The Golden Horseshoe's magic... DO TELL
Wild Sheep
Contributors to this thread:
I hear that the Golden Horseshoe is still magical in its ways!!! Even in the cold mountains of Alberta.
Oh, boy....can't wait to hear the story!
Yes boys and girls I have witnessed first hand the glory and power of "The Precious".
Alright then!! Please share your experience. If your fingers aren't frost bitten. lol
Well, the second I got possession of the bowhunting equivalent of The Holy Grail, I began reaping it's benefits.
Bring on Kyle!!!!
We need to hear the whole enchilada!
Congrats!
Mark
Here we go!!!
Been waiting for this!!!
Mark
After a long day......the eagle has landed.
Bring it. Can't wait for this one...
The other hunter in camp was Ben. He was attempting to be the first Australian bowhunter to take a wild sheep.
Great bear ! In for the story.......
I left 90* Texas heat land landed in this on day one............
Aboot then I'd be chattering my teeth into sand.... Hopefully The Horseshoe is thawed out and in a warm place...
FYI.... this is ab, aboot, the 4th time I've checked in and.... well.... just FYI.... =D
We were spotting sheep all day. Including a couple legal Rams about 2 miles away. And some much closer.
On day 2 we did our best to make a go of it but snow and fog kept us from being very productive.
That camp looks like a real sausage fest!
SDHNTR I almost typed that when I posted the pic ??
When I was in Canmore in October it was unseasonably warm, from the pictures it looks like it got back to normal. :) Looking forward to the rest of the story.
The sun popped out a couple times.
And then there was this.........
Man KTH, it looks like hell frozen over in that last pic!
all the comforts of home...
Good cramp ons and poles sure made getting around a lot easier.
You hunting Sheep or Polar Bear????
That PB is right around the corner!
Man as much as the accommodations SUCK, I wish I were there. You have put the shoe to great use my friend. Congrats!!!! I have to admit that I am jealous.
You got the shoe, just need the HAT for the polar bear!
I hope the Lone Star of TX is hanging over your heads.
My best, Paul
Kyle, Good luck! It's cold enough in south-central BC today, bet it is really chilly over in Alberta!
How do you like those Scarpas?
2 weeks.... now THAT'S a hunt....
The shoes were great.....but needed more insulation. I kept using my 1000 gram Kenetreks and micro spikes, because of the cold.
One of our trusty guides desperately trying to locate a sheep.
You know......I'm trying to drag this out and make y'all suffer, but fast forward about a week and this happened............
You cut your leg on your crampons? :)
Now I'm hanging!!!
Thankgsiving Eve, reading this and and and!!!
Cmon!!!!
Crap.Dropped the horseshoe on your foot.
Fast forward a week? From just a little whining?
Note to self... quit whining...
Apparently just by sleeping in the same tent as the magic horseshoe, some of its powers rubbed off on my new Aussie friend. We had been watching 2 legal Rams for a week waiting for them to work their way into the zone, when one of the ewes with them just started walking our way. It was Ben's day to make the first stalk, so him and his guide headed to the trail they expected them to take. They beat them to the spot by less than a minute. The ewe stepped out and spooked. Then the ram stepped out. Ben was at full draw when his guide made a sound to stop him. That gave Ben enough time to send his arrow across the open 25 yards. A short trailing job revealed Ben's trophy. Making him the first Australian to ever take a wild sheep with a bow and arrow. Quite a fine accomplishment, for sure!
Awesome.... congratulations. Ed F
Way to go Ben... A big congrats!!!
Wow...Nice. Congrats to Ben.
And the best news of all was that I was up to bat on any and all sheep, from that second on!!!!!
Awesome.... congratulations. Ed F
The next morning everyone was a little slow from a late night of celebration. Ben may or may not have been hung over. I went out and spotted the legal ram that had stayed behind. He hadn't moved, but we were thinking any minute he'd go try and find his buddy who didn't come back with that cute ewe last night. My guide Elijah and I went and built a ground blind out of snow near the same trail Ben's ram took. I sat there all day till dark. They never made a move. As the afternoon drew down, so did the temps.........
