The long road to a stone ram

I don’t know what it is about sheep hunting that hooks you. Is it the time running, weightlifting, carrying a 50-pound pack every other night, going up and down the mountains to prepare? Is it needing to be mentally and physically prepared to not give up? Or is it the trophy? Once you’ve experienced it, why would you keep going back? Some of us can never get enough of it. I have completed two hunts and still have two more to go.

My first sheep hunt was a last-minute decision to go with a friend to Alaska for his second hunt in ten years. He had just retired and was 60 years old. I was 57 and had always wanted to hunt a sheep. The guide, Ron Lambert, was a school teacher in Minnesota but was from Alaska. He guided sheep every year and his dad had the territory there.

The first day we spotted five rams on the mountainside, so the two of us went on a 4-1/2 hour climb to the top. When we got there my partner said he couldn’t do it anymore, so I told him to shoot if he got the chance and he did. He got his second Dall sheep.

Then for the next nine days the guide and I chased up and down the mountains until the last day when I got a shot right before dark. I took a beautiful ram and I was hooked! It was a good area and a great hunt. The owner knew his area and the sheep’s movements well.

My next two hunts were unsuccessful, one for Stone sheep and the other for Rocky Mountain Bighorn. In those instances, we went with guides who did not live in the area, did not do any pre-scouting, nor did they work together to ensure that we were successful. When you are paying this type of money for a hunt, it’s to be expected that they know their areas and sheep movements well, they’ve spent time scouting and have a game plan in mind.

The fourth hunt was for Stone sheep in British Columbia, with Blair and Rebecca Miller of Stone and Folding Mountain Outfitters. We drove all the way there from Minnesota, 2000 miles each way, and we loved the drive. Upon arrival, we prepared to head out to camp the next morning.

It was a one-day ride in. My guide’s name was Clayton Steffey. He had been living in the mountains his entire life and loved what he did. The man had so many stories, I don’t think that he could ever run out of them.

Clayton was also amazing at spotting game. We saw a lot of bear, moose, elk, and caribou. We made a few sneaks on rams but nothing was quite big enough. Occasionally we ran into some resident hunters, so we moved to other areas.

After several days of hard work, it came down to the last days with In Reaches, so everyone could talk to each other. Then Blair recommended we move to a new area. We rode about eight hours to a new location and climbed halfway up the mountain for another four hours before camping for the night. The next morning, we finished the climb. That was before the other guide, who was scouting, spotted some rams with a legal one in the group. So, we hiked back down, and then up again until we could see them. There were five rams across a bowl on another slope of the mountain. We moved closer and waited. After two hours I was able to get a shot. With some difficulties I got the range and elevation right and was able to harvest my ram with the third shot. After a challenging hike to the sheep, the work really started. But I love that part, the pictures, the caping, the cutting of the meat, and getting the backpacks filled. Finally, a day and a half later, I was back at base camp.

I cannot say enough good things about the guides at Stone and Folding Mountain Outfitters. They work as a team, they scout for each other, they know their area, and they do what it takes for you to be successful. Blair and Rebecca Miller are the best.