Stone Glaciers all loaded up
The title pretty much sums up 2015’s sheep hunt. Yet despite eating tag soup, any time in sheep country is a coveted adventure and a time for learning and reflection. Our trip started out great. Good weather, robust plans, and solid preparation.
Pioneer X-Stream
Our adventure this year involved multiple rivers and creeks in an attempt to distance ourselves from other hunters. We utilized a Pristine Ventures Pioneer X Stream to tackle these water challenges, and it performed better than we could have hoped for (more details to come).
Our plan was to use several interconnecting water routes to put us in an area we thought would separate us from other hunters. Concern set in as another raft was being loaded at our drop off spot. The other hunters were gracious and we agreed to help each other down that section of water, and then give each other some space, as we seemed to have similar plans. Our 4 hour float turned into an all day trip, complete with portages and other river hazards.
Once we finally reached the intended waterway we found a spot to camp and holed up for the night. We awoke and floated to the where we were intending to start our hiking. It was frustrating to see two other rafts, and several tents already in place. We figured we would just float a bit farther down the river and hunt back toward our original target, hoping the others would be hunting toward us and that rams would get pushed our way.
The Swaro spotter was great, much better than my poor digiscoping skills
The following 3-4 days were a frustrating exertion. The brush and waterways were thick, swampy tundra, with alders and jack pine reaching higher elevations than we have previously experienced in sheep country. Combine this with steep, technical terrain and we more than had our hands full. As we glassed the upper terrain from camp we were excited to see multiple rams. Two of these rams seemed be just over full curl and a third was very close. We had 3 possible shooters and only needed to find a way to get close enough to take the shot.
After several days of brush busting route finding we narrowed the distance to ~700 yards.. However, we were unable to close the gap. To our left was a severe drop off into a nasty tangle of brush, rocks, and swamp. Straight up was a rock climb that demanded ropes, harnesses, and protective devices in order to proceed. We figured we could free climb without our packs on, but attempting to get back down with a sheep on our back was pure insanity. We noticed another gravel shoot about 500 yards to our right, and about 50 yards above our current elevation. What separated us from this chute was a tangle of Alaska’s finest brush. We made sure everything was strapped down tightly to our Stone Glacier packs and decided to give it a whirl.
Waist waders for sheep hunting???
Jerry led the way, and I followed a safe distance back, trying to break branches and help clear an exit route. At this point I heard what I though was a Supercub flying in on us. It concerned me because we were less than 1,000 yards from some good rams and I didn’t want the rams to get pushed. As I was whipping my head around, trying to find the plane, I looked toward Jerry and noticed a weird black cloud between us. About that time my brain connected the buzzing and the black cloud. BEES!! We had disturbed an underground bee hive! I hollered a warning to Jerry, and foolishly turned and took off like a race car. Considering the steep and brush tangled terrain we were working through, this did not go as planned. I got a half dozen steps in before brush entwined my legs and I went down. In the process I jammed a stick into the palm of my left hand. As the bees continued to search for what hit them, I scrambled my way back to our original chute, and grabbed a handkerchief to stop the blood. Jerry waited a few moments for the cloud to disperse and worked his way back to me.
First Aid Kits are a MUST have.
We bound up the hand, tipped our hat to the mountain, and admitted defeat. It was a long trudge back to the tent, but it did give us time to think. The rams were in a perfect spot, a small bowl, with no real approach that wouldn’t have pushed them up and over the mountain. If we could have made the shot, the rams would have rolled down to an open chute, or we could take that chute up to the where they dropped. We felt we could get to about 530-550 yards, but no closer. The chute was a path up, but not possible without spooking them. That night fog rolled in and when it lifted the rams were gone and two tents were high on the ridge. No shots were fired so our rams wondered off to live another day.
We decided to go back up river and try a different route. The rest of that day was spent lining our raft up river as we slowly worked upstream, and toward the opposite side of the river. From there we hiked in 13 miles to a new area. However, it was every bit as rugged and steep as the terrain we had left. We found two rams that looked promising, but were unable to get above them before they slipped away. As time winded down, we knew the cause was lost and returned to the river.
As we made our way home we reflected on the time we spent in creation, amazed at the vastness of just the small corner of the globe we had explored. Our gear worked as expected, we didn’t forget anything critical, and our physical conditioning had prepared us for the work we had done.
Over the last few days I reached out to several of my contacts and found that record number of hunters had invaded the area we hunted this year. It explains the tents we saw and brings forth the dilemma facing Alaska Sheep Hunters. Where to hunt to avoid the crowds? The planning, phone calls, and lists for 2016 are in the works. Perhaps next year will be our year, but if not, we realize the blessing and good fortune we have to be able to chase sheep in an amazing part of God’s creation.
We still have a shot to fill our freezer as we chase caribou and moose next month. Knowing us, it won’t be easy, but it will be definitely be an adventure!
First Lite’s Mt Athlete Compression socks
Leave A Comment