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s we wrap up our fall hunting season and roll into 2025 we are ending a fantastic year for the Wild Sheep Society of British Columbia. We have had a multitude of mission-critical projects move forward this past year that are positively enhancing wild sheep and their habitat right here at home. The outcomes from these investments are quantifiable and something we should all be proud of.
My boss and your President, Greg Rensmaag, has asked us to show you what we have done over the past twelve months and beyond. We feel that while we are asking for your support, whether it be through the purchase of a membership, auction or raffle item, or a donation, it is incumbent upon us to share the impact your contribution has made. This year your conservation impact is farreaching touching every corner of the province.
To date, we have spent over $700,000 on projects and at the time of writing we still have one month remaining in 2024. We have budgeted a 15% increase on that for 2025. While it is nice to share that big number, it is even more important as to what kind of impact we are having on wild sheep populations. The short answer is that the work we are doing as an organization is incredibly impactful.
We were able to conduct numerous prescribed burns in the Peace region this spring and within a few months aerial survey showed Stone’s Sheep back feeding on the newly green areas. On the Fraser River we are seeing rocketing lamb recruitment numbers in the areas that have been treated for mycoplasma ovipneumoniae. In most areas, pretreatment had lamb recruitment under 35 lambs per 100 ewes. We are seeing upwards of 70 lambs per 100 ewes in many of the post-treatment herds. We continue to invest in ungulate enhancement in wild sheep areas, through several initiatives, designed to give thinhorn and bighorn sheep a fighting chance in a predator-rich environment.
A quick count of our project report for 2024 indicates that your Board of Directors have approved over 25 projects with close to $900,000 in approvals. We have worked hard to bring in funding partners on these projects which has significantly increased that capital investment in BC’s wild sheep project footprint.
On the advocacy front, 1Campfire and our support of the Canadian Coalition of Firearms Rights (CCFR) has been impactful and aligns with our purpose of uniting sportsmen and sportswomen and safeguarding the resource of wild sheep for the future.
With all of these approvals comes an onus to find the capital to support these projects. We again look to you, our dedicated members, for your support. There are so many ways to contribute, whether it be with your time, talent or treasure. Through your purchase of a membership, merchandise, tickets to one of our fundraisers, live or silent auction, these all contribute to our ability to raise the capital for these important initiatives. This year we have an impressive line up of wild sheep raffles including a 2025 Dall Sheep Hunt with Iron North Outfitting in the Yukon. The odds are incredible on this raffle at 1 to 750, and we will draw one lucky winner at our Northern Fundraiser in Dawson Creek.
Make no mistake, without the support of our donors, sponsors and most importantly our membership, we could not do this important work that is safeguarding BC’s wild sheep for future generations. I humbly ask for your help as a member in attending and supporting our fundraisers this winter. Please consider upgrading your membership and picking up some raffle tickets. All of these make a significant difference for BC’s wild sheep. We cannot do this mission-critical work without your help.
This November your Board of Directors met for a very effective strategic planning session in Richmond and we set a path for the next 3 to 5 years with key priorities. Needless to say, we will continue to lean into our conservation work for wild sheep. You will see increased awareness and investment in horn aging education and the selection of mature rams. Our goal for 2025 is to host horn aging seminars in every region of the province.
In closing, I want to thank all of you for your continued support of BC’s wild sheep. I hope to see you all at one of our fundraisers, whether it is the Northern Fundraiser or Salute to Conservation and Mountain Hunting Expo. This year, our two fundraisers are more packed with excitement than anything we have hosted in the past. Come out for a visit with your wild sheep family and let us continue to support the legacy of Wild Sheep Forever.
Yours in Conservation, Kyle Stelter
or those who don’t know me, my name is Joe Eppele. I grew up on the outskirts of Squamish, BC and lived a life that was very much centered around the outdoors. My father was an avid blacktail hunter, mushroom picker, and outdoorsman. My mother ran the local mushroom buying station, spent winters making garlands and wreaths from local trees, and spent spring/summer working in the garden and managing her bee hives. With this upbringing it is easy to understand how growing up in our household, my siblings and I developed strong bonds and a healthy appreciation for the mountains, rivers, lakes, and ocean that surrounded our town. Our childhoods consisted of hunting, fishing, gardening, mushrooming, and harvesting tree branches for my mothers winter crafts.
Over the years my life took me down different paths which at times pulled me further from the outdoors but I always knew I would eventually return. The life lessons I had learned through the outdoors laid the foundation for a successful career in academics and athletics ranging from National Track Athlete, Div 1 NCAA College Athlete (W.S.U, Co Cougs!), 2nd overall CFL draft pick (Toronto Argonauts), 5 year CFL veteran, and 100th Grey Cup champion.
I chose to walk away from professional football after a series of progressive injuries and after losing my father to a short battle with brain cancer. I decided it was time to start working back towards what was truly important in life and begin my transition into a new career.
Although I had worked with many companies and charitable organizations over the years, I felt I needed to boost my resume so I went back to school and completed my MBA at DeGroote School of Business. I then took over Western Canada for a prominent athletic supplement company and used the new position as a way to move back to my hometown here in Squamish, BC. This position taught me a lot and ultimately opened the door for a more aligned career where I now work. I am currently the Director of Business Development for Wild TV as well as their 3 partnered networks. I am also a long standing (6 year) host of a hunting TV show titled ‘The EDGE’.
Throughout my entire career one of my biggest goals has been to raise a family and provide my children with a similar bond and appreciation for the outdoors as I have had. The move back to BC was a big first step but now, thanks to my beautiful wife Kristen, we are now doing just that with our amazing son Walker and a new addition arriving soon. At almost 3 years old he has already developed a strong love for
the outdoors and all that it offers which is a passion I hope will only continue to grow.
Over the years I have worked with various conservation groups and causes but mostly on a much smaller and localized scale. A few years back through friends in the hunting community I became aware of the Wild Sheep Society of BC and quickly realised the importance of their work. This was a group of hunters and passionate outdoor enthusiasts who truly embodied what it meant to be a conservationist and put both their time and money into protecting our province’s most valuable resource, our wild places and the wildlife that inhabit them. I am a firm believer that groups such as WSSBC are invaluable when it comes to the sustainability and preservation of our wildlife both currently and more importantly for future generations.
Fast Forward a few years and I was fortunate enough to be voted onto the Board of Directors. Since joining the BOD I have been able to see first hand the tireless efforts of this team and can say that it is an honour to sit on the board with a team of such passionate and dedicated individuals.
Project jointly supported by Wild Sheep Society of BC, Wild Sheep Foundation, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation and Forest Enhancement Society of BC
by Alicia Wood
Fort St. John, BC – In the remote, rugged, Northeastern terrain of BC, nearly half of the world’s Stone’s sheep habitat can be found. These sheep, and the ecosystem surrounding them, have been supported through habitat management practices since the 1970s. One such practice, which has been jointly funded in recent years by Wild Sheep Society of BC (WSSBC), Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF), Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF) and Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC), is prescribed burning. In May 2022, approximately 160 hectares of Stone’s sheep winter habitat were treated with prescribed burning. This initiative targeted four sites, utilizing aerial ignition techniques to reduce woody vegetation, enhance forage quality, and improve predator detection capabilities for the sheep. This treatment was part of a broader objective to restore and maintain habitat not only for Stone’s sheep but, in future project years, also for bighorn sheep, which inhabit the southernmost extent of the region.
