put that biscuit down an type! Lol, Mike
come on Ned you know we're all waiting...
Ned...step away from the donut. Step away from the donuts!!!!
And start typing!!!!!
Can a resident buy a guided hunt in Canmore and use an outfitters tag or would they need to draw the tag?
An Alberta resident cannot buy an outfitter allocation...a non-resident or non-resident Alien can purchase one as often as they want if unsuccessful or every 2 yrs if successful in taking a ram.
Very bizarre system we have.
To answer the rest of that...a resident must draw a tag in order to hunt Canmore in November which is a 7-9 year wait depending on the year.
I think he's waiting until the drying period is up before finishing :)
I lived in Canmore and worked in Exshaw cement plant in the seventies.
We used to watch those big rams herding their ewes a few hundred yards from the welding/mobile shop. It's little wonder some of the breeding rams don't make it through the winter. They spent precious little time breeding and most of the time chasing young rams out of the herd.
One winter an old monster of a ram that had been a breeder for several years came to the slope and just laid up there watching. We imagined that he was reminiscing.
He died there that winter and the CO's took his head to be mounted for display.
OK... officially not highjacking the thread now .... at this pace it's become very interesting and informative filler..... =D
It's not even close to a 8-10 year wait for residents anymore - only for those of us who were lucky enough to start putting in years ago. They award 30 resident tags in Canmore, last season 602 people applied. That's a 20 year wait if you are starting from 0 next year. Hell, I'm 28 and I can draw the tag whenever I want now, but I suspect that if I'm lucky, I'd be able to draw that tag once more in my lifetime. Unless half the population heads back east, the wait times are only gonna keep rising.
Gee wiz. I uploaded a short video and it isn't on yet. I have never posted a video before. It said it needed to be reviewed by the editors
Load it on youtube, right click on the youtube video, select "copy embed code", then paste it in the body of your post.
I've never gotten the Bowsite video feature to work.
It has taken 2 or 3 days to get a vid uploaded in the past.
I'd go with midwest's recommendation.
Best of Luck, Jeff
Look here spanky, we don't need no stinkin video. LOL, unless its the kill shot! hahahaha, At this rate we may want you to switch over to the gun! ;) Mike
I have done it both ways. says has to be reviewed. oh well. the rest is not much anyways. will have to look at the clip later whenever it is reviewed and allowed to be put on
As I mentioned earlier, for 14 days we watched the same sheep. We waited for more and they just were not showing up. Our first guide was the bomb, and at 22 years old, he is experienced beyond his years. However, he was due to guide another hunter coming in for the next hunt. We were gonna have a guide change.
I forgot that I had that Patagonia sweater also. I wore it to sleep in lots. The water source is pictured in the last photo also.
I tweaked my back on or around the 9th day and for a day or two I was suffering with it. It worried me but I did seem to come out of it for the rest of the trip. My friend was having a miserable time staying comfortable with his extremities and decided to walk out with our first guide during the guide change. I didn't want to walk out for fear of my back not being able to hold up on the walk out and the return trip. So I elected to stay. Pictured is where I slept and smelled up the inside of my sleeping bag.
I can see in this last picture that I have failed to mention a couple of different pieces of important equipment. One being Microspikes. I used them on my boots and they were ok but they broke by the time I was back to Canmore. I would take crampons next time no doubt. Another vital piece of equipment was a trekking pole. I took two and used two most of the time but left with one as I snapped one in half while stumbling on a rocky slope.
Ned, post the link to your You Tube vid, and I will embed it for you.
Best of Luck, Jeff
So your buddy bailed or did he come back?
Is the plan for this hunt to wait for snow, rut and the animals move down from higher elevations?
Enjoying this thoroughly. Thanks for sharing.
Would you ever do this again? Not being judgemental. Forget about costs. There have been some hunts I have been on where I thought, "Probably not going to do this again."
The new guide was an experienced sheep guide also and proved to have a just a lil' bit of luck on his side. The day after our guide change and the day after my friend walked out, 28 sheep came into our valley. They came about midday
on youtube my video is http://youtu.be/cxFQKrGEK-s
First of all Congratulations Ned on your incredible accomplishment! I am very happy for you!
This is turning out to be one of those EPIC Bowsite threads! Great stuff so far bud! Keep it coming!
I get: This video is unavailable.
My buddy left and I encouraged him to stick around town for awhile and warm up. Later I learned he left the next day for home. It was his decision and I he made it for whatever reasons. I have to respect that.
This area has all that is needed and the plan was to just wait them out. Heavy snow may have helped. At most, the snow was knee high. Maybe more would have helped the sheep start moving.
