Bambistew
Well-known member
Sheep hunting this fall was a bit different... I took my FIL on his first sheep hunt and his first remote hunt, and it didn't disappoint. He got a taste of all things sheep hunting, from weather extremes to starving to death to dehydration to wanting to lie down and die from exhaustion. 
Dream fulfilled. He also said he was ok with not going sheep hunting again... blasphemy.
Opening day, we chased a ram around the mountain, only to lose him in some nasty crags. We spotted another ram that was in a better position, but as we moved closer I knew we were out of time for the day. It was a matter of time before he bedded. Once they bed, its best to just hang out and not move around, they will spot you and the game is over...
We were able to keep tabs on the ram for most of the day, until he got up and crested a ridge feeding. We couldn't chase due to a couple other sheep in eyesight that would spot us moving, so we sat and waited until "sheep-o-clock," as I call it. Usually around 8 or so they will get up to feed for the evening. During this time they do not pay as close attention to movement, and you can slip in on them while they stuff their face. We made our move up and around the ridge where we'd last seen the ram. I crested the ridge first and spotted the rams about 600 yards above us. I told my FIL that we'd need to climb up the hidden side of the ridge and slip in for a shot. At this point we'd probably covered 1/2 a mile from our day position, gained a bit of elevation and crossed some nasty rock slides. My partner was spent... Not wanting to let an opportunity slip by at this point, he insisted that I try to kill this ram. I opted to give it a shot and make the final 300 yard climb into position and try for a shot. About 12 hours after first spotting this ram, he was crumpled in an avalanche chute. One shot from the 308 at 200 yards was enough. Solid ram. 9yo, 37x13.5 per ADFG.
We spent the next 5-6 days chasing a couple other rams, and were very close to putting a bullet in one a couple times. All in all, we had a fun hunt and should have filled both tags, but luck wasn't on our side. I had my FIL on a couple rams, wind got us right at the setup the first time, and rams walked out of range the second time. 2 very close calls that could have resulted in dead sheep.
I couldn't have asked for a better sheep hunt, truth be told. Even with the typical misery, having sheep to chase each day, was fun.
Dream fulfilled. He also said he was ok with not going sheep hunting again... blasphemy.Opening day, we chased a ram around the mountain, only to lose him in some nasty crags. We spotted another ram that was in a better position, but as we moved closer I knew we were out of time for the day. It was a matter of time before he bedded. Once they bed, its best to just hang out and not move around, they will spot you and the game is over...
We were able to keep tabs on the ram for most of the day, until he got up and crested a ridge feeding. We couldn't chase due to a couple other sheep in eyesight that would spot us moving, so we sat and waited until "sheep-o-clock," as I call it. Usually around 8 or so they will get up to feed for the evening. During this time they do not pay as close attention to movement, and you can slip in on them while they stuff their face. We made our move up and around the ridge where we'd last seen the ram. I crested the ridge first and spotted the rams about 600 yards above us. I told my FIL that we'd need to climb up the hidden side of the ridge and slip in for a shot. At this point we'd probably covered 1/2 a mile from our day position, gained a bit of elevation and crossed some nasty rock slides. My partner was spent... Not wanting to let an opportunity slip by at this point, he insisted that I try to kill this ram. I opted to give it a shot and make the final 300 yard climb into position and try for a shot. About 12 hours after first spotting this ram, he was crumpled in an avalanche chute. One shot from the 308 at 200 yards was enough. Solid ram. 9yo, 37x13.5 per ADFG.
We spent the next 5-6 days chasing a couple other rams, and were very close to putting a bullet in one a couple times. All in all, we had a fun hunt and should have filled both tags, but luck wasn't on our side. I had my FIL on a couple rams, wind got us right at the setup the first time, and rams walked out of range the second time. 2 very close calls that could have resulted in dead sheep.
I couldn't have asked for a better sheep hunt, truth be told. Even with the typical misery, having sheep to chase each day, was fun.
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