“Prescribed fire is a long-standing management practice to restore important foraging habitats for wild sheep and many other species such as moose, elk and mule deer. HCTF is proud to co-fund this work with FESBC so that our project leader can complete this critical work to benefit Stone’s sheep in the Peace Region,” remarks Dan Buffett, CEO of HCTF. “It’s a great project involving a wide variety of partners generating benefits well beyond wildlife to improve the broader forest ecosystem and create a better patchwork of grasslands and different aged forest stands over the landscape.” Viewed from above, the patches appear to be irregular in size, shape, and distribution. This is what natural landscapes often look like when fire is allowed.
In May 2024, prior to the summer season of wildfires experienced throughout the province, Ridgeline Wildlife Enhancement Inc., on behalf of WSSBC, worked on the project to undertake two prescribed burns. By doing so, they successfully enhanced over 600 hectares or 1,400 acres of
Stone rams grazing burned habitat six weeks after the burn completion.
Stone’s sheep habitat using prescribed burning treatments. The resulting post-burn habitat will improve forage quality and has reduced dense shrub cover.
“The funds provided by all our funding partners result in a direct, on-the-ground, immediate benefit to Stone’s sheep and their habitat,” explained Alicia Woods, wildlife biologist with Ridgeline Wildlife Enhancement. “Within 10 days post-burn, new vegetation was visible on-site, and by eight weeks post-burn, the site was beginning to revegetate with new forage. We often see sheep move into a burned area within a few weeks to graze on the new growth. This fall, we observed ewes and lambs foraging in the burns we completed this spring, which was very exciting to see”.
For decades, WSF has supported wild sheep habitat management in British Columbia, and beyond. For this specific prescribed burning program to benefit Stone’s sheep habitat in northeast BC, WSF has committed more than $400,000 USD over the past 5 years. According to
WSF Vice-President for Conservation Kevin Hurley, “the province of British Columbia has a global responsibility to conserve Stone’s sheep and their habitats.” Added Hurley, “this ongoing, long-term effort in northeastern BC represents a real opportunity to pro-actively enhance Stone’s sheep range; WSF is pleased to collaborate with our BC partners in putting managed fire to work on important Stone’s sheep habitats.”
Even though this project is aimed at improving sheep habitat, prescribed burning also contributes to landscapelevel ecosystem restoration, reducing fuel loads, and includes benefits to other species that rely on sub-alpine grasslands.” While the primary objective focused on the strategic removal of brush and old vegetation to promote the growth of new, nutrient-rich vegetation, Woods emphasized the dual benefits of the prescribed burns, both for habitat management and as a proactive measure against uncontrolled wildfires. “By reducing the fuel load through controlled burns, we not only helped improve habitat quality but also helped mitigate the risk of severe wildfires,” she said.
An interesting objective of this project is that Woods’ team also focuses on studying and researching the impact of prescribed burns on sheep health and their habitat.
“In addition to the on-the-ground habitat benefits, funding contributed by our partners supports a research component of the project that includes an assessment of wildlife and vegetation response to prescribed burns. In partnership with the University of Northern British Columbia, a PhD student will be further investigating how the habitat treated with fire may affect Stone’s sheep health. In a region that supports 50 per cent of the global population of Stone’s sheep, the enhancement of sheep habitat through this
prescribed burn program has substantial benefits to this iconic species,” said Woods.
A novel aspect of the project focuses on the indirect assessment of sheep health by analyzing pellet samples for stress hormones and nutritional status indicators. This method offers a non-invasive way to gauge the potential health benefits of the burns to the sheep.
While in the past couple of years, the project leaders have seen success, they have faced several challenges to get to this point:
The logistics of such an extensive project, especially for reaching remote areas, are extremely high. For example, one helicopter trip to the more remote study areas costs roughly $6,000, and the project team needs to visit the sites for monitoring at least four times a year. That is why, apart from WSSBC support, the monitoring component of the project is largely supported by HCTF, FESBC, and the University of Northern BC.
Obtaining necessary government permits is a lengthy and complex process Woods shared, often taking years to navigate through bureaucratic layers and “shifting goal posts”. The project has submitted 25 burn permit applications and notably secured 14 burn permits to date, of which they have already treated six areas.
Even after burn permits are secured, it isn’t as straightforward as implementing the burns. “Spring prescribed burns occur in a narrow window that happens sometime between when the slopes become snow free and before the site greens up. Sometimes this window can be as narrow as one week”. The narrow window for suitable burning conditions requires precise timing and flexibility and the unpredictable weather patterns of recent years and increasing dry periods due to climate change have complicated scheduling and increased the risk of unintended fire escapes from the target burn area.
For Woods, it is important for the public to be aware of the differences between wildfires and prescribed burns and learning why these burns are essential for maintaining ecological balance. “Prescribed burns are done in a very
controlled fashion. There are very specific targets with very specific objectives. How we do it, and the conditions we do it under, are also carefully chosen,” said Woods. “The devastation of wildfires we see on the news is not what we see after a prescribed burn, where the site flourishes postburn with new vegetation.”
Woods wants people to understand that controlled burns have always been an integral part of Indigenous practices and culture.
“The support and involvement of local First Nations are not just beneficial but essential. They bring a perspective that enriches our understanding and approach,” said Woods, adding, “What they tell us about burning is also what I see on the ground, which is exciting because it confirms that what we are doing is validated by years of Indigenous practices. We conduct the burns similarly to how the First Nations used to do it—during the spring when the frost is still in the ground, so the burn doesn’t harm the soils—and that they’ve use the tool of controlled burning for the benefit of enhancing wildlife habitat and improving the ecological balance in the area.”
The project is an example of how integrating Indigenous ecological knowledge with contemporary scientific practices can lead to more effective and sustainable habitat management. Next, the project plans to expand the treated areas, aiming to cover between 500 to 1,000 hectares annually across multiple study areas.
“Our goal is to establish a cycle of burns that continuously rejuvenates the habitat,” she explained. “Ideally, we’re looking to manage these lands in a way that maintains ecosystem diversity across the landscape, which will in turn support the wildlife that northeast BC is renowned for.”
Through the dedicated efforts of Woods and her team, the prescribed burning projects in Northeastern BC are demonstrating that thoughtful, well-managed fire regimes can profoundly benefit wildlife and ecosystems. The continued support from funding groups such as HCTF and FESBC and all the dedicated contributors to WSSBC and WSF ensure this project continues to provide tangible results for Stone’s sheep.
by Wild Sheep Society of BC
he year 2024 has been yet another record–breaking year for WSSBC, having put over $800,000 on the ground for Wild Sheep projects throughout British Columbia. This would not be possible without the immense support of our membership, sponsors, donors, and project partners, and we are continually humbled by your commitment to ensuring we have healthy and robust Wild Sheep populations on our mountains and grasslands.
