BOOK: "Sheep Hunts" by Paul Carter

[Lexington]

I just finished reading this book and wanted to write up a review -
__________

Sheep Hunts: One Man's Journeys to the High Country by Paul C Carter


Paul has been on some 20-sheep hunts and completed 3-Grand Slams.
THIS GUY IS THE REAL DEAL!

His book individually features each of his adventures, and details the trials and tribulations of the hunt - his brutal honesty is absolutely commendable.

This is one of the BEST books on Sheep Hunting ever written!

He doesn't necessarily talk about the details of gearing-up and planning each hunt...
Instead he describes the thrill, the excitement, and the satisfaction of hunting these majestic and wary animals.

I'm going to go as far as saying this is a ***MUST*** Read for current and aspiring Sheep Hunters.
Read it, enjoy it, learn from it.

This book is definitely up there with some of Jack O'Connors books - and - perhaps even more useful considering that his hunts have happened in a more recent timeframe.


Enjoy,
Lexington

 

[Buster]

Will check it out, thanks.

 

[Maxhunter]

Was it mainly gun hunting or was there some archery also?

 

[Lexington]

Carter's primary rifle is a 300win mag, but transitions to a Muzzleloader after a couple of hunts -
Although he's not an archery hunter, there is quite a bit of information about completing the final stalks, short-range shooting fundamentals, etc.

Anyone heading up with their bow would definitely get some pointers from his material.

 

[bard]

thanks for the recommendation. got it on order.

 

[kaboku68]

Order his big game hunting book. Why its not a pure sheep hunting book, its advice on shooting up and down and setting up a drop chart is precious.

Best,
Thomas

 

[Maxhunter]

Ordered!

 

[Maxhunter]

Very good book just got mine a couple days ago and read the whole book.

 

[Stid2677]

Okay,, so I read this book and all I can say is WOW. This is the WORST book I have ever read on hunting wild sheep. The very first hunt it describes killing a ram and taking the head and cape and leaving the meat and returning to camp. This is illegal in Alaska where the hunt took place and even though the GUIDE returned for the meat, it seemed to be an after thought. Then he missed time and time again, wounding 2 rams that were left to die a slow death. Wounded another that was left to die slowly overnight. He refers to RESIDENT hunters in Canada as an intrusion. I lost count of how many times he wrote about COST, and SLAM this and slam that.

The only hunt he wrote of that I remotely have any respect for was his Tonsina walk-in. The rest were about a spoon fed rich guy being served up sheep to feed his ego.

This guy missed almost all the first shots and he has the gall to write a book about Acquiring Shooting Skills???

Anyone on this forum that wants to read this, PM me and I will mail it you, I'm sick that I paid money and wasted the time to read this rag. It was all I could do to continue after reading the first story and them taking the trophy without taking the meat, but based on the glowing reviews here I thought it would get better, it did not. This is not even in the same class as books written by Jack O'Connors.

I know rokslide is a feel good forum, but I can not hold my tongue about this book.

 

[Buster]

Glad you gave it an honest review, the truth is more important than feeling good.

 

[Lexington]

When I finished reading this book, I thought a better title of it should have been "The Brutal Truth of Sheep Hunting".... hunts don't always go as planned, shots are missed, physical exhaustion takes its toll on the body and decisions that are made.

I don't think Carter was spoon-fed squat.
This guy isn't purchasing Governor Tags or anything.
He made sheep hunting a priority in his life, and figured out a way to make it work.
He talks more about the desire to hunt and be in the mountains than cost or 'slam' - his trips are spread among several years and you can tell he was figuring out how to budget for it, work his way onto wait-lists for cancellation hunts, and go for other angles with these outfitters to put the hunts together piece-by-piece.

He doesn't only write about his successes, but also his trips that ended without sheep -
Too many other books out there shy away from this, but Carter's presents it head-on it it's rarest form.

