New To Sheep Hunting

[Shooter 1]

My 13 year old son and I are interested in trying sheep hunting. I have never hunted for sheep but we hunt lots and are both excited to try it. We live in the Hinton area and are thinking of going around the Cadomin area. Some people say its nothing but fluke to find one off the mine. I am wondering if hunting around the Hot Rocks and Slaughter ridge is a good place or Whitehorse Park be better. We would be hunting in the general season unless drawn for the late season and we would be hiking in more then likely. We are planning to start hiking into some of these areas in the next couple of weeks. Any input would be appreciated.

[Rackmastr]

Every year sheep are killed in the spots that you've mentioned. Its no secret and several other guys hunt the same spots, but it does happen. I know a few guys who have been lucky enough to kill a ram with hardly anyone else around, but a lot of guys end up dealing with pressure, competition, etc.

Get out and learn some trails, and enjoy the country. You live in a good area for sheep hunting!

[Shooter 1]

I figured the same thing there are a lot of good sheep taken around that area. Just wondering if anybody can point me to other areas I should look into. I'm not looking for everybody's secret spots just looking for general areas I should check out. I'm trying to make this a enjoyable experience for my son and I.

I'd stay away from Hot Rocks and Slaughter if you are looking for an enjoyable experience. Both those places will have lots of hunters on them and the best you can hope for is getting in a foot race for a ram. Throw a pack on your back and hit some of the more remote drainages in the area.

[nube]

How do you access Hot Rocks these days. Last time I was there you could not go through the mine at all and had it closed down?

Originally Posted by Just lucky

How do you access Hot Rocks these days. Last time I was there you could not go through the mine at all and had it closed down?

When was that? The designated route through the mine has been there for as long as I can remember.

[Shooter 1]

There is a access map available from Teck Coal that shows all the accesses.
Sheephunter thanks for the tip on the drainages. I'm having a hard time with where these drainages would be. The mine occupies so much of the mine I haven't been able to find many remote areas that I haven't heard people talk about. Everyone seems to talk about the Hot Rocks and the Whitehorse park. Are there more areas that I could find maps of. Seems to be lots of places you can't hunt. I have no problem exploring I'm just confused on boundaries.

There's lots of good sheep country between the mine and Jasper that holds rams and doesn't get hit too hard. Whitehorse is not a bad access point to some of it.

[Shooter 1]

Thank you for the tips Sheephunter I appreciate the help. Have you hunted in the Cadomin area with any success. Seems like lots of people have hunted the area, some with great success and others not so much.

My son is a hunting freak and is looking forward to backpacking and sheep hunting. We area also thinking about the Wilmore area and possibly going in on horseback.

I've never killed a ram there but have been along on a couple successful hunts. Back in the day it wasn't a bad place to hunt but unless you are willing to be part of a crowd these days, I'd likely look elsewhere. There are still rams killed there each year but there are a lot of guys chasing each ram that ventures off the mine....especially early in the season.

Originally Posted by sheephunter

When was that? The designated route through the mine has been there for as long as I can remember.

Its been blocked all spring. Signage is not visible, plowed into the hillside id say. Not sure if it's permanent. Id recommend from Hinton you head north for sheep. How far north is totally up to you.

[bdub]

Originally Posted by jrs

Its been blocked all spring. Signage is not visible, plowed into the hillside id say. Not sure if it's permanent. Id recommend from Hinton you head north for sheep. How far north is totally up to you.

Interesting, I'll have to check that out this days off. Do you have to park at the shack/gate and walk the extra 400 yrds now to the parking spot?

[bdub]

Hunting pressure at Cadomin early on is very heavy. Starting a weak prior to the open there are people all over the place from Cardinal to Hwy 16 including Whitehorse and every drainage off of it. Those rams get smart too and most head for the park or the mine once the crowds show up. You can hardly walk up Whitehorse without stepping on horse manure every few steps. Not a very enjoyable sheep hunting experience around the mine, but someone does manage to get one or two big rams out of there seems like every year. It's the lure of those big mine rams that draws so many hunters to the area and a chance to catch one off the mine. I am sure as well that some of those rams are taken while on the mine on occasion. The boundary can be tricky to figure out as well so if you are boundary sitting be sure of where it is. I had opening day off last year and had to work the next so I spent it on a ridge in Cadomin watching hunters crawling all over the place. You would have a much better first time sheep hunting experience going some where else early on or try Cadomin later in the season IMO. I had a couple friends pull the late season tag a while back but that is a different thing altogether. Good luck

Originally Posted by bdub

Interesting, I'll have to check that out this days off. Do you have to park at the shack/gate and walk the extra 400 yrds now to the parking spot?

There's no parking there. Giving them the benefit of doubt, im thinking they just haven't got to plowing/ grading it as of yet following some reclamation and slumping over the winter. Realistically, trail doesn't really see any use until sheep season approaches most years. Then, it becomes an overcrowded zoo.

[bdub]

Originally Posted by jrs

There's no parking there. Giving them the benefit of doubt, im thinking they just haven't got to plowing/ grading it as of yet following some reclamation and slumping over the winter. Realistically, trail doesn't really see any use until sheep season approaches most years. Then, it becomes an overcrowded zoo.

I wonder if they will let you park on the side of their road and walk in? I like to climb up there in the summer and look into White Horse. Nice and close place to get the legs back in sheep shape.

[Shooter 1]

Has anybody else been to the Hot Rocks lately, I heard from someone else today that it's been blocked off and you can't access it anymore. I haven't had time to go and look yet.

[Billy Goat]

The willmore has a few good rams forsure need horses to access it most deffinetly. also has a few grizz's too!!

[ramshorn]

i asked teck coal about it and this is the response i got about the trail.

Hi Kevin,

Sorry in the delayed response. I’ve been out of the office since Wednesday. The Hot Rocks trail is not closed. There was a pile of snow that was blocking access however it was to be removed this week, if a grader was available.

Please call or email if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,


________________________________________
Lisa Risvold Jones
Senior Coord Comm & Aboriginal Affairs
Teck Coal Limited
Direct Phone: +1.780.865.7064
Cell Phone: +1.780.740.5129
eMail: lisa.jones@teck.com
www.teck.com

[r.d.m.]

i wanted to try nordegg area and was wondering about atv's, is there a spaz on a quad racing up and down the trail every five minutes.

[huntin]

Originally Posted by r.d.m.

i wanted to try nordegg area and was wondering about atv's, is there a spaz on a quad racing up and down the trail every five minutes.

Yup 10 guys on quads on every hill