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Dall Sheep

Old 01-17-2002, 02:16 PM
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Default Dall Sheep

Wanted to share some news with you....my father and I just booked a Dall sheep hunt in Alaska for this August! Looks like we are going to be up in the Brooks Range, either in the ANWR (he has a permit) or adjacent to it. Has anybody here hunted dall sheep before? This will be our first sheep hunt, so we don't really know what to expect (other than LOTS of climbing). Any stories or information about gear, etc would be appreciated!
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Old 01-17-2002, 02:36 PM
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Default RE: Dall Sheep

shot my ram up there a couple years ago. Havent done any really intensive sheep hunting up there other then a couple fly out floats looking for sheep to go after with the wife (more intending on bou hunting but still hoping for the white critters).

As far as gear....get the best obtics you can afford. I would get all polyester/polar fleece. For rain gear, helle hansen. In the brooks I wouldnt think you would want plastic boots as the climbing is much much easier then the wrangles or from what I have seen/heard of the chugach mts. NO COTTON, PERIOD< NOT AN OUNCE!!!! Start hiking now with your gear and get comfortable with it. Find the lightest stuff you can afford (sometimes light and good doesnt come with a high price tag!) Start trying to look at rams, know what you want as far as horns goes. Know what is full curl, what is broomed, and what is a sublegal sheep. Learn to judge them (mass-length). Also Tony Russ's sheep hunting in Ak and Duncan Gilchrist's book The Quest for Dall Rams are 2 great books to pick up on the subject. They can go over gear, how to's what to look for with plenty of photos, what not to and what to expect!!!!

Also who are you going with? Deltana outfitters? Did the guides send you a packing list yet? I would go by it! Get the best you can afford and you wont go wrong!
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Old 01-17-2002, 02:54 PM
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Default RE: Dall Sheep

We're going with Chandalar River Outfitters. They had very good references that seemed very impressed with the owner of the outfit and the quality of the hunt. We just booked the hunt this week, so we don't have any information from the guide yet. We did go moose hunting in Alaska last year, so we have at least been exposed to the state! One thing we know we need is better raingear. The cabela's stuff we had (dry vent) didn't work well at all. After a few hours in a hard rain I started to get slightly annoyed with my "quiet, breathable, and completely waterproof" raingear. Our guide had HH raingear and recommended it, so I think we will take a close look at that. Thanks!
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Old 01-17-2002, 05:04 PM
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Default RE: Dall Sheep

ANWR IS OPEN TO HUNTING THERE IS NO PERMIT TO HUNT THERE. HE MAY NEED A PERMIT TO OPERATE HIS GUIDE SERVICE THERE. ARE YOU GOING IN BY HORSEBACK? IF YES AND YOU ARE NOT USED TO RIDING SILK LONG JOHNS OR PANTY HOSE WILL HELP DECREASE "SADDLE SORES". THERE IS AN OUTFIT ON THE CHANDELAR SHELF THAT IS AT THE RUNWAY ACROSS FROM THE DOT STATION JUST SOUTH OF ATIGAN PASS ON THE HAUL ROAD. EXPECT SNOW, 2 YEARS AGO WE GOT SNOW EVERY 2-3 DAYS JUST NORTH OF THE PASS. THE ALTITUTE WILL NOT BE REAL HIGH THERE BUT WORK OUTS TO GET INTO BETTER SHAPE BY CARRYING A PACK AND CLIMBING WILL MAKE THE TRIP ALOT MORE ENJOYABLE. I HAVE PLASTIC BOOTS AND WEAR THEM IN THE BROOKS. IF YOU DON'T HAVE PLASTIC BOOTS I CAN'T SAY TO GO OUT AND GET THEM BUT BE SURE TO HAVE GOOD QUALITY SUPPORTIVE BOOTS. BRING MOLE SKIN FOR BLISTER PREVENTION WHEN "HOT SPOTS " START, DON'T PUT IT OFF TILL YOU GET A BLISTER. ALSO WEAR THIN NYLON , SILK OR POLYESTER SOCKS THAT FIT SNUGGLY THEN WEAR YOUR OTHER REGULAR SOCKS THIS WILL HELP PREVENT BLISTERS AND HOT SPOTS. IF YOU GET NEW BOOTS GET THEM ASAP AND START WEARING THEM NOW TO GET THEM BROKE IN. BROOKS RANGE IS GENERALLY A LESS SEVERE FOR CLIMBING. BUT IT WILL BE NO CAKE WALK.YOUR GUIDE SHOULD BE ABLE TO JUDGE YOUR RAM EASILY TO BE SURE IT'S LEGAL. THERE IS A STUDY ABOUT RAMS THAT STATES BROOKS RANGE RAMS ARE 10 YEARS OLD BY THE TIME THEY REACH FULL CURL IN THE OTHER MTN RANGES THEY ARE 8 YEARS OLD AT A FULL CURL. A LEGAL RAM IS A FULL CURL OR BROOMED ON BOTH SIDES OR 8 YEARS OLD. SO ONE LESS THAN A FULL CURL "COULD" BE LEGAL. HOPEFULLY YOU WON'T HAVE TO BE CONCERNED WITH THAT BUT IN THE ELEVENTH HOUR ONE SLIGHTLY LESS THAN A FULL CURL WOULD PROBABLY LOOK PRETTY GOOD
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Old 01-17-2002, 06:35 PM
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Default RE: Dall Sheep

can you guys please explain what a broomed horn is? thanks. lamar
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Old 01-17-2002, 06:50 PM
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Lamar,

