Walk-in Dall Sheep List

[carsonkeys]

Don't see bear spray on your list...?
I'd recommend an ultra-sil dry-bag to store those puffy pants and jacket.

No bear spray. If it gets to that point we’ll be (begrudgingly) notching a harvest ticket.

Yup, absolutely on the dry bag.

 

[mtwarden]

Looks like you have a new Apex quilt, thought I’d mention to others that may be considering synthetic, to also look at Mountain Laurel Designs in addition to EE.

Pretty light (not down light) for synthetic. Come in a variety of sizes and some custom options.

 

[carsonkeys]

Looks like you have a new Apex quilt, thought I’d mention to others that may be considering synthetic, to also look at Mountain Laurel Designs in addition to EE.

Pretty light (not down light) for synthetic. Come in a variety of sizes and some custom options.

Good info, thank you!

I should add I looked at your list from last year and found it very helpful. Others will too if they stumble upon this post.

 

[cumminsbassguy]

In reference to my #4 post about the poncho acting as a glassing/ meat tarp, additional rain suit. 11.85 oz with X4 4" p cord loops on the corners

 

[ColeyG]

Looking at the forecast for the opener here in AK, extra rain gear seems like wise idea...

 

[medvedyt]

Looking at the forecast for the opener here in AK, extra rain gear seems like wise idea...

what i thought for here and now we re reaching +30c everywhere in the yukon. it will be great to be on lake not that much on mountains with no shade.

 

[Lgraham]

Looked at your original list, I’d add two heavy duty contractor trash bags to your kill kit. Good for keeping blood out of your pack and can also help keep meat cool in a stream if it gets hot. Maybe add in 100’ of 550 cord as well. Most hunts that stuff can come in handy for a variety of uses.

 

[BKIdaho]

Great thread, hope there is follow-up with pics to wrap up the experience.

 

[carsonkeys]

*FOLLOW UP*

Had a blast. Didn’t see a sheep, but we killed a grizzly on the way back to the truck. We thought we were closer, but ended up hiking a bear hide, skull, and claws 16 miles. Not our best idea lol.

I severely underestimated this hunt. It was the first physical challenge I’ve ever done that I wasn’t sure I could finish. I pushed my limits, grew, and learned a lot this hunt - both gear wise and about myself.

We ended up getting blown off the mountain after a terrifying 22 hours of sleet, rain, 40 mph gusts (at closest town), hail, and snow. This experience really spooked me and will reflect in my following gear choices. It’s possible that I got thrown a pretty severe storm for my first sheep hunt, but I never want to be as unprepared as I felt ever again.

Stats: 36 miles and 15k elevation gain

Gear Wins:
EE 30* Enigma and SG Puffy Suit:
Both of these kept me warm and comfortable in the varying weather conditions we experienced. I also got soaked to the bone several times (more on this below) and woke up completely dry. Can’t recommend these enough.


Gear Changes:
Food - the bulk of my calories were great, I.e. 2x peaks and green belly meal per day. I also brought 7oz beef jerky and a whole pack of tortillas and a jar of PB. The latter items mostly all came back. I just couldn’t stomach the jerky and the PB/tortillas weren’t easy to eat on the move. Also need to put food in bulk bags instead of 10 individual food bags randomly throughout my pack.
Footwear - footwear has been my biggest liability the last five years or so. I’ve tried Kenetrek, Crispi, Hanwag, Schnees, Asolo, etc. and all give me terrible blisters on my heels. This hunt was no different and ~30 of the 36 miles included blisters despite more Leuko tape than normal. Might spring for custom boots from Lathrop and Sons.

Rain Gear - total and complete failure. I had about 10 minutes in rain before I actively had cold water penetrating my gear. I got pretty spooked on breathable rain gear after this and very well may only use rubbers from
here on out. I spoke to Justin from Kuiu yesterday and he assured me that bumping up to something like their chugach line, and properly treating it, would solve that issue. Open to others experiences here.

Tent - my partner bought a mountain star during the big sale, but didn’t specify he bought the carbon poled model. Ben’s comments about pole failure on a beach had me utterly terrified during storms. We built rock walls, used trekking poles to provide more structure, piled rocks on stakes, etc. and ultimately made it through OK. But the extra 2-3 lbs for a sturdy shelter is cheap peace of mind, and the ability to sleep where you need is tactically important to me, and I’ll be buying a new tent soon. Open to critiques/suggestions here. My two primary candidates are a nallo gt and the skyscraper 2p.

Sitka Gunner Gloves - wore these all the time. They were great for busting brush and climbing. Something more burly might work better as these got shredded and stayed wet.

Wind Jacket - I will likely bring a light wind jacket next year. During the few times it wasn’t raining, the wind was very chilly and I was unprepared.

