Wild Sheep Society of BC Magazine is published four times per year for the Wild Sheep Society of British Columbia by
Sportscene Publications Inc.
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Fall 2023 Issue
Board of Directors.......................................................................................4
Editor in Chief Kyle Stelter (CEO)
President’s Message...................................................................................5
Editors Bill Pastorek Nolan Osborne Peter Gutsche Michael Surbey
Fraser River Update....................................................................................8
Contributors Sydney Goward Laura Balyx Helen Schwantje, DVM
Meet Our Team............................................................................................6 A Bear of a Sheep Hunt.............................................................................10 Disease Management of Wild Sheep: Test and Remove..........................16 Father and Son Double Combo.................................................................18 Specificity..................................................................................................26 Women Shaping Conservation: Caping & Hide Care................................30 2023 Wild Sheep Jurassic Classic............................................................34
Design & Layout Sportscene Publications Inc.
1Campfire: Start a Campfire... Start a Conversation.................................38
Printing Elite Lithographers Co. Ltd.
Hilleberg Soulo Black Label Tent Review..................................................42
Editorial Submissions Please submit articles and photos to communications@wildsheepsociety.com No portion of Wild Sheep Society of BC Magazine may be copied or reproduced without the prior written consent of the Wild Sheep Society of British Columbia. The views and opinions expressed by the authors of the articles in Wild Sheep Society of BC Magazine are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Wild Sheep Society of British Columbia.
Vital Contributor: Chris Procter..................................................................40 Monarch Members....................................................................................44 Blue Sheep Expedition in the Mighty Himalayas of Nepal........................46 Backcountry Medpacks.............................................................................54 Member Highlights ...................................................................................58 Dream Rams: A Bighorn by the Numbers ................................................62
Cover photo by Darryn Epp – Wild Sheep Ambassador
PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 43363024 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to
Wild Sheep Society of British Columbia
#101 - 30799 Simpson Road, Abbotsford, BC V2T 6X4 www.wildsheepsociety.com Printed in Canada
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Chief Executive Officer – Kyle Stelter 250-619-8415 ● kstelter@wildsheepsociety.com
Vice-President – Mike Southin 604-240-7337 ● msouthin@telus.net
President – Korey Green 250-793-2037 ● kgreen@wildsheepsociety.com
Secretary – Greg Rensmaag 604-209-4543 ● rensmaag_greg@hotmail.com
Vice-President – Chris Barker 250-883-3112 ● barkerwildsheep@gmail.com
Treasurer – Joe Humphries 250-230-5313 ● joseph_humphries@hotmail.com
Jesse Bone 250-802-7468 jesse.wssbc@gmail.com
Peter Gutsche 250-328-5224 petergutsche@gmail.com
Greg Nalleweg 778-220-3194 greg@nextgenelectrical.ca
Tristan Duncan 778-921-0087 tb.duncan@gmail.com
Benjamin Matthew MD 778-558-0996 ben.matthew@ubc.ca
Colin Peters 604-833-5802 colin.peters12@gmail.com
Rob Englot 250-719-9607 renglot@telus.net
Matt McCabe 250-320-6048 mattmccabe.wssbc@gmail.com
Robin Routledge 250-262-9058 robin.wssbc@gmail.com
Communications Committee Chair: Kyle Stelter ● 250-619-8415 kstelter@wildsheepsociety.com Fundraising Committee Chair: Korey Green ● 250-793-2037 kgreen@wildsheepsociety.com Government Engagement Committee Chair: Greg Rensmaag ● 604-209-4543 rensmaag_greg@hotmail.com
Jurassic Classic Trevor Carruthers ● 250-919-5386 ● trevor.carruthers@shaw.ca Raffles Joe Humphries ● 250-230-5313 ● joseph_humphries@hotmail.com Women Shaping Conservation Rebecca Peters ● 778-886-3097 ● rebeccaanne75@gmail.com
Hunter Heritage Committee Chair: Jann Demaske ● 970-539-8742 demaskes@msn.com
Bookkeeper Kelly Cioffi ● 778-908-3634 kelly@dkccompany.com
Indigenous Relations Committee Chair: Josh Hamilton ● 250-263-2197 josh.wssbc@gmail.com
Executive Assistant Michael Surbey ● 604-690-9555 exec@wildsheepsociety.com
Membership Committee Chair: Peter Gutsche ● 250-328-5224 petergutsche@gmail.com
Hunting Expo Coordinator Kris Wrathall ● 604-340-4903 ovisslam@outlook.com
Projects Committee Chair: Chris Barker ● 250-883-3112 barkerwildsheep@gmail.com
Administrative Coordinator Rebecca Peters ● 778-886-3097 wildsheepsocietyofbc@gmail.com
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Danny Coyne Darryn Epp Jeff Jackson Trevor Carruthers
WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
s another hunting season comes to a close and we near the end of 2023, it is a good time to reflect on the past year and exciting things ahead for 2024. The Board of Directors vision for growing the Society and expanding our footprint resulted in approving over $500,000 in wild sheep projects so far in 2023, which includes projects in almost every region of the province containing wild sheep. Continued membership growth resulted in a 13% increase in overall membership so far in 2023. In addition, the Mountain Wildlife Conservation Society board of directors approved its first project funding request through that organization. Although we have seen unprecedented growth over the past 5 years and have added some of the required capacity to grow further, the board of directors has recently approved the hiring of some part time contractors to take on additional tasks, freeing up important time for Kyle and Mike to pursue further fundraising and grant proposal efforts. We welcomed 171 new members so far in 2023, bringing our total membership to 1484 members, which includes 729 Life Members and 147 Monarch Members. The Mountain Wildlife Conservation Society (MWCS) continues to WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
attract tax-deductible donations, with over $200,000 raised since its inception. As mentioned earlier, the MWCS board of directions approved its first project funding request recently and we look forward to seeing more MWCS funds going to on the ground projects in 2024. Planning is now underway for the both the 2024 Northern Fundraiser and the Southern Salute to Conservation & AGM and will continue well into the New Year. I am excited to see to the needed growth that the Penticton venue will allow for and look forward to some of the new aspects being incorporated. In closing, I want to take the
opportunity to thank our valued members and donors for everything you do to support wild sheep in British Columbia. In addition, I want to thank the WSSBC board members, support staff, ambassadors, and committee chairs for their dedication and efforts over the past year. Wishing you and your families a successful fall and happy holiday season. I am looking forward to what we can achieve in 2024, as year after year this organization and its membership never cease to amaze me. Yours in Conservation, Korey Green WSSBC President 5
I reside in Port Coquitlam, BC with my husband Colin, my dog Charlie, and I am a stepmother to two beautiful children, Reghan and Ryan. I am a Monarch member, and volunteer with the Wild Sheep Society of BC and Jurassic Classic. I have an unwavering dedication to conservation efforts, driven by my profound desire to make a positive impact. It’s this very passion that inspired me to create the Wild Sheep Society of BC’s Women Shaping Conservation program (WSC). Women Shaping Conservation is a platform that celebrates women whose passions centre around outdoor pursuits, and who participate in conservation efforts. It’s the programs mission to inspire and nurture women in our community where everyone can come together to enjoy the outdoors, including hunting and conserve wild sheep. As Chair of the committee, I have an opportunity to lead and inspire other women who want to get involved but may not know where to start. I am enthusiastic about active participation in the Wild Sheep Society of BC and the opportunity to engage with this dynamic conservation group.
I was born and raised in the Comox Valley. I developed an appreciation for outdoor pursuits at a young age. I spent my younger years camping, fishing, hiking and exploring. I read a ton about hunting as a youth but didn’t really start until I was 18. In our local library I found books written by Jack O’Connor. The ghost of old Jack must have cast a spell on me back then because sure enough I developed “Sheep Fever” later in life. In the Fall of 1993, I heard about a very young organization called the Wild Sheep Society of B.C. I joined up and I’ve been a member ever since. In late January 1994, I participated in the first WSSBC sponsored sheep transplant. We captured and transplanted a total of 23 Sheep from the Big Bar area and moved them over to Mission Ridge near Seton Lake. I met some incredible people who were extremely dedicated to wild sheep and sheep conservation. I previously served on the Board of Directors from 1996 until 2000. Over the years I’ve watched the Society grow into a conservation powerhouse. The reason for the success is simple. It’s because of the dedicated men and women who step up and are passionate about wild places, wild sheep and conserving what we have left. Now more than ever wildlife and the wild places they call home are under threat. I’m married to my wife Anna, and we have two teenage boys who enjoy the outdoors. My youngest son harvested his first deer last year. I’m looking forward to continuing my work with the WSSBC. 6
WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
by Peter Gutsche
rom the Northern Rocky Mountains, the mighty Fraser River cuts its course northwest before abruptly shifting southwards, travelling some 800 miles before spilling into the Pacific Ocean. Midway through this path, where the Chilcotin River enters the Fraser, lies the heart of the California Bighorn Sheep range. It is from these herds that many transplant groups were re-introduced throughout the Western United States. Sadly, these populations have since been affected by Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (m.ovi) and have been in a continual decline. It was this decline, first noticed in the 1990’s that led to the formation of the Wild Sheep Society of BC, and it is the recovery of these herds that has led
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us to our biggest project to date, the Fraser River Bighorn Sheep Disease Mitigation Program. For the past four years, and with so many others’ help, we have tested and removed bighorn sheep along the Fraser. Removing these animals has been both logistically challenging and emotionally taxing, but it has succeeded. To date, we have tested 258 of approximately 545 sheep spread amongst some 17 bands in the metapopulation and have removed 40 of these animals. With another four years of work ahead of us and another 300 bighorns to go, we can draw inspiration from the successes we have witnessed, namely the dramatic increase in lambs in all of our treatment areas. Where we had previously documented zero lamb recruitment (survival of the
first year) year over year, we were now seeing anywhere from 30-50 lambs per 100 ewes—simply incredible numbers. Without a doubt, we could not have done this alone; with the aid of the Wild Sheep Foundation and the Midwest Chapter, we succeeded in initially getting things off the ground, and we could not be more grateful for their continued support. We have done all of our work with helicopters, net-gunning individual animals and testing before release or removal. This is done primarily because of the remoteness of the region. We are hoping to incorporate a drop-net capture this year, much to the approval of our members hoping to get their hands on a wild sheep! If you’ve got some time to spare in December, be sure to reach out.
WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
pring of 2021 a friend called and said he had lucked out and won a LEH Sheep Draw for Spatsizi. A long time hunter from Vancouver Island, but sheep were a new pursuit for him. The previous year (2020) had been my first year sheep hunting, and in the typical case of the “too dumb to know any better” rookie sheep hunters my brother and I had put on a crushing number of kilometres in a weeks time with gear too heavy. Not to mention a lack of experience that must have looked like two bear cubs stumbling after their mother learning how to hunt. Despite which, we managed to harvest a respectable ram and an addiction was born! Trying to put into words for an outsider what makes sheep hunting so alluring is usually met with failure. Is it the meticulous preparation and exhaustive lists of gear weights, brands, and types that draws the ‘Gear Junkies’? The zip of a tent fly on a crisp morning at 6000’, to huddle in the bone shaking cold watching the first crack of dawn light the WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
mountains? Or, the semi-religious inner journey of suffering a heavy pack out, 100lbs + sinking your pack straps into your shoulders, hips, and quads screaming on the steep ascents? Whatever the reasons for the addiction, I happily agreed to go despite not getting a chance at a sheep. We applied for, and received a Mountain Goat, and Caribou Group Draw LEH, and we were off. We flew into Coldfish Lake with Klappan Air in mid-August, and in very workman like fashion made it the 25 kilometres to where we wanted to go hunting, and got down to business. Despite some fog days we spotted Rams, put a stalk on and closed the distance to 80 yards on a small but legal Ram. Being a new sheep hunter my friend was happy with the Ram, and shot it. Immediately, a much larger and older Ram stood up from where it had been concealed! We guessed him to be 1012 Years old and all the sheep hunting names came to mind! Toad, Cranker, Stud! We chalked it up to experience and I got a goat less than ten minutes later and 100 yards further that hadn’t shied at the sound of the first shot.
Happy and successful, we broke the animals down and began the hike out. Coming over the Donahue Pass back into Coldfish lake, we came across fresh Grizzly scat and the tracks of a Sow and Cub. With fresh meat on our backs, we were happy to have the wind in our faces, and the Grizzlies in front of us. No drama or run-ins however we chalked it up as a possible close call, got back to the lake and were lucky enough to get a flight on the next day. Our northern adventure done and dusted. Fast forward to 2023. Addictions die hard and the sight of the older ram standing up after the crack of the shot haunted us for two years. My friend called again in the spring of 2023, and said he wanted to go back to Spatsizi and look for that Ram. Long odds on the best of days. I had burnt my Sheep draw on the coveted Atlin Dall/Fannin draw so again it was left to my friend to be the shooter. Two sheep hunts a year since my first, and I was beginning to consider myself a “sheep hunter” with the experience to perhaps pull this needle in a haystack hunt off. 11
Little did we know that sheep were going to play a very small part of our 2023 hunt! 2023 was a mirror image of 2021. Klappan Air flew us into Coldfish Lake, we hiked to the same valley through the same horse trails ground to a fine sucking slop by the pack horses. Enjoyed the same blowdown and bugs, and got after it. Morning of day two, in camp, slightly down the valley of the mountainous bowl we planned to hike and glass that day. A wet and overcast day, with drifting banks of fog rolling through obscuring the peaks. We could see a goat approximately 800 yards above and away from camp on a ledge, while we both had goat tags we were fixated on sheep. I had wandered off to attend to morning ablutions, the last thing you want to hear while squatting in the buck brush trying to keep the bugs off is “Holy f*ck, three grizzlies”. After an explosion of adrenaline my friend finally finished that drawn out sentence “They are pinning that goat onto the cliff”. Our early start to go glassing was forgotten as we put our spotters on three grizzlies making passes at the goat but never quite getting close enough. Our best guess is it was a 12
sow and two yearlings (although from the size of the yearlings they could have been two years of age). The goat didn’t panic and waited the grizzlies out. The grizzlies would crop grass and look for berries (berries were in short supply this year) showing few signs of impatience. After their charges on the goat at first light they simply stood over the goat and waited, then would go back to foraging but rarely further than 50-80 metres from the goat. After approximately an hour, and a half the grizzlies fed up and went over the ridge from the goat who made a hasty retreat into the cliff heights. We finally got on with our day but less than 3 kilometres up the valley the heavy snow started. We cut our way under a mountain spruce and spread the tarp across the top to wait out the snowstorm. A small fire made it the perfect shelter to impatiently wait for the fog to lift. It was during one of these moments of impatience that my friend was glassing with his binoculars. Following tracks across the scree 450 yards away and above us when in between patches of fog he spotted another grizzly! At that moment the speculation started! This bear looked liked a lone male
so perhaps he had been following the scent of the sow and yearlings? The first grizzly sighting of the day was mostly curiosity and interesting, but at this point we were slightly disturbed, and vowing to keep our scent control in camp locked down. The rest of day two was uneventful in the extreme, the previous season the valley had had an abundance of goats and sheep in it! This year 50% or less of the ewes had lambs and general numbers were WAY down. The goat crop was strong though with every nanny we saw having a kid. There was much talk about the grizzlies either pushing much of the ungulates out of the valley, or perhaps the sheep were suffering directly? Day three started with blustering rain, snow, and massive banks of fog pushing through. I went back to sleep and waited the weather out. Mid-day the system started to lift so we hiked up to a convenient mound of rocks in the middle of the valley and started glassing. In between intermittent raisin showers we found a nice billy 1,400 yards away, so we settled down to glass him and the surrounding area. Our efforts turned up a group of nanny’s and kids on the opposite side WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
of the valley but no sheep today. We were so engrossed with the billy that we almost missed the grizzly sow and her two very healthy butterballs for cubs! They were meandering the side hill below the billy approximately 390 yards away. Mostly cropping grass, looking for berries, and sometimes flipping rocks. Non-threatening, but we were beginning to see why the game numbers were much lower this year. Dinner was had at the glassing mound and we debated pulling out and hiking into another mountain range about a 20 kilometre hike away, which would have cost us precious time. Deciding to give the valley one more day to see if all the grizzly presence on the inside of the valley had merely pushed the ungulates over the far sides, we went to bed slightly leery and dreaming of bears! Day four started with an immediate massive elevation gain to the highest peak we could find, and the grind paid off! 3 kilometres across the valley from us was a ram. We knew we had to get closer so off we went on a 12 kilometre loop around the entire bowl of the valley as to keep our elevation and make it easier to get behind and above the ram. On our hike we came across a herd of ewes and lambs we had seen the previous day. We hunkered down and let them pass 30 yards below us, which gave us a good count and to check how many ewes had a lamb. Less than 50% was our final count! We carried on with our much to long of a stalk and after a final brutal elevation gain up to the ridge we had last seen the ram near. We reached the ridge line with the wind in our face and a ram to stalk. We were short-term victims of our own success as we stalked to within 20 yards of the ram but couldn’t WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
locate him as he was directly below us behind a rock. After casting about and dropping a bit of elevation we were stalking in, stopping, glassing, changing angles and repeating. Thirty five minutes after our initial overly successful stalk we had that amazing heart pounding adrenaline rush that we all crave! 86 yards away, peeking over the curvature of the slope in front of us was the coveted curl of horn that we are all seeking!
