clothes for a nov bighorn hunt in Albert
Wild Sheep
Can anyone offer clothing and boot advice for a bighorn hunt in Alberta in November ? Would you take two pairs of boots , one for the long hike the other for up in sheep country ?
NJ, Just got back from a November 2016 Alberta Bighorn hunt...PM me and we can talk next week.
Mark
search a thread named :Simpson Sheep Company: by bustarib and look at all the pics, you'll know what your in for then.
By the way, Chris lives in NJ in the Trenton area.
Bill V
I called Northern Outfitters when I was gearing up to hunt Canmore in 2003. They make stuff for guys who work in the oil fields of northern Alaska and the owner was a reference for my hunt. They custom made some stuff for me in camo and it was awesome.
I sat in a snow bank for a few hours one afternoon in minus 20 degree temperatures (Farenheit) and never got even a little chilly. For boots, I wore Schnees.
Whatever you wear underneath and on your feet, when on the hunt it is best to top it off with a jacket and toque from MEC (mountain equipment co-op). This is what the non/anti-hunting leisure crowd is wearing here. The sheep have learned that a MEC logo means you are incapable of being a predator. Flash the logo, pull out a camera and walk right up to the ram.
Okay, that made me laugh.
You may want to contact Mike Ukrainetz owner of Mikes Outfitting, Bowsite Sponsor. He's personally archery hunted the Canmore Big Horn Sheep around 10 times. He May have some good ideas! Good luck! C
LKH,
Yes, it's kind of funny, but it is serious advice. We call it Canmore Camo, or Kananaskis Kamo when hunting a bit farther south. The animals in these parks act very differently to a sneaking hunter in traditional disguise compared to a meandering hiker in a tilley hat. Many rams have fallen to predators pretending to be a tourist.
Plus for some reason it feels even better to pack out an animal in garb produced by an active anti-hunting company. :)
I used northern outfitters base layer with just a light top kept me toast we slept on the mountain not back in a hotel in canmore !!! it can be cold with extreme winds . Walking buff is correct camo is not needed the sheep are easy to bow kill not much of a challenge stalking them . Hardest part is the money part of this hunt !!! just practice steep ups and down shooting
Thank you all for the information. It is much appreciated . City congratulations that is a beautiful sheep. when did you get him ?
City Hunter,
What the heck is the plastic bag under your ram there for?
Spent a couple very chilly weeks in Canmore in 2010. My advice may be a bit dated now, but my gear choices are discussed in the attached link.
Still have most of the gear and it's collecting dust in the basement. If you want to borrow anything for your trip let me know.
My guide, Alan Douglas, with our hard-earned ram.
My guide, Alan Douglas, with our hard-earned ram.
Busta'Ribs's Link
Here's a link to the trip report thread.
I followed Busta's recipe for clothing and everything else. Was very comfortable!!
Tanner Sinclair and Jonas Guinn Nov 08 in Canmore
Rick Guinn outfiiting !
Tanner Sinclair and Jonas Guinn Nov 08 in Canmore
Rick Guinn outfiiting !
thanks nick ! without the rock the ram would roll away . killed nov 14 08 not much of a challenge to bow kill
Talk to Mark W. He can give you an update on what gear to use. I am happy to talk with you as well. I have spent 26 days in Canmore in November.
Anybody looked at, considered, or used the Sitka Blizzard Parka and Bibs for a late sheep hunt like this? Any thoughts?
how can gear get dated if it worked a few years ago why wouldn't it work today .
Martin You can borrow my gear if u want it worked flawless i was able to move draw my bow, kept toast in some severe white outs up there . sleeping bag is key mine was rated for -40 we slept in wall tents the whole time up there some outfitters . Hi winds play into effect up there . Crampons are a must ice on the rocks makes it interesting !!! The only practice i did was my shooting skills .. Talking to the guides so many have lost arrows due to there lack of shooting skills . i suggest u bring your A game to Canmore unless u have unlimited funds to go twice or even 3 times .
I have used the blizzard and it works. I apparently cant' shoot as well as Lou (notwithstanding that I have yet to shoot an arrow) and have had to go back multiple times. :-)
I was going to comment on City's "easy" Canmore hunt but Tom beat me to it. A lot of great hunter's come home from Canmore without. Bringing your "A" games helps but if the sheep aren't there, it is ANYTHING but easy. I think Mad Trapper and Blake P. can attest to that. Mark Watkins and City might think they're "easy"...Depends on who you ask I guess. :)
I hunted Canmore in 2003 and the legal rams just weren't there.
Mighty beautiful country, though.
city thanks for the offer, I appreciate it . I was checking out some of Guinn's pictures and saw that you hunted with a friend of mine , Greg B.
city thanks for the offer, I appreciate it . I was checking out some of Guinn's pictures and saw that you hunted with a friend of mine , Greg B.
Busta thanks for the link
I had a resident tag in 2010.....and like Busta has posted, it was a cold/snowy year. I remember hiking in the dark for 3-4 hours to get up Pigeon mountain and it was a battle of layers for hiking vs having enough bulk to stay warm when sitting and glassing. Knowing what I know now, I'd have made a few changes and had a nice 'puffy' down jacket in my layering system as I think a jacket like the Kelvin Down hoody would have increased warmth without a ton of weight/bulk.
What an amazing place to hunt sheep if you can tough it out. Its a mental game up there and can also test you physically with winds, cold temps and snow. I think the front page on the Calgary Sun around the 24th/25th showed -30C or colder....it was a chilly sheep hunt!!
Chilly, but "easy", right? ;)
Hahaha oh ya...."easy" for sure!!!
I hit about a 170" ram on Day 7 or 8 of my hunt. Thought I hit him pretty good and bled a ton. Gave him a bunch of time but seemed as if birds spooked him out of his bed. I searched for him for 2 days after he stopped bleeding and on the 29th of November Franklin (who was guiding) saw him chasing ewes with merely a blood stain on his side. Never was able to get in on him again.
I passed on a couple other rams after hitting that ram as it just didnt feel 'right' to shoot at another one. Hung my bow up for 5 seasons after that as it hung with me for a while and took some time to get over wounding a ram. Last year I picked up a new bow and am re-energized to bowhunt again. Wishing I was still an Alberta resident as it feels like I've left work to be done. Maybe one day I'll hunt 410 again and get some redemption....
NJ-- If you're hunting with Guinn, I spent 22 days with them back in November, and can give you the latest scoop. Last thing you need to do is go out and buy a bunch of really expensive "hunting" clothing. Especially if you'll only use it once. I waited for ski season to wind down, and got really good deals on ski/snowboard gear. Guides said my snowboard jacket was the best snow "camo" they had ever seen up there. Because of the long hike in, I'd definitely recommend two pairs of boots. I'll shoot you a PM with my contact, and you can get in touch directly. Alan
Quick Draw 1, I understand that you had one of those "easy" Canmore hunts as well....
It was a piece of cake. I wish all my hunts were so easy. 5 star lodge, 2 full time butlers, maid service, New York trained chef and pastry chef, massages every night before dinner. It was so easy, in fact, that we just couldn't bring ourselves to shoot a sheep. Didn't want to ruin my 22 day spa vacation and have to clean one of those pesky things....much less pack it out.