I would do it again in a heart beat! I have never been a trophy hunter per say but if I did go again I would look for a bigger one. lol
However, cost would be prohibitive. Cost was another thing going through my mind when making a decision to go down or not. I have heard that many hunters do not return should they walk down. Town is too comfortable. I fiqured I was where the sheep were to be and my back factored into most of the decision. It is amazing what goes through one's mind while up there when in decision making processes.
Hmmmmmm........ SCHWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
video unavailable.
Interesting hunt! Was wondering…..did you kill one?
13 rams 15 ewes and lambs. What a sight for sore eyes. Possibly two legal. Lots of 5 yr olds it appeared
Maybe pat will get video up. it just showed a couple rams we watched for a long time.
The sheep stayed up high on the ridgline and close to the Canmore boundary. So we watched and admired what appeared to be the first legal ram or rams spotted since the trip started. We went to bed excited that we had sheep in the vicinity.
The next day the sheep remained high although they had moved deeper into valley. Watching and determining legality was the order of the day. All the sheep were still present so we hoped that a lion or wolf would not spook them out. Sleep was hard to come by. A couple of times through out the trip, I could hear them butting heads while in my sleeping bag. That was very cool to hear. I heard it on the mountain also but it is reassuring to hear while in the sack.
sad to throw in the towel on such a hunt !!!
Coming back to the first entry....we left the tent and walked up to the vantage point. The sheep were dispersed but we located quite a few of them. They were really split up and it seemed odd. We glassed for a couple hours and keyed in on a pair of rams that kept coming down the mountain side. They appeared to be coming to a grassy patch that I had been watching the entire trip. We changed vantage points several time and determined that one was legal and the other not legal. The ram that was not legal was more impressive but heavily broomed. Cityhunters earlier statements regarding legality are so true(I was thinking this at the time while looking these sheep over especially). We planned a stalk.
The mountainside was slippery and very steep. The going was slow and methodical. I was making a lot of noise it seemed. The target ram had separated from the broomed ram but had joined a ewe. Unbelievably I was able to top a little bit of a roll on the mountain to have the ram positioned at 45 yards. It was to be a steep uphill shot.
This is awesome. Thanks for answering my questions. I agree about not leaving camp. Once you listen to the sirens it's HARD to come back.
I hit him back but the shot was quartered away and later I would learn it exited about 6 ribs up from the back of the cage. He ran out a bit farther and I scrambled to knock another arrow. I ranged but was shaking terribly from excitement I guess. The second shot hit and the ram moved out of sight. I climbed to look at the first arrow and discovered an awesome trail. We sat for awhile and took up the trail. The ram had expired about 80-100 yards after losing sight of it. He was aged a 7-1/2. While not the biggest ram ever, he is just fine by me. Beautiful long hair my gosh. They need it to make those winters I guess.
Great stuff Ned! Keep it coming!
Mark
You got one!!! You fooled me cause I didn't think you got one.
So awesome.
Congrats!
That is Frick'n awesome, huge congrats and way to persevere! Great ram!
Woo hoo! Beautiful Ram Ned! Congratulations again! Thanks for taking us along!
This one's for Busta.... We caped for a full body mount. I will call on Mr. Razza for a lil help. I have been bitten a lil bit negatively when it comes to taxidermists but I feel he will do a great job. It will be shipped to him very soon. Can't wait for his help on this ram. I took the cape and head and my guide wanted to take all the meat. So I let him. lol
AWESOME! Congratulations, Ned!
BTW Based on your effort that's a 20 yo ram! Haha.
So is the key to this hunt getting deep snow up high?
Great job! Congratulations!
I was there in 2003. As I recall, we saw just one other hunter, and we only saw him once. Things may have changed since then, of course.
EXCELLENT! Well done, Ned!
Best of Luck, Jeff
All right! Congrats! Enjoyed your story very much.
Congrats!! thanks for taking us there with you!
Later that night my first guide came back up with his hunter. I learned then that my buddy had left to go home. I was sad about this. The other hunter was Keith. I learned later that he took his grandslam ram about a week later. I saw a pic and it looks much bigger than mine. Congrats to him!! We cooked up some backstraps and had some meat in spaghetti sauce.
Way to go Nedly. I am proud of you!
Archery sheep slammer #57? Congrats!!
I didn't sleep for the next 72 hours. I had such an adrenaline high. wowza. THe next day we packed up. My pack was extremely heavy and I elected to leave gear behind as I was worried about my back giving out. I asked to have some taken out when the camps were broken down. This was my saviour. It took over 6 hours to walk out. My guide got a bit ahead of me and I was ok with that. However, I believe I knocked my self out while coming down. My guide was out of sight and I did a face plant face first. I don't think I was out long but when I came to I could not get back up. It took everything that I had to turn to a side and get leverage to get back up. I managed however. whew. I had to reposition my bow on the pack. I thought it was done but it turned out to be ok.
