T Bone
Well-known member
keep going, popcorn is only half gone!
My 2007 Dall Sheep Hunt
- Thread starter Ovis
- Start date
MarvB
Well-known member
You're killing me here!
Great details and pics Ovis!
northwestalaska
New member
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2006
- Messages
- 104
Sheep!
Orvis:
Great story man! I have enjoyed reading about your adventure. I have a cabin down on the Gulkana River not far from where you were hunting in the Alaska Range. Great country out there! Keep up the story and I will tell my own when I get back from Caribou/Moose hunting in a few weeks.
Walt
Northwest Alaska Back Country Rentals
Your best bet for Rafts, Canoes and Camp rentals
www.northwestalaska.com
907-442-3944
Kotzebue, Alaska
Orvis:
Great story man! I have enjoyed reading about your adventure. I have a cabin down on the Gulkana River not far from where you were hunting in the Alaska Range. Great country out there! Keep up the story and I will tell my own when I get back from Caribou/Moose hunting in a few weeks.
Walt
Northwest Alaska Back Country Rentals
Your best bet for Rafts, Canoes and Camp rentals
www.northwestalaska.com
907-442-3944
Kotzebue, Alaska
The Climax: Day 3, Monday, Aug 27
What I failed to mention in the last post was just as we lost the very last bit of light I found another band of sheep up the valley roughly two miles away.
So, the following morning after unzipping the vestibule to...surpise, another glorious looking day, I grabbed the spotting scope and began making the rounds. All of the rams were pretty close to where we put them to bed the previous night. We started spotting large bands of lambs and ewes...these were the first we had seen on this trip. Then finally I rotated the scope up the valley to try and locate the sheep from the previous night. Way cool, they were there feeding. Only problem was they only appeared in the 45x spotter as white blurry fuzzballs. I made the decision to press forward with light packs and get a better looksee.
Within an hour Ben and I had finished up breakfast, filled our water bottles, packed our sleeping bags and a bit of food. Everything else would stay at camp.
Traveling light for the first time on the trip made walking a breeze. It didn't take us long covering enough ground to determine if the sheep were rams or not even with all the stops to take photographs.
Here you get a good look at not only the fantastic wx, but also all the ground we've managed to cover up to this point. If you notice the subtle ridge just left of center, that would be the first terrain we climbed over.
I mentioned the basics about ol' Ben, but I forgot to mention he also is a pretty decent photographer. He also is a purist of sorts too, he completely scoffs at the thought of going digital. He shoots strictly slide film...I'm currently waiting for him to send me a disc of his scanned pics. Here is Bennie boy doing his thing...
So, the further we walked up the drainage the more new country unfolded before us.
I mentioned on the first post that Ben and I are both aircrew on the AWACS. Well the damnedest thing happened while we were taking a break under the sunshine. As it so happens on a remote hunt such as this we people go so long without seeing or hearing from another sole (or at least we hope so) that anytime we see someone off in a distant we immediately point the glass in their direction. Well, the same thing applies to airplanes. I hear the faint buzz, and suddenly I'm scanning the sky trying to locate the plane...as if I've never seen one before. Weird, isn't it?
So there we are, soaking in rays, grubbing down on GORP and chugging down water when I hear the roar of a large plane. I start looking and so does Ben, when I spot it..."There it is", I shout, pointing. Ben looks and says, "Yah, and look, it's the AWACS." Sure as shit, you could see the rotodome and it couldn't have flown anymore directly over us. Then I look a little closer and spot another plane directly in front of it...it was in fact a KC135 refueler from Eielson dragging the AWACS as it "passed gas". It was like they knew where we were...which is the magic of the AWACS, like Santa I know what you're up to and where you guys are on any given day at any given time.
Miller, get your hands off your privates...see, I know this shit.
For once Ben and I were excited about the AWACS, by far the coolest one we had ever seen <grin>. So after the excitement we continued to press, covering more tundra, more scree slopes and rocks. Here is a candid shot of Ben covering ground and elevation.
Finally we get close enough I can make out numbers AND horns. I start counting...one, two, three, five, eight...eight rams. Then one, two...two legal rams, no wait, three...Holy BaJesus a smoker ram...three legal rams. My goodness look at that pig!!! Talk about excitement. Two others were at 7/8 curls and all of them had great genetics.