The next day we found the Rams still in the same spot, out of the zone. The wind had switched, so Elijah and I went and built another blind on the other side of the trail. We watched them as good as we could but snow started falling and by 2pm it was whiteout. It dumped snow into the night ??????
Anyone ever thinking about going to Canmore the next thing on your gear list behind your bow, should be a nighttime pee bottle. No joke. Best thing I packed.
YEEESSSS!!!!! Just don't make this a cliff hanger at the end of the night. And no more fast forward button.
Congratulations Ben. Keep it coming, Kyle.
Congratulations Ben on a significant achievement. You're a real inspiration to bowhunters in Australia. Not too many sheep make their way to trophy rooms down under. Look forward to hearing the detailed story. Cheers Chris L
The next morning showed how much it had snowed all night. Again the sheep were in the same spot 2 miles away. We were thinking finally after all this time, the snow would be enough to nudge them our way. We watched them like a hawk. Elijah and I sat all day from a vantage point. It was cold. Like get up and go do jumping jacks behind the trees every hour. Just before dark a ewe and lamb broke off and started feeding our way. (4:30) we got down to our blind, knowing any second a sheep will step out at less than 20 yards. Unfortunately when shooting light was gone, they had not made it to us. They must have hung up somewhere. We made it back to camp without running into them. Hoping we could get back in it in the morning before they made their move.
At daylight the next morning we saw that during the night the sheep had gotten past us and were in the zone! Unfortunately they had passed our awesome ambush blind, so it would have to be a traditional stalk. They were bedded with a good gully on the back side of them. In order to use it we'd have to climb to the top above them and come from the other side to drop into that gully. Plus that would put the wind (that was getting bad) in our favor. By the time we got to the top the wind was just stupid. Blowing gusts over 60-70 mph. We were only 15 yards from the gully when one of the smaller Rams stood up. We were pinned down. One by one they stood and fed around. We were stuck there laying in the snow. Temperatures at zero Fahrenheit. Plus that near hurricane force winds. One hour. Two hours. Three hours. Finally they fed down and to our left enough where we could make another move, but by that time we were basically frozen.
This is the point of the hunt that separates the men from the boys! This will be a well earned ram..
For some reason the legal ram fed way down the mountain to timberline with a couple of smaller Rams. There were a couple of groups of ewes and lambs between us. We spent the rest of the afternoon trying to get past them and cut the distance to the legal ram. Luckily the wind started to let up. With darkness approaching we basically made an aggressive move, when they went behind a small rise. As I stepped out I drew back. (When I go to shoot I always remember this acronym PAPR. Draw Anchor Pinpoint Release) I asked for the range and Elijah said 55 yards. It was a reasonably steep angle. The arrow jumped from the bow, surprising me. I can tell everyone of you I have never made a worse shot. I mean like 3 foot to the right and a foot high. WTH? All I did was draw and release. There was no anchor and pinpoint. Why did I rush it so bad? Was my bow THAT far off? No it had to be me. Either way the Rams busted off the mountain and we watched them till they beddedin a nearby basin. I was crushed. That much time and effort to blow it in Boone and Crockett proportions. I think I apologized to Elijah 10 times on the way back to camp. At least he was still in a place we could get to him. Although now he knew what was up. Tomorrow I had to do better.
The next morning (day 12) we headed up to have a peek into that basin to see if the ram was in a position (if there) for some kind of approach. When we just got to the top of the mountain, we took a break and glassed back to the other side of the valley. I caught movement below us coming out of the timber. It was a ram. After a quick look, Elijah said he was 95% sure he was a shooter. We dropped elevation as fast as we could, to see if we could cut him off. We just didn't quite get there in time. He had just past when we got to position, but not all was lost. He was alone and he was headed straight to a group of ewes. So, we climbed (again) to the top and got above the ewes and yep he was there trying to make new girlfriends.