Here’s a snapshot of our financial commitments for the year:
January Approvals
$50,300 – Ungulate enhancement – BC Trappers Association
$10,000 – Sportsmen and Sportswomen advocacy – CCFR
$5,000 – Honorarium for Disease Symposium – Dr. Schwantje
Senior Wildlife Biologist, Omineca Region, B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship
2. Job/Volunteer Description
Along with the ministry’s regional team, I help administer the Wildlife Act and provide current and reliable scientific information to assist government decision-makers. This involves the use of wildlife inventories to assess and adjust hunting regulations and quotas, as well as more complex research projects to determine factors that limit the growth of wildlife populations and inform broader land use policies. Our team works closely with First Nations and stakeholder groups to identify priorities, address knowledge gaps, and find creative solutions to help manage wildlife in the Omineca Region. In the fall of 2024, I’m also teaching wildlife ecology at the University of Northern BC—an opportunity that I’ve used previously to emphasize the connections between academic studies and applied wildlife management.
3. Related Experience/Duration in industry
I completed my Bachelor of Science degree in Fish and Wildlife and Biology at UNBC. I then completed my Master of Science degree at the University of Guelph, focusing on interactions between wolf, moose and caribou in northern Ontario. Prior to joining the ministry’s Omineca Region team in 2016, I
was the Nunavut Department of Environment’s regional wildlife biologist for the High Arctic, which gave me plenty of experience with wildlife co-management processes and challenging (to say the least) field conditions. I’ve enjoyed applying and expanding that experience in my current role in the Omineca Region.
4. Why are you passionate about wild sheep?
My first exposure to wild sheep was as a student, tracking bighorn sheep in Kootenay National Park. I was immediately intrigued by their fascinating social structures and hardiness in the mountains, but also threats to their well-being due to disease outbreaks, changes to their preferred habit, and death resulting from collisions with vehicles. I later worked with bighorn sheep in Montana and Alberta on projects that linked their movement, behaviour, and genetics with lifetime reproductive success. Sheep are social animals that live in open alpine and grassland environments, so they provide an ideal study system to address these big ecological questions.
5. Favourite parts of your role that affect wild sheep
Wild sheep factor into many aspects of my job. I love that my work gets me outside in amazing places for weeks every year, with varied and challenging fieldwork: identifying and sampling tiny alpine plants; conducting necropsies to determine the cause of sheep deaths; netgunning to deploy radio collars and collect biological samples; and conducting aerial surveys to assess population demographics and abundance. I also enjoy working on the logistics leading up to the fieldwork and the analysis afterwards, which turns all that hard-won raw data into answers that we can actually use. There is so much work that goes on behind the scenes to obtain what a layperson may just see as a few interesting numbers or fun field photos. It’s also been great to see the development of truly collaborative efforts between my team, First Nations, stakeholder groups, other government agencies, and academia. These collaborations draw on everyone’s knowledge and strengths to address wildlife management challenges, which is especially rewarding when wildlife-related issues are divisive. I also get to “talk sheep” when I conduct compulsory inspections of harvested animals—learning about pressures on sheep populations throughout the province and appreciating the variation in the rams that hunters bring in—and I love hearing people’s stories about the sheep they’ve encountered. When rams are illegally harvested, that’s always disheartening, but mostly it’s inspiring to interact with others who are passionate about the lives of wild sheep and the wild places they call home.
6. External influences/ Challenges you face in your job to help average people understand it’s more difficult than it may appear?
Nothing worth doing is ever easy, and wildlife management has never been easy. It’s about supporting healthy populations of wildlife in functional ecosystems, which is hard enough to define, study, and influence. It’s also about social, cultural, economic, and ethical pressures. Every single one of these factors is changing faster than we can predict and fully understand. These are challenges that face all wildlife managers, and manifests in changing priorities for all governments. Wildlife values often fall behind other priorities, even if they are intrinsically linked to human health and economic well-being. Increasingly, however, we see wildlife being considered in decision-making processes. Add in declining levels of scientific literacy and the rapid spread
of misinformation in some quarters, and we certainly have our hands full. The average person will likely never see how hard we had to work for our hard-fought successes.
7. Any comments relating to your appreciation for, or involvement in WSSBC?
The Wild Sheep Society of British Columbia is involved in projects that are redefining how we design, implement, and apply wildlife research. In the Omineca Region, we’ve worked with WSSBC to
leverage relationships, expertise, and funding to initiate and expand projects. WSSBC’s support has also helped ensure that resources are available for the duration of multi-year projects. We all want to see wildlife management measures that draw on the best available information, and WSSBC not only supports immediate management actions and long-term stewardship programs, but also the baseline studies that are needed to inform those policies—and hopefully provide proactive approaches to ensure the resilience of B.C.’s wild sheep.
Bighorn Sheep:
by Larisa Murdoch
ighorn sheep are a hallmark of North America’s rugged landscapes. But, like many wildlife species, their movements are far from random. These animals are experts at navigating the risks and rewards of their environment. From steep mountain slopes to open grasslands, bighorn sheep make deliberate choices about where they spend their time. Understanding these decisions is vital for conserving their populations and the ecosystems they help sustain.
The Balancing Act: Food vs. Fear
Picture a bighorn ewe perched on a steep, rocky slope, scanning her surroundings. Below her, a patch of lush green grass beckons, but reaching
it means venturing farther from her rugged refuge—terrain that deters predators like cougars or coyotes. Every grazing decision involves weighing the benefits of food against the risk of predation.
This constant trade-off is explained by the “Landscape of Fear” theory, which describes how animals perceive and respond to predation risk across their environment. In areas with abundant predators, bighorn sheep prioritize safety, favoring steep, rugged slopes that are difficult for predators to navigate. These escape terrains act as natural fortresses, allowing sheep to detect threats and flee when necessary.
While this strategy enhances survival, it often comes at the cost of reduced foraging efficiency. Avoiding predator-prone areas with high-
quality forage can lead to suboptimal nutrition. Ideally, bighorn sheep would choose areas with abundant, nutritious forage located close to safety, but the reality is rarely so straightforward. Balancing food and safety is at the heart of habitat selection for bighorn sheep.
The Role of Nutrition in Habitat Choice
Food isn’t just fuel for bighorn sheep—it’s a cornerstone of their survival and fitness. Nutrition directly influences their ability to grow, reproduce, and evade predators. For example, ewes with access to highquality forage achieve better body condition, which supports healthier lambs that are more likely to survive and thrive. Lambs are especially vulnerable
during their first few months of life. Born with small bodies and high metabolic demands, they rely entirely on their mothers for protection and nourishment. The habitat choices of ewes during this critical period can mean the difference between life and death for their offspring.
Research shows that lambing habitats—used for birthing and the six weeks following birth—are often located on the steepest slopes available. These areas provide essential protection from predators, supporting lamb survival during their most vulnerable stage.
