Harassed by a plane while sheep hunting

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Sep 21, 2017
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Had a small super cub buzz a band of rams a buddy and I were watching. We had them in the spotter and were trying to determine if the lead ram was legal when he buzzed them low 4 times until he sent them running the opposite direction.

The plane had nothing for an N number, we looked close with binos and there was nothing visible at all.

We figure it was likely an outfitter or guide trying to keep us from killing one.


Anybody else encounter this? Is it as common as I’m afraid?


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JBrown1

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Sep 8, 2021
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I've seen sheep scatter when a plane flies in close, but it never seems like they go far. In the incident you are talking about, were you able to relocate them?
 

SwiftShot

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Nov 16, 2019
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That is total crap. We has something like that happen here in Washington to some elk muzzleloaders. They got it on their phones. It was a greaking Fish and Wildlife Biologist.
 
OP
W
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Sep 21, 2017
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I've seen sheep scatter when a plane flies in close, but it never seems like they go far. In the incident you are talking about, were you able to relocate them?

We did. And none of the rams were legal, although one was super close. But also obviously not the point.


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Bambistew

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I would put money on it being a local vs a guide. Guides have too much to lose by buzzing some dink rams. Their getting paid of a ram is killed or not. Locals are desperate to be heros. Also many of the local cowboys purposely put tiny numbers on their planes for this very reason.

A good video camera with zoom may help, but not much you can do. Buzzing used to be pretty bad before it was banned. It's unenforceable and the dbags know it.
 

SLDMTN

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Palmer, AK
Had a competing guide do the same thing to us this year. Few residents did it to us last year as well. As stated above it’s unenforceable, they’re “scouting routes for travel”. Best thing you can do is beat them to the ram and then hope they don’t know you got him. They’ll spend days in the air looking for him again which equates to a lot of lost time and money.
 

HornPorn

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Oct 7, 2020
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With the bad winters, decreasing populations, and stories like these becoming pretty common, I hope anyone thinking of booking a future dall sheep hunt will step back to think about what the extra ~5K to go to the NWT is for.... there is a reason it costs more. If it is truly once in a lifetime, spend the extra money and do it right, instead of trying to pinch pennies and taking on a much greater risk of coming back empty handed.

OP, sorry this happened. People ruin everything
 
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It happens. On my sheep hunt in was miners in a helicopter while perusing an actual legal ram (long ass stalk). Wasn’t malicious on their part but did suck at the time. Did wind up relocating the ram and killing it days later.

“You” and its derivatives are generic…
But in reality is it is no different than anyone or anything else that disrupts your hunt, intentionally or not, for any reason while perusing “your”animal(s) on “your” land. It happens, it can suck, and best to just get over it.

Unless hunting private land with a guarantee of no other hunter or visitors, a hunter should have zero expectation of having the “whole place” to themselves.
 

Mojave

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Jun 13, 2019
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Happed in the Gila. There was a bull about 1500 yards a way and I started walking toward them. Some idiot in a crewcab 1 ton saw them and was honking on his horn.

I hate public land!
 

Mojave

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I just about guarantee you that was an outfitter trying to push that bull to his client or just to flat stop you from killing it so they could. Very common MO over there.
Absolutely.

The get to fly over the units prior to the hunt and mark bulls on their maps.

The Gila is an outfitter racket, love hunting there hate the bullshit with being there.
 

PredatoronthePrairie

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Jul 21, 2020
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Not on a dream sheep hunt. But last year spent 6 hrs one day chasing down and bedding a 155 plus whitetail. Hunkered down to wait him out. Bout an hr later had a small plane start doing passes directly overhead, by the 3rd time I was pissed so I stood up and flipped him the bird. Next pass the asshole starts crop dusting the the entire pasture for the next 40 min. Got misted on pretty good. About 40 min till sundown he stops. The does and the small buck he was with eventually came out, guessing the big guy got feed up and buggered out the back door.
 
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Broomd

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Sep 29, 2014
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North Idaho
National Park Service in the Wrangell St. Elias Preserve did this with regularity in the early 2000's, sheep mostly, but moose too. Was on the receiving end more than once looking down on a flying plane as it busted over a ridge into the peaks driving out all sheep--for no reason at all.

It's why we followed AK F&G laws to a "T". but gave the middle finger to the NPS with their bullshit, aka couldn't even pick up a piece of jade, pick up a shed to admire it, etc.

F*ck em we said. Have no reason to think they stopped their harassing behavior.
 

Broomd

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Not on a dream sheep hunt. But last year spent 6 hrs one day chasing down and bedding a 155 plus whitetail. Hunkered down to wait him out. Bout an hr later had a small plane start doing passes directly overheard, by the 3 time I was pissed so I stood up and flipped him the bird. Next pass the asshole starts crop dusting the the entire pasture for the next 40 min. Got misted on pretty good. About 40 min till sundown he stops. The does and the small buck he was with eventually came out, guessing the big guy got feed up and buggered out the back door.
You needed to press charges once that wad started dumping that shit on you, I wouldn't have stood for it.
 
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