You can't tell how nice these rams are, but here they are feeding and strangely enough...down low.
So with that guys, I gotta run again, my daughter has ice skating practice, but because I know you all are on pins and needles, I'll go ahead and post the pic of the one I got. More later...
Isn't he giiii-normous???
What I failed to mention in the last post was just as we lost the very last bit of light I found another band of sheep up the valley roughly two miles away.
So, the following morning after unzipping the vestibule to...surpise, another glorious looking day, I grabbed the spotting scope and began making the rounds. All of the rams were pretty close to where we put them to bed the previous night. We started spotting large bands of lambs and ewes...these were the first we had seen on this trip. Then finally I rotated the scope up the valley to try and locate the sheep from the previous night. Way cool, they were there feeding. Only problem was they only appeared in the 45x spotter as white blurry fuzzballs. I made the decision to press forward with light packs and get a better looksee.
Within an hour Ben and I had finished up breakfast, filled our water bottles, packed our sleeping bags and a bit of food. Everything else would stay at camp.
Traveling light for the first time on the trip made walking a breeze. It didn't take us long covering enough ground to determine if the sheep were rams or not even with all the stops to take photographs.
Here you get a good look at not only the fantastic wx, but also all the ground we've managed to cover up to this point. If you notice the subtle ridge just left of center, that would be the first terrain we climbed over.
I mentioned the basics about ol' Ben, but I forgot to mention he also is a pretty decent photographer. He also is a purist of sorts too, he completely scoffs at the thought of going digital. He shoots strictly slide film...I'm currently waiting for him to send me a disc of his scanned pics. Here is Bennie boy doing his thing...
So, the further we walked up the drainage the more new country unfolded before us.
I mentioned on the first post that Ben and I are both aircrew on the AWACS. Well the damnedest thing happened while we were taking a break under the sunshine. As it so happens on a remote hunt such as this we people go so long without seeing or hearing from another sole (or at least we hope so) that anytime we see someone off in a distant we immediately point the glass in their direction. Well, the same thing applies to airplanes. I hear the faint buzz, and suddenly I'm scanning the sky trying to locate the plane...as if I've never seen one before. Weird, isn't it?
So there we are, soaking in rays, grubbing down on GORP and chugging down water when I hear the roar of a large plane. I start looking and so does Ben, when I spot it..."There it is", I shout, pointing. Ben looks and says, "Yah, and look, it's the AWACS." Sure as shit, you could see the rotodome and it couldn't have flown anymore directly over us. Then I look a little closer and spot another plane directly in front of it...it was in fact a KC135 refueler from Eielson dragging the AWACS as it "passed gas". It was like they knew where we were...which is the magic of the AWACS, like Santa I know what you're up to and where you guys are on any given day at any given time.
Miller, get your hands off your privates...see, I know this shit.
For once Ben and I were excited about the AWACS, by far the coolest one we had ever seen <grin>. So after the excitement we continued to press, covering more tundra, more scree slopes and rocks. Here is a candid shot of Ben covering ground and elevation.
Finally we get close enough I can make out numbers AND horns. I start counting...one, two, three, five, eight...eight rams. Then one, two...two legal rams, no wait, three...Holy BaJesus a smoker ram...three legal rams. My goodness look at that pig!!! Talk about excitement. Two others were at 7/8 curls and all of them had great genetics.
You can't tell how nice these rams are, but here they are feeding and strangely enough...down low.
So with that guys, I gotta run again, my daughter has ice skating practice, but because I know you all are on pins and needles, I'll go ahead and post the pic of the one I got. More later...
Isn't he giiii-normous???
smalls
Well-known member
He's A Friggin Red X You Teasing Bastard!
Before, it was suspenseful with great photography and a lot of fun. Now, well, it still is, but you're just being a dirty bastard. 
And, about the all knowing stuff, you could pick any day, any time, and you'd have a 90% shot of being correct about Miller :wank:, so that doesn't count.