Go Kyle go!!
Great stories and pics!!!
Keep it rolling as in an hour I will be in a meat induced coma topped with way to many mashed potatoes, gravy, corn and squash and won't be able to get the updates for at least 12 hours
Mark
Me too. I'm rapidly putting the pounds I left in the Alberta mountains back on.
Again the wind was blasting 60+ mph. And again the shooter ram was lowest on the mountain with a couple groups of sheep between us. We were freezing. It was wide open between us and the sheep. Nothing to hide behind. We were on the rim of the basin the missed ram from yesterday went. A quick glance found him right where we left him. Elijah asked me, which one do I want to go after? Although the one I missed was bigger, we had a better angle on the new ram. So that is what I went with. Now, how to cover the 300 yards???? Elijah made a good call, we would wait for the wind to get real strong and pick up enough snow (causing a white out). Then we would run down as far as the snow would provide cover, dropping down when it let up. It was working. We slowly cut the distance each time. One time when the snow settled we were laying 5 yards from a small ram and some ewes and lambs!
When we were about 80 yards out the ram and ewe dropped to the left over a lip. We ran down just below where they went outta sight and peeked over. I had the release on the string when we saw the ewe standing right in front of us. Where was the ram? There is nowhere for him to hide. He should be right there. Then.....I leaned forward a bit and he was laying no more than 6 foot below us. I drew back just as he busted out. It was like an old west shootout. I snap shot an arrow (Again way too fast), but this time at less than 10 yards the arrow hit the ribs. High, but angling down and forward. I didn't get much penetration. Probably 12-15". We were frozen at that point. We waited a bit before picking up the blood trail. After about 50 yards I spotted him down but sitting up, roughly 150 yards away. We looped over the top and dropped down behind him. I rose up at 20 yards and drew back to finish him off......and missed the whole dang sheep before I could get a good pin on him. Why was I rushing these shots?
He didn't get up so I grabbed another arrow. Again it felt like I just didn't take my time and managed to place my 3rd arrow right into the right horn!!!!!! Oh crap!!!!!!! He jumped up and ran about 50 yards and fell again. That's when it clicked. I can't feel the trigger. My gloves had been frozen solid. I couldn't tell when my finger made contact with the trigger. As I was searching for it I was setting it off before I was ready for it to go off. I pulled off the gloves. Got in position for a 20 yard shot and sent a perfect shot through all the wheelhouse. It was done. He only went a couple more steps and was down. Ooooooooh what a feeling!
This was me just before I got my shot.
Congrats man. What an accomplishment.
Pumped up yet Mark? Every time one of these Canmore threads hits I come oh so close to booking this hunt. I can't imagine the anticipation if one already had the hunt booked...
Elijah was happy that I finally got it done.
Awesome Kyle, incredible. Congrats!
Thank you to the powers that be, that decided I was worthy of being trusted with the Golden Horseshoe. For its next journey I'm getting it out of the bitter cold and sending it to a warmer climate. You may say tropical. Island time for "The precious".
The lucky recipient will be a worthy of carrying the torch. I'll personally make sure he takes care of it.
Congrats Kyle! What a hunt!!!
Congrats Kyle!!!!
A great ram on a classic Canmore hunt!!!!
Mark
I've got to at least mention that the 9&1/2 hour hike out in knee and thigh deep snow. With heavy packs. Heavy. Hardest day of work I've ever done. By far.
Wow, congrats! My face is cold just looking at those pics.
Very nice Kyle. Congrats to both ram hunters for taking great animals. Great story telling also.
With all that work you guys did, I am heading for the kitchen for another piece of pumpkin pie just to keep my energy level up after following this hunt.
My best, Paul
With the run you're on you didn't need the horseshoe! Happy for you Kyle. Way to go!
Thanks Mike. I've got like 9 months down time. I'm going to lose my touch.
Congrats Kyle! Great hunt - thanks for taking us along!
Congrats Kyle! What a hunt!!!
super job Kyle. can't imagine shooting in those conditions
Congrats on a great hunt and ram!
