Wayne in BC
New member
Although i lived in one of the best BighornSheep hunting areas in the world...
Oops got company will get back to this later.........
I only hunted them occasionaly, mostly guiding other folks took up my time, but when i could i really enjoyed Sheep hunting. The whole package had much less to do with taking a Sheep than just spending time in those gorgeous mountains.
Places of ruggedness and awesome scenery. The high "Sheep pastures", often an acre or two of grass, a million alpine flowers, trickling streams and waterfalls. All hidden from those who would not hike miles at an altitude of 6000 feet, then climb another couple thousand feet up talus slopes, through tangled stunted trees and over rock ledges. Then not kill a Sheep because you had gotten one 15 years ago and....none of these that you gazed down on (yes DOWN, because you almost always hunted them from above where they least expected trouble from) measured up to the standard you had set for yourself. A standard so high that you knew you would be able to do this for a good many more years
Then there were the camps. From little "overnight" spartan nooks (mostly) out of the weather, to a full blown, three or four 12x14 wall tents, one for cooking, one for loafing and playing cards or just BSing, another for sleeping and maybe one for storing tack, feed, and various necessary supplies. All packed in, most often up to 30 miles by a string of packhorses. A trip that included being packed and ready at the trailhead by an hour past sunrise, (after spending the previous long day packing up, loading the horses in my 3 ton truck and a couple other trucks, then getting the 100 miles from home to here.) A few good Cowboy/Guide/hunter friends, and if everything went well, a long, tiring, and beautiful ride that put us at camp two hours after dark with very tired men and horses, all who would perk up after an hour or so of unpacking when the "very old grain", and fresh OATS would be opened up
Usually the next day would be spent goofing off and recovering our energy while glassing the area with spotting scopes and binoculars. No good sheephunter just takes off and goes touring, you see little and miss much! Long hours of watching from a good vantage point pays off and we were at least 2 miles from the nearest "sheep pasture". Those critters have true "binocular vision" and will spot you from miles away. They nearly always know you are around and there are ways to hunt them without stalking, believe it or not!
This is the story of one such hunt, it only involved two of us this trip. My buddy Jim and i. Jim lived on a ranch near Caroline Alberta, just down the road from a good friend to us both, and my mentor, who taught me proper horsepacking and how to throw a "diamond hitch". A true outdoorsman and one of north America's premier sheep guides, his name is Dewey Browning, to you folks....the father of Curt Browning, Olympic medalist and world champion skater!
We had stopped at Dewey's camp on our way in to hunt the Forbidden Creek area. The picture i am reposting here (compliments of Royal's expertise) was taken at the headwaters of that creek on that trip.
After a few minutes of visiting with Dewey, i asked him where he was guiding, so that we did not mess up his hunt, a courtesy extended by most in our business. He filled us in and we said we would go up the other fork of the creek, said our goodbyes and headed our ponies into the high country.
I am on the right, sorry it is blurry but you get the idea of the country......
[attachment 11053 Real_High_Country221.JPG]
continued.....We stayed in an old trappers cabin that night, rose early and were in position on the "backside" of a rocky bluff, our horses "ground tied" and grazing a hundred feet below us while we peeked over the top through the spotting scopes by early light.
It was nice weather but too warm by 10:00 am to get much use out of the 40 power scopes, heatwaves and mirage are a big problem in warm weather, limiting one to scanning an area out to maybe a mile when you really need 3 miles or so. Identifying your game is secondary to finding them!
Once a group of sheep is found it is simple to tell if you have Ewes and lambs, if you do you must look elsewhere that early in the season as the Rams are not with them. They are either solitary or in batchelor groups.
After 2 hours of steady eyestrain, about 9:00 am, we had seen nothing at all and had decided to move further along the valley a few miles, reluctantly i would add, because it was all open country and our movements would surely be noted by many pairs of eyes. I was taking one last look at a high and wide talus slope a mile or so away to my left, wondering what the tiny black line halfway up and across the middle was. At that distance the tiny black "pencil line" just did not make sense......until my tired and fuzzy eyes came back to it after a good rub, and i realised that the "line" was moving, lengthening.....