And, about the all knowing stuff, you could pick any day, any time, and you'd have a 90% shot of being correct about Miller :wank:, so that doesn't count.
guppie9
New member
Ovis,
Even though you are dragging this story out and keeping us all in suspense, all I have to say is:
My wife stopped at Pagoda on her way home and I just finsihed enjoying a nice big helping of Mongolian Beef!!!
Even though you are dragging this story out and keeping us all in suspense, all I have to say is:
My wife stopped at Pagoda on her way home and I just finsihed enjoying a nice big helping of Mongolian Beef!!!
Guppie, you know how to kick a guy when he is down...that hurt dude.
Weird, that last pic didn't show...wonder why that happened.
Alrighty then, I'll see if I can wrap this up. I have a mid-term due on Monday and I can't continue with this much longer, plus I have 90 minutes of video from this hunt I want to cut.
Ben and I continue to glass the rams, looking each one over again and again. Eventually they gain some elevation and bed down in the crags, each of them posting a different direction. I
told Ben prior to the hunt to expect ample glassing and waiting. He reminded me I was right about that.
Deciding there was no way to prosecute the heavy ram without getting busted, we waited and waited. The wind, at least for now, was good and I was in no hurry to seal the deal so long the rams stayed in the area. It was nice just to watch these sheep chew their cud. Not sure of the type of seeds, but they were much like a dandelions only larger, floating around around in the gentle breeze...one or two of the rams would become distracted from predator watching and focus all their attention on these seeds floating about all willy-nilly. Funny...
As the hours sneaked by I hoped the big ram would come down for its evening browse and feed his way towards me. It wasn't possible for me to get any closer without going unnoticed, even with my all-white Tyvec suit.
Evening chow came and one by one the rams came to all fours and made their way down to the willows. Five of the rams either went straight down the mountain or disappeared behind the contour of the ridges, the other three, the youngest rams, made their way towards Ben and me.
The big ram was in sight, but outside of my comfort zone to shoot. So we watched him waddle, yes waddle, around aimlessly. We must of become so enthralled with watching the large ram we never realized a half curl had fed his was to within 15 yards of our noses.
Uh, oh....I whisper a "F-bomb" to Ben, "There's a ram right there, don't move." Too late, the gig was up and the young ram was suspicous about those funny looking bushes. Ben and I were pinned down for 30 - 40 minutes just wishing the ram would stop looking at us and just go away. We had been too patient and everything from the drawing of the tag, to making our way this far had been too perfect for the ram(s) to blow out of the country. Ben with my Zeiss compacts glued to his eyes and me with my right hand balancing my rifle on a rocket were becoming very numb not being able to move. I felt the need to take the small ram out just out of spite...no, not really, but the thought did cross my mind even if it were jokingly.
As I stated we were pinned down for over a half hour, but once the ram began moving back up hill we were able to relax. By now the sun is getting very low behind the mountains that contained us. The sheep are beginning to bed again. Though, both, Ben and I had flashlights we decided to take a risky gamble with the weather and bivy 500 yards from the sheep rather than walk the two miles back to camp. It just didn't feel right to leave the area being this close.
The air is crisp and the sky is clear. I forewarn Ben about the possibilities of seeing the Aurora Borealis. A pepperstick and Snickers is what I have for dinner. I hope the rain doesn't decide to fall tonight...we have not tarps or rain fly, just our bags...it would be miserable if it were to do so.
0100 I hear my name being whispered, "Jim, Jim...The lights, they're out." I pull my head out from within my bag a peak. Ahhh, there they were, just as I remembered seeing them last two years prior. Dancing about overhead and nearly so close to my hands when I reached out for them. Ben had already prepared to take pictures of them in the event they appeared. His camera mounted on the tripod, he set the exposure time on his cam to various settings, 20 seconds, 1 minute, etc. As outstanding the show was, I was fighting to stay awake. I slumped my head and shoulders back into my bag where it was much toastier.
0530 rolled around and sunlight was trickling into the valley. Time to get up, I tell Ben. I throw on my fleece top and lace up the boots, jump out of my bag and peer over the willows with my Leicas, good stuff, right where we left them. We rolled our bags up, stuffed everything into our packs, grabbed the rifle and optics and zigzagged our way through the willows and scree to get closer, but only a little closer than what we were able to do the previous day.
