Endangered Grizzly Bear Photo Thread

[LowRange(Formerly BTF)]

I'm in the same boat as Horn Seeker. Know a guy with 3 as well. Not sure its the same person. Makes you start thinking a bit. I talked to him about it and he made a good point when he said the best part is you get to hunt sheep every year until you kill one if you truly commit. While everyone is hunting deer and elk you're running around on top of the mountains. Did they all have a chocolate coat?

 

[C Bow]

New

I am new to this site. I am going to hunt some of the unlimited areas starting next year. I would like to ask a few questions about what caliber gun some of you use and also what packs and boots you use I promise I will not ask anyone on here about where the sheep
are. I am only interested in some info on the gear you use. Thanks Coy

 

[mtmander]

I hunted the unlimited area several years back , never saw a legal ram , don't remember why I stopped hunting them

 

[MTGomer]

I am new to this site. I am going to hunt some of the unlimited areas starting next year. I would like to ask a few questions about what caliber gun some of you use and also what packs and boots you use I promise I will not ask anyone on here about where the sheep
are. I am only interested in some info on the gear you use. Thanks Coy

I just use my .300 WBY Mag, although I would like to build a lightweight backcountry gun, like a .260 AI. I use a Stone Glacier Sky 6200 Pack, and Schnees Absaroka High boots.

Just get the best gear you can afford, but keep in mind that fitness and mentality will be the biggest assets. If you're from NC, you need to get in as good of shape as possible and then some. There is no amount of exercise at what ever your elevation is that can prepare you for the air at 10k. Just hit it as hard as you can and keep a positive attitude. You're going to go days, and maybe the whole season without seeing a sheep, but maybe you'll get lucky.
Best of luck to ya!

 

[BigHornRam]

 

[Bambistew]

I am only interested in some info on the gear you use. Thanks Coy

There is no magic gear to use on a sheep hunt. Get the best, lightest gear you can afford. Nothing is a must have IMO. Rifle caliber gack is over rated, as are "long range" capabilities. I've seen 9 gunned down in the last few years, farthest was about 300 yards, closest was about 30.

Spend your money on optics and boots, the rest can be what ever you can afford.

Get a pack that's big enough to haul out your gear and a sheep in one trip. Getting a tiny pack with no room for anything but gear means more walking.

Don't bring any foo foo crap. Shoot for 50lb pack for a 7 day hunt to include rifle.

Being mentally prepared is the MOST important part of sheep hunting, aside from actually knowing how/where to hunt sheep...

 

[El Jason]

I am new to this site. I am going to hunt some of the unlimited areas starting next year. I would like to ask a few questions about what caliber gun some of you use and also what packs and boots you use I promise I will not ask anyone on here about where the sheep
are. I am only interested in some info on the gear you use. Thanks Coy

Sheep aren't all that hard to kill. Anything between .25 and .30 caliber is fine.

Boot brand comes down to preference, but I would find something with a full 5mm nylon shank. I'm a Lowa guy, but that's only because they fit my feet very well.

I have a Mystery Ranch pack that I use for backpack hunting. There are many good options out there, probably one of the best is buying a used pack. There are many good deals floating around out there for MR, Kifaru, Stone Glacier, etc.

Volume is a concern. My Metcalf is the smallest I'd use for that kind of a hunt. Some guys prefer being able to load everything inside of the pack and don't like the meat shelf options. I like the meat shelf option that the Metcalf affords.

Read Bambi's advice on optics several times over. When I went sheep hunting with a buddy, his uncle loaned him a Swaro 65mm spotter. That thing was worth its weight in gold. It's pretty critical you can have a darned good idea whether the ram you're looking at is legal and worth your time to get to it. A good spotter will do that for you.

I agree, 50 pounds is a pretty good benchmark for 7 days. Lots of good gear lists out there from some very knowledgeable sheep guys.