Quickly I got my spotter and phone cam setup and my friend stalked into approximately 65 yards to get a clear shot. We spent the next hour arguing about his age and getting video. The ram was clearly legal from an age standpoint, we wavered between 8-9 years old (turned out to be 10). But, despite having thick bases and being very wide from our vantage above and behind, he had so much curl back towards his bases we couldn’t tell if 13
he was full curl. A lone ewe joined the ram after about 35 minutes of us watching, roaming all over the hillside and we were in danger of being busted multiple times. The pressure was on, and we had no plans to go home with a ram that wasn’t full curl. The ram standing up to stretch and go rub his head on a rock gave us the break we needed as he spent minutes rubbing his face on a rock fully broad side to us giving us the view we needed. A hasty screen shot from the new angle was all we needed to make a call. The lone ewe busted us almost exactly the time we made our decision! The ram made a cautious run for twenty yards, and then made the fateful decision to stop and see what had spooked the ewe, at 87 yards the .300wsm did its job and we had a ram down. Over much debate as we broke down and caped the ram, I decided I was going to burn my Spatsizi goat draw and we were getting the hell out of this grizzly valley before we created an encounter that might not go our way! Luckily, we both had waterproof pack bags that the meat bags fit into to keep blood off the packs. We got back to camp and 14
sunk the bags in the creek and did everything possible to keep scent to a minimum. Seven Grizzly bears in two days had us running on high alert. Day five was going to be a grind! 25 kilometres with heavy packs through the blowdown, and sloppy horse trails with the majority being an uphill slog. Coming out heavy sounds nice but was the usual type two fun with the usual rain, and mud. Completely uneventful... until we started up the far side of the Donahue Pass and came across fresh grizzly tracks (Sow and cub)! At that point we couldn’t do anything but laugh in frustration and keep hiking. We never saw the grizzly, and it ducked off the trail in front of us eventually. Leaving us to hike to Coldfish camp with that itch between our shoulder blades, never quite knowing when the 50 lbs of meat on our backs was going to be too tempting for a grizzly to not avoid. We got to Coldfish Lake that night and were very relieved to get the meat in the meat storage shed with an electrified door! A night in a cabin with a wood stove was pure luxury, the brilliant sunlight, a swim in the lake, and lounging on the dock waiting
for the plane topped a successful but disturbing 2023 Sheep hunt! To follow up: I am planning on getting more involved in advocating to bring back the Grizzly Bear hunt and will definitely be getting more involved in the Wild Sheep Foundation, and other organizations that protect our way of life. The Tahltan Nation has done an excellent job managing Grizzly Bears. A quick shout out to the Tahltan Wildlife Guardian based in Iskut ‘Richard’, the most knowledgeable, and Pro hunter guardian I’ve ever ran across. Richard made it a pleasure to discuss the future of hunting and conservation in BC! WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
t’s summer... time for vacations, gardening, farming, barbeques, and planning projects for the next year. As presented in the most recent Doc Talk columns, respiratory disease (pneumonia) is a primary concern in most jurisdictions with wild sheep. We’ve discussed how research has identified the involvement of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (M. ovi), a bacterium often transmitted from domestic sheep. M. ovi impairs the immune function of the upper respiratory tract, acting as an initiating agent to allow other bacteria to invade the lungs and cause pneumonia. To understand how M. ovi affects bighorn herds, researchers repeatedly tested exposed free-ranging and captive bighorn ewes and found that some always, or almost always, tested positive for M. ovi. These “long-term carriers” can infect their naïve newborn lambs. Infected lambs spread M. ovi to other lambs in nursery groups, usually resulting in pneumonia-related deaths before eight weeks of age - right about the time you read this magazine. Poor to no lamb survival is typical in M. ovi infected herds. With no replacement animals, herds decline. So how do you fix this problem, or can you? MANAGEMENT STRATEGY Experiments that first test and then remove the M. ovi positive carrier ewes (termed Test and Remove) have resulted in the elimination of M. ovi-associated disease from some bighorn sheep herds, resulting in increased lamb survival, better recruitment, and improved herd health. Test and Remove (T&R) was developed initially to control infectious 16
by Dr. Helen Schwantje D.V.M., M.Sc. BC Wildlife Veterinarian (emeritus) livestock diseases when there was no effective treatment or vaccine, as is the case for M. ovi. Test and Remove protocols for bighorns vary somewhat, but usually ewes are captured and tested at least twice to confirm carrier status. In some more remote areas, animals may only be captured and sampled once prior to removals.
Three captured bighorns transported for testing.
Through 2022, T&R has been or is being implemented in 21 bighorn sheep populations (11 Rocky Mountain bighorn, seven California bighorn, and three desert bighorn) in nine states and one province. Results from nearly all trials indicate T&R can be an effective operational management tool to reduce and/or clear M. ovi and associated pneumonia from bighorn sheep populations. The primary objective for a T&R program is to increase lamb recruitment in populations chronically infected with M. ovi. Eliminating respiratory pathogens of bighorn sheep may also
be necessary for reasons other than improving lamb survival, such as reducing disease transmission risk to nearby healthy populations. CONSIDERATIONS Test and Remove is just one component of comprehensive bighorn sheep herd health management. The use of T&R to control disease in wildlife is a relatively new concept and, to date, it appears to be an effective tool, however, the experimental trials, data collection, and analyses are ongoing. Wildlife managers choosing to implement T&R may receive negative input from operational staff, agency leadership, non-governmental organizations, or the public, since removal of animals from a population to increase their numbers may seem counter-intuitive. Therefore, it’s important for all parties to fully understand the disease, control method and concepts, and for managers to deliver timely, effective, and consistent messaging throughout project planning, implementation, and post-treatment monitoring. The logistics of T&R usually require helicopter use and/or other bighorn sheep capture methods and these, along with laboratory tests and posttreatment monitoring, are expensive. In addition, protocols require multiyear commitments and a substantial investment of agency personnel time, existing and new equipment and supplies, ongoing communication, WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
To recap from the previous article:
Jurisdictions conducting Test and Remove programs.
partnerships, and long-term funding. It’s a big commitment. SUMMARY Respiratory disease, particularly pneumonia initiated by M. ovi, significantly impacts bighorn sheep throughout their range in the US and Canada. Historically, no effective management strategies were available to slow or reverse herd declines due to pneumonia. With a better understanding of pathogen and disease dynamics and comparing the selective removal of carrier animals in different systems, T&R is being tested and refined to improve its effectiveness in eliminating M. ovi from infected herds, increasing lamb survival and recruitment, and creating stable and resilient bighorn sheep populations. Obviously, this disease and its management are not simple. We started this series of three articles with a simple observation of a bighorn ram in contact with domestic sheep. Assuming that contact caused a disease transmission to the bighorns, we are now hypothetically talking about a complex project costing tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to attempt to mitigate or remove a disease agent from a herd of bighorns. Wouldn’t it be better (and cheaper) if the disease never occurred, or action was taken to prevent that bighorn/domestic sheep contact? WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
Sometimes issues are so much easier to remedy if we are aware of their potential consequences and can prevent them before the problem occurs. Think about it. If you are in an area with the potential for wild and domestic sheep interactions, or even the many other wildlife conflicts that game wardens are faced with, take the time to learn about the issues and educate yourself, your partners, and your clients. Stopping or avoiding any conflict before it expands to big and devastating issues can save time, effort, money, and help conservation. More information on wild sheep can be found at: ● M. ovi Free: a comprehensive source of information on wild and domestic sheep and the impact of M. ovi https://movifree.org/ ● WAFWA Wild Sheep Initiative: an international collaborative working group managing and researching wild sheep and their conservation https://wafwa.org/initiatives/wsi/ This article is excerpted with permission from Pneumonia and Bighorn Sheep: Test and Remove Fact Sheet (May 24, 2023), Wild Sheep Initiative (Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies). Thank you to the Initiative Chair, Daryl Lutz. Reprinted with permission from Western Canadian Game Warden.
● Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae or M. ovi is usually the primary cause of outbreaks of respiratory disease in bighorn sheep. ● Wild sheep are extremely sensitive to these bacteria. M. ovi infection reduces immune defenses, allowing multiple species of bacteria to enter the lungs to create a usually fatal pneumonia. 75% or more of bighorns newly exposed to M. ovi will die of bacterial pneumonia, but that’s not all – those that survive may continue to carry the bacteria. ● Some surviving bighorns carry M. ovi in their sinuses. Each year, bighorn lambs are born with little immunity, relying on milk antibodies for early protection. If in contact with a M. ovi carrier (their mother or another ewe), infection can, and will likely, occur. Once infected they rarely survive > 8 weeks. ● The adult “die-off” plus poor lamb survival, often for years, results in declining bighorn herds. ● M. ovi is relatively common in domestic sheep. Some strains cause mild respiratory disease, especially in growing lambs, but infection can reduce growth, wool production, and quality. ● There are no vaccines for M. ovi. While it is sometimes possible to treat domestics for respiratory disease, the effective treatment of free-ranging wild sheep is literally impossible. ● Few sheep producers are aware of M. ovi. For the BC Sheep Separation Program, similar proactive education programs, and wild sheep managers, the messaging to sheep owners around awareness and education about the risk to bighorns and other wild sheep subspecies is critical. ● Awareness leads to knowledge and shared action. Wild sheep managers, disease professionals and domestic sheep producers that work together can and do find solutions to reduce risk. ● Conservation officers and game wardens should be aware of wild sheep health challenges and the scenarios that can lead to health disasters and dramatic population declines. It’s an opportunity for joint and rewarding conservation action.
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by Paul Taylor
ith just another hour or so left in my business meeting before I needed to leave for the airport for the return trip home, I felt a buzz in my pocket from my cell phone. Noting that I had a missed call my son Cole who was driving from his home in Charlotte to meet me in Fort Worth for our trip to the Yukon, I stepped out to return the call. He simply wanted to check in with me and advise me that he was well on his way and even a bit ahead of schedule. I returned his enthusiasm, but being a Dad, went through a checklist of things to make sure he had packed everything he needed... “Boots? Check. Sleeping bag & pad? Check. Rain gear? Check. Rifle & shells... Check!! Passport? Oh S!” 18
WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
Trying to not overreact, I took a deep breath muttered, “Your passport is the only thing you absolutely HAVE to have. Everything else we can work around.” He was devastated and knew none of his options were pleasant. We quickly went through several. Turning around meant at least 12 additional hours of driving… returning to Charlotte then flying to Vancouver or Whitehorse meant trying to find a last minute dog sitter for at least two weeks... and then a Hail Mary solution... he was able to reach the apartment manager who not only was able to get into his unit and locate the document but was kind enough to get it on an express courier to our Texas home. The passport arrived the following day just as hoped and afforded us a family day catching up with his then girlfriend and now wife, Maegan while performing one last pack and gear check. Our connection through Vancouver to Whitehorse went very smoothly with us arriving in the Yukon’s largest city in time for a great dinner with other hunters as excited as we were. An air charter flight to Bonnet Plume Outfitter’s (BPO’s) base camp provided amazing views of spectacular mountains and valleys. This late August combination moose and dall sheep hunt would have me going after a white ram and Cole would be focused on moose. Upon our arrival, we learned that the weather was very warm and expected to remain that way for quite a while. This had caused the moose to stay well back in timber and very difficult to find. BPO’s Chris McKinnon suggested that both of us should focus on sheep and we would be able to hunt together. Our guides were not only experienced and capable but were also good friends both in the mountains as well as back in town. We were ecstatic! Our bush plane flights to our remote camp were breathtaking and bolstered our spirits even more. While breaking our gear out and getting settled in to a cozy “trapper’s cabin” adjacent to a pristine lake, we glassed surrounding WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
Camp on the mountain.