O'Connor's "Sheep & Sheep Hunting" will always be ***THE*** book on Sheep hunting.
I still think Paul Carter's story is worth reading because it is so raw.

As for the Alaska hunt, I didn't read it that the meat was abandoned, they recovered the Ram and packed the whole thing out.
Carter wasn't operating in a vacuum up there, he was with experienced guides and outfitters, one's who have been in these kinds of situations more often than their clients and are relied upon. You can tell through his writings which outfitters stepped up and others that perhaps didn't quite impress. I found this perspective important especially when evaluating these guys for my future hunts.

 

[Stid2677]

I respect your option, but as a resident sheep hunter in Alaska that has 10 years of sheep hunting experience, I see his hunts from a different perspective. I assure you that leaving a KILL site with the horns or antlers without the meat is illegal. Now I do agree that the guides were responsible for this, but a client should also know the law and not blindly depend on the guide. His distaste for having to share sheep hunting areas with RESIDENTS also struck a cord with me. As a resident I have had guide/resident conflicts and in my view if anyone was an INTRUDER it would be the nonresident hunter and NOT the resident hunter that lives in an area.

I do feel the book was well written and admire the writer for sharing his less than stellar shooting. But any sheep hunter worth their salt is willing to spend a night on the mountain during a stalk and NOT be so concerned with getting back to a cabin or a bath.

To each their own and as I said glad you enjoyed the read, just not one I would recommend to any sheep hunter I know.

 

[Snyd]

Thanks Steve.

 

[crazy_davey]

I respect your option, but as a resident sheep hunter in Alaska that has 10 years of sheep hunting experience, I see his hunts from a different perspective. I assure you that leaving a KILL site with the horns or antlers without the meat is illegal. Now I do agree that the guides were responsible for this, but a client should also know the law and not blindly depend on the guide. His distaste for having to share sheep hunting areas with RESIDENTS also struck a cord with me. As a resident I have had guide/resident conflicts and in my view if anyone was an INTRUDER it would be the nonresident hunter and NOT the resident hunter that lives in an area.

I do feel the book was well written and admire the writer for sharing his less than stellar shooting. But any sheep hunter worth their salt is willing to spend a night on the mountain during a stalk and NOT be so concerned with getting back to a cabin or a bath.

To each their own and as I said glad you enjoyed the read, just not one I would recommend to any sheep hunter I know.

Thank you. All I needed to hear...

 

[Akshphntr]

Well I am glad to hear your concern for his book and his hunting ethics. I would way rather read about him watching a ram walk away than hear about wounding a ram. I am lucky to have never not recovered a ram and also have passed on many questionable shots on some pretty nice rams. I think way too much of sheep than to take marginal shots. I have made some bad shots in my time though but it wasn't due to poor judgement.

 

[Lexington]

Guide/Resident conflicts are an unfortunate reality of hunting sheep today -
I don't think it's bellyaching to mention this in print, especially in a matter-of-fact kind of way.

To be disappointed when someone shoots a sheep out from under you is, well... disappointing.
But that's hunting, and you have to accept the situation for what it is and move forward. I've been concerned about hunting in areas where conflict may arise, but most guys I talk with seem to be confident in finding an amicable solution that usually involves parties WORKING TOGETHER.

The larger solution is MORE sheep -
Populations that exceed objective goals, aggressive transplants to faltering herds, moving domestic/farm sheep to non-Wild Sheep areas, and a HIGH amount of predator control (especially during Spring lambing season) are all components to making more hunting opportunities.

Stid2677 - what other books out there would you recommend?

 

[Stid2677]

Book is spoken for and will be mailed tomorrow...

Mr Lexington,,

Here are a few that I have read and would recommend.

