Sheep Hunting Gear-the good, bad and ugly

[cosmocreeper06]

Find a partner. Best thing I ever did. He does not hunt him self so no trophy competition. Takes 1/2 the load. Great evening conversation. Extra push for that last mile when the energy levels are low and the best set of eyes. Did I say he was a younger. Yup. Loves the high country and taking pictures. I think the best thing is the hot coffee he perks every morning.
I prefer an external pack frame. Has a little more weight but easier to take off and on for me. Hate knives that are to light. Blade for me has to take the abuse to. The other area I sacrifice is binocs. I like big view and long range and I skip the spotting scope. I am a hunter and a walker so I can walk closer if needed. Pack is usually just around the 25lb mark. for any extended time in the field. Any heavier and I do not get the distance in a days hiking.
Just a few thoughts.

[Mtnbowhunter]

Originally Posted by cosmocreeper06

Pack is usually just around the 25lb mark. for any extended time in the field. Any heavier and I do not get the distance in a days hiking.
Just a few thoughts.

For how many days is your pack 25lbs? Could you please go into detail on your gear. My food, water, weapon and empty pack are probably pushing that weight for a week in the mountains.

[bdub]

Originally Posted by Mtnbowhunter

For how many days is your pack 25lbs? Could you please go into detail on your gear. My food, water, weapon and empty pack are probably pushing that weight for a week in the mountains.

X2 I was at 55 for a ten dayer with a partner this past fall. Always looking for tricks to lightening things up. Thanks

[whitetailsheds]

Originally Posted by cosmocreeper06

The other area I sacrifice is binocs. I like big view and long range and I skip the spotting scope. I am a hunter and a walker so I can walk closer if needed.

C'mon..............really?
thegunman, this is one of the worst pieces of advice for someone asking about sheep hunting......disregard it!!!
No binos or spotting scope?!? Your name Steve Austin?

[thegunman]

Originally Posted by whitetailsheds

C'mon..............really?
thegunman, this is one of the worst pieces of advice for someone asking about sheep hunting......disregard it!!!
No binos or spotting scope?!? Your name Steve Austin?

Ya that even sounded a bit foolish to a green horn like me. lol

[bdub]

Originally Posted by whitetailsheds

C'mon..............really?
thegunman, this is one of the worst pieces of advice for someone asking about sheep hunting......disregard it!!!
No binos or spotting scope?!? Your name Steve Austin?

I took as he likes higher power binos like 12x plus and skips packing a spotting scope. Which is not a bad strategy especially going solo.

[thegunman]

3E73Kb3Fc5L55K15F1d2l3652cbf79bc31832.jpg
Does this look like a 7500 to you guys? Looked a bit smaller to me..

[BackPackHunter]

Originally Posted by thegunman

Attachment 68298
Does this look like a 7500 to you guys? Looked a bit smaller to me..

the one on the right looks like a 7500 or 6500
the one on the left looks like a crew cab... buy it up, good deal
if you don't want it, I'll buy both

[BackPackHunter]

Originally Posted by bdub

I took as he likes higher power binos like 12x plus and skips packing a spotting scope. Which is not a bad strategy especially going solo.

A spotting scope is a necessary peace of equipment when sheep hunting, because when your judging curl on a ram, it's a lot easier to score a ram with one, and from a lot farther away...

Rams that will be close to the 4/5 (legal or illegal) you need to be 100% sure that the horn is past the line... you can spot sheep with binos; no problem but looking at a bunch of sheep on a different mountain or a couple miles away; you will not have enough power to see if the horns curl is past the line... the spotting scope will save you a lot of unnecessary walking, getting closer to illegal Rams, only to have to start over and looking for the next Ram...

[BackPackHunter]

Originally Posted by bdub

Sea to Summit stuff sacks. Awesome stuff sacks to squish your gear down to save space as well as keep stuff dry. Really well made.

they are a good stuff sack,
the Kifaru stuff sacks will free up more room and weight in the pack, and they pack together a lot better then the big balls normal stuff sacks pack down too,
last year i used 2 of them, a large for the sleeping bag and tent, and a small for clothes, and easy to strap to your bag, if it gets filled up with meat

the hanging meat bag from them is a good bag too
the 1oz meat bag, cant handle being filled with meat... if you keep it around 1/2 full it will be fine, (it said it can handle 100 lb, nope but it would do 50-60)

http://www.kifaru.net/stuffsack.html

[bdub]

Originally Posted by BackPackHunter

A spotting scope is a necessary peace of equipment when sheep hunting, because when your judging curl on a ram, it's a lot easier to score a ram with one, and from a lot farther away...