Tuning the focus of the scope, i suddenly knew that the "line" was a Sheep traveling across the steep soft slope, his hooves disturbing the surface and creating a "black line" in the damper ground beneath the dry surface! I pointed it out to Jim and we both focused on it for the next several minutes, finally determining that it was heading our way at a quick pace. Had to be a lone Ram (which are usually the larger ones) changing territories, he had almost certainly been spooked and was hightailing it.
This could be a perfect setup and we waited, growing more excited as he got got closer, coming off the open slope then disappearing into a rougher area, now only a half mile away! He descended more now as he traveled our way and thought i knew what his plan was....
To help you understand the scenario i must paint a picture of the area. The pic i posted is the valley, but from the center. That is a general reference, we were, at that time back at the start of the valley a mile north, (the pic looks south) and over to the left (east)side where the ground was broken by rocky humps and sharp gulleys. We had entered the valley from that side, through a narrow treed canyon running east/west which led to the next and more narrow valley and a range of more rugged mountains. We were located on the north side of that small canyon which cut across the end of the valley, in front of and a few hundred feet below (south of) us the canyon opened to a little grassy valley some 400 yards wide then rose sharply on the other (south again)side to become the main valley floor.
The Ram which we had now identfied as a very large and rare trophy disappeared again into brush and rough ground for several minutes and we thought he may have gone east into one of the numerous rocky cuts that led into near impossible areas to see or hunt, then suddenly startled us by popping up directly across from us at the top edge of the little valley! He stood there on a ledge, motionless, and i could clearly see his flanks heaving as his nostrils flared, he had come a long way at a steady speed! This lasted a couple minutes while we remained silent and motionless as any, even tiny movement, from us would have been instantly noticed and i hoped the horses did not pick that time to, shake, snort, jingle their tack, or even fart!
My (i saw him first) quarry was nearly 450 yards away and a shot was pretty much out of the question, a variable breeze blew between us, maybe 10 mph ands sometimes gusting to twice that. Even my 7mm magnum was badly stretched at that distance, not to mention the fact my movements in creating a good rest would be noted and blow the chance. That magnificent animal did not deserve a possible wounding,suffering, and loss! Or at best a plain miss.
Then to our surprise and chagrin, he took a few steps down, folded his legs and lay down,.......staring straight at us!
We froze in place as the Sheep stared across the gap at us.....
That old Ram sure could not smell us with the crosswind blowing strong, not likely he would have heard us or the horses for the same reason. It had have to been a slight movement on our part or reflection from the lenses of our spotting scopes which would be totally abnormal to him....we were busted! And in a standoff.
As we lay there unmoving i said to Jim what i figured i knew about the rascals "agenda". I was convinced that he had intended to leave the valley by the route we had used coming in, it was a regular sheep trail which we had seen tracks and sign on many times. Then i whispered my plan to him, he snickered....sure buddy, i will lay here for another hour or so, getting stiff and sore trying not to move and also figure out how to signal you at the same time !!!
I would back slowly down behind the hump we lay on, then out of his sight and hoping my movement did not spook him, would try to take the long way, staying hidden, maybe a mile circle, and hope to ambush him if or when he headed for the trail. Jim would stay put and try to signal me as to what was happening. It was not to be.....
The instant i moved the Ram was on his feet! He stood for a moment looking our way, then deliberately began trotting down the steep slope, angling crossways to us and for sure heading toward the trail! I muttered and swore a bit then, with another goofy idea, grabbed my rifle and took off down to the horses, reached Duster, swung aboard and headed around the hill.
The slope we had come up to get to our vantage point was a bit steep but fairly smooth......Do you remember the "Cowboy shows" where they would come charging down a steep hill, horses sliding and dirt flying?
Well that was me
Duster loved to run and did not care much where, so with the abandon of two young idiots, we flew down the slope! I saw the Ram skid to a halt, literally seem to do a "doubletake", then take off at a gallop, still headed for the trails start and thick timber which would hide him instantly! He had nearly a quarter mile to go, but i was riding a "Quarterhorse"
and the race was on!