Congrats Kyle, no way my tropical body could stand that punishment! Mike
Kyle,
Congrats again on a great Bighorn ram!
Age of your ram?
If you could....go through in detail how you go about shooing in those conditions.....ie........gloves/no gloves, shoot with or without any headgear on.
A gear thread or list would be awesome as well!
Mark
That's a hard earned trophy. Congrats on a job well done! Hunt
Awesome hunt and story! Congrats
Congratulations. That sounds like an awesome hunt. I don't know if I could handle the cold like that for a long period of time.
Enjoyed the whole adventure, buddy. Congrats again. "Archery grand slammer" sure sounds great, doesn't it!
Lenny
Thanks Lenny. I guess I never mentioned that was my grand slam ram. I'm very fortunate that I was able to take one of each. I doubt I subject my body to another sheep hunt. But who knows.
Mark, Until the last couple days I had been using a very thin glove and had those inside good mitts. The mitts got wet and one night I forgot to dry them. So I had to leave them behind to dry out. Had I kept with that system, I wouldn't have had those shooting problems. tthomas echoed that same recommendation. Also, use a release that can fold all the way back and can be worn comfortably and bent back and tucked up your sleeve. As far as a list......here are things I wouldn't leave without. Pee bottle!!!, primos bow sling, mitts, chemical hand and toe warmers (4x the number of days you'll be there), -30*F sleeping bag, layers of clothes, primaloft pants coat vest, light outer rain gear (wear it everyday on top), therma rest Z seat, 2 good hiking poles, boots with 1000grams thinsulate (that still has ALL of their waterproofing), micro spikes (Kahtoola), good cramp ons, gaiters, small water bottle for the day (you won't drink much), no heavy wool on the outside (snow build up), I used a couple of touques (hunting, sleeping, extra), head lamp, tent lamp (LED flood) 18-24 arrows, concentrated water flavoring, Advil and Allieve, good mid sized backpack, dry sacks, 2 rangefinders (mine kept reading the snow if it was falling too hard, so watch that), arm guard (those clothes get bulky), scent free baby wipes!!!!!, That are the things that come to mind.
Awesome hunt. Congratulations!
Grand Slam Ram!!!!! That has such a nice ring to it!
A HUGE congrats Kyle!
An incredible accomplishment!
Mark
Congratulations kyle on your hard earned accomplishment!!! Really enjoyed your story.
Great job getting it done under such harsh conditions. Congratulations on your ram and grand slam! Way to go! Thanks for taking us along and taking the time to take and share your pics. Great story too!
Thanks guys. Just a side note, the second I got home my wife told me we have tickets to go see The Nutcracker Ballet tomorrow. So just when you think you are a manly man, boom nope.
If I just killed a Grand Slam Bighorn in Canmore and my wife said we were going to "Drag Queens On Ice", I'd grab my coat, go and smile through the whole thing.
Congrats again Kyle.
Plus it's right during the A&M vs. LSU football game!!!!
Yeah but the way both teams are playing this year, I feel like my "Nuts" are cracked just watching!!! LOL
What an adventure. Congrats on your ram.
WOW!! That is incredible! Congrats!
A small price to pay Kyle!
Has the Slam set in yet?
Mark
Incredible accomplishment, incredible feat, awesome ram, great job with the story!
Thanks for bringing us along. Most of us will never experience that, so we get the vicarious thrill through guys like you.
Mark it really hasn't. What really is sinking in is that there are only 6 animals left in the 29 and none of them are particularly "hard". That's what is sinking in.
I love reading about these Canmore hunts but have zero desire to do one. None. Even it was free. Probably.
Great story and beautiful ram....congrats on your slam!
Congrats to both sucessful ram hunters. Great pictures & story. Thanks for sharing your extreme adventure!
Which 6 do you have left? Please don't feel obligated to respond until after the ballet.
Congratulations on your Ram and your accomplishment!
Also congrats to Ben!