We get a head count as the rams step out of the crags and head for the willows. 1, 2, 3, 5 8...they're all there. Now where was the big guy? Ah, there he is. Ben questioned my certainty, not because he thought otherwise, but he just wanted to make sure he was seeing the right one. We watched the rams feed. I gave Ben my thoughts on the range, 400 yards I suggest to him. Ben explains he has no idea of range. I go with my gut feeling...still too far for my skills. I wait and only hope the rams feed closer. They do... I request Ben gets the video camera out and start taping. We continue to watch. Ben is as amazed as I am the rams are feeding towards us. He jokes with me and says sheep hunting is easy...they come running to their death. If only every hunt was this simple. But he isn't dead yet. I look through my rifle scope, they're still getting closer. Two of the rams begin shifting their direction, one is big papa. I look through the scope again. I'm ready. I chamber a round and reset the bipod. I rest my left forefinger on the barrel and position my trigger finger. Breathe, breathe, I continued to remind myself. "PSSSppp, Ben, tape is rolling, right?" His reply is positive. I rest the cross hairs on the back of the ram. He is perfectly broadside to me.
My 300 errupts and instantly the ram collapses. The super seven all jump and look. I think I overhear one of them say, "What the hell happened to Fred?" The others must not have cared, cause they all went back to feeding. I turn the video camera on myself and express my elation. We watch the rams slowly feed away. I look at my watch the time is 0700. Ben and I go to recover our packs and walk down to our trophy. We pace count from where I shot to where the ram lay...both of us count a little over 400. We shave it down to 350ish.
For once, no ground shrinkage. What a prime he is; a beautiful coat, a light buttery colored set of horns. I count the rings off as I hold the horns in my hands 7, 8, 9 10. I get the tape from my pack. His long horn is 40 3/4", the short is 39 1/2". Both drop below his jawline and flare out. I tape the bases at 13.5". I make a few more measurements of the facial and neck features for the taxidermist. I inspect the teeth; impeccable condition they are in. What a healthy mature ram he is. I wonder how many of his offspring exist within the nearby drainages. He is what I came for....look for yourself and tell me otherwise.
Did I mention he was full curl and 10 years old? Have a closer look if you don't believe me...
The long side...
Here is the shorter side...
Ben advises me the weather is about to move in...we knew it was coming. I give Ben a 101 class on dressing an animal. He passes with flying colors. By 1100 we are asking ourselves do we shoot for the creek and return to the tent or do we follow our bread crumbs and return the way we came. We decide to drop to the bottom.
The walking was by far easier this route, and appeared to be the chosen way for many a predator; wolves and bears. The numerous cutbanks only created a minor headache when it came to avoiding them...still, it was worth the extra effort.
The warriors taking a breather...
Bodies sore and feet tender, we make it back to camp in good spirits and just as the rain began to fall. The system was a fast moving one, but dropped enough heavy water on us to get everything wet. After 30 minutes of rain it turned to sleet. The ice stuck around for 15 minutes before dissapating.
Ben and I hang the meat bags in the willows along the creek where it was plenty shaded and very cool. The plan was to start a fire once we returned and we would bbq the racks of ribs, but the rain put a damper on that. We gather our food bags instead and whip up some hot Mountain Houses. The water in the pot was just coming to a boil when a sign of gayness appeared...I had seen this sign before, but couldn't quite put a finger on it. Then I realized, it was a on a bumper sticker of some Toyota pickup with Montana plates. The passengers were a 4' little person and a yellow lab.
After dinner I was really only thinking of turning in, but knew I had unfinished business with the ram head. I pulled out a box of razor blades and began fleshing and turning the lips, eyes, nose and ears. I removed the horns from the skull and called it a night.
The end will be posted tomorrow, but I presume since most of you have the horn porn on your monitors now I will probably lose your attention. Note this though, something very funny and perhaps embarrassing happens...so check back in tomorrow.
Weird, that last pic didn't show...wonder why that happened.
Alrighty then, I'll see if I can wrap this up. I have a mid-term due on Monday and I can't continue with this much longer, plus I have 90 minutes of video from this hunt I want to cut.