When i and the now very excited horse hit the bottom of the slope,.....(he had seen the Sheep and figured we were back chasing cows so was digging for all he was worth, and as Fred will tell you i'm sure, a good horse will pick up on your excitement!).....it was softer and bumpier ground. Knowing this and quite a bit worried, (i was then traveling a good lot faster on my horse than i had ever gone before) about the poor footing, but Duster was leaping hummocks and dodging rocks with abandon and i was getting a helluva rush! Part exhilaration and a bunch of fear thrown in, but i wanted that Sheep really bad! The time spent looking at him close up with the scope had shown a wonderful, perfect (to me) Ram!
We and the Sheep were now separated by only 50 yards approx. The trees and safety lay about 100 yards ahead of him....it was time to act! Got any idea how hard it is to quickly rein in an excited and "flying" horse on rough ground? Not simple, believe me!
I pulled Duster up hard with an extra WHOA! and sat back in my saddle, my stirruped feet stuck out by his neck, then half expected to crash, nope! That good horse skidded to a stop and i was in midair reaching for the rifle, got it out of the scabbard perfectly first try then fell to one knee, found the crosshairs on the back of the Sheeps neck maybe 75 yards away, and squeezed.....click! Heck we never keep a round in the chamber until ready....i must have just thought i had
I cranked the bolt and back to my shoulder in a heartbeat, just in time for the scope to show a sheeps butt disappearing in the timber, game over.....hey it was a stupid game anyway and if you believe that...
We talked that little escapade to death for quite some time, then moved on and went Sheep "hunting" instead of "chasing" as Jim observed We had a fine time for the next couple days, no Sheep were harmed, not even chased, and it was still a great hunt!
On the way back we again stopped at Dewey's camp and had coffee. He noted our empty packhorse and said, no luck huh?
We talked a while, then he said, see anyone else up there? A normal reasonable question as he needed to know where to send his guides and hunters without crowding an area.
We said nope, nobody, then Dewey said, one of my boys said there were some other guys up in that area, and they watched some nut on a Dun horse chasing a Sheep down a mountain.....smiled at me coyly....you didn't see them i guess, too bad, must have been quite a sight
The very end
Oops got company will get back to this later.........
I only hunted them occasionaly, mostly guiding other folks took up my time, but when i could i really enjoyed Sheep hunting. The whole package had much less to do with taking a Sheep than just spending time in those gorgeous mountains.
Places of ruggedness and awesome scenery. The high "Sheep pastures", often an acre or two of grass, a million alpine flowers, trickling streams and waterfalls. All hidden from those who would not hike miles at an altitude of 6000 feet, then climb another couple thousand feet up talus slopes, through tangled stunted trees and over rock ledges. Then not kill a Sheep because you had gotten one 15 years ago and....none of these that you gazed down on (yes DOWN, because you almost always hunted them from above where they least expected trouble from) measured up to the standard you had set for yourself. A standard so high that you knew you would be able to do this for a good many more years
Then there were the camps. From little "overnight" spartan nooks (mostly) out of the weather, to a full blown, three or four 12x14 wall tents, one for cooking, one for loafing and playing cards or just BSing, another for sleeping and maybe one for storing tack, feed, and various necessary supplies. All packed in, most often up to 30 miles by a string of packhorses. A trip that included being packed and ready at the trailhead by an hour past sunrise, (after spending the previous long day packing up, loading the horses in my 3 ton truck and a couple other trucks, then getting the 100 miles from home to here.) A few good Cowboy/Guide/hunter friends, and if everything went well, a long, tiring, and beautiful ride that put us at camp two hours after dark with very tired men and horses, all who would perk up after an hour or so of unpacking when the "very old grain", and fresh OATS would be opened up
Usually the next day would be spent goofing off and recovering our energy while glassing the area with spotting scopes and binoculars. No good sheephunter just takes off and goes touring, you see little and miss much! Long hours of watching from a good vantage point pays off and we were at least 2 miles from the nearest "sheep pasture". Those critters have true "binocular vision" and will spot you from miles away. They nearly always know you are around and there are ways to hunt them without stalking, believe it or not!
