Hell To Pay 2013

Jdog

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Mar 2, 2012
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Derby, KS
As you know from last year, my brother and I left a legal ram on the mountain. It was his first sheep/mountain hunt and it was more of a learning experience for him vs an all out sheep hunt as I am used to. After leaving a legal ram on the mountain then getting weathered out for the next 4 days…our hunt ended on a bitter note for the both of us. As many mountain hunters can relate, the both of us then spent the entire off season reliving and replaying last year’s hunt. It’s a tough, long year but we both worked our butts of preparing, upgrading some gear and getting mentally prepared for that labor of love called sheep hunting.

Day 1 – Got dropped off at the strip mid afternoon and hiked about 4 miles and set up camp. Nothing exciting. Set up camp for the night, relaxed and soaked it all in. Shot from first nights camp. Two brothers in AK in the fall…it doesn’t get any better. Saw a couple sheep in the distance—rams. We would get closer tomorrow and give them a good look as one of them needed some attention.





Next morning we are up and at em’ early. Go a few more miles and set up a camp. Drop all unnecessary gear and take rifles and kill kits. Head up the river and eventually up the mountain. Two hours later we realize we have made an error and are one drainage too far from away--so we think. Sitting there contemplating our next move I look across the nearest drainage and shazaam…all three rams have just walked into our drainage and are within range. We lay down, don our face masks, grab our weapons, spotter and move up about 70 yards to a perfect vantage point. I put the spotter on the largest ram and immediately know he is legal. I look at my brother and tell him to “punish him”. We switch positions, my brother lays prone and watch the rams feed for 1.5 hrs. We do so due to a pretty strong cross wind and are hoping the feed a bit closer. Eventually it happens and my brother drops this 9 yr old at 218 yards. A sheep hunter is born.
Just as we get into position. Two ninja sheep hunters!


My brother about to play “sniper”. He ruined that rams day.


The shale the rams were feeding in for 1.5 hrs. They have dug this hole out of the mountain and could literally stick their entire bodies into it.

 
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Jdog

Jdog

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Mar 2, 2012
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Location
Derby, KS
Matt’s ram.






Spend the remainder of the evening getting back to camp and getting some rest. We decide to make a death march back to the strip and drop his ram there. It’s about an 8 mile trip one way but will give us the ability to be very mobile with many days left and have one ram entirely done. We do it.
Brother grindin’ it out!


Get back that evening, have some sheep rib fajitas, some Crown Royal and watch a movie on my iPhone. What a great day in the mountains.
 
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Jdog

Jdog

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Derby, KS
Alright…spend the next several days hunting, hiking, etc to no avail. We are seeing very few sheep and fewer rams. But spirits are high…heck we already killed one.
Couple random shots over the next couple days.










Sheep ninja




Yours truly
 
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Jdog

Jdog

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Derby, KS
Alright…fast forward to the last day of hunting…We have about 13 miles to get back to the strip and we need to plan for a full day for such. So this is it. We haven’t seen any more legal rams other than the one my brother dumped. We roll a few miles early in the morning and I randomly decide to head up into a basin we could not view from our lower spot. We crest the ridge and I see a ram in the distance. Spotter on him tells me he is legal. Broomed on one side and easily full curl on his other. We make a play toward and get to 823 yards. Brother stays back I try to make an approach. It’s 1130 am. After about 45 minutes and no warning signs, the ram hauls gass outta there and heads up the mountain. I am dejected and bewildered…what tha just happened. I was camo’d from head to toe, I wasn’t moving…maybe he smelled me? He is heading up and out of the drainage. There is no way to make a play on him or catch up. Then…all the sudden, another ram comes into view below me…we did not know he was there. He is not sure what the ruckus is all about and is on full alert and makes his way up the mountain towards the larger ram BUT doesn’t go all the way up. He stops, beds and after another 1-2 hrs…he seems fully relaxed. He gets up and begins feeding my way but only ever makes it to 650 yards. Just a bit out of my circle of death. Over the next several hrs we play cat and mouse with him. My brother would watch him and motion to me to move. As he feeds, we slowly inch our way toward him. Finally at around 8 pm he is in my circle of death just under 500 yards. And he decides to bed down slightly facing away. We are pinned down and it’s now or never. My brother tells me I need to lay prone to kill him and in moving to the nearest spot to do so, my gaiter drags on a rock and the ram looks our direction. I have to act now. I lay prone, take a shot and my brother says I hit him but he stands up and turns and faces us. I put the crosshairs on his throat and drop him in his tracks. Game over.
After further review, first shot was a bit high and hit his far horn—that musta gave him a headache! Next shot dead center throat shot and ended up penetrating about half way down his back.



He carries his mass very well
 
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luke moffat

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Feb 24, 2012
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Awesome awesome account of your hunt!!!! Congrats to you both on a redemption hunt to remember for sure!!! Well done to you both!
 
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Jdog

Jdog

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Derby, KS
A year of replaying last years struggle followed up by doubling up with my brother in AK mountains. We named this years hunt Hell To Pay 2013. The echoes of those shots gave us some redemption. Two brothers in AK just grindin’ it out. Over the course of our hunt we did just shy of 60 miles in the boot leather. Until next year…but its all smiles until then--Holla!

 
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realunlucky

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Jan 20, 2013
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Great ram jdog. What a great time with your brother. Nothing like an early score and a nail biter finish. Thanks for sharing your photos
 

colonel00

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Jun 19, 2013
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Lost
Very cool. Congrats.

Hard to tell you are brothers :)

iPhone31Aug13167_zps4ba38a52.jpg


Even harder to imagine both of you giants fitting in that tent

IMG_0532_zpscaf0dab2.jpg
 
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Jdog

Jdog

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Mar 2, 2012
Messages
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Location
Derby, KS
BTW - I used a High Camp 7000 with the duplex frame and 4 exterior pockets. The pack performed very well. Handled the weight of the loads better than any pack I have used and fit my 6'8" frame extremely well.
 

Huntr

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Apr 3, 2012
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Congrats Jdog! Been looking forward to you posting about this years hunt. Awesome job to both of you.
 
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