Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Let's talk about sheep...

How many sheep hunters do we have here? It's something I'd like to do someday, but don't really know anything about it. The species really wouldn't matter to me, I'd just like the experience.

If you wanted to do a sheep hunt in 10-20 years, what would you do? I don't know anything about draw odds or prices so fill me in, although all that will likely change before I get the chance to go in 10 years or so.

Anybody got any pics or stories to share?

I have no experience, but my dream is to take the slam. I guess growing up reading O'Connor did it to me.

But that's far fetched, so the first I want to go after, given a choice, is a Stone, the second a Dall.

Bill

I don't know you but I would guess that the most accessible sheep hunting experience would be Barbary Sheep in Texas.
Then I would go for Mongolia Ibex. This is a world class mountain animal that is a heck of a bargain right now.
Then I would go to Azerbajian for Tur.
Finish the score with a Brooks Range Dall Sheep hunt. Old Sheep hunters never die they just go up and hunt the Brooks Range.

Now the bad part is that all of that hunting would be less than a single Stone Sheep hunt, a single Open Guided Rocky Mountain Sheep hunt in Alberta or much less than a Desert Sheep hunt in Mexico.

Luck or lots of time and money scouting or figuring out the learning curve is connected with the last three.

Sincerely,
Thomas

My goal is to kill one bighorn and one 'thinhorn'.

I've lived my entire life smack dab in the middle of the best bighorn units in the US, so figure one day I'll draw here.

For the thinhorn, I plan on just starting saving, and eventually going to the brooks or yukon for a dall.

Didn't realize we were including other sheep, in that case I guess I AM an experienced sheep hunter since I've taken about eight aoudads (barbary) in the mountains of West Texas.

Bill

I'd also look at the Northwest Territories for Dall Sheep.

For a chance at a "rocky" you will need to start applying for as many permits in as many states as you can each year, build your points and keep your fingers crossed.



My first Dall Sheep hunt(NWT)from 1986. My best friend was along and we connected on these two rams out of the same bunch of eight rams on the count of three from about 150 yards. We were seven miles from camp and ended up spending the night on the mountain hudled around a fire until dawn. Memories of that hunt remain crystal clear after almost 24 years...

Substitute "desert" for rocky and cross your toes along with your fingers. I've hunted sheep, just didn't have the tag. It was definitely an adventure I won't be forgetting, nor the country!!

Myself and a good friend with a ram we guided in one of Montana's "unlimited" units in 2006. A large old ram from one of these units is one of the rarest and most coveted big game trophies in the entire world.



Mike and his ram, taken with a .300 Weatherby from 300 yards.

A good freind with her MT. sheep.....one of my favorite pics..



Ingwe

Helped hunt this ram with a friend back in 1989. Taken with a sheep hunters classic rifle, a pre64 model 70 in .270. This ram scored 179 7/8 B&C.

Never hunted them, but have spent alot of time in their habitat, checking water sources, and making population counts.
My plan is to keep putting in for the better units I'm familar with and pray that the red gods smille on my permit applications. E

Stone Sheep.As far up the Skeena river as you can go.Alot less hunting pressure than hunting the Profit river or other more eastern B.C spots.

Bluedreaux;
Back in the late '80's I hunted the local California Bighorn sheep with a taxidermist friend who's now passed on.

Finally in '90 I bought a tag with my name on it and during the next season in '91 connected with a 7� year old ram.

After years of seeing too many hunters in the regular "sheepy" spots, I'd taken to hunting them in the old growth timber like the mulie bucks who would come into the same area in another month. It was just so breaking daylight as I was pushing up to a ridge I wanted to check out when I spotted this fellow at about 80yds looking at me with another ram behind him as well.

The old BBR '06 that I�d lugged all over 2 provinces was on him almost on it�s own, so I waited until he turned broadside to make sure he was the required 3/4 curl. As he bunched up his hind quarters to run I saw he was legal and I squeezed off a shot.

It turned out there were 3 or maybe 4 other rams with him but I never had a good look at them and initially it crossed my mind I�d muffed the easy shot. I began to pray in overdrive as I approached the spot where he�d been standing and those prayers turned to "Thank You!" as big splashes of blood on the rock appeared, confirming the 180gr Interlock had worked as advertised again.

He�d gone down after a brief run down the mountain, so I again thanked the Lord for helping me out once again and cut my tag. The first trip down, I removed both hinds and packed them and my rifle back to the pickup. When I returned, I caped him for a � mount and boned the rest out.

Incidentally, I ended up doing a European mount of the skull -we were short on funds back then so we sold the cape through the taxidermist buddy for enough to make an extra mortgage payment -yet another blessing.

