Dall Sheep with a stickbow...?

[Al Kidner]

G'day guys,

I'm just reading a particular hunting novel and the author was stating how Dall sheep was a very taxing hunt where not many guys do it for a number of reasons, those being time, money and or access.

I was just wondering who here has hunted Dall sheep or who has taken one with trad gear?

[Tutanka]

http://rmsgear.blogspot.com/2012/10/nwt-hunt-with-tavis-rogers.html

[Jim Wright]

I have hunted Dall Sheep a couple of times and took a ram (with a rifle) in 1977 in the Talkeetna Mts. in Alaska. Unless you are an Alaska resident or I believe in the company of an immediate family member who is one, you have to hunt with a guide. I lived in Montana in 1973&74 and hunted Bighorn Sheep in the Absaroka/Beartooth Wilderness quite a bit but never took a ram there. Much of the Dall Sheep's range is not as rugged as the area I hunted in MT. It is extremely rough, high country and you will need to backpack in and know what you are doing but over the counter tags are still available for the area, I believe.

[juneaulongbow]

I hunted Dalls once while living in Alaska. Didn't shoot one, deferred to my rifle toting partner. Beautiful scenery and a noble and wary animal.

To anyone who really wants to hunt Sheep I suggest moving to Alaska or British Columbia.

Jim Wright is correct about the guide or family requirements.

[John Havard]

Denny Sturgis Jr. got one with a stickbow.  I've taken 5 but none with archery gear.

[beendare]

Getting stickbow close on an animal that 1) lives in some of the roughest country, 2) likes to use that terrain and the openness to his advantage due to predators makes it tough.

I've killed a dall  after 5 days of watching the only legal ram we found and not having a prayer of getting close or patterning- I shot him with a rifle. I was hunting an open unit in the Alaska range. We spent a few really rough days just finding a legal ram- and were lucky to do so. The one day we had 5 supercubs circle the ram we were on and it was just a matter of time that another hunter was going to come in and shoot that sheep out from under me- so I capitulated and regret doing so.

There are areas that are more conducive to bowhunting sheep- like in the NWT that have a less sharp terrain with better options for stalks- but its expensive.

[Jimscol]

I went on a Dall sheep hunt in 1998.  The outfitter turned out to be bad even though he had good references from the year before.   We spent the first 5 days hunting caribou because we had no guide.  We finally got a guide and he didn't know anything about bowhunters.  My friend and I were both hunting with Jerry Pierce Choctaw recurves.  On the second to the last day we finally spotted some legal rams and spent the last of our hunt trying to get to them.   They were in such a bad spot we couldn't get within bow range. The "guide" offered to let us use his rifle but we declined.  We ended up getting half of our money back.  It was still a pretty good experience.  We were in the Alaska Range.   Jim

[Steve O]

Denny, Nathan Andersohn, G Fred, Marv Clyncke, Wayne Deppersmidt, Marvs buddy Duke, Rick Duggan, Barry Smith, Dick and Yote Robertson, Doug Borland, Paul Schafer, Paul Brunner all have Dalls off the top of my head. Gene Wensel, Randy Cooling, and  Steve Hohensee have hunted them bringing no ram back. Lots of others.

Al, Just take a look in the Compton Arhives, and anything pre 1980 in Pope and Young for a much bigger list.

[Jimscol]

I think that Ken Wolter has killed two Dalls with a recurve.

[wasapt]

Also Fred Eichler

[chinook907]

I've killed them but not with a stickbow.  And have been in sheep country with a tag and my bow while hunting other species, but haven't gone on a designated hunt so to speak since I switched to a stickbow.

Can only speak for Alaska but in general sheep hunting has gotten ridiculously competitive. Different friends that hunt them (rifles) about every year almost always come back with stories of conflicts with other resident hunters or guides with their clients.  But they do come back with a sheep a decent % of the time.

In general unless you are very very remote which means flying for quite awhile in a Cub and then hiking longer than everyone else will/can, or getting a very good draw tag, its tough with a stickbow.  Which goes back to the time/access/money post above.

But anyway to encourage you they are an awesome animal that live in gorgeous country, and the meat is the best.  So good that much of it gets eaten in camp partly because of how good it is and partly to lighten the load on the pack out.  It just feels special to hunt them, and maybe it is.

Tony Russ (a longtime Alaska guide) has written a couple great books on sheep hunting in Alaska.  He is the one that took Asbell hunting and the story is in one of the books, I think the one titled Sheep Stalking in Alaska.

[Al Kidner]

Thanks for the replies guys. I was more interested in hearing who has done it over myself planning a hunt so to speak. Being an Aussie the closest thing we have to that is hunting NZ for Thar, and of which, there has been many trad guys take Thar with stickbows.

If I had the money though...

[Hud]

Fred Bear, and Bud Grey both took Dalls on their trips to the Little Delta 57 - 58. and I thought Art Young got one in AK, but it might have been a light phase Bighorn.

[calgarychef]

Al, I've never hunted sheep but a lot of the guys I've chatted with say that Rocky Mountain bighorns aren't that hard to get within bow range.....sometimes!  My buddy got the draw this year in canmore which is an archery only zone.  I hope he has good luck.