This is the story of one such hunt, it only involved two of us this trip. My buddy Jim and i. Jim lived on a ranch near Caroline Alberta, just down the road from a good friend to us both, and my mentor, who taught me proper horsepacking and how to throw a "diamond hitch". A true outdoorsman and one of north America's premier sheep guides, his name is Dewey Browning, to you folks....the father of Curt Browning, Olympic medalist and world champion skater!
We had stopped at Dewey's camp on our way in to hunt the Forbidden Creek area. The picture i am reposting here (compliments of Royal's expertise) was taken at the headwaters of that creek on that trip.
After a few minutes of visiting with Dewey, i asked him where he was guiding, so that we did not mess up his hunt, a courtesy extended by most in our business. He filled us in and we said we would go up the other fork of the creek, said our goodbyes and headed our ponies into the high country.
I am on the right, sorry it is blurry but you get the idea of the country......
[attachment 11053 Real_High_Country221.JPG]
continued.....We stayed in an old trappers cabin that night, rose early and were in position on the "backside" of a rocky bluff, our horses "ground tied" and grazing a hundred feet below us while we peeked over the top through the spotting scopes by early light.
It was nice weather but too warm by 10:00 am to get much use out of the 40 power scopes, heatwaves and mirage are a big problem in warm weather, limiting one to scanning an area out to maybe a mile when you really need 3 miles or so. Identifying your game is secondary to finding them!
Once a group of sheep is found it is simple to tell if you have Ewes and lambs, if you do you must look elsewhere that early in the season as the Rams are not with them. They are either solitary or in batchelor groups.
After 2 hours of steady eyestrain, about 9:00 am, we had seen nothing at all and had decided to move further along the valley a few miles, reluctantly i would add, because it was all open country and our movements would surely be noted by many pairs of eyes. I was taking one last look at a high and wide talus slope a mile or so away to my left, wondering what the tiny black line halfway up and across the middle was. At that distance the tiny black "pencil line" just did not make sense......until my tired and fuzzy eyes came back to it after a good rub, and i realised that the "line" was moving, lengthening.....
Tuning the focus of the scope, i suddenly knew that the "line" was a Sheep traveling across the steep soft slope, his hooves disturbing the surface and creating a "black line" in the damper ground beneath the dry surface! I pointed it out to Jim and we both focused on it for the next several minutes, finally determining that it was heading our way at a quick pace. Had to be a lone Ram (which are usually the larger ones) changing territories, he had almost certainly been spooked and was hightailing it.
This could be a perfect setup and we waited, growing more excited as he got got closer, coming off the open slope then disappearing into a rougher area, now only a half mile away! He descended more now as he traveled our way and thought i knew what his plan was....
To help you understand the scenario i must paint a picture of the area. The pic i posted is the valley, but from the center. That is a general reference, we were, at that time back at the start of the valley a mile north, (the pic looks south) and over to the left (east)side where the ground was broken by rocky humps and sharp gulleys. We had entered the valley from that side, through a narrow treed canyon running east/west which led to the next and more narrow valley and a range of more rugged mountains. We were located on the north side of that small canyon which cut across the end of the valley, in front of and a few hundred feet below (south of) us the canyon opened to a little grassy valley some 400 yards wide then rose sharply on the other (south again)side to become the main valley floor.
The Ram which we had now identfied as a very large and rare trophy disappeared again into brush and rough ground for several minutes and we thought he may have gone east into one of the numerous rocky cuts that led into near impossible areas to see or hunt, then suddenly startled us by popping up directly across from us at the top edge of the little valley! He stood there on a ledge, motionless, and i could clearly see his flanks heaving as his nostrils flared, he had come a long way at a steady speed! This lasted a couple minutes while we remained silent and motionless as any, even tiny movement, from us would have been instantly noticed and i hoped the horses did not pick that time to, shake, snort, jingle their tack, or even fart!
My (i saw him first
) quarry was nearly 450 yards away and a shot was pretty much out of the question, a variable breeze blew between us, maybe 10 mph ands sometimes gusting to twice that. Even my 7mm magnum was badly stretched at that distance, not to mention the fact my movements in creating a good rest would be noted and blow the chance. That magnificent animal did not deserve a possible wounding,suffering, and loss! Or at best a plain miss.Then to our surprise and chagrin, he took a few steps down, folded his legs and lay down,.......staring straight at us!