Since I hunted solo, I had to call my buddy to take a picture when I got it back down the mountain, so please excuse the back of our old '80 Toyota, but it was a very "experienced" mountain truck.


The herd was in a downward slide at that point and even the older rams weren't showing a lot of curl. Please don't take it that I wasn't happy to get one though, that's not the case at all.

As I recall we had to wait 5 years between sheep, but in '96 the local herd was struck with a pasteurella virus that took it from over 500 animals to less than 100. They rightfully suspended the season for us, saying that it would be reinstated when the herd recovered.

Although we now have 2 limited entry lottery draws here, the season has not come back any more than that - a bit of a sore spot with some as you can imagine.

Nowadays, our youngest daughter and I put in annually for the lottery, but thus far we've not been drawn.

Thanks to all who've put up photos of their sheep hunts and I wish all the best luck to you Eric and anyone else who plans to hunt any one of the species of these grand rams.

All the best to you and yours in the upcoming week and stay safe out there Eric.

Regards,
Dwayne

Dwayne---As usual a great story and a nice Ram. I dream of the day I can chase those thru the hills around Lake Chelan. Now that my son is at an age that he will be accompanying on my adventures it will be even more fun.

I put in every year and follow the Sheep and Goats in my favorite country each and every year, I know their habits and have grown fond of their rugged haunts.

They become an obsession. Last year I watched a band for about an hour fight and try to mate a receptive Ewe. I was so entranced I forgot I had my camera...oh well.

Thanks for a great story.

AcesNeights;
Thank you for the kind words sir.

Again I'm going of a bit of foggy memory this afternoon, but I recall at least one transplant of Californias from this very herd - the Vaseaux Herd - that went down into Washington State.

I don't know if the ones at Lake Chelan are distant cousins of that ram or not - but it's fun to suppose perhaps they could be?

By the way that Lake Chelan country is just gorgeous!

Thanks again and I hope you and yours have a good and safe week.

Regards,
Dwayne

The time to go sheep hunting may be NOW. At the B&C convention, we were hearing that the economy was causing stone sheep outfitters to lower their prices.....from around $36k to about $26k. So, if you have around 150 thousand dollars laying around, you should go after your slam.

All this absolutely takes my breath away......glad I already have my Slam on the books.

I don't want to diminish this information in any way. If you have never hunted sheep I can tell you it can & probably will captivate you. It is all I think about. I have only had the opportunity to hunt Mouflon in Texas on exotic game ranches. I can't get enough. It is not as much the size of the trophy that matters as the experience.

I have two Mouflon's & one Dall (which I purchased from an auction). Hunting any sheep is not easy. They can go places you only dream of and do so in seconds. One of the benefits is the ability to ambush them IF they don't know you're there. They don't see so well.

I would suggest you seek a lesser hunt to see if you like it or not. My bad knee limits me severely. THere are all manner of exotic sheep to be hunted in Texas.

I've only guided for rockies but I'd say they see pretty dang good.

My experience is limited to here in three of Wyoming's units. I'd love to get a tag someday but am thankful that I get to go sheep hunting every year.

Everything from the country to the weather to the sheep themselves is awesome. Watching them negotiate the cliffs is incredible.

I've hunted bighorns and dalls. Successful on the Dall and have a bighorn tag this fall for here in CO that I hope to fill. I hunted bighorns for the first time in 94 but was unsuccessful. Sheep hunting is addictive and once you're bitten it's hard to get over. A Dall sheep hunt is the easiest and cheapest way to go for sheep in NA. For bighorns, unless you're wealthy, putting in for different states is the best way to go on for them. Stone and Desert, well, let's just say that that is a rich man's game. There are still places you can apply for a desert bighorn, but the odds are very long. Not an option, at least that I'm aware of, for Stone.

Thanks for the Cali pic and story Dwayne. Very nice ram.
I spent a lot of time workin downm in Cali country but never put any effort in the hunt really. Regret that of course. I almost killed a nice ram on a 1 day hunt in the Marble Range though. Bought a tag cause I was gettin a day off. Drove out to Jesmond and hiked a mile, put up the glasses and was focused on a full curl ram about 400 yards away.
This seemed too easy but I ducked into the trees and crossed over to his side of the valley while still in the timber and made may way 200 yards closer with no issues. It was about then I heard some voices and about a dozen boy scouts singing the ants come marchin two by two reached my ears about the same time as I saw that ram bolt into the timber. I think I would have been spoiled for good if I was able to tag that one but it was a close call for sure.