Any tips for finding my Big Horn??

Mephiz · #1 06-22-2009, 01:23 PM

I am wondering if anyone knows of some good hunting areas where i am can find my first Bighorn? I am excited to bag my first sheep and all the extra tips are much appreciated.

#2 06-22-2009, 01:38 PM

Do a search in this forum....there are lots of good bighorn threads.

shooter · #3 06-22-2009, 01:49 PM

No offense meant here, but good hunting spots are tough to come by and usually involve hard work to find them. Sheep spots are 10x harder to find and no one is going to just tell you where they are.

Get some good maps, the best glass you can afford and a good set of boots and start wearing them out. There a a lot of great sheep areas all over from north to south. You may get some very general info but don't expect much more than that.

I'm quit certain that you will see the same general response from others too.

Best of luck on your adventures!!

Mephiz · #4 06-22-2009, 01:56 PM

i have read lots on the Cadomin.....and am thinking that might be a choice area for sheep?? Also is the Rem 7mm mag a suited rifle for this hunt?

Frans · #5 06-22-2009, 02:44 PM

7mm mag would kill a ram. As for locations... try the mountains! LOL

Lots of good things have been said on this forum about sheep and sheep hunting, as sheephunter indicated. As you will learn however, you don't just go around asking for good bighorn hunting areas. Certainly not as your first question. It's kinda comparable with asking "Hey, do you want to have sex?" when first meeting a pretty girl.

Tips about good ram hunting spots are generally obtained after long years of nurturing relationships, and may involve bribes in the shape of work, money, beer, or other favours. ;-) And even then they may not get more specific than "I'd try the NE quadrant of WMU so-and-so", or "Try the Whatchamacallit Range" (which typically encomp***** five mountains and 225square km worth of country).

And you'd better learn to get excited about sheep HUNTING, more than sheep BAGGING. Except for the lucky and skillful few (of which we have a few on this forum!), there is a whole lot of hunting going on, and not a whole lot of bagging. But that's OK. It's a labour of love! :-)

Frans

Mephiz · #6 06-22-2009, 03:58 PM

I know it was a labour of love when i took my first whitetail, and i definately know i bagged him when i gut shot him from five hundred yards and chased him halfway across the country side. Just looking for some solid tips and a generalizaton of an area.

Any perticuar type of scope what magnification should i take? More than likely i will be hiking and leaving the horse at home. Should i take a spotting scope or should i just depend on the one on my rifle?

#7 06-22-2009, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Should i take a spotting scope or should i just depend on the one on my rifle?

I think a hunter's safety course might be in order!

aceudell · #8 06-22-2009, 04:05 PM

X 2

sheepguide · #9 06-22-2009, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sheephunter

I think a hunter's safety course might be in order!

x2

to start with your whitetail hunting can not be compared to any sheep hunting that you do. If not properly prepared it can end in a life or death situation. Also I have seen hunters use a rifle scope as there only optic and this is a very unsafe act as you should never point your firearm at anything unless you verify it to be something that you are going to pull the trigger on.
My advise would to start by reading everything possible and maybe start with short scouting trips. Head for the tree line eventualy you will find where they hang out.

And dont be gut shooting a ram at 500yrds or you may **** a few guys off!

JMO

johnguy243 · #10 06-22-2009, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sheephunter

I think a hunter's safety course might be in order!

No such thing as a stupid question if the person doesn't know the answer and is looking for advice.

Now IMHO your responce should have been directed towards the 500 yard gut shot.

#11 06-22-2009, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnguy243

No such thing as a stupid question if the person doesn't know the answer and is looking for advice.

Now IMHO your responce should have been directed towards the 500 yard gut shot.

Actually I was offering advice to his question.

Frans · #12 06-22-2009, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mephiz

I know it was a labour of love when i took my first whitetail, and i definately know i bagged him when i gut shot him from five hundred yards and chased him halfway across the country side. Just looking for some solid tips and a generalizaton of an area.

Any perticuar type of scope what magnification should i take? More than likely i will be hiking and leaving the horse at home. Should i take a spotting scope or should i just depend on the one on my rifle?

Hmmm....

Appreciate you honesty, but confessing to gut shooting your first deer at 500 yards, and a willingness to scope things through your rifle scope, doesn't fill me with joy.

Frans

jaylow? · #13 06-22-2009, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mephiz

I know it was a labour of love when i took my first whitetail, and i definately know i bagged him when i gut shot him from five hundred yards and chased him halfway across the country side. Just looking for some solid tips and a generalizaton of an area.

Any perticuar type of scope what magnification should i take? More than likely i will be hiking and leaving the horse at home. Should i take a spotting scope or should i just depend on the one on my rifle?

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showt...ghlight=scoped

have a read.