Seasonal Movements and Strategies
Bighorn sheep adapt their habitat use throughout the year to meet their changing needs. In summer, they migrate to higher elevations where grasses are more abundant. These seasonal movements allow them to maximize their intake of nutritious forage, helping them store energy for the harsh winter months.
In winter, food becomes scarce, and snow often limits access to grazing areas. To conserve energy, bighorn sheep seek south-facing slopes where snow melts faster, exposing patches
of vegetation. These winter habitats are selected not only for forage availability but also for their ability to minimize energy expenditure during tough conditions.
Escape Terrain: A Critical Resource
Few animals are as closely tied to their habitat as bighorn sheep. Their preference for rugged terrain is not merely a matter of convenience—it’s a survival strategy. Escape terrain, characterized by steep slopes with rocky, broken surfaces, provides essential protection against predators.
Studies show that escape terrain is a key predictor of bighorn sheep habitat use. Even when other parts of the landscape offer more abundant forage, sheep often stay close to steep slopes. These areas hinder predator movement and offer clear sightlines, allowing sheep to spot threats early. Interestingly, what qualifies as “ideal” escape terrain can vary between populations and landscapes. While steepness—typically slopes between 60–100%—is crucial, other factors like distance to water, terrain ruggedness, and visibility also play important roles in habitat selection.
Population Health and Habitat Quality
The availability and quality of habitat have profound effects on bighorn sheep populations. Regions with ample steep slopes and abundant forage support healthier, more robust herds. Conversely, areas with limited escape terrain or poor forage quality are often linked to higher mortality rates and lower reproductive success. However, habitat quality alone doesn’t guarantee survival. Individual sheep make decisions based on immediate needs, which can sometimes lead them into risky situations. For instance, a ewe and her lamb may venture into predator-prone grasslands in search of high-quality forage. If a predator attacks, the ewe is more likely to escape, leaving the lamb vulnerable to predation.
A Changing Landscape
As climate change and human development continue to reshape ecosystems, bighorn sheep face growing challenges. Rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and expanding human activity are shifting the availability and quality of their habitats. Seasonal migrations, which are already finely tuned to environmental conditions, may become increasingly difficult as resources shift or disappear. Despite these challenges, bighorn sheep have shown resilience in the past. Their specialized habitat
References:
Larisa Murdoch grew up in Ottawa, Ontario before moving west to complete her Bachelor of Science at the University of Victoria. She completed an undergraduate project studying the denning behaviour of African Wild Dogs in Zululand, South Africa, which sparked her interest in research. She is currently a student at Thompsons River University in Kamloops working on her Master of Environmental Science, where she is partnered with WSSBC, the Ministry of Water Land and Resource Stewardship, Tk’emlups, and Skeetchestn’ Indian Band investigating bighorn habitat selection with lambs. When Larisa is not focused on her thesis, she enjoys outside exploring new places, snowboarding, reading, and volunteering with the WSSBC!
requirements and strong site fidelity make them uniquely adapted to their environments. By studying the links between habitat selection and population health, scientists can better predict how bighorn sheep will respond to future changes—and take steps to ensure their survival.
Why It Matters
Bighorn sheep are more than just an iconic species—they play a vital role in their ecosystems. Their grazing patterns influence plant communities, and their presence supports predators like cougars. Understanding why bighorn sheep choose specific habitats isn’t just about preserving a single species; it’s about maintaining the
balance of entire ecosystems.
Conserving bighorn sheep requires a comprehensive understanding of their habitat needs. Protecting critical areas such as lambing grounds and escape terrain is essential for their survival. From their steep mountain refuges to the grassy valleys below, bighorn sheep navigate a delicate dance of survival, shaped by the interplay of food, fear, and fitness. By studying these majestic animals and the environments they depend on, scientists and wildlife managers can better protect bighorn sheep in an era of rapid environmental change. Ultimately, ensuring their survival isn’t just about conservation—it’s about safeguarding the natural heritage of North America for generations to come.
Alvarez-Cárdenas, S., Guerrero-Cárdenas, I., Dıaz, S., Galina-Tessaro, P., & Gallina, S. (2001). The variables of physical habitat selection by the desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis weemsi) in the Sierra del Mechudo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Journal of Arid Environments, 49(2), 357- 374.
Bangs, P. D., Krausman, P. R., Kunkel, K. E., & Parsons, Z. D. (2005). Habitat use by desert bighorn sheep during lambing. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 51(3), 178–184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-005-0098-8
DeCesare, N. J., & Pletscher, D. H. (2006). MOVEMENTS, CONNECTIVITY, AND RESOURCE SELECTION OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIGHORN SHEEP. Journal of Mammalogy, 87(3), 531–538. https://doi.org/10.1644/05-MAMM-A-259R1.1
Festa-Bianchet, M. (1988). Seasonal range selection in bighorn sheep: conflicts between forage quality, forage quantity, and predator avoidance. Oecologia, 75, 580-586.
Laundré, J. W., Hernández, L., & Altendorf, K. B. (2001). Wolves, elk, and bison: Reestablishing the “landscape of fear” in Yellowstone National Park, U.S.A. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 79(8), 1401–1409. https://doi.org/10.1139/z01-094
t was late December 2020 when I started thinking about getting into sheep hunting. I am a passionate mule deer hunter and had recently been spending more and more trips into the back country looking for mature deer. I soon realized that the alpine is where my passion was going to take me and with that, my eyes were opened up to multiple other hunting dreams I had never even thought of.
I saw a posting on Facebook about the sheep show, the fact that it would be remote this year due to the Covid pandemic and you did not need to be present to win the <1. I had looked into it the year previous but knowing I would not be able to go to the sheep show detoured me from entering. This year I decided why not?!
I entered the drawing and sat down on the night of January 15th to have dinner with my wife and daughter. I knew the draw was coming up so I put the laptop on the dining room table and watched as we all ate. Right before the names started to be called out for the <1, I asked my daughter Kenley to sit on my lap and be my good luck charm (knowing all along I was not going to be drawn).
They called out the first name and then they were calling out the 3rd and final spot. “Great, from British Columbia...” My computer froze and I had no idea whose name was called. I rebooted and jumped back on but it was too late. I didn’t think much of it as the chance of winning in my mind was negligible. Just then I received a Facebook message from Kyle Stelter, “Dude Congrats.” I was not sure what to think! Did they call my name? Right then a message popped up from an old friend Joe Humphries, “you who won the sheep hunt? You’re kidding me!” I phoned my dad and told him what I thought had happened, he was as excited as I was and I told him “You have to come with me!” but I still did not know for sure. Finally, I received the phone call confirming my luck! From that point on my adventure began, there was lots of stress about Covid and travel from Canada to the
United States, how much money it was going to cost and so forth but I won’t bore everyone with all that. On to the hunt and an epic adventure I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world!
Friday, August 6th was a very early wake-up call as we drove into Vancouver to catch our flights, we landed in Fairbanks Alaska and then hopped onto another flight into Cold foot Alaska, 60 miles north of the Arctic circle. It’s basically a truck stop for people driving the Dalton highway to Prudhoe Bay. From there, we took a flight on Coyote Air into base camp which was amazing.
