trophy sheep guide

Truthfully, if you just want a ram and don't really want to get serious about sheep hunting, hiring an outfitter is a great and far more economical option.

I say save up a few more bucks a go for it. Lots of Albertans do it.

[Bigwoodsman]

Originally Posted by sheephunter

Truthfully, if you just want a ram and don't really want to get serious about sheep hunting, hiring an outfitter is a great and far more economical option.

I say save up a few more bucks a go for it. Lots of Albertans do it.

Sheephunter is right, if you are all about taking the Ram and being done with sheep hunting. However if you are not then invest in some good equipment, a bit this year, next year again and so forth untill you have yourself nicely outfitted.
I first hunted sheep about 25 years ago, and spent several years doing so, sadly I never shot a sheep. Seen a few nice rams and lots of nice country, made a lot of memories too and have no regrets. Business and life took me else where, at this stage in my life if I really wanted a sheep I'd hire an outfitter, but I no longer have the desire.
When I first started I went on Ram Mountain southwest of Rocky Mtn House. You can drive to the base and it's an easy hike to the summit. Now I'm not sure what the regulations are if there are draws or what, but if you can still get a general tag for this place go there it is easy to get too. That being said we only ever saw one or two other parties on the range and it is big, I have been there when I had the whole range to myself as well, usually later in the season, like the last week of October when the Rams are getting with the ewes. I haven't been up there since about 91 or 92, but back then there used to be hundreds of ewes and lambs and a few illegal rams and the odd legal one. Spent one afternoon watching a Ram and couldn't get a good look at him it was questionable at best so I never sqeezed off a shot.
As others have said sheep hunting isn't easy and it isn't for the faint of heart. Put some time in read books about sheep and sheep hunting, buy the best possible equipment you can afford, try to keep from sky-lining yourself and spend hours glassing and glassing and glassing somemore, hunt hard from predawn to dusk, make sure someone knows where you are if you go alone, but it is better to have a partner. Be patient and hunt hard eventually you will earn a Ram. Expand your range when you get some confidence and you will have a great Sheep Hunting experience.

Good Luck

BW

[grizzler]

There are lots of guys looking for sheep hunting partners in a thread on top of the hunting discussion page. I would suggest you go and try it first before going on a guided hunt. At least get out somewhere and go for a hike. You might not even like it?

[gunslinger]

Originally Posted by grizzler

There are lots of guys looking for sheep hunting partners in a thread on top of the hunting discussion page. I would suggest you go and try it first before going on a guided hunt. At least get out somewhere and go for a hike. You might not even like it?

This is very true, Never looked at it from this aspect. He might not like the bleeding feet, dehydrated body, soaked tent, and waste high river crossings. LOL.

Man i remember when me and my brother guided each other to a dall sheep, we spooked 5 rams 3 times that hunt, finally when exhaustion set in i took a picture of us two, pretty much finished and ready to cry, when i looked up and seen a ram over one ridge, The hike was on again and we killed that ram, took me 2 days before i could walk after packing him home. LOL was the best feeling ever to wake up after a mountain house and see that ram outside that tent. What a beating we took we took that hunt.

The northern lights shone on us all the way home that night, got home at 4 in the morning.

[grizzler]

Originally Posted by gunslinger

This is very true, Never looked at it from this aspect. He might not like the bleeding feet, dehydrated body, soaked tent, and waste high river crossings. LOL.

Man i remember when me and my brother guided each other to a dall sheep, we spooked 5 rams 3 times that hunt, finally when exhaustion set in i took a picture of us two, pretty much finished and ready to cry, when i looked up and seen a ram over one ridge, The hike was on again and we killed that ram, took me 2 days before i could walk after packing him home. LOL was the best feeling ever to wake up after a mountain house and see that ram outside that tent. What a beating we took we took that hunt.

The northern lights shone on us all the way home that night, got home at 4 in the morning.

Or the color phase black bears with large humps on their backs and extra long claws sticking their nose under the tent wall at 3 am!

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by gunslinger

This is very true, Never looked at it from this aspect. He might not like the bleeding feet, dehydrated body, soaked tent, and waste high river crossings. LOL.

bring it on! i'll do it all with a smile!

but it's true, i only want to shoot one big ram in my life. that's all i have the desire for at this time. maybe in the future i'll want to do it again but we'll see.

[Rackmastr]

Originally Posted by fish_e_o

bring it on! i'll do it all with a smile!

but it's true, i only want to shoot one big ram in my life. that's all i have the desire for at this time. maybe in the future i'll want to do it again but we'll see.

That right there is a key part of the equation I'm not sure I noticed before....

You can pay for a guide, but its going to cost you some decent money if he puts you in front of a bunch of good rams and you dont pull the trigger on them because they're not big enough.

What size ram do you want to kill? Could add in to part of the equation when talking to outfitters locally. I know the going rate for a good guided bighorn hunt usually starts around $5000 but dependant on your requirements for trophy size, that could change depending on time needed to make it happen, etc.

[elkhunter11]

Since I live far from the mountains, and my time off is limited, I hired an outfitter for my first bighorn hunt. Not only did I kill an older ram, but but I learned a great deal about sheep hunting, much quicker than I could have learned on my own. The outfitter that I chose, was happy to teach me all that he could about sheep, and hunting them, and it was more like hunting with a friend, than a business transaction.That first sheep hunt was several years ago, but the cost was $3500 at the time, which I consider well worth the education alone.

[steve]

How does the outfitter protect himself against you and your buddies being in there next year?

Or would you get a "savage" beating

[elkhunter11]

How does the outfitter protect himself against you and your buddies being in there next year?

How does he protect himself from any other resident hunting his area? He doesn't.

[steve]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

How does he protect himself from any other resident hunting his area? He doesn't.

Ya its crown land... But he's not showing every resident.

Wouldnt be a spot to make a living off of for very long. If those resident clients would be coming back next year on their own.

[anorthernhunter]

Many of the responses here are disappointing ...

This young guy simply asked about hiring a guide to shoot/hunt a ram - and by doing so accelearating his learning process on how to hunt them.

Why the "elitist" (flame away) sheep hunting attitudes ... "put your time in boy", "walk the mountains like I did" etc.?

He simply wants to hire someone to take him out (legally guided) so he can learn about hunting a Ram and hopefully shoot one.

Many of the responses suggest that by doing so he is in some way an "impure" or not a real sheephunter?

Hell if I was a sheep hunter I would take him out myself - isn't this whole hunting thing about sharing and teaching newbies the hunting tradition.

When I started elk hunting, it was a mystery to me ... someone took me out taught me the beginnings and I learnt the rest - had I "slugged it out on my own" ... I might have never had the success and passion I do for it.

Just saying ...

Northern

[albertabighorn]

If u just want to kill a ram it would prob be worth it to get a guide to help ya out not matter what some guys say it often takes many years of trying to kill a ram you can spend time lookin a topos get the and find waterfalls u can pass, these things come up but with a guide its all set up. I think in ir situation as mentioned above it is probly better and in the end will cost you less and years of trying hopefully. Best of luck out there on the ranges!!

[elkhunter11]

Ya its crown land... But he's not showing every resident.

Wouldnt be a spot to make a living off of for very long. If those resident clients would be coming back next year on their own.

The outfitter that I hired takes one resident hunter per year, and he still makes a good living in that same area. People usually won't pay to hire him if they have the horses and gear to access the area. Without horses,most people would not walk in to his area to hunt sheep.