mountains and quickly found several caribou on distant ridges. While we each held caribou tags, our main focus were sheep so we just enjoyed glassing the bulls from afar. Adam Stillar and Karl Sundin explained that we would spend pretty much a full day relocating to another cabin and then would spike out from there. This would put us in an area where we would be in very good sheep country. Our new “base” was at the juncture of several drainages, adjacent to a running river and while very austere, had a wood stove and room for the four of us to sleep and stand. Better yet, its location provided us with several nearby mountains to explore. Carrying enough food for six days, the first three hours of our hike was through fairly flat and passable terrain. Occasional willow patches gave way to low brush where we would often see moose and caribou tracks and droppings. Our pre-hunt training seemed to be spot on and as we slowly made our way up gentle slopes we felt strong. Stopping and glassing provided just enough rest for us to get ready for the next pull. Making our way up and around an alder choked drainage yielded a view of a stunning line of mountain tops. Our admiring the pinnacle above us was interrupted by Adam asking if we were ready. By ready he meant that fun and giggles were over and we were about to start
the climb up to those very tops. Our plan was to camp on top and then work the ridgelines from above. We quickly learned that no amount of training back home would have prepared us for what we were now experiencing. Our gear, tent, food, rifles, and water on our backs felt fine on the flat and moderate hills but now going up and up and up, we felt each and every ounce. The steepness of the grade required us to take a serpentine route and we laughed at our awkwardness when resuming our trek after sitting for a bit. Adam and Karl seemed to have accurately gauged our fitness level and knew how hard to push us, and when we needed to pause. Reaching each peak would expose another peak in the distance that would be our new goal. Our guides encouragement was often clouded by their obvious misstatement of distances. “Another 200 yards” really meant at least 500... “just a bit farther” translated to a half mile... finally we reached a point where there was nothing higher above us and we settled in to a nice saddle wide enough for us to set up our tents. Sharing a two person tent with an adult son after a 12 hour day was no issue at all. We spent the final few minutes of daylight glassing a seemingly endless series of ridges and drainages that we couldn’t see from the valley floor. Several distant white dots turned into sheep 19
Top of the world.
through our spotters and made our sleep even more satisfying. Our hard earned vantage point enabled us to branch out and peer in to many incredible sightlines without having to yield any elevation. We spent the next two days looking over several groups of lambs and ewes and a few immature rams. With each group sighted we would move a bit closer and get a better perspective, and even though disappointed that there wasn’t a shooter in any group so far, we were very optimistic. The third evening after returning to our tents and devouring a freeze dried lasagna, we noticed Adam and Karl excitedly pointing to a far ridgeline. Just below that summit there were several large bodied sheep and our guides were confident that even though over three miles away, there were one and maybe two mature rams. They quickly decided that we would strike out at first light, going up and around a number of ridges to stay out of sight and lessen the number of descents and ascents required to get near this group. Negotiating along craggy and at times knife like ridges took much longer than I thought it would. Incredibly even on top we saw caribou sporadically, and encountered a black bear who seemed as surprised to see us as we were him. After six 20
hours the last rise gave a way to series of switchbacks that we were able to peer into and locate the sheep we had seen the night before. There were two different groups of rams, each with legal ones high up on grassy knolls. With shadows lengthening, we found a small bench out of view of the rams but from where we could approach the next morning. Leaving us to set up camp, Karl deftly crept up to a better position and put the rams to bed. When he returned he gave us the great news. Several of the rams were real good and were in a great spot for a stalk. During the night we were treated to an immense and spectacular display of the northern lights. Brilliant purple, green and blue arches leapt and danced above us in a mystical way as we drifted off to dream about the next day. At first soft and then louder and more frequent “plops” of raindrops on our tent along with some faint light on the tent fabric brought us out of our slumber. As we were slipping out of our bags we heard whispers of the guide’s plan. A light rain fell as we left our tents with just rain gear, guns, a few protein bars and water. We climbed a very steep hillside that would enable us to stay out of sight of where the rams were just a few hours prior and get to a spot where
we hopefully could identify the best ones. The ascent was challenging but our determination to get on the rams provided the fuel we needed. After an hour we were able to locate one group with one old ram and several young ones. At just over 900 yards we could see that the old patriarch was well past full curl on his right side and had a stub horn on the other. While he could be a great one to harvest, Adam was convinced that there was another group that had even better rams nearby. Being careful to not expose ourselves, we moved a bit further up where we could see the opposite hillside. Very faintly we could make out the shape of three sheep through the now steady drizzle about a mile up a sparsely vegetated drainage. While we couldn’t exactly tell the ages both Adam and Karl felt that these were the ones we were after. However, the ram’s location would require us to backtrack down the steep and now very slick slope then cross over a creek and work our way up to where we could get within range. We stopped by the tents, picked up a couple of extra bars, grabbed puffy’s, and a heavier coat in case the sheep moved over the top and we had to stay overnight on the mountain. Deciding that our best approach would be to stay in the creek as we went up the drainage to not only stay out of sight but to also cover any sound we might make walking over the unsteady and noisy shale, we began our stalk. After only a couple of hundred yards, the drizzle gave way to much heavier rain. Within minutes the rain gave way to sleet. After an hour and a half of tip toeing from one rock to another while crouching low we were able to take one last look from behind large boulders along the creek. We confirmed that there were three mature rams and two appeared to be really old. They were now 740 yards away and we needed to somehow get closer for a reasonable shot. But we only had an exposed slope from which to try and approach. There was a small outcropping roughly 400 yards from us but it would be dicey WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
to get there undetected. And then, the sleet turned to snow with a cloud enveloping the entire valley. We used the changing weather to our advantage and climbed up 175 yards and then cut across to a bench while we had cover provided by the elements. Through the snow we could just barely make out the three rams 327 yards away. Two rams were very distinguishable with sway backs, hollow haunches and heavy dark horns. All were now bedded and appeared impervious to the now nasty conditions. Each of us shivered as we propped up packs and set up our rifles for a shot. Adam and Karl calmly whispered the yardages as Cole settled in on the near ram now at 330. We determined the next
WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
best one was the far ram at 341. The snow which had kept us from being too visible was starting to lighten a bit. Our scopes were fogging and it seemed everything we had to wipe them with was wet. The cold and wet was penetrating but well worth the discomfort. Just as one ram started to stand, we heard the distinctive bleat of a sheep down the hill and to our left. We turned slightly to come face to face with a banana horn ram at 60 yards. We instantly locked up and tried our best to not twitch a muscle. Evidently, he had come up the drainage without seeing us due to the falling snow. And now we blocked his return to his buddies. Fearing that he was about
to give us up and just as we were mentally cursing our luck on this turn of events, we could see the big rams emerge in full view from the parting cloud. Realizing that if we can see them, they can also see us, Karl told Cole that it’s now or never and told me that the far ram will stand as soon as Cole shoots and I needed to be ready. Using the .338 we had brought for our original plan of moose, I put my crosshairs a couple of inches above the middle of his shoulder. Just as I heard Cole say that he was good, his .300 WSM barked and is if on cue, my ram stood. At my shot, I could see my ram buckle and with a wobbly start moving toward us a bit. Cole then added an insurance shot
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to his ram and after missing with my second, my third had mine tumbling down the hill. Initially we were overcome with disbelief as we all tried to process what had just transpired. It had all played out so quickly, yet time had seemed to stop. Realizing that we actually had two beautiful rams down within 50 yards of each other we ecstatically hugged each other, and our guides who had scripted and executed an awesome plan. Laying our hands on and admiring the old warriors, we were stunned to count so many rings on both. Cole’s was 11 ½ and mine was 14 ½! We brought the rams together and steadied them on the steep grade with rocks positioning them so we could safely clean, cape, and debone without the rams or us, falling down the mountain. Dividing up the capes, horns and meat between the four of us made the trip back down the mountain manageable. Cole and I gingerly eased our way down and were amazed that Adam and Karl carrying at least double the weight that we were seemed to be 22
able to sprint down. Upon our return to our spike camp, we enjoyed freeze dried chicken something and relived each moment of the day. The tent we shared now had the additional company of two stunning rams tucked safely at the ends of our bedrolls. Sleeping on an incline with lumps under was now more comfortable than a suite in a 5-star resort. The full day pack out back to our cabin might have seemed arduous under different circumstances but with the treasures we now had, wasn’t bad at all. The downpour we had for the next two days while delaying us from trying to find caribou or moose, provided us with much needed recovery time and the chance to flesh out and salt the capes and skulls. The plywood cabin while a bit airy, was dry and the sheep meat and conversation was tremendous. By the third day in the cabin we were all starting to fidget a bit. Camp chores were fun but we were ready for something else. The muffled hum of the Super Cub was barely audible but with the clouds clearing soon
came into view. With its landing on a near gravel bar we were able to get our rams out and real food in. After a hearty lunch, we made our way up to another ridgeline to glass. With another 4 days remaining in our hunt and with caribou, wolf, moose and grizzly tags were hopeful that we would be able to add something else. Amazingly as we cleared the heavy brush and got slightly above the tree line our glassing caught some specs high up on a mountain side that soon morphed into several caribou bulls. Even at over two miles away we could see that two of the bulls looked very promising. There were several routes we could use to get closer and two afforded a fairly open and direct path. At this elevation the ridge line we took was pretty clear of entanglements found on the valley floor and with care we could stay out of view of the bulls while approaching. The slope for the most part was gradual and with light packs we made good time. We estimated that we should be in range within an hour or so and with plenty of daylight remaining were able to WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
often stop and reconfirm the bull’s location. During one of these stops while admiring the view back out over a sweeping and vast view of the Wind River basin, Karl picked up several additional caribou across the valley 90 degrees from our current position. With the naked eye we could tell one was massive and binoculars confirmed that he was indeed a great bull. Cole had been experiencing some blister issues and with our climb to the first bulls starting to get a bit steeper, we decided to split up. Karl and Cole would drop back down toward the large bull in the valley while Adam and I would continue up toward three bulls above us. With luck we would both be able to get on bulls at about the same time. Adam and I picked our way up the ridge and moved to within 175 yards of the now bedded bulls. One was much better than the others and we decided to take him. However, we didn’t want to shoot too soon and risk spooking Cole’s bull down below. We could see Karl and Cole making progress but their stalk was slowed by WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
brush and willows. Turns out they had quite the show as they methodically moved in. The large bull was thrashing willows to remove velvet from his tall and wide antlers pausing every few minutes to look back at the cows and small bulls he was trying to impress. We were glancing at our bull while also watching the show below. Through our glass we could see that the small two human shapes were stopped and looked to be setting up for a shot. Adam had me set on the largest of our bulls and told me that he would try to get them up. Once again the plan came together perfectly. Adam’s wolf howl got our bulls up, and as they were trying to shake off their afternoon snooze and determine the source of the disturbance, we heard Cole’s shot echo through the valley. While my crosshairs were steady, my hands were not and I missed the kneeling shot not once, but twice. The bulls were now in a slight jog up the hill and somehow, I was able to regroup and when he paused, dropped him at 260 yards. Looking back down roughly a mile into the
valley we could see Cole and Karl approaching his downed bull. My bull had tall tines and was in great condition. Cole’s was indeed a great bull that dreams are made of. Tremendous spread with large palms and tines, his turned out being one of the largest taken in the Yukon that season. Caribou are much more of a challenge to clean, break down and pack out than sheep. While each pair of us wasted little time and smoothly worked together on our respective bulls, it was well after dark when we met on the trail back to our cabin. The burning in our legs, back and shoulders never felt so good as we unloaded then dined on tenders, potatoes and onions. We hustled the following morning readying the cabin for the winter, prior to being picked up and returned to BPO’s base camp. Reconvening with the other hunters, guides, along with Chris, and Sharron McKinnon stories were told and retold while beverages flowed. And as we departed for the airport in Whitehorse... we double checked... we both had our passports! 23
by Jeremy Meredith pecificity is training to accommodate the unique demands of your task. For the mountain hunter and athlete that task is bustin’ ass through the unforgiving wilderness. There are unique demands to this pursuit and when we consider them all, we can utilize specific training modalities to maximize our performance. There are SIX principles that one needs to consider in the discussion of training specificity, they are: Range of Motion (ROM) and the Direction of Motion This is where most athletes spend their time adding specificity to their exercise regime. For example, sprinters would mostly focus on partial squats, powerlifters parallel squats, and Olympic weightlifters full range of motion squats. 26
Each sport has its own unique demands when it comes to joint range of motion. For the hunter, we want to look at each joint and optimize its strength and stability within this range. Let’s start with the most common activity for the hunter: walking/hiking. Walking probably makes up 99% of your activity. You likely have a pack and you are likely also covering gnarly terrain so we want to assess the demands of this activity as it applies to your environment. You’re obviously going to experience lots of steep and steady uphills which puts us into hip-flexion moving towards extension (more on this important factor later). Our best gym replication for this is the deadlift. On the downhills, you’re going to be heel striking and going from knee extension towards knee flexion. Our best gym replication for this is the squat. WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
The heavy weight of your pack is going to challenge your rotary stability as you move through the gait cycle so you’ll want to make sure you have solid control in rotation and anti-rotation. Lastly, through the gait cycle, you’re spending most of your time on one leg. This means we want to do a lot of single-leg training, especially as we get closer to the hunting season. Force Application Within the Movement Imagine throwing a punch or swinging a bat, there is a sweet spot where maximal force is expressed. Uphill, downhill, sidehill, and flat ground hiking all have different accentuated regions of force production and we need to make sure we’re ready for those challenges when they present themselves. The thing about backcountry hunting is that no matter how well you prepare, you’ll always encounter something you didn’t expect. For this reason, we make sure that in the gym, we train movements through a full range of motion. We can almost ignore specificity in this example because you want to be prepared for anything and everything – the unknown and unknowable. Utilize a large selection of full range of motion exercises and you will always have the ability to apply force where it’s needed. Speed of Movement and the Force-Velocity Continuum The force-velocity continuum is a curve where high speed and low force movements live at one end and low speed and high force movements live at the other. Examples of highvelocity, low-force exercises are punching or throwing a baseball. Still relatively high-velocity, but also higher force are sprinting and jumps, as well as throws like javelin or shot put. Moderate velocity and higher force movements like kettlebell swings and Olympic lifts follow, and maximum load barbell lifts like squats and deadlifts round out low-velocity, high-force movements. WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
Being in the backcountry means that you don’t always know what you’ll encounter. Though you’ll mostly be walking at a low velocity and creating low-moderate force, there will be times when you are required to move quickly or apply lots of force. For this reason, it is best to train the entire spectrum of the force-velocity curve. Rate of Force Development (RFD) RFD is how efficiently we recruit muscle fibres for contraction. Imagine at the end of a movie, the theatre lights slowly illuminate from dark to dim then to full brightness. This analogy represents a low RFD. The light switches in your house represent a high RFD where the moment the switch
Photo: Mountain Tactical Institute
