Sheep hunting alone?

[Bruce Culberson]

Here are the pics from 2010 solo sheep hunt….

 

[Greyinggrayling]

I am in the hunt-with-a-partner camp.
For several reasons.
Main reason is safety. One turned ankle or torn calf will make your trip come to an end quickly, and having a partner to help you get down the mountain is priceless. My husband slipped on wet vegetation while side-hilling after he killed a bear and took hours to get off the mountain. I was back at camp and was about to call in emergency rescue because he was late and I couldn’t find him.
Also, I’ve been circled by bears before while processing a fresh bear kill. My husband had to haze the bears while I was skinning, and they kept popping out of the brush 360 degrees around us. The bear I shot was a sow and she was likely in heat.
I’ve had a grizz come up on on my husband and me while we were cleaning a caribou (the caribou in my avatar). This was a fly-out trip in sheep country, I had a caribou tag and husband was sheep hunting. I shot the grizz, and then we had two animals to worry about.

Hauling all of the camp gear yourself PLUS a sheep kill is crazy. You have the tent, stove, food, glass, etc. etc. it can be done, but why? Two of you can split the load and help leapfrog out gear and game. Makes more sense.

I will backpack solo, scout solo, fish solo. I will not go on a significant hunting trip solo. There are plenty of guys up here who want to hunt also but don’t want to go alone. Make friends, and team up for big hunts.
You can enjoy a hunting trip, or you can suffer a hunting trip.

 

[MountainTracker]

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

I used to hunt in ID a lot, most guys were on quads then. Me and my brother would walk in and then dive into the trees. More than once we had taken a nice WT and back at the cabin guys would ask how we did it. I would always tell them they had to get off the quads, still never ran into guys once off the logging roads.


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[Decker9]

Solo makes for a heavy pack out sometimes, but once you’re out, the feeling of accomplishment, successful or not is an amazing. I use to love solo hunting in the mountains, but a guy goes need to think a few steps ahead. A good dog makes a world of difference.

 

[Sourdough]

What slips by as a hunter, has clearly depreciated over the last 80 years. What is sad, is that there is zero way to show them.

 

[VernAK]

Decker,

Did you time your pic to when your dog is taking a dump?

 

[adventure907]

When I first started sheep hunting, I often hunted alone. This was mostly because finding buddies that could get the time off work was a challenge, I refused to let that stop me from going hunting, and in turn, I feel like I gained some of my most valuable experiences learning I only had myself to rely on.

I really didn't know what I was doing and I never killed a ram solo in those early years, but I felt that the experience was invaluable to my growth as a sheep hunter. I always kept it a goal to one day kill a ram solo. Years later, after I had been guiding a while and was a much better sheep hunter, I drew a nice tag. I decided this would be the ram I finally hunted solo, and in my 40th year, I finally killed a ram solo, my first personal 40 inch ram to boot.

While I always enjoy hunting with a great partner, I also enjoy hunting by myself with the added challenge and experience it often provides.

 

[HuntInWild88]

Lots of great advise and success story. Thanks for that. I moved up here last year and learning to hunt a new state can some times be daunting let alone Alaska. I'm goingnto try and do several scouting trips in June as it looks like I will be gone most of July. Now I just have to figure out what range to go play around in.
I would much prefer to not be solo my first year but my network is small. So if anyone out there wants a partner PM me. I'm in no way looking to just tag along and freelance off someone else's hard work. I enjoy exploring and figuring things out just as much as I'm sure most of you do.

 

[schmalzy]

When I first started sheep hunting, I often hunted alone. This was mostly because finding buddies that could get the time off work was a challenge, I refused to let that stop me from going hunting, and in turn, I feel like I gained some of my most valuable experiences learning I only had myself to rely on.

I really didn't know what I was doing and I never killed a ram solo in those early years, but I felt that the experience was invaluable to my growth as a sheep hunter. I always kept it a goal to one day kill a ram solo. Years later, after I had been guiding a while and was a much better sheep hunter, I drew a nice tag. I decided this would be the ram I finally hunted solo, and in my 40th year, I finally killed a ram solo, my first personal 40 inch ram to boot.

While I always enjoy hunting with a great partner, I also enjoy hunting by myself with the added challenge and experience it often provides.

Awesome post and that picture is so cool. Way to go.


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[Confluentus]

I have not hunted solo too many times for sheep, but I might this year. The possibility of bear encounters or fall-related injury in the mountains has dissuaded me in the past but I think I’m getting over those fears as time goes on.

One thing I have found in the past is that good sheep hunting partners are very hard to come by. You need to choose wisely. It’s a real bummer to spend weeks/months training and preparing for a hunt, and then get 3 days and 20 miles in and find out that you and your partner are not on the same level as far as gear quality, physical aptitude, or most importantly motivation. You and your partner need to have relatively similar expectations and comfortability in physically strenuous mountain situations.

Being in shape is important in sheep hunting, and it sucks to be in way better or way worse shape than your partner. But even out-of-shape guys will hike far and kill stuff if they are motivated enough. If you aren’t 100% confident in your partner’s dedication to the task, you need to think really hard about going with that person.