I read about this in one of the sheep hunting books. When a sheep's horns grow to a point where they inhibit their sight, the ram will rub his horn on the ground or rocks in order to keep his line of sight. when they do this, their horn tips look rounded. this is a broomed horn.
beej
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Old 01-17-2002, 07:34 PM
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yuppers, thats about it. Just think of the end of a broom handle as opposed to a flat tip. Not only will they rub it but there are many rams that actually break it off! Some pretty wild looking sheep when they have splits going up there horns for a couple inches LOL!

Figured knowing what a full curl is would be a good thing if/ever the guide is lookin one way, you are looking another or are a couple feet apart (ole murphys law), a 'close' ram comes in and you have to make a decision to shoot/dont shoot. Also knowing what you want in a ram. Some rams flare, some stay tight, some (very few) carry there mass very well (the brook in particular there is a section that has rams like this) others drop low, some are high, some have converging tips (imo the prettiest of all of them!)....get a feel for what you are looking at much the same as one would do for looking at an elk. Just helps to understand it espically when you consider you'll be looking through a spotting scope at ungodly angles LOL. I do believe the WORLD RECORD B&C ram was shot without his guide! I dont remember exactly how the story goes but if I remember right the guy shot it and the guide came back to find this HUGE ram dead LOL! Now wouldnt it suck if your guide was sittin there pumping water and you were 50 yards away watching through the spotting scope when a respectable ram came by and you didnt know to shoot? great advice on the boots, just cant drop the money for plastic boots in respect to using them in the brooks, espically for a once in a lifetime hunt....heck I try and get up there every year and I dont think I could spend it....then again I have heard once I climb in them I wont ever go back to the leathers in the sheep mts. OH btw did you see the new koflachs out this year? I saw a pair tuesday nite....one of these next couple years....espically if I can find one that fits a wide foot <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>!
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Old 01-18-2002, 01:03 AM
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Default RE: Dall Sheep

LIL- I HAD MY KOFLACH HUNTERS ( GREEN MODEL) OUTER BOOT STRETCHED. AT SUNSHINE SPORTS IN ANCHORAGE. $60 FOR FOUR SPOTS. WELL WORTH IT. I ALSO HAVE A RED AND GRAY PAIR I'VE NEVER WORN. BUT I'M SURE THEY WILL NEED THE STRETCHING AS WELL....PROBABLY ANY GOOD SKI SHOP CAN STRETCH THE BOOTS. I DON'T MOOSE HUNT IN THESE BOOTS BUT I PUT THEM ON TO PACK MEAT.
AS FAR AS JUDGING SHEEP YES IT IS GOOD TO KNOW HOW BUT IF IT IS CLOSE THE GUIDE SHOULD BE IN ON THE CALL AS THAT IS PART OF THE REASON YOU PAY FOR THE GUIDE AND PROBABLY A BIG REASON THE GUIDES HAVE SHEEP ON THEIR LIST FOR NR. IF YOU SHOW A PICTURE TO 10 HUNTERS YOU MAY JUST GET 10 DIFFERENT ANSWERS AS TO THE SIZE. GET IN TOO BIG OF A HURRY AND YOU MIGHT SHOOT ONE TO SMALL....THE GUIDE WILL TURN IT IN. THEY WON'T RISK THE FINE OR LOSS OF LICENSE.IF IT IS THAT BIG LIKE THE #1 B&C THERE WON'T BE ANY DOUBTS.....NOT MUCH DANGER IN THAT HAPPENING IN THE BROOKS
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Old 01-18-2002, 01:57 AM
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Default RE: Dall Sheep

Just want to clarify what a broomed horn is. Trust me, if anyone goes putting a ram down on account of horn tips being rubbed and/or rounded will surely find out too. A broomed horn is a broken horn. If you are thinking about shooting a ram with broomed horns make sure you don't run the risk of killing an illegal ram.
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Old 01-18-2002, 06:22 PM
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Default RE: Dall Sheep

I was reading something today also on them breaking the tips off fighting! Never heard that one before. Thanks for the wake up Dalli...forgot to add that about the diff of a rubbed vs a real broomed job.
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