Sheep & Sheep Hunting by Jack O'Connor.
Sheep Hunting in Alaska by Tony Russ.
Sheep Stalking in Alaska by Tony Russ.
The Quest for Dall Sheep by Tony Russ.
Alaskan Yukon Trophies Won and Lost Hardcover by G.O Young.
Alaskan Adventures: The Early Years by Russell Annabel
Alaska's Wolf Man: The 1915-55 Wilderness Adventures of Frank Glaser
Alaska and Me by Billy Molls
Dall Sheep Trails by Ace Summerfeld (excellent photos in this book)


I have not read these,, but a good list for future winter reading that are on my wish list and for those interested.


Great Rams & Great Ram Hunters I by Robert Anderson.
Great Rams & Great Ram Hunters II by Robert Anderson.
Wind, Dust and Snow - Great Rams of Asia by Robert Anderson.
Obsessed by Soudy Golabchi.
Ovis Ammon by Jose Madrazo.
Safari En China by Jose Madrazo.
Horns in the High Country by Andy Russell.
From the Himalayas to the Rockies by Dr. R. Mitchell and Dr. M. Frisina.
In the High Himalayas by H. Whistler.
Mountain Game of the World by SCI.
Song of the Summits by Jesus Yuren.
Hunting and Guiding for Desert Bighorn Sheep by Bob Householder.
The Grand Slam of North American Wild Sheep by Bob Householder.
Trophy Rams of the Brooks Range by Duncan Gilchrist.
Quest for Giant Bighorns by Duncan Gilchrist.
Hunt High by Duncan Gilchrist.
Skyline Pursuits by John Batten.
The Best of Sheep Hunting by John Batten.
Campfires on Desert and Lava by William Hornaday.
McElroy Hunts Mountain Game by CJ McElroy.
The Desert Bighorn by Gale Monson & Lowell Sumner.
After Wild Sheep in the Altai and Mongolia by E. Demidoff.
Taking Your Chances in the High Country by J. Rikhoff.
Return of Royalty by Dale Toweill.
The Great Arc of the Wild Sheep by J.L. Clark.

 

[Brock A]

Alaskan Adventures: The Early Years by Russell Annabel
Alaska's Wolf Man: The 1915-55 Wilderness Adventures of Frank Glaser

Stid,

How are these two? I did a quick search on them and they sound good. I might have to pick them up.

Brock

 

[Stid2677]

Both are great reads. They are not sheep hunts only, but very well written. Alaska's Wolfman was my favorite.

 

[sdr]

I have a serious book fetish especially sheep hunting books. In addition to the books listed here are a few more that I really like.

Those Were the Days by Rudolf Sand. If you can afford to buy this book get it. One of the best ever on sheep hunting.
Addicted to Altitude by Mark Hampton. Good book worth reading several times.
A Sheep Hunters Diary by Gabriel. Just finished reading and I really liked it. You would have to hurry and order from Safari Press since it will be sold out soon.
Trophy Hunter in Asia by Elgin Gates. Must read for any sheep hunter.
Song of the Summits by Jesus Yuren. Listed above and one of my favorites.
Wind in my Face by Thummler. Really good book. He and Yuren have shot more sheep species than anybody else I believe. Lots of experience in those 2 books.
The Arizona Desert King and I by Jim Babala. Cool book showing the back story of some great sheep hunters.
A Portrait of Sheep and Sheep Hunting by Schultz. Great stories in there.
WILD SHEEP AND WILD SHEEP HUNTERS OF THE OLD WORLD BY RAUL VALDEZ
WILD SHEEP AND WILD SHEEP HUNTERS OF THE NEW WORLD BY RAUL VALDEZ
LORDS OF THE PINNACLES, WILD GOAT OF THE WOLD BY RAUL VALDEZ. All the Valdez books are great.
Great Rams III by Anderson.
Desert Bighorns: Arizona Mountain Kings by Tom Saad. Last 2 books are pure Ram Pornography.
The Batten books listed above are MUST haves. He was a real sheep hunter and a good writer.
Magnificent Obsession by Isreal Torres. Good book if you want to chase a world slam.

Those are some of my favorite sheep hunting books I have laying around in my trophy room. That would be a good start if you want a mountain hunting library.