is flipped, the lights come on at full brightness. The value of training RFD for the mountain athlete is actually quite low. Although there are benefits to training explosive movements that go beyond developing RFD, high RFD is not something we need to prioritize as mountain athletes. This means we can save the energy we’d spend doing cleans, snatches, and high box jumps for something more valuable like single-leg and core training or more aerobic development. 27
Concentric vs Eccentric Demands and Implications How the muscle is contracting is probably the second most important aspect to consider in your training as a mountain athlete. As I mentioned earlier, we see a lot of uphill walking with a flexed hip moving towards extension. This is considered concentric hip extension. Concentric muscle contractions are when a muscle moves from a lengthened position to a shortened position. Our best gym movements that emphasize concentric hip extension are the kettlebell swing, deadlift, and hip thrust. Downhill walking is the opposite type of muscle contraction, an extended knee moving towards flexion or eccentric knee flexion. Eccentric muscle contractions are when a muscle moves from a shortened position to a lengthened position. The distinction here is important because most of our injuries are going to occur during the eccentric phase of a movement. Eccentric strength also has the ability to create significantly more force than concentric strength, meaning you can place a lot more load into the system using eccentrics. In other words, you can beat yourself up pretty badly with downhill hiking without even knowing it. Add a pack to that equation and you are opening up a big ol’ can of worms. Many of you reading this will know exactly what I’m talking about. For the mountain athlete, prioritize controlling the eccentric portion of your lifts for a count of 2-3 seconds. It’s also best to hold that lengthened position for 1-2 seconds before performing the concentric portion of the lift. Bioenergetics This is both the fuel the body is utilizing and how it’s utilizing that fuel. The mountain athlete is going to be primarily relying on oxidative metabolism. This means oxygen is the catalyst for turning fuel, in the form of fat and carbohydrate, into energy. There are multiple pathways through which this can occur and some provide more readily available energy while others provide longer-lasting energy. 28
For the mountain athlete, we want to make sure our training emphasizes and maximizes this oxidative pathway so we are as powerful and efficient as possible. Year-round we should be focusing on moderate amounts of zone 1 or 2 work. This means our heart rate should stay steady between 100-130 beats per minute (BPM). Depending on your training phase (see previous article on periodization), aim for 1-3 sessions per week, and 30-60 minutes per session. During certain training phases, you’ll want to include some higher intensity efforts in the form of circuits and intervals of 1-10 minutes in duration and even some sustained higher intensity efforts in the 20-60 minute range. This is considered zone 4 or 5 training. So as you can see, if we’re going to optimally prepare for mountain and backcountry hunting, there’s more to this than just hiking with a pack. Especially when, for most of us, that can only happen once or twice a week and only at certain times of the year. Ultimately, the discussion around specificity means more than trying to make your training look more like your sport. We need to dissect the primary demands of the sport as well as the secondary demands that are associated with training for it, such as the potential for injury, fatigue, and burnout. Though strength and power aren’t, at first glance, cornerstones of performance for the mountain athlete, maintaining a requisite level in these areas definitely IS! Hiking year-round and calling that your training program is not the optimal approach. Certain training blocks need to be designed to maximize different areas of performance so that we can achieve an ultimately higher level, year after year. For the backcountry athlete, there is a huge element of the “unknown and unknowable” which means you need to explore many facets of training. Just because something doesn’t look like your sport, doesn’t mean it can’t or won’t be valuable. If you intentionally train for unexpected or unpredictable demands and situations, you’ll always be prepared. WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
by Jenna McRae
eeping your hide in the best shape for your taxidermy mount starts as early as before you pull the trigger. Taking your first most ethical shot is crucial to bag your animal, however, waiting for the animal to be in such a position to not plummet down a rock slope or fall off a cliff will prevent damage to both hide and horns/antlers. Keep in mind the cleaner you start out; the better quality of mount will end up on your wall. It is essential to cool your hide down as soon as possible and keep it cool until it gets to the taxidermist. However, if you cannot get to a cooler within a couple of hours, salt will have to be applied to prevent the growth of bacteria. Bacteria WILL lead to hair slippage and will result in an unusable hide for your mount. Before you head out on your hunting trip, make sure to pack salt with you. I prefer the Sifto brand fine grain table salt. I buy it in bulk from Costco in a 25-pound bag. Pool salt will also work which is available at Canadian Tire or Rona. This will be enough to cover a large animal and even enough to reapply a fresh layer once the salt has drawn out a lot of the moisture from your hide and has been scraped off. A reminder that using a sharp blade or knife is always necessary for clean cuts. Skinning knives work well, but preferred is a knife with a replaceable scalpel blade to keep a surgical grade of sharpness. 30
SKINNING YOUR ANIMAL Remember to cut clean and straight lines, and try to cut with the direction of fur growth when possible, not against. It is best to decide on the mounting if you are planning on doing a life size, half size mount, shoulder mount or a rug. This will determine where to make the cuts on your animal. RUGS To make my directions clear, I am going to explain this method while skinning a bear. There are five initial cuts to make and they are very important to ensure you keep your rug proportional and square. 1. Flip your animal onto its back exposing the belly area. Pierce inside the anus and cut up the belly along the midline. Go past the front shoulders to the base of the throat. You can cut to the back corner of the jaw, but try your hardest not to cut past that. 2. Grab one of the hind legs and pierce the hide starting behind the middle of the foot pad. Follow a straight line on the inside of the leg towards the anus adjoining the first initial cut down the middle of the trunk. Repeat with the other hind leg. 3. Grab a front leg and pierce behind the middle of the front pad and follow it down in a straight cut adjoining the first initial cut again. Repeat with the other front arm. WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
4. Working from one side of the bear skin, peel the fur, working carefully not to puncture any holes until you work your way down to the hind legs and expose the ankles. Using the “twist off method,” cut through the outer tendons on both sides of the rear ankle joint. Use both hands to twist the rear foot to break it at the joint. 5. Going to the front paw repeat the same procedure as the back paw, cutting through the tendons and twist off the front paw. 6. Next you will get to the tail. Cut down the center of the tail following the bone until you reach the tip. Skin around the tail bone and continue on with the hide. SHOULDER MOUNT 1. Circle cut around the animal starting at the bottom of the sternum. Then, make two cuts starting from the back of each horn or antler that come to a point, the two cuts that come together will resemble a ‘V’ with the point of the ‘V’ landing on the middle of the spine. Continue to cut the cape down the length spine, with the flow of the hair all the way to the circle cut you made around the animal. 2. Cut a circle around the front leg knee. This leaves the armpits and the brisket intact. Start skinning the cape off the animal until you can safely cut the head free at the base of the skull, then skin down and tube the front legs off. 3. Do not cut the brisket or up the front of neck at all. This is the most visible part along with the face and sewing up this spot can sometimes be visible. This area needs to be strong in case we need to pull the hide tight around your form.
LIFE SIZE 1. Instead of making a circle cut around the animal as you would a shoulder mount, start at the top of the head behind the ears and make your ‘V’ cut. 2. From the point of the V use your blade and follow the cut along the spine towards the tail of the animal. Split the tail down the center. Skin the animal down towards all four legs and tubing out the legs. You may cut along the backs of each leg starting at the back of the knee and going to the hoof/foot to expose the ankle or wrist and using the twist off method to remove the hoof or foot. 3. Remove the head at the last vertebrae at the base of the skull. While there are different ways to skin out a life size mount, this is my preferred method to receive a hide. REMOVING THE SKULL (This applies to all choices of mounts) 1. Taking the point of your knife, run it around the base of the horn/antler at a 90-degree angle to separate the cape from the horns/antlers. Make sure to have a straight solid cut instead of a jagged cut.
2. Carefully skin around the horn/antler and then start skinning toward the ear, separating skin from muscle. 3. When reaching the ear butt try to cut it off closest to the skull. One way I do this is to put one finger inside the ear canal and as far as it will go towards the skull and feel where that finger is with your opposite hand, cut through accordingly. DO NOT CUT YOUR FINGER. WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
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4. Continue to slowly skin down to the eye sockets, when reaching the top of the eye socket, begin to take as much surrounding tissue as you can. Flip the cape back out and be aware of where your eye lids are just in front of the inner corner of the eye lays a gland you will have to carefully cut downwards into.
5. Turn your attention now into the mouth and nose. Turn your animal so you are facing it. Open the mouth and cut along the gum line at the front leaving lots of inner lip. Work your way back, continuing to cut close to the jawline. As you reach the top jawline and towards the nasal passage pull the nose back and cut the nose cartilage as close to the skull as you can, continue to skin the face off. SPLITTING AND TURNING THE EARS. This is an important step because we must get salt into these spots to stop the bacteria from causing hair loss and slippage which will cause you to have a useless cape. No one wants patches of hair missing on their mount. LIP SPLITTING Take the lips between your fingers and with your blade carefully separate the muscle from the skin, do not cut through when you get to the edge of your lip, just open them up to let the salt in. 32
EYES Just peel away some of the fatty tissue around the eyes but leave the eye lids alone. FLIPPING THE EARS With your sharp blade start skinning the ear butt being careful not to cut through the skin where the inside corner of the ear begins. As you work your way in to the ear the flesh will run out and cartilage will begin. At this point sometimes you are able to separate the skin from the cartilage with your thumb, or you may have to use a knife to continue to separate down to the tip of the ear. In this case I find it easiest to find a rounded stick to push up inside the ear to give a more open spot to carefully separate as far in as you can.
The first stage of flipping the ear cartilage.
SALTING Lay the hide out and rub salt into every little nook and cranny making sure to get salt on your flipped ears and all onto the face as well. If you are salting an animal with very thick skin such as an elk or moose, it is a great idea to score the hide with your blade so salt will penetrate even deeper. Fold your hide skin-to-skin and roll it up and place in a game bag. Avoid placing in a plastic garbage bag even if you have not had the opportunity to salt your hide. Black plastic bags keep the heat in and heat breeds bacteria! Be sure to practice skinning on animals that you don’t intend to mount. We all know practice makes perfect with anything! Good luck out there this hunting season and be safe! WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
Guide team, organizers and guests on the shore of the Fraser River.
ugust is a highly anticipated time in the BC sheep world.The start of thinhorn season in Northern BC brings a lot of anticipation and hunters gear up to head out to the hills. Anticipation also runs high for an annual event held in Chilliwack each year that supports and rasises funds for those same wild sheep. The 7th Annual Wild Sheep Jurassic Classic just wrapped up a couple weeks ago, and this year was another great event that brought people together from all across North America to this province in the name of fun, fish, and fundraising. Participants come together each year and spend the weekend fishing for an iconic fish species—the Fraser River white sturgeon, all in the name of supporting an iconic mountain species, the wild sheep of BC. This year was another sell-out event with 56 participants who came from all corners of Canada and the United States to participate in the name of comradery, connection, and conservation. The event is limited in size to a total of 56 participants each year, which keeps 34
a wait list yearly to attend. Fourteen boats guided by Great River Fishing Adventures guide the 14 teams of 4 for two full days of fishing and an entire weekend full of excitement. The fishing was excellent this year as it usually is in late summer. A total of 153 fish were caught, with an average length of approximately four to five feet long. Using measurements from each fish, an estimated 10,824 pounds of fish were caught and released over the two days. Over the past seven years, the event has been incredibly successful, and even through slower fishing times, our guests have found success catching some truly giant prehistoric fish. Each year one of our teams gets bragging rights as landing the longest white sturgeon and it will typically take a nine-foot fish to be a contender. In 2019, the Canadian Wildlife Capture team of Mike Bridger, Chris Procter, Ben Berukoff and Jordan Smaldon took first place with a nine-foot five-inch, 550 pound sturgeon. Dean Werk and his crew at Great River Fishing Adventures never cease to amaze, and seeing 14 boats lined up on
the shores of the Fraser River bright and early sure brings a pile of anticipation in what the two days will bring. Dean has been guiding the Fraser for over 30 years, and if you ever want to learn more about what conservation means to him, be sure to check out Youtube for some great videos of Dean sharing his passion for the river and sturgeon. While every guide working the weekend is capable and confident, guests do look for a competitive edge each year, especially those returning year after year. A guide selection auction has become an annual tradition where guests bid for their choice of guides. The top bidder in each round earns the right to select their guide for the weekend—a benefit that can make the difference between being in the prizes or not and earning bragging rights of landing the longest sturgeon. Nearly $50,000 was raised this year in our guide selection auction, amazing the organizers again this year. We also auction off the services of our Official Jurassic Classic photographer, Jeff Jackson. Anyone who’s seen Jeff’s work knows the quality of Jeff’s sheep WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
and wildlife photography. His Jurassic Classic photos are stunning, and he’s become a bit of a good luck charm to have along in a boat. Thanks again for the amazing support, Jeff. Late Saturday afternoon, after a day on the water fishing, guests get back to the shores to find a wild game and salmon BBQ awaiting them. Through the day (and for days leading up to the event) our volunteers work tirelessly to create unique appetizers involving wild game, and follow it up with a salmon BBQ served outside along the shores of the Fraser. To say the BBQ is a highlight of the weekend is an understatement. The connection that most guests feel to the outdoors while sharing pictures and stories of the first day are unmatched in the conservation community. This type of hospitality couldn’t be put on without our volunteers hard work. This year, we even had kids helping assemble appetizers for hours in the afternoon. Speaking of hospitality, many of the world’s problems seem to get solved in the hospitality suite each night of the event. Open in the evenings and only closing when the last guest leaves, the WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
room is a place where guests can kick back and enjoy a drink or two. Our hosts mix up sturgeon inspired drinks and serve them with some flare each year. Annually there seems to be a silent award given for those who remain the longest. Woody’s Pub was our beer sponsor this year, supplying all the beer in the hospitality suite, at our outdoor BBQ, and on the boats. Sunday evening, we close out the weekend with an awards banquet and
wrap up silent auction. This year at our evening program, we were lucky to host a screening of Jason Matzinger’s new film “Selective” to the guests in attendance. This film highlighted the energy and passion that most all of our guests share for wild sheep and spending time in the mountains with them. The respect that harvesting an old ram brings and the nuances of trophy hunting or selective harvest in the sheep hunting community. 35
While the event is about a lot more than a simple fishing tournament, its hard not to look at the healthy competition that the weekend provides. Each boat tracks all fish caught and records all measurements of every fish landed. Through the help of our sponsors, we’ve been able to provide a prize package for our participants valued at over $10,000 each of the past few years. The prizes and prize packages awarded were as follows: Longest single fish – Caught by Joel Vielfaure and the Vielfaure Team boat, guided by none other than Dean Werk. The fish measured 8’4” and was approximately 373 pounds by calculated measurements. The first prize this year was a prize package valued at over $5500 by our generous donors at Stone Glacier, Yeti, and Glan Cartwright.
Our 2024 event is sold out to the public, with the only way of attending is by purchasing a team entry at one of our wild sheep chapters or affiliate supporters, or other conservation organizations who auction these coveted spots to raise funds for their own
Total length by all fish – Won by Team Rundell/Nelson. Over the twoday period, this boat caught 91 feet 10 inches of fish, guided by Rick Stahl of Great River Fishing Adventures. Rick is both an accomplished and experienced guide and also carries a heavy load helping with the planning and execution of the Jurassic Classic each year. This team won this prize with a 25-foot lead in total length over two days. WSSBC’s Official Sponsor, Sitka Gear provided an amazing prize package. Mystery Length – Won by Larry Jacobs, Wayne Henderson, Tom Miller and Shane Nye was guided by Brandon Wootton. The mystery length this year was 172 centimetres. Smallest fish – An annual competition that several people pride themselves in fishing for. This year was no different as we had several teams vying to try and catch the smallest fish they could. The smallest this year was a sturgeon measured at 1’2” long by Shane Nye and his team of Tom Miller, Wayne Henderson and Larry Jacobs, guided by Brandon Wootton.