Rams that will be close to the 4/5 (legal or illegal) you need to be 100% sure that the horn is past the line... you can spot sheep with binos; no problem but looking at a bunch of sheep on a different mountain or a couple miles away; you will not have enough power to see if the horns curl is past the line... the spotting scope will save you a lot of unnecessary walking, getting closer to illegal Rams, only to have to start over and looking for the next Ram...

I pack a spotter but I can see situations where a large binoc 15 x 56 swaros or ziess on a tripod could replace a spotting scope for sheep.

[BackPackHunter]

Originally Posted by bdub

I pack a spotter but I can see situations where a large binoc 15 x 56 swaros or ziess on a tripod could replace a spotting scope for sheep.

(not trying to argue)
the only situations that i can see would involve lots of luck...
i would be looking else where to cut weight, each to their own tho

the kill is nice, but theres so much more to hunting rams then that
most importion thing is to have fun, see some new country, enjoy the views
see what your really made of when the going gets really tough

[Stinky Coyote]

No need to go without glass, between hikes I muse about different glass but as soon as I start climbing those thoughts go away. 10x32 ultravid hd on neck for hiking, then on to tripod when sitting, only 20-21oz, and if I need to I pull out nikon ed50 with 13-40x eyepiece at around 22.5oz including it's lens protectors at either end. Silk carbon tripod and a manfrotto pan head and I love the set up. I am going to pick up a kowa 664 to try out and to have a second spotter for truck and range work but something tells me the extra 1.5 lb over the nikon won't be following me up the mountains and again I might end up with a swaro 15x bino for truck work someday but love my 10's too much to care. My bino spotter combo comes in around same weight as a swaro 65 spotter, then add 42mm porky binos to that as many do.....yeah, I'd wanna leave something home also!

[Tundra Monkey]

Originally Posted by BackPackHunter

A spotting scope is a necessary peace of equipment when sheep hunting, because when your judging curl on a ram, it's a lot easier to score a ram with one, and from a lot farther away...

Here's an example for ya. I sat in front of a desert ram this year at about 2 miles for a full 5 hours. When I sat down I started with my 10x swaros. Didn't see nuthin'. I put up my spotter and I picked out a ewe and a ram in about 15 minutes. When the sheep would bed I would try to pick him up with the bino's knowing exactly where he was. I could not pick him out from the rest of the stuff laying around him. Back to the spotter and I could make him fill the lens if I wanted to.

I will never not take my spotter and I will spend more time behind it. That was my New Year's resolution this year

[Artistic Taxidermy]

Originally Posted by BackPackHunter

well said....
you can have the best gear in the world
but the best thing to have is that ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

sounds about right!!!!

[BackPackHunter]

Originally Posted by Tundra Monkey

Here's an example for ya. I sat in front of a desert ram this year at about 2 miles for a full 5 hours. When I sat down I started with my 10x swaros. Didn't see nuthin'. I put up my spotter and I picked out a ewe and a ram in about 15 minutes. When the sheep would bed I would try to pick him up with the bino's knowing exactly where he was. I could not pick him out from the rest of the stuff laying around him. Back to the spotter and I could make him fill the lens if I wanted to.

I will never not take my spotter and I will spend more time behind it. That was my New Year's resolution this year

last year, we spotted 10 rams from about 4 miles as the crow flys, on 60 power, we could tell 8 where banana's but 2 looked good and where worth a closer look. we couldn't see the 10 rams with the binos (10 power)...
long store short, we got closer and 1 was legal...

[Tundra Monkey]

Originally Posted by BackPackHunter

last year, we spotted 10 rams from about 4 miles as the crow flys, on 60 power, we could tell 8 where banana's but 2 looked good and where worth a closer look. we couldn't see the 10 rams with the binos (10 power)...
long store short, we got closer and 1 was legal...

