Sheep / Goat Hunt?
 

Who out there has hunted bighorn sheep or mountain goat?

Were you in sheep shape?

AK? Canada? Lower 48?

I'm trying to draw a goat tag this year, but with few pts it's mostly a crossing of the fingers year...

Without drawing the tag, it seems like the most reasonable sheep/goat hunts are in AK.

Share any of your stories...include the caliber used and shot distance.

What state are you sending for? I got 9 points for sheep and 9 points for goat. I'm a Colorado resident. Draw results are suppossed to be posted by May 6th. I shot a ewe sheep in 1998 on Pikes Peak. Used my 270 Winchester. 1 shot at about 60-70 yards. If I draw the sheep or goat tag this year I'll be using my 300 Remington Ultra Magnum with Nosler Partitions.

Problem with Ak sheep & goat require you to hire a guide, as a NR.
Alex

chump change... :party0007:



haha oh just kidding!

I hear a reasonable dall sheep hunt in AK is $7k, which in the world of sheep hunting can be "cheap" I know some desert sheep hunts are $50k, I think some bighorn are $20k+

I apply for most states in the lower 48 with goats...CO not being one of them however due to the $2k up front per species, ie moose, goat, sheep to apply, and no credit cards accepted! one of these days CO will be added to the apply for.

You can use a credit card in Colorado if you apply online. I started applying online this year after doing it by mail the past 12 years.

non-residents cannot apply online or use a CC to apply for sheep, moose, or goat.

Where did you find a guided Dall Sheep hunt for $7K?

Or a Bighorn hunt for $20K?

Thought both of those hunts were a LOT more expensive.

I'm applying for goats in Colorado, Idaho, and Utah this year.

Applied for Bighorn Sheep in New Mexico.

If I don't draw something in the next few years I will probably break down and go on a guided goat and moose combo hunt in British Columbia. Doing a little research I've found several folks doing goat/moose combo hunts for a little over $10K with good success rates.

Nothing cheap or easy about sheep or goat hunting.

Guess they are more than I thought, course they're always going up right? I see dall for $15k...and bighorns for $30k.

I think you can do a AK goat for $7k.

I've hunt both sheep & goats here in Colorado. Bighorns were by Pagosa Springs---Wolf Creek Pass ------Goats were in G13----Missouri Peak, Mtn Huron, Iowa Peak.

I used my 30/06 topped with a Leupold 2.5x8. I used my elk handloads with 180 grain Hornady Interloc.

Getting in shape---lots of stair climber in the gym. Backpacking sheep country 3 or 4 times to scout. Still lost 12 pounds on the sheep hunt & it was easy. Sheep season opens the day after Labor Day. I packed in on Saturday-----elk hunters down the canyon saw a band of 9 rams above where I was going to camp. I saw them from camp Saturday note, watched them all day Sunday & Monday. Tuesday hiked up & shot a 7/8 curl.

Goat hunt pretty much the same. I did the 2nd season in G13. Last 2 weeks in September----better hair & better chance of drawing. Saw the goats in the cliffs. Hiked up Saturday & Sunday but they gave me the slip. Went back the following weekend & shot a lone billy. Six year old. Broke his horns when he slid down an avalanche shoot.

Keep applying in all the western states. Someday your number will come up. CB

i've hunted sheep several times and feral goats in hawaii. my favorite rifle is my 243, but 30.06 isn't a bad choice either. you don't need some 300 super long action double-whammy ultra-huge hunting magnum caliber. shoot your favorite deer rifle because sheep aren't that thick skinned. most guys don't practice enough before hand, so practice hard.

i'll be after bighorns this year myself. my fitness goals are coming along, but the hardest thing for me is the elevation change. unfortunately though, i'm putting on more muscle than i want. which is a problem for me because it takes more oxygen and more food to keep me going if i get all Arnold Schwarzenegger'd out. i struggle with this the most because i don't need to be up in the mountains carrying 20 pounds of food and water.

just a tip, get your pack together and all your gear now. put it ALL away and stop thinking about it. worry more about engaging your quarry than what piece of gear you'll be holding when your chance comes. i've killed more animals with just my weapon, a knife and a tag on my person than anything else. but i'm a minimalist... to me though, i think that's what sheep hunting is about. the basics.

sheep in ak
 

do you know of a decent sheep hunt in ak?

for 7,000 dollars

$7,000 would be a very, very reasonable dall sheep hunt in AK!

I re-posted about that...I've seen AK goat hunts for that I think on Kodiak, but I was mistaken about dall sheep, they seem to be in the neighborhood of $15k.

That is correct. Quality goat hunts on Kodiak run around $6500. Goat hunts on Kodiak are draw hunts. You can still get a quality dall sheep hunt for under 15K and 15K would be the upper end for a dall sheep hunt in AK. But 15K is not way out priced for the average AK dall sheep hunt.

Almost all of south Kodiak is just a registration permit for goats now. That island is littered with goats. I talked with the biologist when I was down there in '08 and he showed us their detailed range maps for the goats. They've spread all over, and into many areas where they never thought they would colonize. With the way the population has been growing they've been steadily liberalizing the hunting opportunities.

Guided sheep hunts in AK seem to be more in the 10-12k range, but when you include tag fees, airfare to AK, air taxi fees, and trophy shipment back they could run 15k home and back. I love being an Alaska resident. I'm going sheep hunting this year for a third year in a row and total cost (not including taxidermy) will only be about a grand for all three combined.