Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting My Canadian Adventure Begins

Well, I'm killing time in Whitehorse, Yukon awaiting the Alcan flight that will take me to the Ogilvie Mountains, where Jim and Adrienne Fink operate Blackstone Outfitters. I am hunting Dall sheep, with moose and caribou on the menu. I've had an uneventful trip from Atlanta to SLC to Vancouver and then on to Whitehorse, a surprisingly bustling town, touristy, and packed with college kids. I've seen two Starbucks, a Walmart, Staples, and McDonalds. I've seen two separate First Nation dramas involving massive police and EMT/ambulance responses with the upshot being drunken Indian bad behavior... seems this might be a common occurrence.
Travel requirements had me two days in Whitehorse, waiting, killing time with another hunter and a long-time guide for the outfit. My sleep cycle has been disturbed by jet lag, Pacific Time Zone, and Sheep Fever. I've been in this bed with a street light from across the street boring a hole in my brain for so long now I had to get up an repack the gear one last time, and with still more time, I decided to update the backpackers with this little tale.
I have been doing this type of hunting for several years, and have developed quite a basement full of gear to choose from. I am using a Mystery Ranch G6000 pack this time. The volume is right, it's not as heavy as a Grizzly, and I like the side pockets, one of which I can use for the butt of my NULA .30-06, and balance that on the other side with a nalgene. As a guided hunter, I won't need a spotting scope, the swaro 10X42 range binos are my optics. I've got Hornady Superperformance GMX 150gr ammo, and the NULA is looking ungainly this year wearing a big ole Swarovski Z5 3.5-18 BT, dialed in out to 500 yds.
Went with a Kifaru sleeping bag 0 degree Slick, Neo-air pad, with backup zlite pad cut down to function as a sit pad while glassing. I'm very comfortable in the Sportiva Trango Evo GTX boots, wool socks and liners. Throw in some bug dope and a steripen, some Westcomb rain gear, Arcteryx atom SV coat for warmth along with some puffy pants, and we are GTG. It's about time for breakfast, and a blast off for camp.
More to come...

looks like you are set up to go!

I wish you and enjoyable experience and look forward to seing some photos upon your return.

stay safe.

BBerg

Good luck to you, man. Hope it's a great hunt.

Good luck Sir, I'm envious

Enjoy the moment Doc, and stay safe and good luck.

Good luck!! Hear those sheep guides are the real deal, better get to stepin:)

Geez, Don, that is SOME scope you are packin', must make that little NULA a bit top heavy, eh?

Glad to see that you are still using MR packs on these jaunts, I have had great trips in past years with mine and have a 10-12 day Elk, Moose and both species of deer trip planned for Oct. 1 to about the 12th, as this is when my buddy can get the time off from one of his two jobs.

We will be hunting on a pair of traplines, much of which are not accessible to the public in the area where I was born and raised and these lines belong to one of my cousins. He is in northern BC hunting Stone's at present and will be hunting Moose, when my bud and I are on his traplines, but, he has taken several HAWG Elk there and I am "hopeful".

I hope you get a monster Dall's, a humungous Moose and an enormous Cariboo, that would be a trip of a liftime. My wife was an RN in the Yukon in the '70s and loves Whitehorse and wants to return.....so, I might hunt there in a year or two and take her along.....lotsa bux, but, it would be a wonderful experience for both of we elderly geezers/geezettes.

So, just give 'er max and have a fantastic trip, then post lots of pix and details.

Doc, again I can't wait to read up on the results! Best of times to ya! Good luck and stay safe! Interesting you went with the Kifaru bag again. You must trust it with your life.

Go get'em!

I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of the story! Good luck!

Best of luck on your hunt. I can't wait to hear more.

Doc, I need more story, as soon as possible....

Best of Luck.

Best of luck, Don! Hope you get some bigguns!

Good luck on the hunt man!!! Cant wait to see how you do!

Can't wait to hear (and see pics, lots of photos pls.) more. Good luck!

First Day Sheep! Home Early.....more to come, eh! Lovin' Canada
Don

Wow!!! Cant wait to see more pics!!!!! COngrats!

Don,
Beautiful animal, congrats!!!!!!!!!

Wow..that looks great! Congratulations and welcome to the Yukon!

welcome to the Yukon even if i know it s not your first trip here.

all the best and cant wait to read the rest of the story.

Wow! Way to go, Don! Congratulations.