First Ram

[TXCO]

Well it finally happened. I was lucky enough to chase and bring home my first ram (emphasis hopefully on first!), an 11 1/2 year old Yukon Dall. A dall sheep is what I have dreamed about as the pinnacle of hunting since I was little kid (and Stid's threads have really fueled the fire). Eight years ago a friend and I made a pact to hunt dalls together if we ever did it. Two years ago we booked it. In August we got our rams. I have hunted bighorn ewes, mountain goats, elk, muleys and a lot in between but nothing compares to the feeling of seeing and chasing a ram. A big thank you to many people here on Rokslide who helped me with gear questions and provided a lot of encouragement. Its a daunting task to make the commitment and I felt better prepared from the support and experience of others.

 

[FlyGuy]

That is a stud. Nice work!

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[wind gypsy]

Great ram, congrats!

If you get a minute, write up a story of how it all went.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Great job! There’s nothing like the first, and now that you have one under your belt it’s time to start planning for the next. Again, congratulations on a great ram!


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[Stid2677]

Darn nice ram,, congrats!!

 

[oenanthe]

Congratulations, well done! Would love to hear more of the story.

 

[handwerk]

Congrats on a beautiful animal, thanks for the pics.

 

[Kotaman]

Very nice..Congrats. Who did you hunt with?

 

[Ohio Darin]

Congrats on a sweet ram. Got my first this years as well - also 11.5 yr old. Reading between the lines it sounds like you're hooked as well. Thanks for sharing.

 

[TXCO]

Thanks for the support. Here is a bit more detail-

We booked through Rob Brown who was great to work with. He is a sheep guide and books hunters in with different outfitters but also goes as the guide on many of the hunts, which I liked. We flew to White Horse a couple days early just in case our gear didnt make it and to provide more weather insurance. This was lucky as the weather was perfect and we went straight to the float plane and headed into camp. The next day we went about 4 miles up a drainage to find a band of rams. it was hot and we eventually got to the head of drainage and found 9 rams bedded on top, 3 of which were shooters. There was nothing to do but set up camp and wait. We watched as they got up and fed around the backside.

The next morning, they were still in the same area. It wasnt a good spot because the back looked real cliffy on the map and there was no way to get close or above them. In essence, these old rams knew what they were doing. We decided to start climbing the 2,000 ft to get a closer look and hope the rams made a mistake. It was a long day of climbing and glassing and waiting. Luckily the weather was good and it was just a beautiful experience. At 7 pm the rams started to feed down into a cut. We decided to make a move for them while they were out of sight. It was about a half mile on the ridge top (which did drop off into a cliff rock slide). As we got closer we eventually got spotted and the rams ran around and past us. They stopped and my buddy John was able to take the lead one. I was having trouble getting steady but eventually I was able to get a couple shots at my ram as he ran the ridge top. We sprinted back up to the top and found him trying to get through a cliff. One shot there and he was mine! Of course he rolled down the rocks making recovery even more challenging. We finished breaking them down right at dark and had to drop 2,000 feet in a mile and a half to get back to spike camp. We made it at 1:30 am in the dark but smiling all the time!

John left but I hung around another week seeing if we could run into a bear or moose. We got a wide variety of weather but nothing else besides fresh air and laughter. I also got to see the nothern lights on the last night which was great. The true wilds of Alaska and Canada never cease to amaze me. It was an awesome experience. If you make it to White Horse, I do recommend Yukon Brewing as well!

Here are some more pics of the whole experience:

 

[TXCO]

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[ramhunter]

Nice Ram...congrats!

 

[realunlucky]

Enjoyed your write up. Congratulations on a great ram

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[Shrek]

Congratulations !

 

[Broomd]

Awesome, trip of a lifetime and damn fine sheep!

 

[robAK]

Another booster for me. Heading back to Delta for my brothers last chance for his Dall. Hope the weather breaks. Great write up and pics. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Wapiti1]

Great ram and job. Thanks for sharing and posting some great photos. Nothing quite like sheep hunting.

Jeremy

 

[C Bow]

Awesome Sheep I am very happy for you Never quit dreaming

 

[BAKPAKR]

I enjoyed your story and photos. You got a great ram!

 

[lonedave]

Awesome. Great write up and story, thanks!!