We froze in place as the Sheep stared across the gap at us.....
That old Ram sure could not smell us with the crosswind blowing strong, not likely he would have heard us or the horses for the same reason. It had have to been a slight movement on our part or reflection from the lenses of our spotting scopes which would be totally abnormal to him....we were busted! And in a standoff.
As we lay there unmoving i said to Jim what i figured i knew about the rascals "agenda". I was convinced that he had intended to leave the valley by the route we had used coming in, it was a regular sheep trail which we had seen tracks and sign on many times. Then i whispered my plan to him, he snickered....sure buddy, i will lay here for another hour or so, getting stiff and sore trying not to move and also figure out how to signal you at the same time
!!!I would back slowly down behind the hump we lay on, then out of his sight and hoping my movement did not spook him, would try to take the long way, staying hidden, maybe a mile circle, and hope to ambush him if or when he headed for the trail. Jim would stay put and try to signal me as to what was happening. It was not to be.....
The instant i moved the Ram was on his feet! He stood for a moment looking our way, then deliberately began trotting down the steep slope, angling crossways to us and for sure heading toward the trail! I muttered and swore a bit then, with another goofy idea, grabbed my rifle and took off down to the horses, reached Duster, swung aboard and headed around the hill.
The slope we had come up to get to our vantage point was a bit steep but fairly smooth......Do you remember the "Cowboy shows" where they would come charging down a steep hill, horses sliding and dirt flying?
Well that was me
Duster loved to run and did not care much where, so with the abandon of two young idiots, we flew down the slope! I saw the Ram skid to a halt, literally seem to do a "doubletake", then take off at a gallop, still headed for the trails start and thick timber which would hide him instantly! He had nearly a quarter mile to go, but i was riding a "Quarterhorse" and the race was on!When i and the now very excited horse hit the bottom of the slope,.....(he had seen the Sheep and figured we were back chasing cows so was digging for all he was worth, and as Fred will tell you i'm sure, a good horse will pick up on your excitement!).....it was softer and bumpier ground. Knowing this and quite a bit worried, (i was then traveling a good lot faster on my horse than i had ever gone before) about the poor footing, but Duster was leaping hummocks and dodging rocks with abandon and i was getting a helluva rush! Part exhilaration and a bunch of fear thrown in, but i wanted that Sheep really bad! The time spent looking at him close up with the scope had shown a wonderful, perfect (to me) Ram!
We and the Sheep were now separated by only 50 yards approx. The trees and safety lay about 100 yards ahead of him....it was time to act! Got any idea how hard it is to quickly rein in an excited and "flying" horse on rough ground? Not simple, believe me!
I pulled Duster up hard with an extra WHOA! and sat back in my saddle, my stirruped feet stuck out by his neck, then half expected to crash, nope! That good horse skidded to a stop and i was in midair reaching for the rifle, got it out of the scabbard perfectly first try then fell to one knee, found the crosshairs on the back of the Sheeps neck maybe 75 yards away, and squeezed.....click! Heck we never keep a round in the chamber until ready....i must have just thought i had
I cranked the bolt and back to my shoulder in a heartbeat, just in time for the scope to show a sheeps butt disappearing in the timber, game over.....hey it was a stupid game anyway and if you believe that...
We talked that little escapade to death for quite some time, then moved on and went Sheep "hunting" instead of "chasing" as Jim observed
We had a fine time for the next couple days, no Sheep were harmed, not even chased, and it was still a great hunt!On the way back we again stopped at Dewey's camp and had coffee. He noted our empty packhorse and said, no luck huh?
We talked a while, then he said, see anyone else up there? A normal reasonable question as he needed to know where to send his guides and hunters without crowding an area.
We said nope, nobody, then Dewey said, one of my boys said there were some other guys up in that area, and they watched some nut on a Dun horse chasing a Sheep down a mountain.....smiled at me coyly....you didn't see them i guess, too bad, must have been quite a sight
The very end