Quite an adventure. Congrats on a great ram!
Congratulations. Glad you stuck it out. Taking a break seems like a good idea at the time but it is hard to get motivated again once you break.
Dang it. I forgot to put this in earlier. After 2 weeks in I got rid of an article of clothing. I learned this trick from Gary Martin. whoosh!!! very flammable underwear it were
Congrats Ned!! awesome brother!!!
I knew you you were successful as Dennis had told me he may be getting your too. Mine is in the Pittsburg area all ready at Dennis's shop.
Man, what an adventure.
Congrats Bill V
Great adventure and congratulations on your ram.
Back in town, I took about a 45 minute shower and got ready to register the ram with an official. Flint gave him a call and we made an appointment to meet him. We later went to dinner with him. Cool gentleman. He had some stories.
I have to get on your thread soon bill v. haven't had time yet. congrats.
Thanks everyone. not as long as my stones report but hope its a fun read.
Wohooooo! Congrats on a great adventure (and ram!). You paid your dues and earned this guy!
How was the weather while you were there?
Keep the pics coming!
Mark
Weather wasn't too bad really. It got into the -20's I know. The fire was key to my duration.
I arranged for a flight home the next day and while in Calgary, we visited the game and fish for an export permit. They gave me one so I was able to bring the ram back on the plane with little trouble. They said that things will change soon and that it may take a couple weeks to get export permits after applying for them so future hunters may not be able to take them back immediately. The Simpson's are great and I recommend them very much
What a cool story, congratulations!
That's about it. Got home to do a lil fowling. We did well
Congrats on a great adventure!!
This has to be one of the most mentally challenging hunts out there. Hunting and glassing in -20 not knowing if a legal ram will ever show up. Then you actually have to go hunt him.
Huge Props to those that have been successful and endured the time on the mountain.
Cool story! Congratulations.
Sage, I think heavy snow make sheep move to slopes that have more grass on them. Grass easier to get at. so the more the sheep move, the better the hunter's odds.
Congrats on an awesome hunt and even more awesome trophy.
Thanks for making the time and sharing with us.
awesome ram and congrats!!! very cool
Way to persevere and get it done! Congrats.
my video is up on youtube if somebody can help. I cant fiqure that thing out
Yes sir! Enjoy! Archery sheep hunts are special!
Great Ram, Great Story!! Thanks for sharing.
Wow. Great story and pics, thanks again.
Only saw one legal ram? Only one stalk the whole time? Sure made good on your opportunity! There's some pressure.
Have a feeling these are hunts that when you look back and time has mellowed things... awww, it really wasn't so bad.... while you are there however you question your sanity!
Congrats! Great job.
Nice job! Congrats on a well earned ram. Sandbrew
Great Job Ned! So happy to see you get this done. Equally sorry to hear your partner bailed. You've proven what I always say about mountain hunting, mental toughness beats physical fitness every time. Good for you dude!
And thanks for holding up your end of the deal with adding a bit more sheep blood to the BDSB. That thing is three for three now!
Hope to lend it out again next year to keep the streak alive. There must be some good luck in this pack, apparently. And the thing can hold way more than I ever want to haul.
Again, big congrats and thanks for posting the great thread!
Wow what a fantastic story. Thanks so much for sharing it. Congrats!
awesome. huge congrats!! thanks for writing
I can't open your video because there is something wrong with the address you posted. If you open your video on youtube, right click and select "copy embed code" then just paste right in the body of where you would normally type a post. Don't do anything with the Bowhunting TV stuff below.
...and a huge congrats to the Iowa boy! Great story and pics.
My favorite post:
"Hmmmmmm........ SCHWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
LOL!
Very Cool!!!! Congrats and thanks for sharing.
Impressive. Congratulations.
Your welcome!
...but you'll have to set the video in youtube permissions so it is available for everyone to see.
Great stuff! Congrats. I think I need to borrow Chris' pack!
Absolutely incredible!!!! You earned that ram 100x over....says alot about you as a hunter and person to endure all of that and stay with it. Great job!
OK Nedly, now let's see video of the kill shot!
CONGRATS MY BROTHER!! You are the Man! Happy to see I'm not the only sheep hunter who falls!! LOL I believe we share the same trouble when it comes to Taxidermists! Congrats again!
What a great ram..congrats on a tough hunt and your grand slam!