Our 2023 Wild Sheep Jurassic Classic volunteers.
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conservation initiatives. Check out Wild Sheep Foundation’s Sheep Show, Wild Sheep Foundation Midwest Chapter, Dallas Safari Club NE Michigan, or Wild Sheep Foundation Alberta if you’re interested in bidding on one of these spots and attending the 2024 event. The Jurassic Classic wouldn’t be what it was without the help and support of our amazing sponsors. Our major sponsors include SITKA Gear, Yeti, Swarovski Optik, Stone Glacier. Each year funds are raised through an online and silent auction, and in recent years a Jurassic Classic rifle raffle has been run to support the Fraser River Test and Remove Legacy project. This year Sako Canada has stepped up in a major way and donated a Sako 90 Adventurer in 6.5 Creedmoor topped with a Steiner scope. Check it out online as this is one of the first opportunities to win one of these new Sako’s via raffle. The Wild Sheep Jurassic Classic is an event like no other in the conservation world. It is an event that brings guests back year after year and always has a handful of new guests who come through our fundraising efforts. This all-inclusive weekend is a great way to close out summer and get ready for fall, and we look forward to future continued success in raising funds for wild sheep through the province and having a great time doing it. There is a reason we call this event BC’s Full Curl Fishing Experience! WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
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WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
1. Job/Volunteer Title My current job is Senior Wildlife Biologist for Region 3 in the Thompson/Okanagan Region 2. Job/Volunteer Description My primary job responsibility is leading a team of biologists that together are responsible for wildlife management in Region 3. The majority of my day to day work is directed at management and research of ungulate game species, including wild sheep. 3. Related Experience/Duration in industry I’ve worked as a wildlife biologist for the province for about 16 years and in Region 3 for 14 of those. 4. Why are you passionate about wild sheep? My passion for wild sheep is deeply tied to the amazing country sheep inhabit, whether it’s the rugged grasslands of the Thompson and Fraser River drainages, or the spectacular alpine sheep habitat in the South Chilcotin ranges or northern sheep ranges. Truly special places and every time I spend time in those areas, it’s a special kind of feeling and I know it wouldn’t be the same if wild sheep weren’t there. I also find that wild sheep are just simply an interesting species to work with given their unique biology, behaviour and management challenges. Those curly horns gotta have something to do with it too! 5. Favourite parts of your role that affect wild sheep The favourite part of my role is learning about wild sheep, how they’re doing, how they live, what they need to survive and do well and what needs to be done to ensure they are maintained on the landscape in healthy abundance. Gaining glimpses into the lives of wild animals is always interesting and is the best part of the job for sure. 6. External influences/challenges you face in your job to help average people understand it’s more difficult than it may appear? Maintaining healthy, productive sheep populations, or any other wildlife for that matter, is not without major challenges these days. Everything seems to come into play. We are regularly faced with politics that limit our ability to action limiting factors for wild sheep (e.g., effective predator management), a lack of management authority and control over the management of sheep habitat (e.g., large scale sheep habitat enhancement) or the things that go on in sheep habitat (e.g., domestic sheep ranching), inadequate funding and resources (e.g., staffing) to do the necessary work to truly understand what’s driving the health and productivity of all our wild sheep populations, and forces beyond our control that affect sheep and their habitat (e.g., weather and climate). 7. Any comments relating to your appreciation for, or involvement in WSSBC Wild sheep need advocates to ensure sheep and the issues affecting sheep are maintained at a high profile. And we need funding, resources and support to get the job done. The Wild Sheep Society has been a leader in all these respects. I am always amazed at the Wild Sheep Society’s drive and accomplishments in this regard and am proud to work with them. It’s been a great partnership over the years. We sure do appreciate the support... and so do the sheep. Keep up the great work! 40
WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
here are a lot of good tents on the market fitting the needs of a wide variety of users, but regarding serious tents for serious mountain hunters, there is still one company that steps out ahead of the competition—Hilleberg. I’ve had the pleasure and occasional misfortune of sleeping in a variety of manufacturer’s tents over the years, and when it came time to purchase my own all research pointed toward Hilleberg. I don’t have any ties to Hilleberg, I simply wanted the best tents available. Neither myself nor the Journal of Mountain Hunting has any affiliation with Hilleberg, my bias towards them is that they continue to be the best tents I have used. Before we dive into the Soulo BL, it’s important to understand Hilleberg’s rating system for their shelters. Unlike conventional tent manufacturers, they have scrapped the two, three, and four-season monikers for a simple colorized approach. Part of that reason is to dissuade the idea that four-season tents are only for winter use. From my experience, even their lightest-duty tents 42
outclass other supposed 4 season tents. Their rating system falls under Blue, Yellow, Red, and Black Label tents. Specific tent models across each line may share a similar design, differing primarily in weight and strength. Blue Label – Specialized tents, each designed and built for a specific purpose. These tents are group shelters, some with modular design, intended as a long-term “base camp” style shelter for extreme conditions. Yellow Label – the lightest weight tents, engineered for warmer climates and the snow-free months of the year. Ideal for warmer weather trips where the lightest weight is the highest priority. Red Label – All-season tents that prioritize lightweight over absolute strength, adaptability, and overall comfort. Ideal for all-season trips where weight is a priority and where the conditions may be all but the most challenging. Red Label offers the greatest value when balancing strength and light weight for mountain hunters in most conditions.
Black Label – The strongest, most adaptable, most comfortable all-season tents. Ideal for any trip, anywhere, in any weather condition, and any season. These tents are as bombproof as you will find. Hilleberg Soulo BL – 1P When it comes to serious mountain hunters, most people fall into two groups: those who value weight above everything, and those who value strength above everything. The Hilleberg Soulo Black Label (BL) is built for the latter. Now a lot of tents may make the claim of “bombproof” but this one earns the moniker. To that point, it may very well be considered overkill for most users, myself included. As a long-term Hilleberg Akto user, I wasn’t sure what I’d think of the Soulo BL initially. Having used the 3lb 12oz Akto everywhere from the frozen north coast of British Columbia in February to the Sonoran Desert of Mexico, it was hard to believe that I’d need anything more out of a solo tent, particularly one that weighs in at 6lbs 3oz, but the opportunity arose to get my hands on WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
one, and the idea of a freestanding solo tent appealed to me. After some convincing from a couple of avid sheep and goat hunting buddies, I opted to take the Soulo BL north for my 2021 guiding season. The irony of taking a 6lb 3oz solo tent under the context of horseback guiding and ending up doing two backpack sheep hunts back to back is not lost on me, but the opportunity solidified my love for this tent. I’ve now used this tent for two seasons of guiding and personal hunting, and in the process, it’s become my go-to for everything but the hottest/driest adventures. I’ve found it to be a big step up in interior tent space over the Akto model, which aids in maneuvering around and getting dressed/undressed in your tent, but also in moisture mitigation on those socked-in days without much airflow. Its vestibule is functionally sized, enough so to contain an expedition-sized hunting pack, rifle, boots, spotter, and tripod at night with just enough room left over to fire up a coffee from the comfort of your sleeping bag in the morning. Set up, as with any freestanding Hilleberg, is straightforward, as the inner tent body stays clipped into the fly, and the poles run exterior to the fly. For serious weather, this is a feature that is mandatory in my eyes, as you can confidently set your tent up in a raging downpour while keeping the inner tent dry. Most tents from other brands have a fly that is external to the poles, although more and more have taken on this feature. The Soulo BL uses 10mm DAC poles and purpose-built dual guy-line points from all corners of the tent. This combination shines when the storms blow in. I’ve now ridden many stormy nights high in the alpine with this tent, and the lack of movement in the tent fabric and walls is outstanding. Nothing burns you down on a sheep hunt like lack of sleep from your tent death rattling in the wind all night... I’ve been there too. Finally, the inner tent entrance is an inverted T design, with a vertical zipper in the middle and horizontal dual zips across the bottom. This provides excellent access to the tent body with both “doors” rolled up and secured WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
out of the way. Whether you’re reorganizing your sleeping set up, or crawling in and out of your raingear under the protection of your tent, it is a welcome feature that makes this tent shine above the Akto as well as its competition. I’ve also used these zippers to moderate ventilation, often leaving ½ the door rolled open on bug-free nights for maximum airflow and to reduce condensation. Specs: Soulo BL Number of people: 1 Outer tent fabric: Kerlon 1800 (40 D High Tenacity Ripstop Nylon 66) Poles: 10mm Minimum Weight: 5lbs 1oz Packed Weight: 6lbs 3oz Inner Tent Area: 20.5ft2 Entrances: 1 Vestibules: 1 Vestibule Area: 6.4 ft2 Price: $895 USD
Inner Tent Area 1.9 m2 / 20 ft2 Vestibule Area 0.6 m2 / 6.4 ft2
Who is it for? Hilleberg’s Soulo BL is for mountain hunters that need the burliest solo tent to withstand the harshest conditions. Gale force winds, arctic storms, torrential rains—if you can pitch it and stake it down, this workhorse will shake off the worst mother nature can throw at you. If what you value is absolute strength and comfort in a solo freestanding tent, then look no further.
Bottom Line While I love this solo tent, most folks may find that it’s overkill and may want to shave 1lb by opting for the lighter sibling, the Red Label Soulo. For those that don’t mind carrying a 6lb solo tent, I don’t know that you’ll find a better-built or more comfortable option. Some folks may balk at the price of this and other Hilleberg tents, but they are lifetime products and truly built to a higher standard than many of the tents on the market. I’m still using an 18yr old Hilleberg Nammatj GT 2 in the mountains, and I expect no different from the Soulo BL. Reprinted with permission from Beyond the Kill. 43
Thank you to our Monarchs for elevating us to new heights! Monarch Platinum: (30) Don Lynum (29) Erik Skaaning (96) Adam Foss
(9) Omer Hrbinic (58) Nolan Wannop (145) Danielle Cabana
(12) John Davies (10) Daryll Hosker
(79) Tom Foss (94) Cameron Foss
(1) David Heitsman
(17) Malcolm Bachand
(31) Bill Pastorek
(24) Mike Southin
(2) Frank Miles
(64) Ricky Roman
(6) Kyle Stelter
(143) Travis Ormrod
(21) Jeff Glaicar (15) Chad Rattenbury (78) Trevor Querel (85) Casey Cawston (108) Barry “Bear” Brandow (43) Kyle Southgate (97) Melanie Stelter
(41) Steven Rochon (49) Adam Janke (8) Kevin Hurley (53) Benjamin Matthew (83) Jesse Wuerch (124) Bill Jacobsen (125) Robert Cook
(37) Peter Gutsche (45) Rob Englot (55) Chris Barker (92) Joey Prevost (60) Greg Rensmaag (126) Trevor Nelson
(5) Darryn Epp (50) Lawrence van der Peet (19) Rodney Zeeman (25) Kelly Cioffi (32) Nathan French (38) Justin Leung (44) Mike Kirk (51) Branden Adams (61) JT Hansen (66) Sabrina Larsen (70) Dean Bergen (75) Glen Watkins (81) Nolan Osborne (89) Russ Burmatoff (93) Don Willimont (100) Michael Surbey (104) Chuck Peeling (109) Don Stevenson (113) Ryan Jones (117) Marty Thomas (121) Chris Post (128) Thomas Madsen (132) Micah Pyde (136) Dean Ficoceillo (140) Wyatt Teskey (146) Jesse Bone
(7) Waylon Vipond (14) Brad Moore (20) Josh Hamilton (26) Fred Vitali (34) Neil Armsworthy (39) Sean Davidson (46) David Pearse (54) David Heathfield (62) Jeff Agostinho (67) Magnus Mussfield (71) Glen Cartwright (76) Caelin Folsom (82) Steve Hamilton (90) Devon Stuart (95) Mark Gushattey (101) Kyle Noble (105) Kyle Burritt (110) Joe Eppele (114) Dale Hislop (118) Leighton Garfield (122) J. Alex Brucker (129) Liezel Armsworthy (133) Norm Earthy (137) Garland McAnerian (141) Markus Stelter (147) Tash Baycroft
(11) Ken Kitzman (16) Colin Peters (23) Foster Thorpe-Doubble (27) Carlos Dionisio (35) Stefan Bachmann (40) Rod Deighton (47) Frank Briglio (57) Clint Gill (63) Mike Tomlinson (68) Rhett Pedersen (72) Levi Reid (77) Jonathan Proctor (87) Darcy East (91) Tyler Sawicki (98) Arnold Zwiers (102) Alex Kairouz (106) Anthony Klubi (111) Michel Beaulieu (115) Jamie Bowe (119) Matthew Peschke (123) Chad St. Amand (130) Brian Scott (134) Jesey Hickling (138) Lorne Wood (142) Nicholas Stelter
Monarch Gold: Monarch Silver: (4) David Hale (52) Terry Earl (33) Oliver Busby (84) Jeffrey Brown (56) Anonymous (73) Nick Negrini (86) Greg Nalleweg
Monarch:
(3) Barry Watson (13) Gray Thornton (18) Chase Oswald (22) Korey Green (28) John Woodcock (36) Rebecca Peters (42) Robin Routledge (48) Chris Wheeler (59) Ben Berukoff (65) Stu Rhodes (69) Darren Thomson (74) Craig Stolle (80) Jeff Jackson (88) Daniel Mclaren (92) Joey Prevost (99) Gabriel Krahn (103) Ben Stourac (107) Jonathan Viel (112) Andrea Mussfeld (116) Justin Bunce (120) Amanda Wannop (127) Denis Cabana (131) Brogan Vipond (135) Amberlee Ficoceillo (139) Ken Jyrkkanen (144) Lyle Wood
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WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
unting has taken me to places around the world that my eyes wouldn’t have otherwise seen. Wild places and remote lands inhabited by some of the toughest people that walk the face of the earth. The adventure, the culture, and the relationships drive us. It’s as much about seeing, telling, and sharing their stories as it is about the hunt itself. Nepal, the roof of the world, is famous for Mount Everest which is the highest mountain in the world. It can also claim eight of the top ten highest mountains. The bharal or blue sheep are native to the mighty Himalayas and they are the highest living game species in the world. They are at the top of any mountain hunters list and they will test your will to succeed. The terrain they inhabit will try to kill you daily and it feels as if death itself is on their side. The Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve is the only hunting area in Nepal. It was established in 1987 and covers 512 square miles. The government only issues 20 licenses per year for blue sheep, and I am lucky to have one of the coveted tags this year. After arriving in Kathmandu, Ryan Lee (photographer), Kurt Rutter (Videographer) and I loaded into the Eurocopter for the two-hour flight into the mountains. The view was breathtaking as we flew past Machapuchare and Annapurna. These towering mountains remind you just how small you really are and make you wonder if you’ve got what it takes to be successful at this deadly altitude. The chopper nosed over and headed for a small ridgeline. Our team of Sherpas and porters became visible as we neared the landing zone. It was a magnificent site and a clear reminder that this expedition would require a team of people to be successful. Charton was my Sherpa and he was born at 18,000 feet. There are no cars in his village and walking is their main mode of transportation. In Nepal villages, unlike the western world, travel is talked about in days walks by foot, and by donkey. The sights, smells, and vegetation of a foreign land engulfed my senses as I tried to take it all in and size up the team. They greeted us with smiles and WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
stares alike, and it was clear they were sizing us up to see if our team could hack it up here. I got my first glimpse of the famous baskets used by the Nepalese mountain men. They load their baskets with up to 80 lbs. and carry them using a strap that goes around their forehead. It’s truly unbelievable. Baskets loaded, we descended to the tree line and into a drainage before starting our ascent to the first village where we would sleep for the night. This was an acclimation hike from 9,000 feet up to 11,000 feet to slowly introduce the high altitude into our bodies. The footpaths that snaked up the mountain through the vegetation felt more like a jungle environment than a mountain kingdom. Most of the sherpas and porters wore flip flops or tennis shoes instead of mountain boots. After three hours of hiking, we arrived in the village in the early afternoon. It was a very small mountain village with donkeys, chickens, and a few goats roaming around while the locals made fires and boiled tea. The Nepalese flags flying above the huts were beautiful as they whipped in the mountain
breeze. The contrast of colors against the backdrop of the mountains was a majestic sight. There were small gardens of potatoes and onions planted on the hillside for local consumption within the village. It was hard to believe anything would grow on the hillside. After a night’s rest, we began our hike up to 13,000 feet where we would set up our main base camp. The day was warm, and the walking was relatively easy along the footpaths. As we came through a pass, one of the sherpas hung a flag and recited a traditional prayer asking the gods for good luck, and safety on our expedition. The donkeys lead the way loaded with tents and gear and while the bell on the lead animal provided noise to an otherwise quiet trek deep into the Himalayas. The route from the village to basecamp would require a mild effort of eight hours on the trail. The day was warm, but the load was light for our team. Due to tradition and safety, the sherpas and porters would carry our weight. At this altitude, it would put a serious strain on our bodies and double the walking time. 47
