Stone Sheep hunt questions

[bard]

I am a BC resident so can't speak of a personal hunt i have done with any outfitters. But i can put in a good word for Scoop Lake. I use the owners fly in service. He runs a tight ship. he does the flying for many of the outfits in northern bc and yukon out of watson lake. I cant say enough good things. always took good care of us, got us out in questionable weather, and has our safety and well being in mind. have spoke to many scoop lake clients at the dock waiting on flights and all have good things to say as well

 

[stoneramhunter]

Big nine, stone mountain safari ,and muskwa outfitters have good potential to harvest a ram. Stones are there but i think the genetics and for other reasons the Rams out of BIG NINE have been impressive. you can hunt by horse with all of them or on foot
pm me if you have any other questions

 

[madcalfe]

I’d think hunting with the outfitter at todigan mountain would be the best bet for bow hunting. East of the Rockie divide you’ll get bigger and darker rams though I’m a bc resident so never used a guide but if I had to hunt with a guide for stones bc backcountry and beyond would be probably the one I’d choose. Big 9 has a good reputation for getting big sheep and scoop lake outfitters is another good choice.

 

[cuervosail]

I'm a Northern BC resident, and I am a stone hunter. And there are some places with some really bad blood between outfitters and residents. THAT would be my first question.

And asking who has had bow hunters previously, and has terrain conducive to bowhunting would be right up there as well. Have to remember that outfitters can sell as many sheep hunts as they want every year, but they are only allowed to kill up to their allotment quota. In some places a bowhunter is simply an extra $35-50k where they don't have to worry about him killing a ram that would have otherwise gotten a repeat customer because the terrain simply won't let you get close enough.....

If you are open to rifle hunting them, then figure out what your personal limitations are and go from there. Scared of horses? Scared of ugly steep trails and deep fast rivers while on horseback? Scared of scary steep ground? Not in shape? Scared of light planes? Have time limitations where you would have to be back by xxx date or lose your job? (That one is a big deal, I know more than a few guys, and have personally spent extra days, waiting for the rivers to go down enough to cross "safely").
If you don't have any personal limitations, then roll with the questions around sheep densities (are you going to see lots of sheep - ie ewes and lambs and only a few rams), quality of rams taken (whats average length and base - big difference between 12" bases and 14"+ bases and 34" curl vs 40" curl), harvest success rates (ie 80% of our hunters had opportunities at rams - but they were all under 36"... or 50% of our hunters killed rams over 38"). Ask about age classes - are they killing predominantly 8yr old rams? Or are they killing 12yr olds? If they are consistently killing old rams that will tell you volumes about pressure and sheep densities.

If you can track down Clay Lancaster on social media (I would be pretty surprised if he wasn't a member here actually...) he is a pretty good guy to talk to and straight up.

Some great information.

 

[NorthCountryAB]

Old and Gray/Cowman Bob
Who did you kill your stone with???
I recall seeing the pictures on AO, but cant remember who you killed it with.

 

[Old and gray]

I got it with Yukonstone outfitters. They seem to be fairly consistent taking some cranker rams

 

[NorthCountryAB]

Awesome!
It was a beauty

 

[NMO]

Some great info in here. Areas known for the highest density, biggest sheep (Big Nine) and easiest access will see the bulk of resident pressure in the province. Keep in mind that Outfitter success will be 75%+ and Resident success in area 7B (Northern Rockies) is avg 9.5% - Just because they are there doesn't mean they know what they are doing (No offence to any Resi's struggling to kill). Typically guides have the advantage with better knowledge of sheep habits, terrain, and horses to take you up the mtn.

Don't be scared by a lack of photos or information on websites. Lots of fantastic sheep outfits that don't need to advertise much, and the way E-Scouting is these days, most of them won't post pictures (particularly of their best rams) on the website. It's just not worth the resident attention.

Ask what their age class is, and how many rams they average a year - as mentioned before this is telling. 10 per year & 10yr age avg would tell me that theres enough habitat, density, and not a ton of pressure...

Worth asking the outfitter for a reference list of sheep hunters who weren't successful - and then finding out why. Keep in mind that some people aren't cut out for sheep hunting - I've seen clients who couldn't physically get it done, despite the guide being able to get on rams multiple times across the hunt - that then went home with a sour taste in their mouth feeling like they are owed something...

Reputable sheep taxidermists are a solid resource, they deal with a lot of clients, and get to see a lot of the quality coming out of the outfits (both genetic and how trophies are cared for). They see patterns over time if they do enough sheep. BC ones would be worth talking to as well.

FWIW I guide stones in Northern BC, and started as a wrangler/guide in the Yukon. Happy to chat more in PM's or on the phone.

 

[wymtnpounder]

Make sure to contact Stone and Folding there top notch with high success

 

[Short Track]

I can afford it, but can't justify it. Certainly would be a dream physically speaking, but only getting older, with knees getting more tired. Not in my lifetime.