Which 6 do you have left? Please don't feel obligated to respond until after the ballet.
Congrats! Sounds like an awesome hunt! The more miserable the bigger the reward. Man these hunts look like a blast!
In order that I'm going to hunt. Tule. Roosevelt. Shiras. Canadian. Polar bear. Sitka.
Horseshoe yeah right. That is sheer determination right there. Great bowhunt!
Congrats! Great ram and great congrats on the four. Well done!
Bow n Arrow! Nothing better. Fantastic accomplishment. C
Awesome! Jealous! Congrats!
Headed to the ballet. Woooo hooooo.
Congrats X 10 Elijah looks like HE man's up as well !!!!
Congrats Kyle! Great accomplishment and write up!
Now that was awesome! Congrats on getting it done.
WOW!!
What a great thread and results!!
Congrats
Good luck, Robb
Awesome adventure and awesome ram! Congratulations!
Kelly
Congrats, that place is an amazing adventure.
I have a similar story from last year, only without the dead ram part....
Spectacular hunt! Thanks for the write up
Congrats Kyle! Thanks for taking the time to do the write up. That hunt just looks brutal!
I come from the Texas gulf coast. I live at sea level and the closest thing to a mountain is a fire ant mound. And it's 100* more often than not. That being said. Good gear made it bearable. I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend joining a gym that has a Jacob's Ladder machine. I've never been so prepared for a hunt. BUT the one thing that kicked my butt was there ain't no air up there. The elevation ate my lunch.
Congrats. You have got some real grit. You earned him for sure. God Bless
CONGRATS on a beyond hard earned deserving trophy ram!!! I tip my hat and look up to any hunter that has just survived this hunt! And being able to shoot a ram in these conditions is totally extraordinary!!! What a culture shock it must have been for the mind and body from living on the Gulf coast to these extreme conditions!!!
THX for taking us along w/ your excellent story and pics. This is as close as most of us will ever get to Canmore. (Personally I don't see how I could ever survive it)
Congrats again.
Nothing compares to the look of a mature Rocky Mountain Bighorn ram in the rut with their winter coat!
Kyle, Congrats on the slam!
Great Stone, looks almost like a bighorn with the mass and brooming......who did you hunt with?
Same question on the Dall.
Thanks!
Kurt
Tuchodi on the stone. Larry and Lori Warren are some of the nicest people I've ever hunted with. The dall was with Nahanni Butte Outfitters. That'd be where I'd go again if I wanted another dall. Who knows, maybe I do want another dall.
Great Rams! As we all know, you suffered to get those, and then made the shot when it counted.
A couple questions if you don't mind?.
Shot distances on each of the four?
Any misses on the other hunts?
Which ended up being the easiest of the four? We know which had to be the hardest.
Dall-40 Desert-30 Stone-56 RMB-8
Dall was the easiest by far. Shot at 3pm day 1. Hands down stone was the hardest. 27 of the hardest days hunting. He's my favorite by a mile.
Enough about the sheep, how was the ballet!!??
Awesome adventure Congrats!!!
Congrats KTH, great story in a beautiful (and brutally cold) part of Alberta! I've enjoyed your stories in the sheep forum, thanks! Who guided you up at Nahanni?
Russ Bouver was my guide at NBO. It may have been his first sheep. The ballet was epic...........epically horrible.
Congrats on a fantastic hunt and the taking of all 4 species of sheep. An accomplishment that very very few will ever experience. Best of luck on your final 6 species towards you super slam!
Wow! Just wow! Congratulations to you. Those Canmore hunts are incredible. Serious perseverance to make one of those. Congrats again.
what 6 animals do you have left to get to complete the list.
Congrats Kyle on a great ram and a great adventure!!
Grant...As my wife would say..."you have to look"! Go up about 28 posts. ;)
Kyle,
Now that's a picture! "The Big Four!"
Just a bit motivational!
All of them great rams for sure...
Out of curiosity....How many have taken (and registered) the Archery Grand Slam? Last number I heard I believe was 62?
