What does it cost to hunt sheep?

[JFKinYK]

Another vote for moving. I'm pretty lucky to have landed in the nwt from the states. Threads like this make me never want to leave.

 

[krossh]

The cheapest way to hunt bighorn sheep IMO is to put in for the couple of units in SW MT that are essentially unlimited.. Meaning that you will draw a tag but need to bag your ram before the quota is met.. I wouldn't worry about the quota though.. The mature rams in this area are low in density and difficult to reach.. Get in extremely good shape and dedicate your season solely to the unit for a few seasons and I bet you can do it.. I've been seriously considering becoming very familiar with a few of those hunting units since it will probably be my only shot at a ram..

 

[Blockcaver]

I drew 6 bighorn ram archery tags in Colorado from '75 through '09 and shot two rams. Drew a desert ram tag in Nevada in '91 and arrowed another ram.

I moved up to BC in 2009 and have bow hunted stones as a resident 3 times. Hopefully this year is the magic year. I should be able to bow hunt about a month or more from Aug 1 on over several hunts if necessary as I am retiring July 31! Since the license ($60) is for sheep, I could also hunt bighorns if I got tired of stone sheep country later in the season (snow). Season goes through Mid-Oct for both species, although bighorn start later.

So my personal answer is to move if you like to hunt a lot of species and don't want to hire a guide for everything.

 

[mtnclimber]

If one was to move somewhere to hunt sheep, id take canada any day over AK.

Though with it being another country and all I'm sure it would be more difficult than moving to AK

 

[mossyhorn]

I moved to AK in 2010 with my wife to do this very thing. I've been on 3 sheep hunts and killed one ram, a 39 1/4" Brooks range ram. Will be moving back south after this year due to changes in our life and work. But have been fortunate enough to kill 5 caribou, a mountain goat, a grizz, deer, and a sheep. It's tough and it's still expensive. Getting to where sheep are is tough, and I wouldn't recommend even trying from the road system except maybe the Brooks. Even flying out, you're likely to see some other hunters unless you know someone with their own plane. A lot of the transporters are all using the same strips and some places can look like a circus. The strip I went on last year had 12 people on it when I landed. The year before there were only 4.

It's all about hardwork and walking miles upon miles. And they aren't easy miles. We hunted the same area last year that I killed my ram the year prior, weather really hampered our efforts. We covered 60 miles in 7 days and never found a legal ram...in an area where we saw many the year before. So one year can be great and the next a bust, sheep move. You can expect also to pay $2300-$2500 per person to fly into the Brooks Range.

 

[MuleyFever]

So all this talk of moving to AK has my attention. Anyone have any suggestions on getting a firefighter position in Fairbanks?

 

[mtnclimber]

I moved to AK in 2010 with my wife to do this very thing. I've been on 3 sheep hunts and killed one ram, a 39 1/4" Brooks range ram. Will be moving back south after this year due to changes in our life and work. But have been fortunate enough to kill 5 caribou, a mountain goat, a grizz, deer, and a sheep. It's tough and it's still expensive. Getting to where sheep are is tough, and I wouldn't recommend even trying from the road system except maybe the Brooks. Even flying out, you're likely to see some other hunters unless you know someone with their own plane. A lot of the transporters are all using the same strips and some places can look like a circus. The strip I went on last year had 12 people on it when I landed. The year before there were only 4.

It's all about hardwork and walking miles upon miles. And they aren't easy miles. We hunted the same area last year that I killed my ram the year prior, weather really hampered our efforts. We covered 60 miles in 7 days and never found a legal ram...in an area where we saw many the year before. So one year can be great and the next a bust, sheep move. You can expect also to pay $2300-$2500 per person to fly into the Brooks Range.

On the trip you killed your ram you were with Jerome whose an experienced AK resident whose taken multiple rams previous correct?

Gorgeous ram by the way. Video turned out great too.

 

[mossyhorn]

On the trip you killed your ram you were with Jerome whose an experienced AK resident whose taken multiple rams previous correct?

Gorgeous ram by the way. Video turned out great too.

Yes, we hunted together. It was in an area I researched and decided to go into. I went back this fall and the sheep just weren't there. Weather was terrible and my brother and I came up empty, except for a grizz. Gonna try a new area this year with my two brothers.

 

[Buster]

Yes, we hunted together. It was in an area I researched and decided to go into. I went back this fall and the sheep just weren't there. Weather was terrible and my brother and I came up empty, except for a grizz. Gonna try a new area this year with my two brothers.

Sometimes those "fringe" areas can really produce. Hit and miss on rams, but sometimes you can find an old thumper.