The Brooks Range is a sight to see, especially on a bluebird day at the beginning of August! We finally saw our first Dall sheep as we passed through the mountain range and I can remember how excited I was just to get a chance to see them!
We landed on a river bank at about 11:30 am and it was in the high 20 degrees Celcius, met our guides, and the camp cook and settled into our base camp. The next day would be August 9th and the opener was not until the 10th so we planned to go and scout out some areas for the day. We took the mules in along the river to multiple different drainages; this is where we jumped off and it literally was all uphill from there—straight uphill!
I wasn’t in as good of shape as I had planned to be for this trip but I had trained and hiked into some of my alpine mule deer areas prior to our hunt and thought “no problem.” Well, the range we were in it was not like we had to hike any higher than we do on our deer hunt but the pitch was sure a lot steeper. With every step it felt like you gained a metre and after the first day I was worried I wouldn’t be able to keep up!
By day 3, it was like my legs remembered what they were meant for and the climbs seemed to come as a challenge but we were all going at a good pace. We had not yet found a legal ram but had seen groups of ewes and lambs and near the end of the day, we came across a group of 3 rams but the oldest was maybe 6. As we
headed down the drainage, we jumped back on the horses and headed to where our spike camp would be for the night. We came around the bend and I noticed something was out of place. “What is that colour? It’s moving? Bear!” I yelled to the guide.
There was a beautiful Grizzly only 50 yards ahead of us on the side of the trail. We jumped off the horses quickly as we were not sure how they would react and this was the first time in many years either my dad or I had sat on a horse and probably only our second or third time ever.
In all the years I have spent hunting, very little of that time was in populated grizzly country and I had never been so close. The bear ran about 10 yards in the other direction and then stood on his hind legs trying to figure us out. It wasn’t until Eric got to about 35 yards away that he finally got up and ran off. What an amazing sight! I was excited and Eric (our guide) explained that it was a nice interior bear that probably squared over 7’.
We moved on to spike camp and spent the next day checking out a drainage called quartz creek. On the way up we ran into a bog. Eric told us to wait while he went through with his mule to see how bad it was. Dad and I watched as he held on while the mule bucked his way through the bog at about the depth of the belly of the mule.
“Turn around and go around the Bog,” Eric yelled back at us. “It’s deep and the mules will go crazy,” I tried to get my mule to turn around but as I pulled on the reigns, he pulled back as if to say “too late buddy, we’re going through!” And with that, he headed straight into the bog.
All I could do was hold on for dear life and pray I didn’t fall off! Thankfully, we made it through and I turned around to see if my dad had to go through the same fate. Luckily for him, his mule did not seem as stubborn and turn around so they got to watch the show and have a laugh at my expense—I’m not a cowboy.
We didn’t see any sheep that day, besides the common ones, in the closed zone where I would sit and glass for
an hour each night just to soak in as much of the experience as I could but we did see another grizzly and some beautiful caribou sheds.
On day 5, the weather had come back to normal temperatures and there were some clouds moving in. We had decided we were going to head back to the drainage where we saw the 3 smaller rams as we had not seen anything in the other directions that made us want to head back.
We rode down the river about 2 kilometres, crossed over and climbed up the first bench to a good spot where we could tie up the mules for the day. As we unpacked the mules and got ready for our hike, Eric decided to do a quick glass of all the surrounding mountains, “Sheep!” I heard Eric say, “Ryan, get out your spotter.”
I had just picked up a Swarovski ATX with a 95mm lens from Omer at Precision Optics a month before my trip and everyone wanted to use it! They were Rams! “At least 5
rams and 9 sheep in total are about 6 kilometres away. Hard to tell from here if they are legal but we better repack and head over as this looks like our best chance!” So, we packed everything up jumped on the mules and headed SW towards the ridge we saw them on.
I forgot to mention that the night before, my mule had some saddle sores so today I was ridding a new mule. As we crossed the river approaching the base of the mountain it started to rain and I reached back into my saddle bag—as I had done on previous days—and pulled out my rain jacket. As I did this, my mule took off like a bolt of lightning! I tried to pull on the one reign to put her into a spin but I didn’t do a good enough job and before I knew it, I was on the ground. Luckily, I landed on the thirds which was much softer than the river bank but it still knocked the wind out of me pretty good. This was all my fault as we had been told many
times not to do things like this as it could startle the mules but my previous mule didn’t seem to mind at all and I didn’t think about the fact I was on a new one today.
We settled everything down, loaded up the pieces that had gone flying and finished our ride up to the dry creek bed. Here we would tie up the mules and begin our hike. After about 2 or 3 hours we had reached the ridge, we last saw the sheep on and started to climb out of the drainage, picking our way slowly, always glassing and trying to determine where we were in relation to where we had last seen the sheep.
Eric and I were moving ahead with my dad slightly behind us to keep our movements down as much as possible. As Eric went to make a move up to my right, I noticed something to my left, “Eric stop!” I whispered, “Get down.” There was what I thought was a lamb at 50 yards from us but I could only see its head.
We crouched down. I explained what I had seen and we decided we better get
up and inch forward to see what we could see. I was starting to get excited and was definitely ready but as we inched forward, we realized the sheep was gone.
We kept creeping upwards, as we were still 500 yards from the top of the bench, but we were watching all the ridges around us as we moved forward in case we pushed the sheep out.
I remember looking over at the next ridge and thinking how amazing this country was and at that moment I caught movement. “What’s that on the very top of the ridge?” I asked Eric. “A ram,” he replied. There was no way to directly get to the ram and it was too far for a shot. As we glassed, we noticed there were at least 3 rams over there but could those be our rams? Seemed like a long way for them to go and they were headed in this direction. Eric said we needed to focus as if they were not the rams we spotted. They could be just up over the hill. We will keep an eye on those ones but let’s focus ahead of us.
We made our way to the top of the bench and spotted a ewe bedded across the valley but no other sheep! Where did they go!?
I was a little disappointed but just then we realized, those other rams had made their way around the rim and were headed our way, now only 600 or 700 yards from us and there were 5 of them! We did not have a good enough vantage to tell if any were legal but to get to where we could get a better vantage, we had to take a sheep trail across a steep shale slide. We decided to keep our numbers down to limit movement and noise so my dad stayed back on the side of the ridge top while Eric and I made our way across.
Once on the other side of the shale slide, we spotted a single ram bedded facing towards us. He seemed to be the lookout so, we had to drop some elevation and work our way around out of sight. Eric stuck his head up over the edge and I watched as he froze, from his side he stuck back his hand to tell me to stop. Neither of us moved for at least 5
minutes until Eric slowly crawled back to Me and said, “I can see them all, they’re about 200 yards out but I need to make sure the one is legal.”
He wanted me to stay back behind him as one head sticking out of the top skylit was bad enough. I begrudgingly agreed as I wanted more than anything just to see them!
