Canceling a bighorn hunt in Alberta

[S-3 ranch]

some of my hunting buddies hav been to Alberta to complete their slam , all have returned with barely legal/ young rams! If this is normal? Then I am backing off and heading back to Mexico for a combo trip .
or is my expectation of a trophy unrealistic?
here is doc’s ram imo he got burned

 

[jofes]

Are Alberta's regulations that the line must intersect the front edge of the eye?

 

[jofes]

some of my hunting buddies hav been to Alberta to complete their slam , all have returned with barely legal/ young rams! If this is normal? Then I am backing off and heading back to Mexico for a combo trip .
or is my expectation of a trophy unrealistic?
here is doc’s ram imo he got burned

Also I'm sure there are plenty of guys on here who would love a chance to finish paying for the hunt if that's an option...

 

[BrooksRanger]

If you define a "trophy" hunt by the inches you hang on your wall, and you already know you'll get more inches south of the border then I think you already answered your own question.

Hunting hard in the exquisite beauty of the Canadian Rockies even if coming home with no horns sounds like a trophy experience to me.

 

[Stew]

Why did your friend shoot the ram if its not what he wanted, or is he happy with it not just what you want.

 

[S-3 ranch]

If you define a "trophy" hunt by the inches you hang on your wall, and you already know you'll get more inches south of the border then I think you already answered your own question.

Hunting hard in the exquisite beauty of the Canadian Rockies even if coming home with no horns sounds like a trophy experience to me.

I don’t disagree, my trip to British Columbia was awesome, another barely legal ram wouldn’t be worth it for me personally on a OIL trip Rocky Mountain BH
short from brooming, yes , age no


it technically wraps up his slam , but he sounds disappointed and is planning on going after a better replacement

 

[Dsnow9]

All personal opinion, you going on a hunt for inches or experience? A kill is never a sure thing either so making a judgment call on some younger rams someone else brought home seems crazy to me. I hunt for the experience though. I could care less about inches.

 

[ljalberta]

If you’re looking for inches, Alberta isn’t the place right now. There’s some incredible old rams for sure, but they get hunted hard and are fewer and further between.

Just my opinion.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Are Alberta's regulations that the line must intersect the front edge of the eye?

Alberta legal

 

[Rambucsabillbul]

Who pulled the trigger, the Hunter I'd presume.
He has nobody to blame but himself for his disappointment.
You don't just go on a hunt like this to shoot a just legal Ram UNLESS your ok with that.
But to complain about it is wrong.
If he's looking to complete a slam, I'd say he knew exactly what he was shooting.
There's some magnificent Rams in Alberta, just like anywhere, know what to set your goals on.
If it's a squeaker, but your legal, so be it.
If you can afford a hunt like that in the first place, and shoots a squeaker and not happy with it.
Shame on himself.
There's not massive Rams around every mountain peak.

 

[Grassymike]

To be legal in Alberta" a line from the most anterior visible base of the horn to the tip of the horn has to pass in front of the eye when viewed in profile". This is for 4/5 curl. There are some zones where full curl is required. "Profile " is a straight on side view where both horn bases are lined up.

 

[TheGrayRider]

"A hunt based only on trophies taken falls far short of what the ultimate goal should be." ~ Fred Bear.

 

[cbeard64]

If only a big ram will satisfy you then I think the Alberta hunt is probably not your best bet. There’s a reason Rocky auction tags are through the roof - not many opportunities for good rams exist in this day and age.

I’m going to assume you haven’t pulled the trigger on the hunt yet. If you have and are looking for answers about your hunt on an internet forum, it sounds like you leapt before you looked.

 

[Homer]

I am far from a trophy hunter but it’s a shame to see squeaker/young rams shot before they have a chance to mature. With the cost of sheep hunts on the rise and everyone wanting their “slam” just so they can get a little plaque this problem will keep getting worse and worse

 

[Steve O]

Alberta is famous for the oldest and largest rams brooming themselves out of legal length. I’d not turn down any Bighorn hunt, but they are a very special event to me, not just one I can book every year like some.

 

[S-3 ranch]

I am far from a trophy hunter but it’s a shame to see squeaker/young rams shot before they have a chance to mature. With the cost of sheep hunts on the rise and everyone wanting their “slam” just so they can get a little plaque this problem will keep getting worse and worse

Bingo!
this is my fear , talking with the refrences , when I say mature ram & they say unbroomed legal, my gut starts telling me, “ well crud “

 

[Elkangle]

I don't think id let anyone define a hunt for you..not even fred bear....its your hunt.. nothing wrong with wanting some age

 

[HornPorn]

I don't think id let anyone define a hunt for you..not even fred bear....its your hunt.. nothing wrong with wanting some age

And nothing wrong with wanting to kill the target species. If you are a lower 48er, and it's your $50-60K that went into the outfitters pocket before your hunt started, going home empty handed and virtue signaling on this forum/social media about your "great experience" is not done as easy as said for a man of average means. Rich guy who can go on sheep hunts every year? Yeah, come home empty handed.....every outfitter and other sheep hunter including myself thanks you and applauds you.

It's not about a "trophy hunting"/macho man narcissistic character flaw as is being alluded to here. If that were the case, he wouldn't go on OTC archery elk hunts, or anything else where he had a chance of coming home empty handed. Sheep hunts for a lower 48er, because of the cost, are a different animal. I know plenty of guys who have been on sheep hunts, who are selective bow hunters back home who don't care if they kill anything or not.

The issue is the cost of the sheep hunts, plain and simple. Supply and demand. People wanting to get something for their money is a secondary effect of that.

 

[cbeard64]

I am far from a trophy hunter but it’s a shame to see squeaker/young rams shot before they have a chance to mature. With the cost of sheep hunts on the rise and everyone wanting their “slam” just so they can get a little plaque this problem will keep getting worse and worse

Funny how everyone blames someone else. The number of guys going for a slam is a minuscule fraction of all sheep hunters. Check the stats - you’ll find that BC and Alberta residents shoot way more young sheep than nonresidents. Here’s a thought: if you have a gripe, take it to the provincial game and fish departments and push a regulation change instead of ragging on fellow hunters taking legal rams.

 

[pewpew]

Check the stats - you’ll find that BC and Alberta residents shoot way more young sheep than nonresidents.

Out of curiosity, where did you find these stats?