 

[rickiesrevenge]

I've hunted sheep solo. Will be doing it again this year. The one guy I trust cant get the time off.

I went on a goat trip with a guy last fall. I'd been goat hunting with him before. He quit on me about 1/2 way up the hill. Trip was over. I still talk to him, but I'm not going to put myself in the position to trust him on a hunt like that again. It is what it is.

 

[NeakAKHunter]

Lots of great advise and success story. Thanks for that. I moved up here last year and learning to hunt a new state can some times be daunting let alone Alaska. I'm goingnto try and do several scouting trips in June as it looks like I will be gone most of July. Now I just have to figure out what range to go play around in.
I would much prefer to not be solo my first year but my network is small. So if anyone out there wants a partner PM me. I'm in no way looking to just tag along and freelance off someone else's hard work. I enjoy exploring and figuring things out just as much as I'm sure most of you do.

I just moved up here last May and knew just about nothing about AK hunting. I'm in my younger 20's and willing to hunt just about as hard as possible. What has helped me has been meeting some old-timers that have hunted a lot and not as much anymore. Fortunately, I met some guys when I was backpacking looking for bear and they realized my drive to hunt and have helped me out a lot. I also have been going to local fish and game advisory meetings which puts you in a setting to meet some people. I can't PM because I havent posted enough but I live in Delta Junction and would never mind a hunting/adventure partner.

 

[no_uh]

Done it both ways. I'm not hardcore like most people on here, but some big pros and cons already mentioned. The upshots for me are that it's a very rewarding experience to be out there alone and you can go at your own pace whatever that may be. The downsides are pretty obvious. No second opinion on whether it's legal, no sharing loads/gear, and no back up if things go wrong. I would go solo again, you just have to be much more conservative and deliberate if you care about your safety. That being said, if I have the option I'd probably rather bring a friend who has literally no hunting experience so long as they are tough/fit and have experience camping.

 

[carsonkeys]

Lots of great advise and success story. Thanks for that. I moved up here last year and learning to hunt a new state can some times be daunting let alone Alaska. I'm goingnto try and do several scouting trips in June as it looks like I will be gone most of July. Now I just have to figure out what range to go play around in.
I would much prefer to not be solo my first year but my network is small. So if anyone out there wants a partner PM me. I'm in no way looking to just tag along and freelance off someone else's hard work. I enjoy exploring and figuring things out just as much as I'm sure most of you do.

I'm moving to Fairbanks in June. I obviously won't be a resident (at least to F&G) for a year, but pending a meeting or two, would be open to tagging along on your hunt.

 

[Snyd]

Wait... That looks like a 4-5lb Hilleberg Soulo tent. Don't you know that's too heavy for 2 sheep hunters let alone one!! You need a $1000 piece ultra fiber cloth cut into a floorless tipi that only weighs 6oz in order to kill a 40" ram.

 

[Snyd]

View attachment 531491
Here are the pics from 2010 solo sheep hunt….

Here's another one.... That 2 man tent looks way to heavy for a solo sheep hunt. Plus everyone knows you can't pack a wood/blue rifle sheep hunting!!! Looks to me like you need to pony up and spend some serious cash if you wanna be a "real" sheep hunter!

 

[Snyd]

For years I toyed with and wanted doing a solo sheep hunt just because. The wifey was defiantly not down with it and since she is my ultimate partner in life I didn't do it. Especially after I fell in a steep chute on a hunt and dislocated my shoulder. My partner was near by and I instructed him on how to pop in back in. He did and we carried on with the hunt. If I was solo I'd have had to hit the SOS on the SPOT. Ironically during that same week another sheep hunter who used to frequent these forums that hunted solo a lot and killed big rams was on a solo hunt. He had a bad mishap after killing a big ram and dislocated his shoulder. He had to call for emergency rescue. He was fortunate.

I chose to pursue getting one with my pistol instead. Some guys will try bow or muzzle loader. Another way to challenge oneself.

 

[Bruce Culberson]

Here's another one.... That 2 man tent looks way to heavy for a solo sheep hunt. Plus everyone knows you can't pack a wood/blue rifle sheep hunting!!! Looks to me like you need to pony up and spend some serious cash if you wanna be a "real" sheep hunter!

That was 13 years ago.... I was younger & stronger then I guess!
That tent was 1.5 man weighed 6.5lbs.
My sleeping bag, pad, pack…. Everything was heavier back then…. Before I discovered rokslide

 

[Szwampdonkey]

Don’t listen to anyone else and just do it. I think you’ll only regret it if you don’t. I can’t imagine anyone regretting putting in the work i can only see regretting not doing it given the opportunity.

 

[Wildwillalaska]

done both, and truly enjoy both. Think hunting solo or with a partner is time well spent. Will say my first solo moose hunt was a whole new level of work, just parting one out alone versus having some help hold a leg and flip it over after one side was finished made wish I had a partner during the butchering at least. I would t hesitate to hunt with a good partner or alone—but much rather hunt alone than with a bad partner.