Several minutes passed by and then I would hear the odd banging, I thought to myself, “That has to be sheep smashing heads together.” When Eric came back to me a couple minutes later, he confirmed my thoughts were right. “Damn!” I really wanted to see that but knew it was more important to be patient and let Eric judge the sheep. An hour passed but the one sheep Eric was focused on had not given him a good chance to count rings, he was short of full curl so we had to be sure. As we waited the sheep started to move, eventually. They were moving out of site and we had to slowly
follow them into a new drainage. Another hour passed and we had just confirmed the one was legal when they spooked at 150 years! They ran across the drainage and stopped on the opposing hill, “303 yards,” Eric called out. I took a good rest on my pack. “Second from the top,” I confirmed. “You bet,” and with that I touched off. BOOM! the valley echoed with the sound of my Sako 7mm rem mag going off. I thought it was a hit—the sheep scattered but only ran 20 yards or so—My sheep ran back towards me and stopped. “289,” called Eric. BOOM! I let off another shot but saw the rock dust fly and knew I missed high. I reloaded and let off another shot as he did not move. “Good hit,” called Eric, but he was still standing. BOOM! My fourth shot rang out and I saw dust fly again! “Over him,” I had one shot left and had to settle down quickly as I touched off. This shot anchored the monarch and he dropped right where he was, the
other rams all scattered but were not sure what to do as he was clearly the lead ram.
“Wahoo!” Came a cry echoing through the valley. My dad had seen everything after the first shot unfold from his vantage point and was already packing up the gear to head our way.
The country was steep but when we finally made our way over to him, I was filled with excitement, achievement and thankfulness. I knew right then, this would not be the last sheep hunt I would go on and want to continue to do this for the rest of my life.
We counted up the annuli and figured he was 11 years old. A true monarch regardless of the score, as the fact that this sheep had been through the toughest of conditions and managed to live this long was truly amazing. We decided to walk out of the
drainage we were in as it clearly connects to the main drainage we came up. Once we hit the main drainage, we started to go through some small waterfalls that were slippery and steep enough going down, we knew it would be next to impossible to go back up.
A slight sense of nervousness came over us as we hit the next waterfall. It was almost midnight and although it doesn’t get dark in this part of Alaska until around 2 am, we hadn’t reached our point where we originally headed up the mountain and now there was a 10’ waterfall we had to go down. We discussed and all decided we had to be close and it didn’t look that bad. (Wrong choice) We made it down the waterfall and around the corner. Full stop, a 30+ foot waterfall was now in front of us with no way to scale down—the only way to go now was straight up.
We worked our way up the drainage side about halfway to the top when full darkness set in. At this point, the pitch was extreme and our footing was less than perfect. We debated what to do as we could not find a safe route and ended up deciding to pull out the emergency blankets. We would sleep on the ledge until light or at least attempt to!
It was steep enough of a ledge that I pinched myself between the face of the mountain and 2 larger boulders so that if I fell asleep and moved around, I hopefully wouldn’t start to slide.
We made it through the very cold night and were up once the light was good enough to see foot and hand holds. At this time, we found a path and made it up around and back to the mules by 7:30 am. What a long but fulfilling day!
I saddled my mule, packed my gear and jumped up. I told Eric, “My saddle feels loose.” He tightened it up and all seemed well until about 5 minutes
down the trail. As we turned a corner on the trail, my saddle loosened up immensely and rolled without warning! Down I went for a second time on this trip but this time my face was met with a rock! There was a bright flash of white and my ears immediately began to ring.
I jumped up as fast as I could and turned to my dad. “How bad is it?” I asked. He had already jumped off his mule and was right there. “Not too bad,” he said. “But let’s clean it up.” By now I could feel the blood running down my face and dripping off my nose onto my jacket. “Damn!” I thought or maybe it was another word but I won’t write that here. It was a good split that could have used multiple stitches but last I checked, there was no emergency room to go wait in for 5 hours and get patched up in the middle of the Brooks Range so we cleaned it up as best we could and bandaged it well for the remaining ride back to base camp.
We were back at base camp by 11 am and had sheep for lunch by 12—it was amazing! This entire adventure was something most people will only dream about and I wish everyone would be as lucky as I was that midJanuary evening and again on August 14th to harvest this ram.
We met so many nice, genuine people through this adventure and got to experience the wild to its fullest. I may never harvest another sheep in my life and that’s ok if I don’t but I will have more adventures like this— hopefully for years to come and with my dad by my side.
I learned most of what I know about hunting and the outdoors from my dad and he learned most of what he knows from my grandfather. The fact that my dad was able to join me on this adventure is something that made it all that much more special—we lost my grandfather last year. he was 85 years old and had an amazing life as a true outdoorsman. It makes me happy
to know we got to share our stories of this adventure with him and show him all the amazing pictures as he reflected on stories from his past adventures. In closing, I can not thank my wife Julie enough, for making it possible for me to go on this trip— looking after our 2 young daughters and moving us into our new home by herself while I was off on an adventure. The Wild Sheep Society, the Wild Sheep Foundation, Alaska Hunting Expeditions, Brush Country Studios and all the other supporters for giving me the opportunity to go on this amazing adventure. I will always continue to support these groups and do what I can to give back to conservation.
What the foundations and societies do for wild sheep and others species is so important, we need to make sure we do all we can to support them and work together to be ambassadors for wildlife.
heep hunting is not just a pursuit; it’s a test of endurance, discipline, determination, and passion. For us, it was the culmination of a year’s worth of planning, preparation, and conditioning for our first sheep hunt. We knew it would be brutal, but we were ready for whatever nature threw our way.
Our adventure began on July 31st, 2024, and ended on August 8th, 2024. Over the course of our 9-day hunt, we hiked more than 65 kilometres and gained and lost over 6,000 metres of elevation. The mountains tested us in ways we couldn’t have imagined. We encountered snow, rain, hail, wind, frost, and blistering heat—and everything in between. From creek bottoms to mountain tops, the terrain humbled us, but it also rewarded us with moments of raw beauty and silence.
On the morning of day four, Trevor first spotted the ram. High above us, moving across a weather-worn mountain-top shale slope, like a ghost on the jagged cliffs, it seemed almost unreachable. It took us eight grueling hours to climb those daunting slopes, fighting through dense underbrush and slick rock faces. When we finally
reached the ridge, the ram was nowhere in sight. We were drained physically, but cautiously optimistic. That evening, after setting up camp, we relocated the ram. He was grazing on lupines before lying down to bask in the evening sun, giving us time to capture clear footage to confirm that he was, in fact, a fullcurl ram and met our personal age minimum of 8. As he headed to bed down for the night, we were confident that we had the footage necessary to make the right decision.
Back at camp, we confirmed he was 9 years old, with both lamb tips and two inches past full curl—this was it. This was my ram!
so we backed off and began our descent, hoping for a better opportunity later.
As we trekked down, I couldn’t resist one last look. The fog parted just enough, and there he was, standing on a high ledge, staring back at us with wary eyes. In a blink, he was gone again, retreating into the cliffs. It was a fleeting moment, but it fueled our determination.
