Sheep hunting alone?

[HuntInWild88]

How many sheep hunt alone? Got up here to Alaska and first thing the guys in my shop asked was do I hunt? I of course said yes and they gave the whole "O you'll fit in good" " we're all hunters in the shop" I start asking about sheep..and instantly got the "o that's too much work".
Basically come to find out if they can't drive their SxS's, set up their wall tents and have to carry meat more than 100 yards it's "too much work"..

So looks like I'm going solo. I'm only up here for a few years and have to take advantage of it while I can.

 

[Rich M]

It's the same everywhere. The local guys have the simplest and easiest hunting figured out. New guys have "these ideas."

Enjoy your sheep and goat hunting while you can.

 

[WMag338]

Awesome. Wish I had your same problem!

 

[Curmudgeon]

I have a friend who moved to Fairbanks years ago and he's been pretty much a solo hunter because of the lengths he's willing to go to be successful. He ended up shooting a dall ram that would have went very high in the record books if he would have had it officially measured. The effort that went into that hunt was amazing.
Take full advantage of your time there and best of luck!

 

[MBN]

I have done quite a few solo hunts and they are some of my favorite trips. Packing camp and a ram out is a chore though.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Call me a pus , but a solo sheep hunt isn’t something I would do , I would want a partner to help with packing, glassing, camp, and in case I tweaked my knee or ankle
i aoudad and mule deer hunt solo a bunch, but I know I have cell service and someone is coming to find me if I’m not in camp by X time

points mute as being a NR in most places I’m forced to hire a guide

 

[ljalberta]

I have done quite a few solo hunts and they are some of my favorite trips. Packing camp and a ram out is a chore though.

This.

 

[Atigun]

A solo sheep hunt will be the best time of your life. The feeling of walking out to the truck or back to the strip with or without a ram on your back will be one of, if not the most fulfilling experiences you’ll have.

 

[Nick Muche]

Sounds like a typical response from a military unit up here. Find eager and successful civilians to hang and hunt with, you’ll enjoy it far more. I wouldn’t hesitate to hunt anything solo, people in general are unreliable and I’ve found most don’t care about the same things as I do enough to contribute equally. When you find a few that do, like many of us have, maintain those relationships and you’ll be set for life.

 

[VernAK]

Sounds like a typical response from a military unit up here. Find eager and successful civilians to hang and hunt with, you’ll enjoy it far more. I wouldn’t hesitate to hunt anything solo, people in general are unreliable and I’ve found most don’t care about the same things as I do enough to contribute equally. When you find a few that do, like many of us have, maintain those relationships and you’ll be set for life.

Well said Nick!
So many new Alaskans have expectations that are not achievable. They often think they have to own several wheelers and a jet boat that gets them into deep debt so they can go where everyone else goes.

Most will wear out two Hondas before they wear out a pair of boots!

 

[Bambistew]

Well said Nick!
So many new Alaskans have expectations that are not achievable. They often think they have to own several wheelers and a jet boat that gets them into deep debt so they can go where everyone else goes.

Most will wear out two Hondas before they wear out a pair of boots!

Lot to be said for this... I have a sxs and atv and rarely use them. They are a liability on a hunt most times, and a pain in the azz when you get them stuck. You also get to the same place as a dozen other people.

I used to hunt solo a lot, but don't much anymore. Its not as fun, and I'm as much into fun as I am filling tags. Finding good hunting friends of the same mindset are really not too hard, convincing them to go with you is the hard part. Don't expect others to send you invites to good spots, figure it out on your own, and make a plan. After that its much easier to get someone to go with you. For me, its pretty easy to figure out someone's hunting style in the first 10 min of a conversation.

Guys that swoon over rifles and shooting long range, are more into shooting than hunting 99% of the time, in my experience. Guys that wear matching camo to the gun range are another subset of hunters, that I probably won't be hunting with anytime soon. I'm sure that will hurt some feelers, but don't worry we won't hunt together, so it will be ok.

 

[Rowndy]

If its your only option just go for it! Plenty of guys do. Where in Alaska do you live?

 

[tkhuntsman]

If its your only option just go for it! Plenty of guys do. Where in Alaska do you live?

I have sheep hunted alone in Montana and I enjoyed it immensely. I will say I usually limit my distance a little bit more solo than I do when I have a partner along. I will go in 3-5 miles instead of 8-10. It's just easier on my mind and makes my wife feel better (not that she ever really feels good when I do solo trips she knows me to well).

 

[StopMakingSense]

I find the physical challenge of solo sheep hunting to be my favorite part, you can really push your limits.

The mental game is where it'll crush you. It definitely exposes a lot of your personal weaknesses being alone with your thoughts.

 

[MountainTracker]

There’s a good chance I’ll be alone this year. A couple of hunting buddies would like to come but life can happen, so I’ll prepare like I’ll be alone. I do enjoy having another guy if nothing else then having someone to bounce ideas off of.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[chasewild]

I moved up in 2021 and I thought for sure I would be outwalked, or out worked, or out whatevered by everyone up here.

But, like any other avenue in life, you have the guys who can't help but yammer constantly but don't actually hunt/kill that much, and others that skate under the radar but kill plenty without partners/side-by-sides/planes/boats, etc.

What I did, for what it's worth, I just started looking at maps on maps on maps. It's incredibly daunting but slowly, you start to figure out the landscape. And, surprisingly, if you present like an authentic character, you pick up a few sourdoughs along the way that don't mind helping a young kid hunt sheep.

 

[Bruce Culberson]

1st ram I shot was on a solo fly-in sheep hunt. The only flat spot suitable for a tent was about 500 yards from where I spotted a grizzly earlier that day. The next day I got my ram and was back at the same tent spot that night. Slept with one eye open, headlamp on my head, and a fresh one in the chamber! The head & cape was about 15 feet from the tent with the pot & lid piled on it to make noise if anything disturbed it. Fortunately the night was un-eventful.

Go for it! It's a character building experience.

 

[IBen]

How many sheep hunt alone? Got up here to Alaska and first thing the guys in my shop asked was do I hunt? I of course said yes and they gave the whole "O you'll fit in good" " we're all hunters in the shop" I start asking about sheep..and instantly got the "o that's too much work".
Basically come to find out if they can't drive their SxS's, set up their wall tents and have to carry meat more than 100 yards it's "too much work"..

So looks like I'm going solo. I'm only up here for a few years and have to take advantage of it while I can.

95% of Alaskans don’t stray more than 100 hundred yards from their machines (plane, boat, argo, sxs, etc)

 

[HuntInWild88]

95% of Alaskans don’t stray more than 100 hundred yards from their machines (plane, boat, argo, sxs, etc)

That's what I'm figuring out. Idaho was the same way.

 

[IBen]

That's what I'm figuring out. Idaho was the same way.

Better chance to convert a backpacker to backpack hunting than a cabin/day hunter to backpack hunting