Murphy’s Law states “If anything can go wrong, it will.” Murphy was everpresent on this trip and I’ve come to believe he is the father of the mountains. Basecamp was nestled in a drainage between two giant peaks. The guides had been out scouting the day before our arrival and had located a group with two shooter rams. As we made plans for the first day, Mr. Murphy presented himself. Our cameraman came down with Giardia. Giardia is a tiny parasite found on surfaces in soil, food, or water from infected people or animals. He was very sick and out of the commission for the first day. Mahesh would send a couple of the guys down to the village to retrieve medicine with hopes that we could fix him. Until then, he would need to contend with extreme dehydration and diarrhea at 13,000 feet. After a brief chat, we decided to go out and recon sheep which would also help us adapt to the altitude. We rose from our sleeping bags at 4:00am to sub-freezing temperatures. After a brief breakfast of eggs, sausage, and two cups of Joe, we began our climb straight up and out of camp. The hunting party consisted of two guides, a game scout, an assigned sherpa for each of us and a sheep carrier that carried the basket full of water and food. In 48
the event we kill a sheep, he will carry the sheep in the basket. The mountain was extremely steep, and it just kept going vertical. I was doing great with the altitude, and the team was moving steadily up the slope. At 10:00am, after five hours of sustained climbing, I got a sudden feel of vertigo followed by a quick onset headache. I stopped and looked at my altimeter which read 16,200 feet. I took another Diamox out of my pack and I was ready to go again. The meds worked incredibly well which prevented the normal shortness of breath, and headaches I’ve historically had at altitude. As we ascended this large peak, we came upon a plateau that provided a nice feeding area in between the craggy peaks that seemed to journey ever further into the heavens. That’s when I saw them. The first blue sheep these eyes have ever seen. There were roughly 50 ewes and lambs with about 7 rams. Two of the rams looked to be very nice. They were bedded on the outskirts of the herd and didn’t have a care in the world. We observed the sheep for some time at roughly 400 yards before Mr. Murphy showed up again. Without our videographer, I didn’t want to shoot because our goal was to capture this hunt on video. There were
miscommunications due to the language barrier one must contend with, and we bumped the group of sheep into escape terrain north of 18,000 feet. We spent the next three days starting at 4:00am trying to make a move on these sheep without success. We covered miles of country each day averaging about seven miles a day at elevations from 13,000 to 17,000 feet. They were very high and protected by cliffs. On the fifth day, we went very deep into the backcountry, up and across a beautiful glacier to try and come in behind the sheep. The sherpas said they had never been on this glacier before, and I spent about twenty minutes taking pictures on their phones so that they could show their families. It was one of those spiritual moments when you forget all about sheep hunting. You realize you’re standing on a glacier at 17,000 feet in the Himalayas of Nepal that few men have ever stood on since the beginning of time including the men in charge of keeping us alive in these mountains. Kurt was back with us although feeling slow and fatigued as he contended with a weak immune system and traumatic altitude. The sheep were bedded in a grassy area below us at about 350 yards situated between the glacier, and the cliffs below. This shooting position WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
presented a problem. I was laying prone in jagged rocks. The jackets I put underneath my arm did very little to cut the pain. My hand started falling asleep, and my back began cramping due to rocks and I couldn’t feel the trigger. I began to get dizzy and I got headache from staring into the scope. I was worried the sheep would stand and move into the group which would make it hard to get an accurate range and locate the correct ram. As I worked it out, the sheep finally stood up 1.5 hours after we got set-up. There was more confusion between the team, and I couldn’t shoot. The ram moved back into the group and fed away from us at about 400 yards. As I touched off the safety and slid my finger to the trigger, my hand fell asleep again, and I couldn’t feel anything. Damn Mr. Murphy. I rolled to my back and tried to work out the feeling in my hand. As the blood came back to my hand, I used the range finder to get an accurate range. I touched off the shot and it was low. The rams scattered back into the mountains. It was a gut punch. It was as if the mountains were working against us. Everything that could possibly go wrong was going wrong. That’s hunting, it will test your will to succeed down to your very core. Communication is very tough WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
in a foreign land when you don’t speak the same language. Extreme fatigue and tense situations are drastically compounded by language barriers. It’s not something you can train for, but you must do your best to stay calm in the chaos and find ways to work together. After a very long and dejected hike back to base camp covering around eight miles, the mountains opened, and it began to dump snow. I could see basecamp a mile down the drainage and the snow was blowing hard at this point. In disbelief, I looked to the right side of the trail and saw six porters, most in tennis shoes sitting under a cliff in the snowstorm. They were all smiles and happy as clams. They had hiked up in case we needed help when it started snowing. These guys had been sitting there for hours under this rock in a blowing snowstorm just to help their friends. The only thing keeping them warm was the clothes on their body. It was a dedication to cause that seems rare in today’s world. It was emotional and hard to process. We got back to camp, and the snow continued. I ventured out from the dining tent to see most of the sherpas and porters huddled around the fire sipping tea in a whiteout and most of them wore flip flops. These are some
of the hardest, toughest men I’ve ever encountered. They are as rugged as the blue sheep that live in these mountains. The mountains that are so tall it appears they go right up to heaven itself. For the next two days we went vertical until noon. Snowstorms rolled in both days at noon and created near whiteout conditions with visibility being about 100 metres. We had no choice but to turn and walk back down the mountain. It was an extreme mental exercise to climb out of the sleeping bag at 4:00am in the cold with an aching body and climb for six to seven hours to simply turn around and go home when you finally got within striking distance of the rams. As we sat in the cook tent, Mahesh said “In forty years of guiding blue sheep expeditions, I’ve never had snow like this on this hunt. The snow normally comes down quick and melts within the hour.” We were now on day three of sustained snowstorms and cold weather. Mr. Murphy has us in his crosshairs. Time and weather were gravely becoming the enemy of success with only four hunting days remaining and you cannot do anything fast in this country. Slow and steady always wins the day. Mahesh decided that we would make a gamble. He would send a team of sherpas up with us with one night’s 49
worth of supplies and create a forward spike camp at around 15,500 feet. The problem was the group of sheep we would try and hunt were not huntable from this camp. He was extremely worried about us sleeping at that altitude as problems are unpredictable. Although our bodies presented no issues at the moment, one minute a guy could be fine and during the night his body could crash due to the lack of oxygen. We wouldn’t be allowed to stay more than one night up there. The next morning, the snow continued its relentless barrage and the plan was scrapped. At this point we had one option, hike down the valley before going up and over a pass and move our entire camp to an area they call tahr camp. Mahesh predicted it would take us 11-12 hours of walking to reach tahr camp. The morning started early as we departed camp at 4:30am, and the walking was brutal. The snow was deep, and we went straight vertical up and over several passes before descending in deep snow down extremely steep drainages on the side of 2,000-foot ravines. The shady areas were the worst as it was very slick and treacherous due to the lack of sun. Up on the pass, we located a group of fifteen sheep miles away above tahr camp. They were playing in the snow just below the cornice. As we settled into our new camp, Mahesh informed us it was simply too dangerous to go up the mountain. The guys had ropes, but the mountain was too steep, and he was 50
100% certain someone would slide to their death. We spent the next two days glassing for tahr while we waited for the snow to melt. I kept asking Mahesh, “Are you sure there is a trail up to those sheep?” He would always reply with a grin, “Oh yes sir, there is a trail, but it’s very steep and vertical.” I couldn’t get my hands around it as I stared at that mountain for two days looking for tahr. In his younger years, Mahesh had made the hike, he knew the effort it would require. Now, at 70 years old, he simply grinned as he thought about his American friends making the climb. I could tell he was reliving previous adventures as I wore him out with questions. This was it, the last day, the final play. It was fourth and goal in the final minutes. We began our ascent up the steepest mountain I’ve ever climbed. Many times, we were on hands and knees just like you would climb a ladder. I remember thinking, my mother would kill me if she saw me right now. It brought a little humor to an otherwise serious situation. After seven hours of climbing and by the time I convinced myself we would never reach the top, we did just that. Reaching the top was a small victory itself even without a glimpse of sheep. Keep in mind, we carried no weight outside of my binoculars and the cameras. The sherpas and guides carry it all reminding us they’re superhuman. We used the
terrain features to slip into a rocky outcropping in the middle of the feeding slope. No more than fifteen minutes later, the ewes appeared. They were a 150-yard chip shot from our position. As luck would have it, the rams were gone. We sat and waited until another group of ewes appeared on the other side. Again, the rams had left the group. Murphy was back! We let the ewes feed off and moved up and over the cornice as we glassed both sides and every drainage within striking distance for the remainder of the day. Ewes, lambs but no rams. It didn’t make sense, they just vanished. With two hours of daylight remaining and a three to four hour descent down the steepest mountain I’ve ever climbed, I stared into the sunset making peace with it all. I took off my hat and ran my hand through my hair while breathing deeply. It was over, it wasn’t going to happen. We traveled around the world, we spent eleven days going up the mountain, we gave a 150% effort, we had squeezed all the juice from the lemon, but it just wasn’t going to happen. I was thankful for the men that we hunted alongside, I was thankful for the life lessons I had learned, and I was thankful that I was able to spend eleven days in some of the most beautiful and harshest mountains in the world. I looked at Charton, my sherpa, and we began our descent down the mountain. We made it about 200 yards when I heard a whistle above us from the guide. I thought the sherpa had taken the wrong WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
path and we were going to cliff out. We hiked about 400 yards straight back up when the guide said, “I just located two rams.” Discouraged and with the sun quickly fading to the West, I said, “Too far away?” He replied, “I think we can get there.” We had new life, and my eyes lit up. We scurried up and over four spines at a brisk pace before the guide went into a crouch above me. As I peeked over the spine, there were two rams bedded directly 350 yards across from us. The shot was nearly level and they were basking in the sunset. It was magical. I took the shot and a dust cloud exploded off his shoulder, the ram ran up before running down the spine out of site. We reviewed the footage and it was a good hit. It was a miracle; it was as if the mountains said, “We are going to break them and kill them first before we give them an opportunity.” We had managed to get it done on the last hour of the last day of our expedition. I couldn’t control the emotion as my eyes filled with tears as I packed my kit for the descent. The guide looked at our sherpas and said, “Get them down the mountain, we will go recover the sheep.” As we started down, I told myself, calm your nerves and make it back to camp safely. Now is not the time to relax and have an accident after we’ve come this far. The adrenaline and the emotion made my legs feel weak as it dumped from my body. As we came over the last ridgeline, we could see camp straight down below us in the dark. The guys in camp flashed headlamps to us and we flashed them back. They had heard the shot and were already celebrating. It was so steep that it would be another two hours before we reached camp after seeing the headlamps. In the dark we were greeted by three more sherpas that had been deployed up the mountain to help us with our final trek. The two guides arrived in camp at 9:00pm without the ram. They said it was two steep and dangerous in the dark for the two of them with the weight so they cribbed the meat and would take a team back up in the morning. The next morning, we woke up for our hike back to the village where we would meet the helicopter for extract WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
the following day. To our surprise, it was 4:45am and there was already six inches of snow on the ground and it was a near white out again. Mahesh informed me that he sent a team of sherpas up to recover the ram. I said a prayer to myself for their safety. The mountain was impassable enough without a pounding snowstorm. As I had done many times, I asked myself what made these guys so tough. They are truly on another level. We set out for the village on a hike we’ll never forget. It snowed on us relentlessly for the next six hours. I had a mule above me fall to his stomach and come sliding past me. Fortunately for him, he piled up enough snow as he slid that he was able to stop 100 yards later. We had a couple of sherpas yelling down below as they had gotten separated from the group. It was complete chaos, but we were in the company of true mountain professionals. As we summited one peak, we had to rip all the weight from the mules and leave our tents, cooking supplies and the bags the mules carried. They would send a team back up the mountain days later to recover the supplies, but the mules would die if we didn’t get the weight off their backs. At one point, I started to get concerned about my hands as it was so cold, and
they were wet from trying to self-film this journey. I was doing everything I could to warm them up in hopes frost bite wasn’t setting in. Just like the rest of this trip, when we thought we couldn’t go another step, we saw blue sky piercing the clouds below, and we saw smoke from fires burning in the village. We had made it. This adventure just never ended. I arrived at the village in the first group with the cook, one of the sherpas and Ryan Lee, the photographer. Kurt, the cameraman, was further behind with another group of sherpas. After starting the week sick, and reeling from the altitude, it took every ounce of energy for him to make this last hike back to the village. The villagers welcomed us inside their dirt-floored hut and served us warm tea. It was the best cup of tea I ever had, and they were as much family to us in this foreign land as our own family back home. I thought, my family would be happy to know we have these people looking after us right now and it brought a warm smile to my face. The team of sherpas and porters arrived with my ram at 10:00pm that night. They were weary, tired, hungry, and exhausted, but they never complained. I don’t think it’s in their DNA to complain. We celebrated with cold beer from the village and sat 51
around the warming fire. We went to bed dreaming about our chopper ride back to Kathmandu the next morning. The next morning, we woke up in a blizzard. You couldn’t make it up. There was twelve inches of snow on the ground and it was a white out once again. We hiked up with the boys to shovel the landing zone mid-morning while the cook prepared fresh blue sheep in the village. Thankfully, we were able to reach the helicopter base in Kathmandu over the satellite phone. They were standing down due to the weather, but we informed them we had blue skies to the south. They would come in from the south to extract us and fly around the weather. The villagers presented us with lays and dotted our heads as we heard the roar of the chopper approaching from the south. It is customary and religious to bless the passengers before a flight in these mountains. The mountains are unforgiving, and it takes excellent pilots to fly at this altitude. With only a handful of places to land and extreme weather conditions, death would almost be certain in the event of a crash. The blowing snow from the rotor blades created a spectacular sight as the helicopter landed. After one last round of hugs, handshakes, and larger than 52
life smiles, we waved goodbye to our Nepalese family as the chopper took off. Air assets are few and they’re very expensive in Nepal. Our sherpas and porters would have a seven day hike out of these mountains where they would catch a bus back to Kathmandu. From Kathmandu, they would catch a flight back to the Mount Everest region where they would then have a two-day hike back to their villages. It’s hard to imagine such tough men exist in the world, and it’s no surprise the Gurkha soldiers of Nepal are so legendary. Their ranks are filled with young men cut from the same stone as our guides, sherpas, and porters.