The next morning, we glassed the area where we had last seen him, but the weather turned against us. Light rain and thick clouds obscured everything. Just as we were about to pack up, there he was—emerging from the fog like a monarch of the mountain. Before we could fully take him in, he vanished, swallowed by the fog. The wind wasn’t in our favour,
For a day and a half, we didn’t see him again. Each step we took felt like it might bring us closer, yet the mountain remained silent. But on day six, our patience paid off. We spotted the ram again, but this time, he wasn’t alone. A young sentinel ram stood guard beside him, constantly alert, unwilling to let us approach.
Before we knew it, they had circled around us and made their way back toward the cliffs. It was a blow, but we refused to be discouraged. Every time we thought we’d lost him; he reappeared in the most unexpected ways. Winds shifted. The light changed. And we kept watching, learning, adapting.
For four days, we observed, studied, and strategized. There were moments we thought we’d spooked him, when we feared our chance had slipped away, but we never gave up. The mountains demand patience, and we were learning that this hunt wouldn’t be won by haste, but by waiting for the right moment. Each day, we saw the ram again, never straying far from the cliffs where we first saw him.
When we weren’t focused on my ram, we made several trips to the valley bottom to replenish our water supply and pick up more food from our cache. We also spent many hours behind the spotting scope, glassing other sheep, goats, moose, and caribou. Watching these animals thrive in their natural habitat makes you realize their intelligence and strength. On the evening of day eight, there he was, lying in the same spot as when we originally found him on the first night, basking in the evening sunlight. We stalked to 220 yards, and I watched him through my scope for
over an hour, waiting for the perfect moment. Finally, he stood. With a steady hand and a determined heart, I squeezed the trigger. The rifle’s sound echoed through the mountains, and for a moment, everything went still. The ram bolted, running 20 yards before collapsing to the ground. Victory—after days of relentless pursuit—was ours.
Throughout the night, under clear skies and bright stars, we worked
tirelessly on the ram—skinning, deboning, and salting the hide. While finishing up the head just after 3 am, we paused with tired eyes to watch the early orange glow of sunrise on the horizon against a lazy green band of aurora. One of my favourite photos from the trip was taken at that moment: the silhouette of the ram’s head and myself atop the mountain, framed by the glow of sunrise on the horizon and the stars and northern lights above.
Upon returning to camp early in the morning, we eagerly devoured our FreshTrek meals for breakfast—the same meals we had planned to eat as supper the night before. Never has chicken curry tasted so good at 6 am! Exhaustion soon set in, and we managed only a couple of hours of restless sleep. By mid-morning, we were up, camp was broken down, and everything was loaded into our packs alongside the ram. We ditched whatever unnecessary food and water weight we could to lighten the load.
The first challenge was a 700-metre near vertical drop over the first kilometre
of our 16-kilometre trek out. Every step on that steep descent was grueling, with our heels absorbing the brunt of the force. The rest of the hike followed a gentler slope along a creek, but it was still tough. Despite having taped our feet and worn nylons under our socks to prevent blisters or hotspots earlier in the trip, our heels were in rough shape by the end. Adding to the difficulty was the heat—it was approximately 30 degrees Celsius, the hottest day of the trip by far. Fortunately, the creek was a welcoming retreat to cool our feet, heads, and sheep meat along the way. I lost count of how many packs of fruit snacks, meat bars, and electrolyte mixes we consumed, but we burned through every calorie they provided.
The weight of our packs on the way out was a stark contrast to the lightness of our hearts. We carried the rewards of the hunt, but it was the mental and emotional strain that truly defined the journey. The physical challenge was immense, but it was the mental grit,
the unshakable belief that we could endure, that made the difference. None of this would have been possible without the support of friends who pushed us to train harder, plan smarter, and prepare for everything the mountains could throw at us. Their wisdom and experience in sheep country laid the foundation of our success. They taught us how to read the land, approach the hunt with respect, and embrace the challenges.
The sheep aging session at the WSSBC Northern Fundraiser in February 2024 was an incredible learning opportunity for us. Later that year, we attended another session in Fort St. John.
Handling and examining a variety of ram horns while discussing with biologists greatly enhanced our understanding and ability to make informed decisions about rams in the wild.
The mountains are beautiful, but they do not forgive weakness. They challenge you, humble you, and, if you’re fortunate, reward you. This hunt, and the ram it yielded, will always be etched in our hearts—not just for the success, but for the journey that made it possible.
Sheep hunting isn’t for everyone. It demands everything—every ounce of strength, every measure of patience, and every moment of clarity. But for those who feel its call, it becomes part of you, a part of your soul that stays long after the hunt ends. In the end, it isn’t the trophy that matters most, but the journey. And for us, that journey was everything.
Journey to My First Hunt
by Melanie Stelter
tanding with my rifle resting on the shooting sticks, my arms feel unstable with no foundation beneath. Staring down my scope the reticles are dancing in the glass.
I hear our guide behind me, “Anytime you’re ready Mel.”
My husband, Kyle, standing behind and slightly to the right quietly says “Take your time Mel.”
Looking through my scope at the
buck standing two hundred and twenty-five yards in front of me with three does to the side of him, and I still cannot get control of the reticles.
I hear our guide again and his voice has a tinge of angst, “Anytime Mel.”
This is followed by Kyle repeating for me to take my time.
Deep breath in... slow breath out...
Growing up, our family moved several times within western Canada, predominantly living in cities. Although we spent a great deal of
time outdoors, hunting and shooting was not something our family engaged in. It wasn’t until I met my husband, Kyle, that I was exposed to hunting and eating wild meat. I never accompanied Kyle on any of his hunting trips for two reasons; first, I was busy raising our sons and second, I had no interest.
Fast forward twenty-three years, both of our sons left for university and I find myself in transition-from being a stayat-home mom—aka full-time family manager—to rediscovering me. Around
this time, I attended the Wild Sheep Foundation Women Hunt® seminar at the Basecamp Studio held at the Sheep Show in Reno, Nevada. I sat and listened to the panel of women who participated in the 2021 Women Hunt® program. Each had a compelling story to share of their journey and I was totally engrossed in hearing their experiences. I recall thinking what an incredible program and great opportunity for women interested in hunting. The idea that I could locally source organic sustainable free range protein for myself and my family was empowering to me. Looking back now, this was the beginning of my journey. Over a year later, I was invited to participate in the Women Hunt® Women of Industry-Field to Fork™ course. This was a new program under the WSF Women Hunt® umbrella created for individuals working in the hunting, conservation and outdoors industry that have little to no hunting experience. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend due to flight and work constraints. As luck would have it, the course was postponed until May of 2024. Boarding my flight for San Antonio in early May I had no idea what to expect and what lay ahead. Little did I know my experience in the program at the FTW Ranch would be life changing. You are probably reading this and thinking—sounds like a cliché—and I am sure it does. However, truth be told, I was taken aback and stunned at just how much the program affected me personally. Lucky for you, that is another story. Kyle surprised me and had booked a pronghorn antelope hunt for October with Silver Sage Outfitters in Alberta. I suddenly felt nervous. Now I had to actually “hunt” an animal. As the date for our hunt drew near, there were nights I couldn’t sleep so, I would research and study pronghorn antelope, their habitat, physical features and studied charts on shooting big game. I watched several videos and wondered if I would be able to successfully harvest North America’s fastest land animal. I felt pressure, from no one but myself.