Fitness - Though this was the best shape I’ve been in for a hunt in recent years, it wasn’t enough. My knees got incredibly sore and it felt like I had “no brakes” when coming down hill after a few days. Need to work on this and emphasize cardio more. Potentially bring neoprene knee braces? Any ideas on the knee thing? I turn 30 this year and this is new to me.

Pack Cover - will be bringing a pack cover next year for storing my pack outside of the vestibule at nights. My partner did this and I was incredibly jealous of how organized he was able to be at nights.


The vast majority of the rest of my hunt notes are on mindset and are personal. I’m trying to walk in one more time to a totally different area before the season ends. Just need to find a few days between my partner and I’s schedule. Thanks to everyone who chimed in before the hunt, and please do share your experiences, suggestions, etc. now that it’s over. Take care and happy hunting!

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

@carsonkeys Good work.
Glad you had a character building experience.
A few quick things.

Raingear: In that type of weather, most anything will leak. I use the Chugach TR, which is the best lightweight gear I’ve used. However I had the same weather as you basically and water will push through the zippers. You’re going to end up wet anyway.

Tent: The Mountainstar is pretty dang good with the aluminum poles. The SG is heavy and inner pitch first, so not something I’d personally choose. You can’t always pack for the worst weather, so there’s always going to be compromises. I used my Duomid this first hunt rather than my Niak. It handles the wind really well, but you have to make sure each stake is absolutely bomber.

Knees:

Follow Knees Over Toes Guy on IG.
Ben Patrick. Incorporate slant board work, bands, reverse lunges and step downs. In 41 and my knees & legs have never been stronger or more bulletproof.

 

[carsonkeys]

@carsonkeys Good work.
Glad you had a character building experience.
A few quick things.

Raingear: In that type of weather, most anything will leak. I use the Chugach TR, which is the best lightweight gear I’ve used. However I had the same weather as you basically and water will push through the zippers. You’re going to end up wet anyway.

Tent: The Mountainstar is pretty dang good with the aluminum poles. The SG is heavy and inner pitch first, so not something I’d personally choose. You can’t always pack for the worst weather, so there’s always going to be compromises. I used my Duomid this first hunt rather than my Niak. It handles the wind really well, but you have to make sure each stake is absolutely bomber.

Knees:

Follow Knees Over Toes Guy on IG.
Ben Patrick. Incorporate slant board work, bands, reverse lunges and step downs. In 41 and my knees & legs have never been stronger or more bulletproof.

Thanks, Ben!

Re: Chugach, a few questions for you. How are you treating the set pre-/post-hunt? Are you busting brush with it on and just being careful, or taking it off until you’re through? If you’re not taking it off, have you had any serious issues with tears?

Re: Tent, might pick your brain on this a little more offline. Like I mentioned in my post, I have a suspicion I’m trying to mitigate a risk that I’m building up too high in my head.

Re: Knees, I’ll do that! Thank you. Back to the gym today.


Good luck on your next hunt man. I have a feeling there’s a ram out there running on borrowed time.

 

[mtwarden]

Thanks for the follow up and congrats on the grizzly!

What you described, while not the norm, does happen. It’s the reason I purchased and brought a Niak after visiting with the outfitter- they had a similar experience the year prior.

If it’s for two, Hilleberg has a larger two person tent that is basically a two door, two vestibule Niak- can’t recall the model, but I’m sure you can find it easy enough.

Yeah Gortex under steady, heavy rain is likely to leak. Rubber would be less likely to leak, but you’d sweat a heck of a lot more.

Sucks on the boots. Keep trying til you find a pair that works.

I’ve never heard of anyone that was in too good of shape for a mountain hunt . Knock on wood have never had too much of an issue with knees; I do do a lot of elevation gain/loss in my training- hard to do too much.

Best of luck if you get out again this year!

 

[eamyrick]

Thanks for the reminder on rain gear. I’m going to get a fresh DWR treatment on mine before heading up to AK in two weeks. I’ve been dealing with right knee/hip pain for the last few years but consider myself in great shape so I feel your pain. I grabbed some Flexeril from my doc last week and tried it after a hard hike and it seemed to really help. Thanks for the trip update.

 

[Nick Muche]

Zero sheep spotted?

 

[carsonkeys]

Zero sheep spotted?

Correct. This drainage was hunted by my partner the previous two years and 50+ sheep, including several bands of rams, are normal for this area. Strange indeed.

I’m not overly familiar with sheep behavior, but looking back on it now, my best guess is the weather pushed them down and into areas we weren’t looking. Or, the area took a complete shit in the last year. Or, we suck.

 

[medvedyt]

Correct. This drainage was hunted by my partner the previous two years and 50+ sheep, including several bands of rams, are normal for this area. Strange indeed.