Ben and I continue to glass the rams, looking each one over again and again. Eventually they gain some elevation and bed down in the crags, each of them posting a different direction. I
told Ben prior to the hunt to expect ample glassing and waiting. He reminded me I was right about that.
Deciding there was no way to prosecute the heavy ram without getting busted, we waited and waited. The wind, at least for now, was good and I was in no hurry to seal the deal so long the rams stayed in the area. It was nice just to watch these sheep chew their cud. Not sure of the type of seeds, but they were much like a dandelions only larger, floating around around in the gentle breeze...one or two of the rams would become distracted from predator watching and focus all their attention on these seeds floating about all willy-nilly. Funny...
As the hours sneaked by I hoped the big ram would come down for its evening browse and feed his way towards me. It wasn't possible for me to get any closer without going unnoticed, even with my all-white Tyvec suit.
Evening chow came and one by one the rams came to all fours and made their way down to the willows. Five of the rams either went straight down the mountain or disappeared behind the contour of the ridges, the other three, the youngest rams, made their way towards Ben and me.
The big ram was in sight, but outside of my comfort zone to shoot. So we watched him waddle, yes waddle, around aimlessly. We must of become so enthralled with watching the large ram we never realized a half curl had fed his was to within 15 yards of our noses.
Uh, oh....I whisper a "F-bomb" to Ben, "There's a ram right there, don't move." Too late, the gig was up and the young ram was suspicous about those funny looking bushes. Ben and I were pinned down for 30 - 40 minutes just wishing the ram would stop looking at us and just go away. We had been too patient and everything from the drawing of the tag, to making our way this far had been too perfect for the ram(s) to blow out of the country. Ben with my Zeiss compacts glued to his eyes and me with my right hand balancing my rifle on a rocket were becoming very numb not being able to move. I felt the need to take the small ram out just out of spite...no, not really, but the thought did cross my mind even if it were jokingly.
As I stated we were pinned down for over a half hour, but once the ram began moving back up hill we were able to relax. By now the sun is getting very low behind the mountains that contained us. The sheep are beginning to bed again. Though, both, Ben and I had flashlights we decided to take a risky gamble with the weather and bivy 500 yards from the sheep rather than walk the two miles back to camp. It just didn't feel right to leave the area being this close.
The air is crisp and the sky is clear. I forewarn Ben about the possibilities of seeing the Aurora Borealis. A pepperstick and Snickers is what I have for dinner. I hope the rain doesn't decide to fall tonight...we have not tarps or rain fly, just our bags...it would be miserable if it were to do so.
0100 I hear my name being whispered, "Jim, Jim...The lights, they're out." I pull my head out from within my bag a peak. Ahhh, there they were, just as I remembered seeing them last two years prior. Dancing about overhead and nearly so close to my hands when I reached out for them. Ben had already prepared to take pictures of them in the event they appeared. His camera mounted on the tripod, he set the exposure time on his cam to various settings, 20 seconds, 1 minute, etc. As outstanding the show was, I was fighting to stay awake. I slumped my head and shoulders back into my bag where it was much toastier.
0530 rolled around and sunlight was trickling into the valley. Time to get up, I tell Ben. I throw on my fleece top and lace up the boots, jump out of my bag and peer over the willows with my Leicas, good stuff, right where we left them. We rolled our bags up, stuffed everything into our packs, grabbed the rifle and optics and zigzagged our way through the willows and scree to get closer, but only a little closer than what we were able to do the previous day.
We get a head count as the rams step out of the crags and head for the willows. 1, 2, 3, 5 8...they're all there. Now where was the big guy? Ah, there he is. Ben questioned my certainty, not because he thought otherwise, but he just wanted to make sure he was seeing the right one. We watched the rams feed. I gave Ben my thoughts on the range, 400 yards I suggest to him. Ben explains he has no idea of range. I go with my gut feeling...still too far for my skills. I wait and only hope the rams feed closer. They do... I request Ben gets the video camera out and start taping. We continue to watch. Ben is as amazed as I am the rams are feeding towards us. He jokes with me and says sheep hunting is easy...they come running to their death. If only every hunt was this simple. But he isn't dead yet. I look through my rifle scope, they're still getting closer. Two of the rams begin shifting their direction, one is big papa. I look through the scope again. I'm ready. I chamber a round and reset the bipod. I rest my left forefinger on the barrel and position my trigger finger. Breathe, breathe, I continued to remind myself. "PSSSppp, Ben, tape is rolling, right?" His reply is positive. I rest the cross hairs on the back of the ram. He is perfectly broadside to me.