The ride was quiet and humbling as we gazed at the snow-covered peaks and tried to wrap our brains around this incredible expedition that we endured alongside these Nepalese mountain men over the last twelve days. The travel, the pain, the altitude, the exhaustion, the adversity, the team of people and the logistics to make a hunt like this possible make the legendary blue sheep one of the most coveted and soughtafter mountain species in the world. I will forever be grateful we were able to hunt alongside these men on the greatest expedition these eyes have ever seen. Hard times create strong men! WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
aving a well prepared med-pack when going into the mountains or wilderness is not a luxury, it is a necessity. The serious and responsible backcountry hunter must be prepared to deal with everything from minor injuries to serious medical situations. Ignoring this simple reality risks impacting your ability to hunt effectively and in a worst-case scenario can literally ruin your hunt or pose serious danger to your life and limbs. A simple cut or sprain can turn into serious issues when away from the conveniences and supplies we take for granted at home and if you or your hunting partners sustain a more complicated injury such as a fracture, laceration, puncture wound or in a worst-case scenario firearm related injury the situation absolutely will demand a well prepared and well thought out med-pack. The old axiom it is better to have something and not need it than to need it and not have it is something I believe you HAVE to live by when entering the backcountry. If you’re like me, however, every cubic centimeter of space and every ounce of weight is important, so what exactly is worth including in your backcountry med-pack? These days there are numerous pre-configured options available from a variety of suppliers and in many cases, these will get the job done when dealing with minor injuries. But there tends to a lot of “filler” in these prepackaged kits and if you’re a serious ounce counter there are often numerous items in these kits you just don’t need. 54
If you are traveling in a group and are lucky enough to have a designated medical or first response professional with you, fantastic! He or she can hump a more robust medical kit up the mountain for the good of the group. On longer guided expeditions, I highly recommend hiring a guide who is trained at a minimum to the level of Wilderness First-Aid. In fact, if serious mountain, wilderness or backcountry trips are part of your annual plans then taking a course yourself is worth every penny. If there is a high risk of injury or illness due to exposure (common at high altitudes or in extreme weather), then having someone like a paramedic, nurse, or doctor with Wilderness Advanced Life Support training and the appropriate supplies can ensure everyone has a fighting chance of making it out in one piece. Guides would be well advised to either take a class in wilderness medicine themselves or take along a colleague who is trained in the skills and equipment required to deal with a wilderness first-aid situation or worse. Your clientele will appreciate the comfort knowing they are well covered, and you can accommodate a wider range of clientele (e.g. folks with certain medical issues). Most guys like me who are trained in Wilderness Advanced Life Support would gladly trade services for the opportunity to be on the hunt. But what about when you are solo or traveling with a buddy? Light is right as any serious mountain hunter knows so having a med-pack with the true essentials can WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
give you peace of mind when striking out on your hunt. Below is a list of what I consider to be essential items for backcountry medical kits. I’ve placed a distinct emphasis on items that minimize weight and maximize space, but offer a wide array of first-aid and lifesaving applications. The items below can easily fit into a compact dry bag and in my opinion, are worth every ounce. When packed correctly, this entire kit can weigh less than 5 pounds and can even be trimmed down to 3 pounds with some minimalist zeal. If encountered with a situation where you’re forced to pack out early or worse have to call in SAR or EMS, those extra ounces will be worth it.
reaction. Benadryl will help but only counteracts the histamine response whereas epinephrine counteracts all of the lethal effects of anaphylaxis by causing your blood vessels to constrict and relaxes the smooth muscles in the airways of your lungs. It also relieves the histamine release that causes itching and swelling. If you travel into the backcountry with a known allergy (even food allergy) that can lead to anaphylaxis and you are not carrying an EpiPen then you are truly gambling with your life.
Ibuprofen – a good anti-inflammatory and analgesic may be just what you need after a long day’s trek in the backcountry and in many cases can keep you going day after day. I’m a huge fan of ibuprofen, but if acetaminophen is your pain reliever of choice then go for it. Acetaminophen is not effective at relieving inflammation whereas ibuprofen is just that, an anti-inflammatory, so keep that in mind. Ibuprofen is a great analgesic (pain reliever) and anti-inflammatory, so it does double duty. The generic stuff works just as well as the name brand stuff. Never go into the backcountry without it.
Any personal medications – Getting outdoors is NOT the time to take a vacation from your regularly prescribed medications. Always check with your doctor to make sure that your trip will not be complicated by your normal medications.
Imodium (loperamide) – Don’t let a little loose bowel issue “soil” your trip, an anti-diarrheal can make an irritated bowel a little less unbearable and helps keep you hydrated when water sources can be scarce. Left unchecked, diarrhea can become a serious medical problem. Caffeine tablets (or something like Starbucks singles) – One of the biggest bummers of getting out into the fresh mountain air, is dealing with caffeine withdrawals. Add in a little altitude, and the pain of a caffeine headache can be unbearable. If you regularly drink coffee take caffeine tablets or some other way to stay caffeinated in the backcountry. Starbucks singles are quick and easy, and barely take up any space.
Neosporin – Topical antibiotics are a really helpful tool to help with minor cuts and scrapes. Keeping these minor injuries from becoming infected can make post-trip management a little less hectic.
Not recommended – You should not take sleep aids like Ambien or Lunesta when in the backcountry. These are long-acting and can make dealing with late night or early morning issues quite dangerous. They are heavy sedatives and not safe to consume when weapons are involved.
Athletic tape – I have tried dozens of different products over the years and I am a true believer in Hypafix. It not only stays put but conforms really well to the curves of our anatomy. Use in conjunction with a sterile gauze pad for large wounds, or directly on the skin to prevent chafing (e.g. for your heels in new boots, or your neck with an annoying backpack strap). The great thing about
Benadryl (diphenhydramine) – A multi-purpose tool, diphenhydramine can help alleviate allergic reactions and symptoms and reduce the pain and discomfort of skin reactions to bug bites or plants. But beware some folks wake up foggy and drowsy after taking antihistamines, a phenomenon that can take a few hours to clear so if you tend to suffer from seasonal or environmental allergies I’d suggest taking some before your trip to see how you respond individually. When firearms are involved, a clear head is non-negotiable EpiPen – If you have a known allergy to an environmental allergen that can develop into anaphylaxis, this is a must-have. They are bulky and sensitive to heat, but they can be indispensable in the event of a severe WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
Hypafix is the double duty of being able to handle wounds and prevent blisters, no need to carry moleskin! Another high-quality athletic tape I highly recommend is Elastikon. It has an aggressive adhesive and stretches to conform 55
to your body. Stay away from regular zinc-oxide tape (standard, white athletic tape), it is hard to find a truly highquality athletic tape, and its inflexibility makes it a poor choice for taping joints especially. Sterile gauze pads – You should always have at least 5 sterile gauze pads. They are compact and lightweight and can mean the difference between staying in the hunt or going home early. Vet wrap – This gem of an item is worth its weight in, well, vet wrap. I always have at least one small roll in my pack. So many uses, so handy, and so much better than roller gauze.
emergency. Having a hemostatic agent like QuikClot to aid in stopping bleeding can literally make the difference between life and death. Along with well-aimed direct pressure, the use of a hemostatic agent like QuikClot enhances your body’s natural clotting ability. Tourniquet – There are several easy to use tourniquets on the market. I really like the SWAT-T because it can be used as a tourniquet or a pressure bandage (notice how I like things that can do double duty to free up space and reduce weight). It takes some practice to use one correctly, so I
Good adhesive bandages – Have a decent assortment of good adhesive bandages (Band-Aids in the common parlance). Bandages that are cloth-like (so they can flex) last longer so don’t pinch pennies on this one. You don’t need to take the whole box, just a few of each size. Xeroform – This is a luxury item, but is very packable and weighs nothing. This is another one of those items that can keep you in the hunt when misfortune strikes. Use it to cover abrasions and deep cuts to promote healing and reduce the chance of infection. If bandaged well under sterile gauze and tape, xeroform can stay in place for 3-4 days. This avoids needing to re-expose an injury that occurs early in a hunt. Tweezers – Useful for stingers, splinters, and pokers. Trauma shears – These handy scissors can cut through a penny and can really come in handy in a ton of situations and come in compact sizes ideal for a backcountry med-pack. QuikClot – God forbid you or a hunting partner takes a round by accident, or you or a partner are impaled by a branch or something similar. Severe bleeding in the backcountry is a serious 56
recommend buying three (they are only $15 apiece), one to practice with and two for your med-pack. Tourniquets have literally saved hundreds of lives on the battlefield. What was once taboo in wilderness medicine is now the standard of care for severe blood loss in the extremities (arms and legs). Situations where QuikClot and/or tourniquets are necessary, will be rapid extrication scenarios, these tools are not to be used lightly and if the situation requires their application then SAR, EMS or emergency bush plane extraction is required ASAP. And this brings me to a very important item… Personal locator beacons – Although not technically wound care and super expensive, I would consider these an essential survival tool. When wounds or illnesses require rapid extrication, one of these devices can save rescue teams a ton of time and effort. Your parents or spouse would probably buy you one for Christmas.
SAM splints – These are really slick pieces of kit! They fold super-flat, weigh nothing, and come in a variety of sizes to use in a variety of ways. Snap an ankle in the backcountry, slap on a SAM splint, wrap it in vet tape and you can make it out (slowly) without much drama. Since your discomfort will be significantly reduced, you can concentrate on embellishing the story of your heroism. WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
Insect repellent – Permethrin is definitely the best option. It takes care of mosquitoes, ticks, mites, and other nasty buggers. Sawyer Premium Insect Repellent is odorless and lasts the whole season on one or two applications.
Compression wrap – A three-inch wrap (ACE wrap for example) is bulky but useful, so I advise you take one only. It’s better to have one and not it need, than… Triangular bandage – Instead of standard triangular bandage, I really like the multipurpose shemagh or keffiyeh (aka – tactical scarf) for splinting or slinging an arm or shoulder injury. Plus, you can use it for shielding your face and neck from the sun, and protecting against insects when field dressing (common in the North) or at night above the tree-line where you may not have the luxury of a fire.
Watch/altimeter – You’re a grownup, you should always be wearing a watch. Knowing when the sun is going to set (without guessing) can help with your decision making. A watch with an altimeter can help when going up to altitude, especially if you’re traveling from lower elevations or sea level. Climbing or gaining elevation too quickly can lead to nasty conditions like HAPE and HACE and these are serious situations that will put an immediate stop to your hunt. Compass – I shouldn’t even need to include this but in an age of GPS, locator beacons, and other technologies people get complacent. A compass should be with you at all times and you should know how to use it. If/when technology fails you or is lost you will be prepared to deal with navigation and egress issues. Sunscreen – Even when it is cloudy, exposed skin can get burned to a crisp. If the scent is an issue, make sure you stay covered up. Be aware that extreme exposure can still burn you under clothes, so SPF rated clothing is helpful. Lip balm – Hunter’s Specialties makes a great odorless lip balm. WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
Emergency Plan – Always make sure someone back in the real-world knows where you are and have a plan in place for what should happen if you are out of contact past your scheduled return date. Make sure they know which ranger or first-responder stations are closest to where you will be, and make sure they know what your planned course of travel will be, at least roughly. If the local (to your hunting area) helicopter service in the area has a subscription service (usually around $50 a year), buy into it. If you are airlifted out, you are looking at a minimum bill of $20,000. If you have a membership subscription, you pay nothing out of pocket for the extraction. For US residents, AirMedCare Network is a good place to start. Moist wipes – I don’t know about you, but I can go 3-4 days it seems without pooping when I am in the backcountry, but when I have to go…I hate the dry scraping of paper tissue. Keeping your butt clean can help avoid diaper rash, but make sure you don’t pull up your britches until your bum dries, the moisture can cause itchiness later. Make sure to use proper minimal impact practices and bury your soiled wipes in a hole at least 6” deep. The ones you use for the twig and berries should be packed out with the rest of your trash.
With a bit of knowledge and ingenuity, you can create your own medpack at a fraction of the cost and weight of a preconfigured kit, more often than not with better overall contents. Repackage pills into small baggies or small plastic bottles, organize items in your pack in a way that makes sense and with the likelihood of occurrence in mind: small wound care, big wound care, medicines, etc. and always remember to check and recheck your gear before heading out. When you use something up, replace it. Pay attention to expiration dates as well, if you put pills into another container, make sure you note the expiry date on the new container somehow. A practical wilderness first-aid kit is one of the ten essentials of mountain survival, do not take this part of your hunt preparation and gear list lightly. You’ve pored over aerial maps and weather reports. You’ve trained your butt off for months. You’ve invested thousands of dollars in clothing, gear and perhaps even a guided hunt. You have waited 10 seasons to draw that tag of a lifetime. Why on earth would you go in without a viable medpack and risk packing out early, or worse, checking out completely and heading to the happy hunting ground in the sky? There is no excuse. Article courtesy of Journal of Mountain Hunting. 57
Members, send us your hunt story (~50 words plus a picture or two) to communications@wildsheepsociety.com.