Ned, great job. Congrats!!
Thanks everybody! Tim, YNWITA!! Tom, no kill shot video
midwest can u help me post videos lol !!!!!
Fantastic Ned,way to hang tough!!
Great job on the mallards as well!Holy Moly!
Yep, video is great....thought they were going to butt heads but looks like they were more interested in feeding.
city, I believe you owe us a double on bull elk story....I would be happy to help with any video!
Congratulations on the nice ram. Great story and pictures.
Congrats Ned. Kind of like my experience.... Only without the dead ram part.
Great job Ned!! CONGRATS!
Congrats on a great ram and thanks for sharing!
Great ram ! way to stick it out..
That pic of the mallards reminds me of an old poster with the caption "Use to be a lot of ducks around here, wonder where they went" :)
Super cool! These Canmore threads always my favorite. Super rugged and badass!
Congrats Nedly! You da man! I admire you for being able to hunt in -20! Mike
What a cool story thanks for sharing!
You mentioned taxidermists,my local one is one of the best sheep taxidermists there is. You might want to look him up sometime, he and his team do some amazing work!
http://www.dakotataxidermy.com/?page_id=33
Ned, Thanks for taking us along. I love to read these threads... makes me love my job even more!
Congratulations... Well deserved!!!
Ned,
I think you and BPM, are trying to see who can have the most injuries while sheep hunting, hehe Congrats it was a great read. I dont know why you have that confidence issue with taxidermist either
That was awesome! Congrats on a great trophy!
Congratulations on your ram! The accounts of these Canmore sheep hunts are always fascinating to read....thanks for sharing your's.
"I dont know why you have that confidence issue with taxidermist either"
That's funny right there! Not really , just couldn't resist.
Jim,
Figured a couple people on here could get some humor out of that
Ha Ha still pizzed about the whole deal! LOL
Tim, If there was ever a case for Karma to come along and bite someone in the A## it is this case.
Great thread. Congrats on your hunt Ned! Way to stick with it under very tough conditions. Well earned!
It looks like an arrow wound in the front of the ram's chest. Is that from the second arrow?
Also, what's the story on the rack sticking up behind the dog in the duck pic? Quite a pile! He come in to the decoys;>)
Chris i guess it was worth a second trip looking at them horns in your pack ,, that is a awesome Canmore ram !
Congrats Ned and thanks for sharing your story. It brought back memories, some good and some bad of of 20 days on the Canmore mountains
T-roy, No must have been from when he rolled down mountain. I shot that buck the day before. Threw him in the picture.
Hey Ned: I just looked at the duck picture. What are you wearing on your feet ?????
those are mud shoes? not close to crocs. lol
OK now I know. They didn't work in Mexico because there was no mud??
Fantastic story Congrats!
Ned wrote, "The first day of hunting we climbed to a good vantage point. Within the first few minutes I was able to spot some sheep. Holy smokes! This never happens. I rarely am the first to spot anything."
Seems to me if I remember correctly that you spotted Sheep in S-32 during Jake's hunt with Mark Turner before I did when we were glassing for Jake.
Ed did u tag out on Nov 18th
I really don't remember City. Think 18, 19??
Ha I remember that Rock! Rare indeed.
CONGRATS!!! Thanks for sharing Ned!
I had a couple questions about the Sporthill 3SP XC pants so I wanted to share something about them. I really like them. I wanted to point out that they will come with belt loops and I would order those if possible. Mine did not have them. I think it is nice to have loops with the aide of a belt in order to prevent the back pack from pushing them downward. Having said that I didn't have much problem with it. Madtrapper's came with beltloops. If ordering, I would want those. Ned
Mr Razza finished up the ram. Looks very nice and I wanted to share it with everybody. Thanks Dennis!!
Awesome mount! Great job by you and Dennis!
I am impressed with the ram mount.....but concerned that you are so aware of Madtrapper's beltloops....
Incredible! Nicely done Ned and Dennis!!!
Any other pics of the mount?
Mark
Very nice, congrats again.
I do not have any other pics. I know about Tom's footwear and sporthill pants. That's about it. Pat may have his undergarments(pink?). Am excited for the Canmore hunters this year!! Get em guys!!
Well, that is surely special.
my best, Paul
That is such a beauty. Nice job by hunter and taxi!
Awesome looking mount and a great story no doubt!!
I was in Canmore in 2010 and hunted it as a resident. Miserable cold, mentally tough, and had one of the most memorable (for positive and negative moments in hunting I've ever had) trips I've ever been on.
Congrats on one hell of an accomplishment.
Very nice guys. That'll be in the corner of Ned's old folks home, one day.
