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smokepole; Thanks for the couple thousand words sir and hearty congratulations on that dandy ram. I'll dispense with my usual salutation as I'm going to surmise that for the time being all is well with you by the way... The alpine can be incredibly lush in some spots can't it, deceivingly so until you're up and on it - though admittedly it's a short season of good eating for the creatures who live there. I did note that your ram looked in really, really good condition too so I'm sure he'll be grand table fare. Thanks again for sharing the photos and write up sir, all the best to you and your family and good luck on your remaining hunts this fall as well. Dwayne
The most important stuff in life isn't "stuff"
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That's an incredible hunt and memory. Congrats!
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Well done Smoke! Congrats - awesome story and ram!
"You know why nobody panic buys 30-06 ammo? ... Because men with 30-06's don't panic"
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Great pictures, well done
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Campfire 'Bwana
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One part of the trip I forgot to mention. On day three we watched the two biggest rams in a group of 4 square off and butt heads through the spotter for 30-40 minutes. It was a spetacle, and pretty cool to see the collision and wait for the sound, about a 3 second delay. Andrew got some video on his iPhone.
A wise man is frequently humbled.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Some pictures are worth more than others.... Great going Smoke!
"I can't be canceled, because, I don't give a fuuck!" --- Kid Rock 2022
Holocaust Deniers, the ultimate perverted dipchits: Bristoe, TheRealHawkeye, stophel, Ghostinthemachine, anyone else?
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Congratulations! and thanks a bunch for sharing the story.
Circles
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Smokepole, Congratulations on a great hunt, and experience, and a wall full of awesome ( as soon as it gets mounted). I hope you're still walking on air (it helps the sore knees and muscles).
Bob Enjoy life now -- it has an expiration date. ~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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Thanks Klik. There are two fine specimens there, but one has horns and the other is in his 20’s. I can’t say enough about the outfitter, Steve Johnson, and especially his guide Andrew. Both went the extra mile and Andrew worked his butt off to get me on that ram not once but twice. It was a walk-in hunt, my first hunt in AK and first sheep hunt. I wasn’t as prepared as I should have been for the terrain, I'm not a very good rock-hopper. Andrew was top-notch, a natural-born hunter and a pleasure to be around. He knew the area and had one nice ram pegged before I even got there, we saw him on the way in but by the opener he’d moved off somewhere else. Didn’t matter, Andrew found some more and put me on them on the third day of the hunt, but my fear of heights and lack of confidence in my ability to keep my feet planted kept me from getting a shot. I’m sure some guides would have been royally pissed at that but not Andrew. We just got some more food and a tarp and headed back for another run at ‘em. They stayed in the same general area and a couple evenings later we were waiting on them to feed down to us, which they did. They were around 700 yards away so we got up against the mountainside and snuck in closer. We finally got to within 180 but they were hidden behind a rocky knoll and above us. We were on a grassy knoll so we had the advantage. They must have caught our wind, all of a sudden rocks were rolling and they were headed out, directly away from us. Andrew had been keeping tabs on this particular group of three rams, one possibly legal but too close to call, one full curl, and the one I shot, double broomed and the boss. As soon as they came into view, he had them pegged and told me to take the one on the left as they were headed over a rise. They were 250-280 at that point, and I had a great rest on the grassy knoll. They slowed a little, the crosshair settled, and the ram went down. I was shooting a NULA 260 with an S&B PM II fixed 10X, the bullet was a 123 Scenar. The ram was 10 years old and had 14 ¾” bases. Took us three full days to pack him out, with the last 2 ½ of those days pretty much constant rain. Everything we had was soaked and the rocks were wet but Andrew had me climbing stuff I never would have done on my own in good weather. Hardest hiking I've ever done. A great hunt, great scenery, great people, and the animals themselves are something else. Here are some more pics: Rams from above: This one shows his mass a little better: Tarp Camp: Andrew fleshing out the cape: Good lord smoke! Aside from the fact that my headlamp would kick the chitt outta yours I am humbled by your honesty. Wow! I could not be more happy for you. That is a great ram and you deserved it. Wow! Inspiring to say the least. Congrats Chuck
Your Every Liberal vote promotes Socialism and is an attack on the Second Amendment. You will suffer the consequences.
GOA,Idaho2AIAlliance,AmericanFirearmsAssociation,IdahoTrappersAssociation,FoundationForWildlifeManagement ID and MT.
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Smoke, boots? Again, wow.
Your Every Liberal vote promotes Socialism and is an attack on the Second Amendment. You will suffer the consequences.
GOA,Idaho2AIAlliance,AmericanFirearmsAssociation,IdahoTrappersAssociation,FoundationForWildlifeManagement ID and MT.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Shag, I'm pretty sure my headlamp would wipe the floor with your headlamp. Has your headlamp ever helped light up a Dall Ram being caped at 1:00 AM? Boots were Hanwag Mountain Lights. Plastic mountaineering boots would have been better but the Hanwags did OK, protected by some good gaiters. Here is some of the terrain we covered packing out the ram. To get to the high point shown in the first pic we had to climb about 2800 vertical up a rocky ridge, traverse across the top, then descend to the saddle shown in the second pic, then back up about another 1,000 vertical on the sharp ridge that ascends from right to left in the middle of the second pic to the top of the next mountain:
A wise man is frequently humbled.
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Congrats Smoke!
Seems like that lil 123 did you well.....
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No sheep, just elk at 1,2,3,4am. Again Congrats on a beautiful Ram.
Your Every Liberal vote promotes Socialism and is an attack on the Second Amendment. You will suffer the consequences.
GOA,Idaho2AIAlliance,AmericanFirearmsAssociation,IdahoTrappersAssociation,FoundationForWildlifeManagement ID and MT.
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The people wringing their hands over Trump's rhetoric don't know what time it is in America.
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Smoke, which walk in area? I ask, assuming it was a draw, not a super secret spot.
Bob Enjoy life now -- it has an expiration date. ~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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Chris, it was great meeting you, thanks for the hospitality. Good to meet you too man. Congrats again. 14 3/4" bases? Ridiculous.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Chris, here's a crappy cell phone pic that gives a good look at the base & horns (or would, if my hand was outta the way). All lost on me, being my first sheep hunt. It'll be a cool mount though!!
Last edited by smokepole; 08/24/15.
A wise man is frequently humbled.
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Awesome hunt - congrats!!
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