My 300 errupts and instantly the ram collapses. The super seven all jump and look. I think I overhear one of them say, "What the hell happened to Fred?" The others must not have cared, cause they all went back to feeding. I turn the video camera on myself and express my elation. We watch the rams slowly feed away. I look at my watch the time is 0700. Ben and I go to recover our packs and walk down to our trophy. We pace count from where I shot to where the ram lay...both of us count a little over 400. We shave it down to 350ish.
For once, no ground shrinkage. What a prime he is; a beautiful coat, a light buttery colored set of horns. I count the rings off as I hold the horns in my hands 7, 8, 9 10. I get the tape from my pack. His long horn is 40 3/4", the short is 39 1/2". Both drop below his jawline and flare out. I tape the bases at 13.5". I make a few more measurements of the facial and neck features for the taxidermist. I inspect the teeth; impeccable condition they are in. What a healthy mature ram he is. I wonder how many of his offspring exist within the nearby drainages. He is what I came for....look for yourself and tell me otherwise.
Did I mention he was full curl and 10 years old? Have a closer look if you don't believe me...
The long side...
Here is the shorter side...
Ben advises me the weather is about to move in...we knew it was coming. I give Ben a 101 class on dressing an animal. He passes with flying colors. By 1100 we are asking ourselves do we shoot for the creek and return to the tent or do we follow our bread crumbs and return the way we came. We decide to drop to the bottom.
The walking was by far easier this route, and appeared to be the chosen way for many a predator; wolves and bears. The numerous cutbanks only created a minor headache when it came to avoiding them...still, it was worth the extra effort.
The warriors taking a breather...
Bodies sore and feet tender, we make it back to camp in good spirits and just as the rain began to fall. The system was a fast moving one, but dropped enough heavy water on us to get everything wet. After 30 minutes of rain it turned to sleet. The ice stuck around for 15 minutes before dissapating.
Ben and I hang the meat bags in the willows along the creek where it was plenty shaded and very cool. The plan was to start a fire once we returned and we would bbq the racks of ribs, but the rain put a damper on that. We gather our food bags instead and whip up some hot Mountain Houses. The water in the pot was just coming to a boil when a sign of gayness appeared...I had seen this sign before, but couldn't quite put a finger on it. Then I realized, it was a on a bumper sticker of some Toyota pickup with Montana plates. The passengers were a 4' little person and a yellow lab.
After dinner I was really only thinking of turning in, but knew I had unfinished business with the ram head. I pulled out a box of razor blades and began fleshing and turning the lips, eyes, nose and ears. I removed the horns from the skull and called it a night.
The end will be posted tomorrow, but I presume since most of you have the horn porn on your monitors now I will probably lose your attention. Note this though, something very funny and perhaps embarrassing happens...so check back in tomorrow.
AZ402
Well-known member
That is a great RAM and a great story! Congratulations Ovis on a well deserved trophy.............
guppie9
New member
All I can say is "WOW!!!!!!!!!!"
Great job man.
Great job man.
The Hedgehog
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2000
- Messages
- 11,620
Donkey Punch
Sweet! That's a damn pretty sheep. Congrats man!!
Sweet! That's a damn pretty sheep. Congrats man!!
indian larry
Member
i think that is the longest and best time i have spent reading sense high school...good job
Erik in AK
New member
Well done!!
I fly out Thursday hopefully I'll have a equal tale to tell.
I fly out Thursday hopefully I'll have a equal tale to tell.
smalls
Well-known member
Incredible Ovis. You'll be hard pressed to beat that trip of a lifetime!
DRAFTSTUD
Well-known member
Man, After a Hunt like that all I could say was "Lay my @#)(# upon my Chest and tell the Girls I've gone to Rest!" Great story and neat to have a friend like Ben back ya up, tell him congats also. John
T Bone
Well-known member
Nice work Jim! Great narrative and a beautiful ram.