I’m not overly familiar with sheep behavior, but looking back on it now, my best guess is the weather pushed them down and into areas we weren’t looking. Or, the area took a complete shit in the last year. Or, we suck.

it can be all of that in a combinaison.

 

[ColeyG]

Sounds like you had a pretty real intro to sheep hunting!

Glad you guys survived not much worse for wear and it seems like you have a great mindset re: getting tuned up for the next round.

Some thoughts in response to your well thought out analysis.

Food - I use three ultralight stuff sacks, one for breakfast, one for lunch, and one for dinner to keep food organized and things easy to find. Generally I am not a fan of stuff sacks, but these weigh less than ounce each, basically nothing, and are a big help when packing and unpacking your bag etc.

I can't fathom carrying around a jar of peanut butter or bag of torts on a sheep hunt! I find it very helpful to lay out my breakfasts, lunches, and dinners by day to make sure I am not overdoing it on food, which I almost always do. I also weigh everything at the end to make sure I am within that 1.5-2lbs of food per day target.

Rain Gear - The heavier duty stuff will do a better job at keeping you dry, but the trade off is that it is...heavier and less packable. As others have noted, rubber will leave you just as wet and it sucks to carry. I use the Sitka Stormfront set and have been reasonable happy with it. If you get caught in sideways rain and 100% humidity for any length of time, and you do on most sheep hunts, you get wet regardless of your choice of outerwear.

I wash my Goretex gear in Nikwax Techwash and then treat it with Nikwax TX direct about once a season. The TX direct replaces the DWR coating which helps the outerfabric not wet out...for a while. The Tekwash cleans the whole garment including the waterproof breathable membrane, which is the most important bit when it comes to staying dry.

Boots - Try some more mainstream mountaineering brands like Scarpa and La Sportiva if you have not. Zamberlan, Mammut, and Lowa are worth a look as well. You will eventually find something that fits your foot well and that you don't have to spend crazy money on a custom fit which, in my experience, is just as likely to fit poorly as anything else. Make sure you get a lot of miles on them before your hunt. Even with good fit, there is some breaking in of the boot and your foot that needs to happen each year.

Tents - I switched from a Nallo 2 GT to Anjan 2 GT as my sheep tent a handful of years ago and have been very happy with the weight savings. You do give up a bit of stability and durability with the lighter fabric and poles in the Anjan, but so far it has stood up to some pretty rough weather. Proper staking and guying is key with all tents, but especially the Hille's. The big vesti is key during long sits in crappy weather, keeping packs dry, etc..

Knees - The downhill with weight on your back is what tends to really crush your knees. In my experience, the best thing you can do for them is hike up and down hills with a pack on your back. Start with light or no weight and then ramp it up to 45-50lbs as you get closer to sheep season. Starting slowly and building up and being consistent with your hikes and training seems to do a much better job of conditioning uphill and downhill muscles than just jumping in with heavy weight. On my first few pack hikes of the season, my knees and quads always feel like crap. Sore, achy, weak, etc. After a handful of hikes and starting to ramp the weight up, they feel much better.

It takes a while to get your mountain legs under you and if your training doesn't mirror the conditions you actually face on your hunt, you are underprepared and things will hurt. Based on your "no brakes" analogy, I'd said your quads and downhill resistance muscles are the issue, not bad knees. Your knees hurt because the muscles supporting them weren't strong enough to do their job well. Very, very, very common. The buddy I helped support over the last few days on his first attempt at getting into sheep country had the exact same experience. He had been hiking to get in shape, but nothing mirror the grades we were on in the mountains. His legs were in full failure mode, ala "no brakes" on the way down. If you done a good job of preparing and don't have any underlying or previous injuries, eventually you should only feel a bit of light muscular soreness and little no joint pain. Ben's recommendations are solid and would be great additions to the uphill/downhill game.

Again well done on the character building experience and bonus kudos for packing a brown bear out as part of the sufferfest. More kudos for the reflection and after action review. Seems like you are on the right track!
Best of luck.

 

[mtwarden]

Boots - Try some more mainstream mountaineering brands like Scarpa and La Sportiva if you have not. Zamberlan, Mammut, and Lowa are worth a look as well. You will eventually find something that fits your foot well and that you don't have to spend crazy money on a custom fit which, in my experience, is just as likely to fit poorly as anything else. Make sure you get a lot of miles on them before your hunt. Even with good fit, there is some breaking in of the boot and your foot that needs to happen each year.

I agree to try a few more brands before going custom. Also you listed several brands, but for example Crispi uses a half dozen lasts for their boots-each fits a little differently, so if you tried one Crispi boot you should probably try a few others. Visit with them directly on what boot you had and the fitment issue(s) and they may be able to steer you to a boot w/ a last that will fit better.