Grizzly Adams · #14 06-22-2009, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mephiz

I am wondering if anyone knows of some good hunting areas where i am can find my first Bighorn? I am excited to bag my first sheep and all the extra tips are much appreciated.

First thing you need to do is develop a lot of Patience and then get used to Dissapointment

Unless of course you're lucky, like Frans.

Grizz

#15 06-22-2009, 06:34 PM

check dried meat lake............lots of sheep there, from what i hear

hal53 · #16 06-22-2009, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mephiz

I know it was a labour of love when i took my first whitetail, and i definately know i bagged him when i gut shot him from five hundred yards and chased him halfway across the country side. Just looking for some solid tips and a generalizaton of an area.

Any perticuar type of scope what magnification should i take? More than likely i will be hiking and leaving the horse at home. Should i take a spotting scope or should i just depend on the one on my rifle?

First time I ever ventured out after Sheep...young and stupid....climbing every mountain to see where they were...me and my buddy were walking back to camp, when we ran into a gentleman on horse back...we were both carrying our relatively new and shiny Ruger 77's, 1 in 7mm, the other in .300, we commented on his beat up Savage 99 in .300 Savage in his scabbard...he opened up his saddle bag and pulled out a spotting scope that was probably worth twice what our rifles were.....he said " I prefer to spend money on what I need and use the most"...point taken... as before good optics...and wear out a couple pairs of boots...IMO

Frans · #17 06-22-2009, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams

First thing you need to do is develop a lot of Patience and then get used to Dissapointment

Unless of course you're lucky, like Frans.

Yes, my "luck" came on the twentieth day in the mountains that season. Wish I were still self-employed, that might help my luck along a bit.

Frans

mulecrazy · #18 06-22-2009, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 340wtby

check dried meat lake............lots of sheep there, from what i hear

I think 'ole wilbur has some stories about hunting bighorns at driedmeat lake.... or was it fishing for marihas????

A little off topic but interesting nonetheless. I was talking to a guy a while back that was part of some perscribed burns in the cypress hills quite a number of years ago. He said that in some of the real bushy areas they were finding old weathered bighorn sheep heads. I guess back before the metis settled there there were quite a few rams running in them hills.

Mephiz · #19 06-22-2009, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hal53

First time I ever ventured out after Sheep...young and stupid....climbing every mountain to see where they were...me and my buddy were walking back to camp, when we ran into a gentleman on horse back...we were both carrying our relatively new and shiny Ruger 77's, 1 in 7mm, the other in .300, we commented on his beat up Savage 99 in .300 Savage in his scabbard...he opened up his saddle bag and pulled out a spotting scope that was probably worth twice what our rifles were.....he said " I prefer to spend money on what I need and use the most"...point taken... as before good optics...and wear out a couple pairs of boots...IMO

First I must apologize as I am very excited about the hunt for my sheep. I may have said some things that I do realize are not proper hunting methods but as I have mentioned I am stoked, to be honest I am a newbie to this forum stuff. I do realize you’re not supposed to spot with your rifle

. I was just a little hasty in my reply and am looking forward to the hunt.

Yes I was quite blunt and honest about my first kill

(buck fever baby).....which I think probably a couple people could relate too. But that was then and this is now. That’s how you gain experience is by learning from past mistakes. I will not gut shot my sheep no worries, thanks for the concern though. I was actually looking for advice along the lines of the above quote and for that one I thank you. Peace and happy bagging.

depopulator · #20 06-22-2009, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mephiz

I know it was a labour of love when i took my first whitetail, and i definately know i bagged him when i gut shot him from five hundred yards and chased him halfway across the country side. Just looking for some solid tips and a generalizaton of an area.

Any perticuar type of scope what magnification should i take? More than likely i will be hiking and leaving the horse at home. Should i take a spotting scope or should i just depend on the one on my rifle?

Yikes. Good luck with that.

Rackmastr · #21 06-22-2009, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by depopulator

Yikes. Good luck with that.

x2.....

#22 06-22-2009, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by depopulator

Yikes. Good luck with that.

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also i hear sask has a great sheep population,, you should go there!!!

buckbrushoutdoors · #23 06-23-2009, 10:17 AM

holy moly i would start doing some serious research, i dont think you quite know what goes into the whole deal of sheep hunting

Stinky Coyote · #24 06-24-2009, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mephiz

I know it was a labour of love when i took my first whitetail, and i definately know i bagged him when i gut shot him from five hundred yards and chased him halfway across the country side. Just looking for some solid tips and a generalizaton of an area.

Any perticuar type of scope what magnification should i take? More than likely i will be hiking and leaving the horse at home. Should i take a spotting scope or should i just depend on the one on my rifle?

holy crap...now thats funny! THANKyou!