I wish you would have told me that 15 years ago

Good thing I hunt white sheep

[BackPackHunter]

Originally Posted by Tundra Monkey

I wish you would have told me that 15 years ago

Good thing I hunt white sheep

thats only a good thing if there no snow i guess...
but im sure the white ones blend in with the rocks too

I was glassing Big horns in late oct, on a white mountain, and couldn't see any
but could see what looked like fresh track in the snow, folded the tracks around
the mountain with the spotter for about 40 min before i was able to pick them out...

[nathantd]

Went with in reach last fall over the spot messenger. Hands down it was worth it. Doesn't really add much weight or take up much room in a pack. ~50$ a month for ~200 texts, unlimited plots, can post to a website for fair weather hunting buddies. Cheaper packages and pay per text options too. We were worried about weather and got updates from home. Got to tell everyone our successes and get patted on the back while the grunting started. Reception is supposed to be more reliable than the spot. Kept us out of hot water for spending so much time in the field.

Kifaru tipi and stove were amazing for the weight loved them in the snow got dry & warm quick.

Eberlestock nearly killed me.

Bushnell fusion binos were great for the price.

Would love to find the perfect pack though.

[Travco1]

Stone Glacier Sky is a very nice pack .

[cpwrestler]

A small tip with cooking set-ups. Layer 4 pieces of heavy duty tinfoil on top of one another then wrap them around your stove to form a windscreen/heat concentrator.

I find this greatly reduces boiling time for my water so I use less fuel and also saves me a lot of hassle in the wind. Poor man's jetboil I suppose.

I use a 1L GSI Hallulite boiler, an MSR pocket rocket and a medium size fuel canister and I'm able to fold the foil into thirds then wrap it around the fuel canister which then fits into the pot with a lighter on top. Like this, the medium canister has given me 8 days of water for two guys with around 1L for dinner and around 250ml for breakfasts.

[375HH]

Originally Posted by bdub

Wife also got me a SPOT that I don't leave home without anymore. Titanium cook pot, amazingly light. Started packing a small ipod for solo hunting in the last couple years. I put it in my pot which works as a speaker to increase the volume. Helps to pass the time at night. Not sure if the coyotes appreciate the singing haha.

Went with the Delorme this year love it. Works way better paired with phone.

[bdub]

Originally Posted by 375HH

Went with the Delorme this year love it. Works way better paired with phone.

My hunting partner has the Delorme. He used to run a Sat phone but switched to the Inreach this year. It is nice being able to have two way communication at times, which the SPOT doesn't provide. The map feature when paired to the phone is also pretty nice.

[Weekender]

I recommend having an iPhone with iHunter AB. Besides the convenience of having the phone for photos and music/books (while starring through glass all day), iHunter uses the GPS capability built into phones these days. Left the GPS at home and never looked at the map. All you need to do is download the map images before you lose reception (satellite and topo). The gps function still works in "air plane mode" and with modest use the battery lasted me 5 days. One of those little battery chargers a good idea though, especially with older phones and cold weather. Got lost in the fog one morning and it saved us a long walk into the wrong drainage.

[Luckwell]

Originally Posted by Weekender

I recommend having an iPhone with iHunter AB. Besides the convenience of having the phone for photos and music/books (while starring through glass all day), iHunter uses the GPS capability built into phones these days. Left the GPS at home and never looked at the map. All you need to do is download the map images before you lose reception (satellite and topo). The gps function still works in "air plane mode" and with modest use the battery lasted me 5 days. One of those little battery chargers a good idea though, especially with older phones and cold weather. Got lost in the fog one morning and it saved us a long walk into the wrong drainage.

Hmmm Mayhaps I will do this.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[StandsOnToes]

Been chasing sheep since I was 15 ( 30 now) and my hunting partner is my dad who's been doing it for damn near 40years .

I could write a long list of what we take or what we've tried that didn't work but I think I'll just write a short list of a few items that if I left at home would make me turn around from the staging area to go get.

Boots - everyone will say get this brand or that but what is really comes down to is a waterproof high top leather shoe with a good hiking sole. I've tried a bunch hell I was unlucky enough to try a hunt in steel toes work boots once (never again) haha . You want hightops because sheep live in a rocky place and you are going to stumble and fall, leather because those rocks are dam hard on synthetic materials , and waterproof because wet feet turn a willing hunter into a sheepless Whiney hiker.

