Do you think all sheep should be on a draw?
 

This years opening day found my 13 year old daughter and I looking for a couple rams in Forrbiden Creek. By opening morning, there were 27 hunters in that tiny valley,and an outfitter that was doing all she could to screw up the hunting for everyone. We left and went into the Clearwater and it was just as crowded. It seems that it's always a foot race to a squeaker ram, they rarley get a chance to get old. I would rather hunt something else for a year or 2, then hunt sheep when I get a draw. I know there are areas that are on a draw but I think our sheep are under to much pressure. What do you think?

I agree, put them on draw. But 4/5 curl OR a certain age ( 9 years old)

I hunted sheep a lot in BC when i lived there and looked forward to sheep hunting in Alberta when I moved here but was soon disillusioned when I started looking around alberta sheep country, it seemed to me there is too little sheep country and way too many hunters. I was used to having a sheep mountain all to myself. Sure theres a few hard to get to places where there are not many hunters but they are far and few between. Any legal ram dosen't cut it for me and far too many are getting shot soon as they are legal, can't get big sheep when they are culled off as cycle heads. I like to see a minimum full curl regulation or 8year old minimum age and some areas could go bridge of the nose or better. If we didn't have parks and mine sites for refuge that the big ones migrate out of we would see very few large rams here.

Sheep Draws
 

I think it might be a good idea to have a life time limit of two or so.
that way you might pass on the smaller ones.

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I would be o.k with a draw. The other thing I have thought of is that if you shoot one that is barely legal you should wait 3 or more years to hunt again and if it was a full curl then only wait 2 years. I would like to see some areas at least open for draw that would make it a trophy area kind of like Elk and if you want to wait abunch of years to get drawn at leat it would be worth it in the end. Nice to see they have opened up some more oportunities the last couple years anyways.

Absolutely Not
 

putting sheep on full curl in Alberta would be a great idea but draw would basically be the end of sheep hunting for residents in Alberta. IF you want to wait 20 or 30 years to hunt , and then find the WMU you get drawn for just went through a massive die off or complete obliteration by native hunters IE WMU 437, WMU 400 whats the point. Alberta is producing more book rams in the last 20 years than in any other time period, right now sheep hunting is at its best.


NON RESIDENTS TAKE 30 PERCENT of the rams in ALBERTA here's the stats for 2002
http://www.huntingfortomorrow.com/HF...20Feb%2004.pdf

WHY CUT RESIDENT HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES WHEN 30 percent of the rams are harvested by non-residents, MONTANA caps non-resident harvest at 10 percent.

IF YOU ARE AN OUTFITTER WELL THEN OF COURSE YOU WOULD WANT SHEEP IN ALBERTA TO BE ON DRAW, then you wouldn't have to put up with those annoying resident hunters.

Putting sheep on draw is absolutely foolish especially when greater access restrictions are being imposed, full curl restrictions can be utilized, better habitat management ie controlled burns, I've never been alarmed by hunter numbers and always have good opportunities to harvest nice rams every year.

I might add
 

THAT 30 percent non-resident harvest is all North of the Bow River!!!

Pika, I wholeheartedly agree.

Putting sheep on draw benefits two groups: The outfitter/non-resident, and the first nations hunter.

Maybe, if we go to a draw, some adjustments need to be made to the outfitter allotments.
As for the first nations, not much can be done. Unless you have any useful ideas.

Don't put it on draw would be a quick and useful idea off the top of my head.

THE outfitter tags are guaranteed
 

Easy put up a gate, works every time, and if the guys who don't like hiking areas where horses and/or atv's are allowed make it foot access only. When it comes to sheep management the number one factor affecting harvesting is access. Camp your butt in sheep country like non-residents do for 2 weeks at a time with a camp cook and you'll have 50 percent success rate as well rather than the 6-7 percent success residents tend to have.

Sheep Nut
 

I spent 4 days in that neck of the woods last september and saw 10 rams, 65ewes, 5 elk, 1 wolf and only 2 hunters. Two cranker rams were taken in October right where I hunted BLAH, some guys have all the luck. You must have been NAGYED, hey don't let some chick get you down.

I spent all of a day and a half hunting sheep this year (killed a ram on day two). I saw exactly no people and 21 Rams.

I think you are dreaming, if you think you will get a sheep draw in two years, look at 437, how long to get drawn there? What about 408 if you didn't put in first year. When a draw is made for sheep every one and their dog puts in for it even if they've never hunted sheep before, basically your are diluting your chances of getting a tag to almost no chance at all. Your odds of a good ram are much better as it is right now.

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I agree with Pika, There are plenty of places to be by yourself if you want to work for your sheep. I believe the hunter success rate is around 4% and the populations are strong, so why put it on draw. Maybe what some of you need is to have them chased off the mountains so you can get at them! LOL

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parnter
 

may i please be your sheep hunting parnter. gonna get after em this year boys, got three week hunt booked for august and im going deep, ordered my mountain house and counting the days....hopefully the all elusive bighorn is coming home this year. ahhh i love sheep and goat hunting, with over the counter tag.

Can you explain to me how a draw effects first nations????

Immediate elimination of competition.

There is no competition between Nov and sept.

They can hunt sheep 12 months of the year, and I damn sure want to be able to hunt them for 2.

Tell me SNIPER, how would putting sheep on draw make their sheep hunting worse.

Can I come too? Please.:ashamed:

It's funny, four of us had this exact conversation when we were out his fall. I was in the "put it all on draw" camp, but some posts here raise some very good points that didn't come up around the fire, and I am re-thinking my position. I don't think making everything full curl is the answer either, as some one already said some rams will never attain full curl. I like the idea of increasing the waiting times after shooting one, should make guys a little more selective, especially guys who have previously shot one.

Putting sheep on draw makes no difference to natives. I just disagree with your statement that it benifits them.

Here is a interesting note the legality of full curl rams works in the kootenays and this year we had a surplus of big rams and we continue to harvest them every year .............. one area close to me had 9 rams taken off of it this year and I been there seen lots of hunters and there are still many nice legal rams left on the winter range.............as for the broomed off full curl that are in the 180 plus category good for them breeding stock are needed too,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,you would want to have a full curl season and not a limited entry season l,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,chances are slim and you might not draw ever......but I like your idea of priority systems in alberta and if it ever went that way it would be a good way to go.... my last remark is the hard core sheep hunters have the time and put the effort in to obtain one ................... remember its the hours you spend on the mountain that can make or break a good hunt .........

put em' on draw except for a few zones open for full curl trophy

If you reduce the number of people who HAVE to use a tag to hunt, I expect it will increase the number of desirable trophy animals for those who DON'T require a tag or season for that matter. That would seem to be a benefit for those who can subsistance hunt trophy rams.

sheep hunting, period! Should be off limits for subsistance

When you figure in the time,effort,and expense to kill a trophy bighorn,people sure don't do it because they need the meat to survive.