Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Stunt Sheep (Part 2)

The camp site was... interesting...











But by mid-morning on Day 3, we'd made it to the base of the mountain on which the rams had taken up residence.






We made it up to the sheep's lair, only to find that they'd moved-off again.





When I started to get spooled-up in my frustration, Carl soothed me by explaining that if the sheep were still on the mountain, then they were running out of territory to hide in. If we could keep at it, we had a good chance of finding them. After the hellacious trek we'd just made through the boulder fields, I really wanted to believe him.

So we climbed, and rested, and climbed, and panted, and climbed, and cursed, and eventually found ourselves along the ridgeline.





And as I peered over to the other side, I found the 5/8 ram on the other side, lounging on the uphill side of a spire that was hiding him from all eyes below. Since we'd never seen any of these sheep alone, I was sure the shooter must be with him somewhere down there. We crept back and forth along the ridgeline, attempting to find a better vantage point. All the while, bands of fog were drifting in and out. After about 15 mintues, a patch of fog began to lift, & I found the legal ram standing in an excellent shooting lane, blissfully unaware of our presence. I slowly pulled my legs into a sitting stance, wrapped my sling around my arm for stability, & shouldered my rifle. Through the scope, I saw that he was a much better ram than I had expected when I'd seen him in the fuzzy images through the spotter. This was the moment.

At this point, though, I became aware that I was shivering, either from the cold, or from the excitement. My breathing was jerky, the crosshairs were wandering, and I knew this wasn't the shot I wanted to stake my hunt on. Feeling that the ram wasn't wise to our position, I slowly retreated from the spot, made my way to an outcrop a few yards away, and set up once again.


[img]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd77/jkubesch/P8210049.jpg[/img]


This time, I was locked-up solidly against the rocks, with the crosshairs settled firmly on the ram's near side shoulder, I gently exhaled and pressed the trigger.

The ram immediately disappeared from the scope picture, and when I looked up, I saw him flopping down the slide with no control of his body. After exchanging high-fives, Carl & I spent the next 20 minutes making our way down to the ram, trying our best not to get gored by the rocks along the way.


[img]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd77/jkubesch/P8210050.jpg[/img]


[img]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd77/jkubesch/P8210054.jpg[/img]


[img]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd77/jkubesch/P8210056.jpg[/img]



So, why was this a Stunt Sheep? Well, being 24hourcampfire members, Carl & I figured that we were flaunting all the conventional wisdom by:
1) Using a 100+ year old stunt cartridge (7x57)
2) Using pedestrian cup & core bullets (154 grain Hornady SP), rather than monometals
3) Using a wood & blued rifle in Alaska
4) ... without controlled round feed
5) Using an inappropriate barrel length & contour
6) Using black tape on the muzzle, rather than blue
7) Not using a range finder
8) Using a fixed-power scope (a 4x, at that), with no turrets or dots
9) Using a newfangled scope cover, rather than flip-ups
10) My hunting with a backpacking pack, rather than a hunting pack
11) Hunting in hiking pants, rather than camo (but at least they weren't blue jeans...)

And I'm sure you'll all think of other reasons why this sheep shouldn't be dead.



***** Continued *****

Wow! Unless I move there, I can only dream. Great experience there.

Not to rain on your parade, but come live here and do those mountain style hunts on a regular basis, and eventually some, if not most of those things you list as a "stunt" will cost you.

perhaps Calvin, but I know of a lot of guys that used lesser gear and took sheep for many years doing so.

one of the best sheep hunters I've ever known, wore nada but blue jeans and a flannel shirt when I went hunting with him. believe I gifted him his first nylon pants and synthetic fill jacket the Xmas after he played an instrumental role in baggin my first ram.

but he only went 23 sheep in 24 years, am figuring one of those stunts cost him that one year! (grin)

don't get me wrong, if you're gonna hunt hardcore in the mtns. regularly I'm with you! Good gear is where it's at!


but congrats on the nice ram FC, even if you "handicapped" yourself. (grin)

Wish Calvin would post the changes one should make to increase the odds

I can't speak for Calvin, but the weakest spot I see on that list is still the human creature. Lots of ways for him to screw up any number of things both on that list and not.

The human creature(s) in this particular scenario certainly deserve credit for not screwing things up. Not the typical deer hunt. That's a beautiful animal.

Well, you did. You have a habit of doing that to alot of people with your posts. Must think your schit don't stink.

I remember a couple years ago when I listed the components for my sheep rifle build, for MY upcoming hunt. Your smart assed comment was, "8# of mountain bliss".

It came in at 6#.

You're not too bright, are you?

Are you referring to this post?


I'd LOVE to see a #3 contoured (scoped) rifle come it at 6#. It's tough to get an Edge Stocked SA Ti to come in that light. (scoped)


And your last post on that particular thread..


So.. Did you get 6# scoped with an unfluted #3?

Local hunters who hunt a bunch don't just spend money on gear and seek the best gear because they are bored. It's because they've at one time or another learned the hard way.

If you want to hunt the mountains in blue jeans, go ahead. I'll hunt with what I like to hunt in, because I've done an 8 mile walk out in soaked carhartt pants. Same for the range finder. turrets. Hell, my first rifle in Alaska was blued. How long do you think that lasted?

Beautiful ram FC and excellent write up!

I've seen lots of things work for tourists.

I've seen tourists with lots of things who couldn't hunt. Stuff don't a hunter make.

Nope, just as 10 days don't an Alaska expert make.

I'll be the first to admit I've never been to Alaska and when I do, it'll be with a stainless/synthetic rifle. That said, blue/wood worked for a lot of years and I suspect it still will with the right care.

Phil Shoemaker stills seems to get along OK in Alaska with his blue/wood .30-06.


Don't rain too hard on a guys parade because he choose a rifle he liked and probably had some attachment too for what will probably be a once in a lifetime hunt.

Good post & pics FC. You showed'em how to get the job done.

Congrats!


George

Calvin, I wonder if your boys will learn, from you, to qualify a jab in order to justify the jab. Example: frame it with "don't want to rain on your parade" or "just sayin'". A fine example it is.
pete

Pak,

Can you tell me where the "jab" is in my post?



If a guy wants to do a 3 part series on the AK section on a guided hunt, more power to him. I feel it is within my right to relay my experiences in relation to his one experience, since the title of "Stunt" was obviously directed at the way many of us do things up here in Alaska.

It starts with 'but'. Yes, any comment you make is entirely within your 'rights'.
pete

Don't you find it a little bit hypocritical to call my comment a "jab", yet go on to bring in a guys kids and parenting skills,like the following quote below?



And where is the outrage with how yukonal completely misrepresented what I had posted, 2 years previously?