Binocular harness - I was going to write down what kind and style of binos but I think this piece of equipment is even more important that the glass it's attached to . Neck straps cause shoulder pain and chaffing, and scrambling up a rock face with binoculars bumping against your knees from a neck strap is a pain.
Well you say "I just keep them in my pocket" well then you missed out on a bunch of sheep. If the your glass is always out and easily accessed you'll be more prone to check out every damn sheep shaped rock you come across. If your eyes don't hurt so bad that it makes it hard to sleep your not glassing enough.

Tripod for your spotting scope - same with binos I was gonna list some brands but again, as long as you have a half decent scope , the tripod is more important that what's sitting on it . Make sure it's heavy! If you've ever been at the top of a mountain with the wind raging by and trying to decide if that maybe legal ram is worth hiking down this mountain and up the next you be thankful for a tripod that holds your scope dead still.
Make sure is is adjustable in every direction. Being able to plop your scope down where ever your are is awesome. If it's adjustable you don't have to search for a suitable place to set up the scope or a lay down In awkward positions.

Good attitude- nuff said

No hangover - if your indulging around the fire keep it reasonable, sheep hunting with a hangover is damn near impossible hAha.

Lip chap - mountain winds and sun suck, cracked lips are a common side effect of spending days on end at altitude chasing sheep.

Camel pack or large canteen- nuff said

Good friends- the guy next to you has to being willing to put up with climbing and ****ty weather. you should be in okay shape and you and your buddies should be evenly matched or else someone is eventually going to get ****ed that they are always waiting at the tops of washes or otherwise ****ed that we aren't taking enough breaks on the ascent haha

A gun that is sighted in BEFORE you go out to the hills- nothing ****es me off more than hearing crack crack crack crack crack, of some ******* a valley over sighting his gun in the day before opener. Noise like that will make the Rams stay up high and out of sight for days. Don't be a dick , the only cracks you should hear in the hills should be from kill shots.

[Djc284]

I have a tenzing tz6000.... Honestly like the pack, that being said it will never see a mountain for anymore than a 3 day trip. I have a 30" waist and the belt will not carry more than 40lbs comfortably and coming out 11 miles as the crow flies with 85-90lbs is hell!!!! Maybe if you had a 34+ waist may be better.
My partner uses a mystery ranch 6500. Very tough, very comfortable and quality is top notch, 85-90lbs in it felt like mine at 50. I just bought one and am very pleased.
Good boots
Best optics you can afford, recommend Swarovski
I won't take a spotter unless it has 60 power the difference between 45 and 60 is huge at long distance trying to judge a legal ram
MSR whisper light stove, we take 2 canisters of fuel, handy for melting snow for water. We stay up top.
Pot 2L, cup, spork
New air mattresses roll up to the size of a beer can and are comfy
Sleeping bag -7 rating in compression dry sack
Tent MSR Hubba Hubba
2 knives, 2 lighters, 50' para cord,
Range finder
Be comfortable shooting to 400 yards
Bear spray
Camel pack and 1 L water bottle
Compas with good topo map
We take a spot, good idea if anything ever went bad fast
Water and wind proof outer layer, Sitka
Headlamp with 1 set spare batteries

A partner that doesn't quit!!!! Limey the single best thing you can have with you.

[.300ultramag]

Never tried tenzig packs, haven't seen them on the millionaire Yankees in the sheep hunting magazines so that's something I guess.

Back up for bow hunting?? Don't live in fear. Always more likely to die on the road out there than by a bear. Carry bear spray, if it's enough for the little kids on a summer field trip it's enough for you.

Spend 4 grand on a spotting scope if you are young, the onus will be that you will feel guilty if you don't use it.

Buy the ultra ultra lightweight stuff if you are old and not yet sheep shape seasoned.

Blend that theory if middle aged, with any luck you will be in just good enough shape to make it into sheep country and glass until you get your legs back under you.

Don't listen to lucky people, listen to the ones that had to earn it.

Hunt one area all season and learn when the sheep are there or hunt different areas and hope to cross paths with them.

[riskytype]

I like my Tenzig 5000. I like all of the pockets to keep my stuff sorted and organized. I also like the amount of anchor points on the pack to tie more gear onto the pack. Not sure if it would be enough for more than my usual 5 day trip.