Mark
I just got word I'm #63. Another hunter took a sheep just 18 hours before me to get #62. They said they never have had 2 archery grand slams in 24 hours.
Awesome hunt. Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful slam Kyle. Tremendous accomplishment. Congratulations.
Man, what a grand adventure! Congratulations on a very special, hard earned ram!
Congrats Kyle, your guide Elijah walked me in the next day, he was tired from your 9 hr hike out. I heard all about your hunt on the walk in. I shot my ram on the second day. Thanks for breaking the trail in.
WLO I saw your ram. PM me the details. I know where you killed him.
Congrats. He is a good one too.
Geez... all this luck that the Shoe has rubbed off makes me yearn for a return. But Travis could use the precious' magic and Watkins definitely needs to haul it up the Canmore mountains to benefit from its powers.
Congrats on a great ram. Love reading these kind of stories.
If I may ask........... What Predator Camo clothes (style, not the camo itself) were you wearing on your hunt?
Congratulations... awesome!!!
I used the predator deception rain jacket and pants, for my outer layer. Mainly to cut the wind. Just layered below that. It worked great.
Kyle, did you happen to hear who the other bowhunter is that just completed his archery grand slam?
Gents, I'd be honored to possess the Golden Horseshoe and it's Magic Mountain Mojo into the mountains of Canmore next fall!
Mad Trapper and Blake Patton....this is for all three of us!
Mark
Word is he is from somewhere around England. He beat me by about 18 hours. I think he took a Colorado bighorn. No clue if any of that is true.
Maybe Ned should change his handle to Smeagol????
Congrats on an amazing accomplishment. It has been great to follow along
what r u saying Mr. Crocs? That I look like him? lol
I'm just saying you've never seen these two in the same room.
I can catch trout with my teeth and I am balding a tad more than just a bit. hmmm and am getting hunched over due to kyphosis. oh my. I will never look at myself the same in the mirror(or the reflection off the water)
There's definitely a resemblance.
"what r u saying Mr. Crocs? That I look like him? lol"
Nedly,
Referring to Mad Trapper as Mr. Crocs sounds like the pot is calling the kettle black, based on your recent admission....!!....unless you want to be renamed "Slippers"!!
Hey, Hey!
A hearty CONGRATS to you Kyle!!!
27 days committed for your Stone's.... That says it all'
Quite a goal, commitment and accomplishment!
Mark
Awesome write-up mate!! Congrats once again, I told you you'd do it!!!! There were some amazing moments shared on that mountain. Hard to ever explain to those that haven't ventured there. I couldn't have asked for a better guy to share this experience with, the four of us were a great team. I wish more than anything I could have been there to share the moment when you got your ram. You endured far harsher conditions than I to get your shot, but it all paid off in the end. Congratulations on being #63, that's something special right there.
While I'm here I want to give a MASSIVE shout out to a bloke named Chris, aka Busta'Ribs. Chris' threads on this site are probably mostly to blame for pushing me over the edge and forcing me to book my hunt. His gear reviews, honest advice, and encouragement have been a played a big role in me achieving my dream. Thanks mate, you are seriously an absolute legend!
Here are a couple of others:
nothing like sheep hunting, congratulations to both!
Haha Jake. MadTrapper wasn't suppose to hear that story. lol ..... Ben's harvest photo is awesome
Congrats Ben!!! Quite an accomplishment in those conditions!
Now that the "sheep bug" has completed it's infectious bite....any more sheep hunts planned?
Mark
I think both Ben S and KTH rams are 9 1/2yr olds? At least 8 1/2. They should have told you when they were registered if you were present? Curious. Great to see old rams killed, not barely legal 5 yr olds.Congrats to all!! Awesome thread, thanks for sharing.
Mike, I think both were 8. Thanks. We had a blast.
WOW and Congrats! What a great adventure you had. Thanks for taking us along with the story and pictures. It's real treat for most of us to go on that type of hunt vicariously thru you, Thanks again.