In the Summer of 2022, Monarch Member #100 / WSSBC Executive Assistant Michael Surbey, and Life Member #666 Kirsten Surbey decided to have a little lamb. On May 9th, 2023 Eleanor Ava Surbey came into this world. Shortly after birth, Eleanor became a life member with the society, and both mom & dad are eager to get her in the alpine as soon as they can. – Eleanor Surbey
Myself and my hunting partner Mike were fortunate enough to draw Dall Sheep in British Columbia this year. We had successfully harvested double-header rams on that same Dall draw in 2013. We spotted a mature broomed Monarch on opening day and were grateful to harvest him late afternoon. – Kyle Stelter 58
I’ve been fortunate enough to hunt turkeys for the last 26 years in Washington, and BC. I’ve only harvested two Tom’s on opening day, and this Spring was the second! We are blessed to have the opportunity to hunt them in BC. Get out and try it! – Erik Skaaning
My hunting journey has by far exceeded my wildest dreams from when I started. Lucky for me I have found great friends and mentors over the years. Some have stopped hunting with me as they found out I will go to the worst possible spots to shoot a great animal, making retrievals difficult, and long. The worst being three days for three guys to get out a moose. Those are the trips when you find your lifelong hunting partners. – Ian Jackson WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
En route for an evening hunt, we glimpsed the distinguished “black” we’d been dreaming of. We encountered these two 19”+ bears shaking the valley with their growls, smashing over trees, trying to kill each other. We watched these two bruins fight for three minutes before harvesting both at 20 yards. – Michael Brunner & Michael Surbey
After dealing with multiple days of poor weather, we had a brief window to capitalize on a late afternoon hunt when the sun came out, and burned off the fog. After a couple hours of glassing this steep grassy drainage, magically a beautiful eight year old ram appeared out of nowhere camouflaged into the rocks he was right in front of our eyes the whole time. We made a stock into 500 yards where we got a better look and decided he was the ram I was looking for. Fast forward five minutes and I’m holding my first ram in my hands, all the preparation, and hard work finally paid off. It was such a rewarding, and unforgettable experience. This ram will forever be special, and I got to do it all with my childhood friend Chase Bauer, who I consider to be a brother. We were lucky enough with the small breaks in weather to take two beautiful rams this trip. Stone sheep hunting is the toughest hunt I’ve taken part in, and it gives me nothing but appreciation for stone sheep to spend time in the beautiful, tough, and rugged country that they call home. I was truly fascinated by the depth of the valley bottoms, and thick brush, all the way up to the rocky peaks, and plateaus that these rams spend their lives on. – Josh Huisman WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
I took my friend Josh Huisman on his first stones sheep hunt to show him some of the beautiful country it has to offer. Despite the rain and fog, we were able to locate a nice mature 8.5 year old ram for Josh to fold his first sheep tag on. On day six, we had located a ram that stood out among all the others we were seeing. With not enough time in the day left, we watched them feed over the ridge in hopes we would catch them there in the morning. On day seven, we located them again close to where they were the night before, and we watched them bed and began our stalk down the mountain. We crossed the valley bottom to climb up and get on to the backside of the mountain about 500 yards above where they were last. We decided to split up near the top to get into the saddle as Josh didn’t like my sheep trail above the daunting cliffs. I got into the saddle, and dropped my pack waiting for Josh. He never showed, so I glassed up to where he crested the mountain only to see his pack there. I figured something was up, so I loaded my gun and rolled over the rock pile, 20 yards from where I was sitting. Then, there he was... bedded down 100 yards from me. After the ram was loaded up, I got Josh down the sheep trail safe and sound. – Chase Bauser 59
by Bill Pastorek
’ll be the first to admit, this story has some bizarre numbers in it. Some that you wouldn’t imagine could come from a story that describes the taking of my first Rocky Mountain Bighorn. How about 28 or 206? The numbers 184 1/8 I’m sure are pretty easy to figure out. It’s a great number, one that I am very excited about. How about 2 in 3 years? Could that be rams taken? Well, it could, but it isn’t. Let’s start off with the one that still sounds unbelievable to me. That’ll be the 206...
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WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
It took me 206 days of hunting Rocky Mountain Bighorns before I actually took one. There, I’ve actually said it. Now, before you start to laugh and think that this guy must be totally incompetent, there is a bit of a story behind this. I have managed to get well within shooting range of quite a few rams over the years that I knew were legal. They just weren’t quite what I was looking for. I’ve also been in on some that were close to being legal and actually may have been. But I didn’t want to spend the time getting closer, trying to get to the same elevation as they were, to determine if they were legal or not. They just weren’t what I was looking for. And why would that be, you ask? Well, I’ve been very fortunate to have taken both Stone and Dall rams that have gone forty inches in length or better. This is something that has taken many years and many trips to accomplish. Not to mention, a huge amount of luck. Many sheep hunters never have the privilege of seeing a forty inch ram in their lifetime. When you are trying to take very large trophy animals, many times you go home empty handed. But, just to be clear, I think there is nothing wrong with going out sheep hunting and if the animal is legal, then harvesting it. I think that is great. Sheep hunting is an extremely difficult activity and it sure is nice to be rewarded. Think about this for a second. I’ve spent almost two thirds of a year out of my life hunting Bighorns. What really could be better than that? Living in British Columbia and being able to buy a tag and go sheep hunting every year if one desires, that is a huge privilege. To put this particular sheep hunt into perspective, it would probably make most sense for me to go back about fifteen years or so. At that time I was President of the Wild Sheep Society of British Columbia. We are the British Columbia Affiliate of FNAWS (now the Wild Sheep Foundation). I was very involved in getting the Premiers Tag through all of the hurdles that it needed to jump, to see it come to fruition. Others from the BCWF, GOABC, FNAWS and the BC Ministry of the WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
Environment of course were very involved as well. You just have to know that when you can get all groups to agree on something, then it must be a good thing. In fact, we have raised millions of dollars that have gone towards both Sheep projects here in the province, but also to Endangered Species projects as well. My contributions are something I have to say I am proud of. So, let’s fast forward a decade and a half. I was driving down in Idaho with my wife Rose when my cell phone rang. We were a couple of hours from our new home in the Creston Valley of British Columbia. Of course using the appropriate hands free device, I answered my phone. The phone call was from the Ministry of the Environment in Victoria, telling me that I had won the ultimate Limited Entry hunt. The
Premiers Tag. Not really being sure if it wasn’t one of my friends setting me up, I asked the all-important question. “When would the winners name be on their website?” Within two hours I was told. The shopping trip was certainly over. It was difficult to stay remotely close to the speed limit as I made my way home. My name was there on the Ministry website when I checked; I wasn’t being “Punked”. Really, someone would have been hurt if it had ended up being a joke. I can’t remember exactly how long it had been, but it had been six or seven years since I had even been sheep hunting. Not from lack of desire of course, but because of hip issues. Oh, the joys of middle-age. That’s where the 2 in 3 years I mentioned earlier comes in. I’ve had two hip replacements in the last three years. While of course it takes a long time before the doctors deem you 63
to be bad enough to get the replacements, it was certainly wonderful when it was finally done and I could get on with my life. Anyway, the hunting gods certainly smiled on me with this draw. Let’s fast forward to early November 2012. It was finally time to get serious about finding the largest Bighorn that I could. I’d spent quite a bit of time scouting in the summer months, mostly just to learn access to areas. The decision had been made to start off in the Kamloops Lake area, checking out the California Bighorns there. They rut earlier than the Rocky Mountain Bighorns do, even though they are supposed to be genetically the same. And do they ever rut. With help from Abe, my wife Rose and I were shown all of the different areas where they could be hiding. If you ever really want to see a show, you have to go to Kamloops and watch the rams at this time of the year. It absolutely astounded me how aggressive and vicious they are. Countless times a day we would be watching rams fighting, and by fighting, I mean just pounding on each other. You read about how rams will come to the wintering ranges a month early and work out their dominance. Not here I tell you. There was nothing worked out in advance. It truly is something to behold. As the week progressed, the rut was certainly on. Rams were chasing ewes all over the mountains in what seemed to be a non-stop frenzy. There was one day that we saw over thirty Class III and 64
Class IV rams and over two hundred sheep in total. Great sheep numbers and with a ram population that was certainly higher than one would see just about anywhere else in the province. Rose and I spent many hours behind the spotting scopes, searching for giant rams. I’m not sure why but Rose often seems to spot the rams before I do. Maybe she’s just more patient. Not finding what I was looking for at Kamloops Lake, time was also spent at Chasm and at Spences Bridge. Couldn’t find much at Spences Bridge that interested me but there was a nice ram at Chasm that I was able to get close to. But he wasn’t the one either. So, it was back home to Creston to restock and to head back out. The next area that needed some serious searching was the Salmo area. With a handful of Limited Entry hunts there each year, some Boone and Crockett monster rams have been taken. A week of hard hunting produced a few rams that would push the one eighty mark. I was being assisted by friends Rob and Cassidy with the glassing and access problems. For the most part, the rams we were seeing were still not quite good enough. Talk about tough hunting, this is Bighorn hunting in the timber at its finest. While there are a few areas between the highway and the US border where there are open areas, for the most part just lots of trees. We did see two big rams working their way south towards some ewes that we had seen,
but were unable to find them the next day. We were actually standing on the cutline that is the US border, trying to spot them. Surprisingly, there was a very old cut out trail there that wasn’t a game trail. I suppose someone had been moving merchandise back and forth in the distant past. After working the area hard, and not finding “the one”, it was time to head to the south-eastern part of the province to search for monster Rocky Mountain Bighorns. This is of course the mecca of Bighorns, the Elk Valley. Headquartering out of a mock hotel in Elkford, the search began. Once again Rob and Cassidy were with me, along with four of Rob’s fine Fjord horses. They were very beautiful and more importantly, hardy and sturdy. For someone like me that hadn’t ridden in over a decade, they were a blessing. I hadn’t ridden even once because of the hip thing. If you have hip issues, then generally you have groin muscle issues, and that is certainly not a good thing if you have to ride horses. We had about three or four days of really fine weather. Not the kind of weather you want when you are hoping that the rams will start moving, looking for the ewes. You need snow for that. We were seeing sheep though, and more importantly, rams. It seemed that each passing day we were finding more and more. It was very exciting to be hunting in areas that we’ve all heard about. There was Line Creek, Todhunter Creek, Ewin Ridge, and even Grave Lake. A very aptly named area I might add. The horses were great for heading into all of the road closure areas; they sure saved miles and miles of walking. As it often does at that time of the year, the weather turned nasty, with lots of wind and snow. We actually got drifted out on the horses one day. Checking out a new area way up high, the snow was so deep that the horses couldn’t make it thru. It reminded me of that high mountain pass scene from Lord of the Rings. Ok, maybe not quite that dramatic, but still. We tried taking turns walking in front of the horses, trying to break trail, but it was just too much. The horses and I were very happy to WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
turn around. Prior to the heavy snow we had had a light snow and a bit of a melt, and then freezing, which created what I will politely call ice. As I found out, there’s not much worse than snow on top of ice when you are on horseback in the mountains. Even on the roads the horses were slipping and sliding. We finally decided that it was just too dangerous and Rob loaded up the horses and headed out. Each day we were seeing rams that were book or close to it. Now though,
WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC
without the horses, the miles started to add up. Cassidy, Rose and I had another friend, Gerry Favreau, join us. One thing that the snow did was start to concentrate the sheep. I know that I’ve read about how sheep winter on the high windswept ridges. The important word here to remember is the “high” part.
While still searching the seven different areas that we had singled out, we were concentrating on two high basins that were holding over fifty ewes between them. Each day there were new rams showing up. So every second day, we were climbing up thru the snow, to those high windswept ridges. I just couldn’t do
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it every day. We sure saw some amazing rams, some even so close that I got great photos. But each time Cassidy thought that we could do better. I’m certainly glad that she was the voice of reason. After four climbs up high in eight days, I was certainly feeling old. I was in as good of shape as I could have been when I started, but I certainly wasn’t in the kind of sheep shape that I had been in in the past. I used to run Marathon just to get in shape for sheep hunting, but with two chunks of Titanium in my body now, no more running. The day after the last climb, just before sundown, Cassidy spotted a big, heavy old beast that she thought could be “the one.” At dawn the next morning, we were sitting with the spotting scopes out and the binoculars swinging from spot to spot. It wasn’t until mid-morning that he was finally spotted, far, far in the distance. So off we went once again, up through the snow to the top. The first two thousand feet weren’t too bad. The excitement had kicked in and adrenaline was my friend. After a couple of hours, we were within about six hundred yards and managed to get pinned down by some ewes. At first we decided to try to wait them out. When they bedded down 66
about two hundred yards away, we knew that plan wasn’t going to work. As we had been working our way up a dull knife edged ridge, we decided to drop off onto the hidden side. Referring back to the high, wind-swept ridge comment earlier, this was the side where all of the snow had been swept to. It was a matter of taking turns trying to plow ahead on steep terrain in chest deep snow. More than a little worrisome. We managed to skirt the ewes and get back onto the ridge, only to find that the rams, all fourteen of them, had followed a group of ewes up higher. We were stopped out at tree line with nowhere to go and nothing to do but wait. The day had started out sunny but there were certainly clouds rolling in. There was one particularly nasty front that moved through with winds that were blowing at least thirty mph, pushing along an icy, powdery snow. Once visibility thickened up we took advantage of the situation and tried to move closer. We did manage to cut the distance to three hundred yards or so and to find the sheep again. Of course a number of the sheep were missing, including the big guy. We had now been on the mountain for six hours and were getting seriously
cold. The decision was made to move to our right a couple of hundred yards to see if we could find the rest of the sheep, even though we were in plain sight of about thirty ewes and young rams. We had gone maybe all of ten feet before we were noticed and the sheep that had spotted us started moving out. With a very real concern for our safety, we hurried as fast as was possible on steep, slippery terrain. Without walking sticks this could have easily ended up being a serious “plasma donation event.” With the very strong wind still blowing, we managed to find the rest of the sheep in a small pocket. Unfortunately, we were just over three hundred yards away with no chance of getting closer. It was now or never. I was lying on the slippery rocks, shooting at a steep uphill angle, with a strong cross-wind. Needless to say, not my finest shooting ever. But it was good enough. Finally, on the 28th day of my hunt, it was over. The ram ended up sliding a long ways down the mountain and it was finally the trees that stopped him. Certainly made you very aware of what would happen to you if you had slipped. Without the two walking sticks, you could never even get up there. When we finally got to the ram, he was everything that I had been hoping for. A big, old, heavily broomed bruiser. He ended up being 10 ½ years old, which is a great number as well. It was Four pm when we began the photo taking and then the caping and deboning. By the time we were finished, it was dark, with still over two thousand feet in elevation to climb down. I have no idea how many times I fell, but by the time I got to the truck, many hours later and deathly tired, the walking sticks were twisted pretzels. It had been very heavy loads for all of us. Thankfully everyone made it down safely. Although many hunters prefer to do this hunt solo, I strongly feel that this is a hunt that needs to be done with friends. Good friends. It’s very difficult both mentally and physically to do something like this on your own. The support is very welcome. Many thanks to my friends for helping to make my Bighorn quest a reality. Finally, it was done. WILD SHEEP SOCIETY OF BC