 

[C Bow]

Thanks

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I have a 308 that I have hunted with all my life I am going to buy a new Kimber ascent in 308 or 7mm 08. I was thinking about a Mystery Ranch or Kuiu pack. The Kuiu is lighter and I read a review that the MR leaked in rain. That is one reason I was asking for advice on here about gear I figure that the hunters on here could give me the pros and cons of the different gear I have Lepould spotting scopes and Binoculars Thanks for all the advice and Good Luck Hunting Thanks Coy

 

[fowl_minded]

Gear

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I have a 308 that I have hunted with all my life I am going to buy a new Kimber ascent in 308 or 7mm 08. I was thinking about a Mystery Ranch or Kuiu pack. The Kuiu is lighter and I read a review that the MR leaked in rain. That is one reason I was asking for advice on here about gear I figure that the hunters on here could give me the pros and cons of the different gear I have Lepould spotting scopes and Binoculars Thanks for all the advice and Good Luck Hunting Thanks Coy

This was the first i did the sheep hunt and i got to say i had a blast I learned a lot and i plan on doing it again in the future!
As far as the rifle goes, in my opinion I feel that you should use whatever your comfortable with. i have had the same rifle since i was 14 a Remington 700 7mag and i use it for everything from antelope to bears, it may not be the lightest or a 1000 yards out of the box but it works for me!
Next I have the Kenetrek Mountain Boot 9 inch height. i do really like them but after they are good and broken in i have had some leaking issues so keep that in mind, i also really like the Schnees Brand boot. My next boot purchase will probably be a Schnees Beartooth or Absaroka.
As far as the pack situation goes i have a Stone Glacier 5100. I was a huge Eberlestock guy and had several. I told myself i would never spend the money on a pack such as the Stone, Kuiu, MR, or Kifaru. I can tell you after I finally pulled the trigger on doing this hunt I am so glad I did. My brother in law and I did a ten day sheep hunt at the beginning of the season (We did get weathered out but we had a full supply) got it all in on one trip about 4 miles and 2000 feet higher in one trip. I am planning on doing more backpack syle and spike camp hunting in the future whether it be for sheep goats or elk. I did put a post on the backpack section under the gear forums and it got a lot of good reviews. (Ill try and find it and repost the link).Also Pete and Kurt at SG are really good guys and they know mountain hunting out of a pack probably better than 9 out of 10 guys!
Good luck and have fun. be prepared to get your ass handed to ya by the tooths!

 

[fowl_minded]

Backpack Thread

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?t=262592

 

[MTGomer]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I have a 308 that I have hunted with all my life I am going to buy a new Kimber ascent in 308 or 7mm 08. I was thinking about a Mystery Ranch or Kuiu pack. The Kuiu is lighter and I read a review that the MR leaked in rain. That is one reason I was asking for advice on here about gear I figure that the hunters on here could give me the pros and cons of the different gear I have Lepould spotting scopes and Binoculars Thanks for all the advice and Good Luck Hunting Thanks Coy

You'll really like the Kuiu Icon. I had the 5200 and really liked it. Only reason I have something different is that my place was burglarized right before season, and needed a pack ASAP.

 

[aballoga]

another 2015 first timer

@MtnRunner - I was over in those bowls seen in the distance of your pics.

Amazing area, regrettably still <1 status, but am itching to return. Have my sights on another attempt in 2016 or 2017. However I don't plan to ever again be up there solo.

 

[C Bow]

Thanks

I would like to thank everyone that gave me advice on equipment. I know I will have other questions before September. I would also like to wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS. Thanks

 

[antlerradar]

C Bow. I would worry less about the right equipment and concentrate on getting your legs and lungs in top shape.

 

[Southern Elk]

Best of luck to you C Bow!

 

[Southern Elk]

Anyone know roughly what the odds of success are on these hunts? They seem to be incredibly low. Makes it damn impressive when someone shoots one!

 

[Schaaf]

Anyone know roughly what the odds of success are on these hunts? They seem to be incredibly low. Makes it damn impressive when someone shoots one!

Low enough to make it arguably the greatest trophy in America.

 

[Southern Elk]

Low enough to make it arguably the greatest trophy in America.

You want hear any argument out of me...I was just wondering what the actual numbers were.

 

[LowRange(Formerly BTF)]

Anyone know roughly what the odds of success are on these hunts? They seem to be incredibly low. Makes it damn impressive when someone shoots one!

I believe the best odds of killing a ram in any of those units is less than .1% but you'll get to hunt sheep every year until you kill one. Worth a shot.

 

[vaquero]

I believe the best odds of killing a ram in any of those units is less than .1% but you'll get to hunt sheep every year until you kill one. Worth a shot.

How exactly would you come up with a 0.1% success rate on a hunt that only had 30-60 tags sold?