Definitely get some time on with your boots. If you can mimic even relatively closely the country you'll be hunting in, it usually doesn't take long to figure out if a boot is going to work for you.

When you do find a boot that works, buy a couple of pairs. It's not unusual for companies to change their lineup, leaving you in the lurch—ask me how I know

 

[carsonkeys]

Thanks for the reminder on rain gear. I’m going to get a fresh DWR treatment on mine before heading up to AK in two weeks. I’ve been dealing with right knee/hip pain for the last few years but consider myself in great shape so I feel your pain. I grabbed some Flexeril from my doc last week and tried it after a hard hike and it seemed to really help. Thanks for the trip update.

Good luck on your bear hunt. If you find yourself in Fairbanks and get into a pinch PM me.

 

[carsonkeys]

Sounds like you had a pretty real intro to sheep hunting!

Glad you guys survived not much worse for wear and it seems like you have a great mindset re: getting tuned up for the next round.

Some thoughts in response to your well thought out analysis.

Food - I use three ultralight stuff sacks, one for breakfast, one for lunch, and one for dinner to keep food organized and things easy to find. Generally I am not a fan of stuff sacks, but these weigh less than ounce each, basically nothing, and are a big help when packing and unpacking your bag etc.

I can't fathom carrying around a jar of peanut butter or bag of torts on a sheep hunt! I find it very helpful to lay out my breakfasts, lunches, and dinners by day to make sure I am not overdoing it on food, which I almost always do. I also weigh everything at the end to make sure I am within that 1.5-2lbs of food per day target.

Rain Gear - The heavier duty stuff will do a better job at keeping you dry, but the trade off is that it is...heavier and less packable. As others have noted, rubber will leave you just as wet and it sucks to carry. I use the Sitka Stormfront set and have been reasonable happy with it. If you get caught in sideways rain and 100% humidity for any length of time, and you do on most sheep hunts, you get wet regardless of your choice of outerwear.

I wash my Goretex gear in Nikwax Techwash and then treat it with Nikwax TX direct about once a season. The TX direct replaces the DWR coating which helps the outerfabric not wet out...for a while. The Tekwash cleans the whole garment including the waterproof breathable membrane, which is the most important bit when it comes to staying dry.

Boots - Try some more mainstream mountaineering brands like Scarpa and La Sportiva if you have not. Zamberlan, Mammut, and Lowa are worth a look as well. You will eventually find something that fits your foot well and that you don't have to spend crazy money on a custom fit which, in my experience, is just as likely to fit poorly as anything else. Make sure you get a lot of miles on them before your hunt. Even with good fit, there is some breaking in of the boot and your foot that needs to happen each year.

Tents - I switched from a Nallo 2 GT to Anjan 2 GT as my sheep tent a handful of years ago and have been very happy with the weight savings. You do give up a bit of stability and durability with the lighter fabric and poles in the Anjan, but so far it has stood up to some pretty rough weather. Proper staking and guying is key with all tents, but especially the Hille's. The big vesti is key during long sits in crappy weather, keeping packs dry, etc..

Knees - The downhill with weight on your back is what tends to really crush your knees. In my experience, the best thing you can do for them is hike up and down hills with a pack on your back. Start with light or no weight and then ramp it up to 45-50lbs as you get closer to sheep season. Starting slowly and building up and being consistent with your hikes and training seems to do a much better job of conditioning uphill and downhill muscles than just jumping in with heavy weight. On my first few pack hikes of the season, my knees and quads always feel like crap. Sore, achy, weak, etc. After a handful of hikes and starting to ramp the weight up, they feel much better.

It takes a while to get your mountain legs under you and if your training doesn't mirror the conditions you actually face on your hunt, you are underprepared and things will hurt. Based on your "no brakes" analogy, I'd said your quads and downhill resistance muscles are the issue, not bad knees. Your knees hurt because the muscles supporting them weren't strong enough to do their job well. Very, very, very common. The buddy I helped support over the last few days on his first attempt at getting into sheep country had the exact same experience. He had been hiking to get in shape, but nothing mirror the grades we were on in the mountains. His legs were in full failure mode, ala "no brakes" on the way down. If you done a good job of preparing and don't have any underlying or previous injuries, eventually you should only feel a bit of light muscular soreness and little no joint pain. Ben's recommendations are solid and would be great additions to the uphill/downhill game.

Again well done on the character building experience and bonus kudos for packing a brown bear out as part of the sufferfest. More kudos for the reflection and after action review. Seems like you are on the right track!
Best of luck.

Thank you for the encouraging words and the time you took to write all that out. Hope you find yourself looking at rams soon, if you haven't already!