The night before our hunt, I packed, unpacked and packed my Stone Glacier day pack, and laid out what I was going to wear. I had no idea how cold I was going to be. Understand I am the person still wearing my parka at the end of May (early June on the west coast). We are being picked up at our hotel by our guide at 6:00 am. Early Tuesday morning after a night of tossing and turning, walking down the stairs of the hotel to the foyer with my stomach in knots, I felt nervous but excited for what lay ahead. It is still dark out as we load our bags and rifles into the truck. I sit in the backseat, cozy in my new Sitka gear. Our guide tells us they have spotted a buck for Kyle and would like him to shoot first. The location was on a small chunk of private property they had permission to go on. Kyle stated he would like me to have the first
shot. I, on the other hand, was happy to back the guide and have Kyle go first. In my mind, I am thinking if I miss or it takes me a long time to find a buck, I did not want Kyle to miss an opportunity to harvest a pronghorn antelope.
At day break we are at the property glassing the buck they had previously spotted for Kyle. I love this time of the morning, where the world is not quite awake and the air is filled with the early sounds of nature. They plan their stalk and Kyle heads up the grassy knoll.
As I watched Kyle and his guide hike towards the buck, I felt my legs begin to tremble—not from the crisp fall air but from the reality of what is going to transpire. I stayed back with my guide a half mile away from where Kyle’s buck was. My guide was looking through the spotter and shortly after 8:00 am he said to me, “he’s down.” This was followed by the sound of the rifle shot. I
was surprised as I was not expecting the sound to travel more slowly than the bullet in the environment we were in. After gutting the animal and preparing for transport, it’s my turn, and we head on our way to find my pronghorn antelope.
For the rest of the morning, we drive around the countryside, stopping to glass pronghorn in the fields. There is something so graceful and elegant in their movements that is mesmerizing to me. We came across a buck laying alone in the tall grass. He was beautiful with large horns and dark protruding eyes, ever alert to our presence. We circled around but could not reach him as he was at a high vantage point and there was no opportunity to sneak up on him. So, we continued on our way.
We were driving along a gas well road and spotted more pronghorn. We stopped to glass from inside the truck. There was one buck with three does walking towards us. As they get closer, our guide tells us that it is a good-sized buck. We continue watching and they are now one hundred yards from us and our guide repeats himself that it is a good-sized
buck. I listen and continue to observe the herd.
The buck is now within eighty yards and passing in front of us and our guide turns and says to me, “Wow, I don’t know any resident hunter that would pass that up. Good for you for letting it go.”
Remember that besides my training at the FTW Ranch in Texas, I have never accompanied Kyle or anyone on a hunt. I am a new hunter and not necessarily familiar with hunting etiquette regarding this particular situation. I pipe up and tell our guide this is my first hunt, and I am not sure as to what is expected of me in this moment and do not know what I should do. I let him know I appreciate any direction he can provide. He asks for my permission to go full guide on me. I wholeheartedly welcomed this, it’s go time!
The buck and his harem take off running to the south of us. Our guide asks if I have experience shooting on sticks. I have no experience so we get out of the vehicle and he adjusts the shooting sticks to my height and provides instruction as to what I need to do. Feeling comfortable we
then hop back in the truck to go in the direction of my buck.
We walk and position ourselves just over two hundred yards away from the buck. As Kyle and our guide assist me with my set up, the buck has his head down grazing, unaware, but the does are alert to our presence.
Deep breath in... slow breath out... the voices behind me fall silent. Staring down my scope, the reticles slow their dance to a stop. Feeling steady, I flick the safety off, deep breath in, slow breath out...
“He’s down!”
Sitting on the cool prairie ground, my head down, I let my hand rest on the lifeless animal that moments ago was grazing the grass. I am filled with a quietness with no sounds of words. Conflicting emotions tug at me, one of sadness for taking a life and the momentum leading to this event, and yet another feeling of calm and coming full circle. I feel as though there is a stillness in the air and yet, life carries on.
For me, this is the beginning of the next chapter in my journey, as I continue to embrace the lifelong learning of hunting, and look forward to what lies ahead, one step at a time.
by Coley Gentzel
n my version of a perfect world, there would be no off-season when it comes to hunting—no mandatory timeout between one “hunting season” and the next. One epic hunt would lead seamlessly into another as I moved about the hills, the country, and perhaps the world in search of the next quarry and experience. Dreamy as that may sound, reality paints a different picture for most of us. Even if we had the time and resources to travel the globe without hindrance or obligation, like it or not, winter in the mountains is often brutal, and hunting the high country just isn’t a reasonable possibility every day, week, or month of the year. Add in the fact that most of us have loved ones, jobs, and other adult responsibilities that don’t allow us to follow every whim and idea that pops into our head (thank goodness), and most of us find ourselves looking forward to a couple of trips a year and a somewhat structured hunting season. For the vast majority here in North America, this season comes in late summer and early fall as the sun’s angle starts to slack out, the colors begin to change, and the countdown to dark and cold is nearing the final phase.
So what about the off-season… winter? What about those of us who may not be able to travel to places farther from home when the going gets tough in our backyard or take a trip somewhere exotic to warmer climes to dry out, warm up, and hunt something outside out of the ordinary? What about this time between seasons, when most of us dream about being back in the hills but have a lot of long, dark days before the next hunt? Winter can be a great time to chase predators and small game if you are into that sort of thing. As someone who primarily hunts for meat, I tend to be after grade-A groceries more often than not and want to maximize the fun factor by getting them when the getting is good — warmer, better weather, longer days, etc. As such, my annual plan typically revolves around a clearly defined hunting season and then off-season, where I plan, dream, train, fish, and try not to get too out of shape.
As a long-time mountain guide, I always said it to my guests when they asked me what they should be doing to train for mountain climbing. Climbing, of course, was the answer. There is no substitute for doing the thing that you are training for as training. If you are training for a marathon, run. If you are training for the Tour de France, ride your bike. If you want to become a better mountain hunter, hike uphill with a backpack on as often as you can while giving some consideration to other essential skills like marksmanship, spotting animals, etc. Easy right? I have often been accused of being a great over-simplifier. Please forgive me.
In my past life as a mountaineer and climber, there was no off-season, just different seasons in the mountains that required different approaches, clothing and gear considerations, nutrition, planning, weather watching, and enduring varying amounts of suck. I enjoyed staying in tune with the changing seasons in the mountains, seeing the
annual snowpack build, recede, and build again as the sun cycle carried on, with no concern for anything else. The mountains were a constant, and my changes and adaptations seemed more subtle than the town-to-mountains transition these days. More recently, I feel disconnected from what is happening up there, and my re-entry into the alpine environment can seem harsh, unfamiliar, and at times even unfriendly. Sometimes, it feels like I am losing touch and out of sync. This connection to an awareness of the alpine environment, this feeling of being a symbiotic part of the environment rather than at odds with it, is hugely important for succeeding and staying safe in the mountains. To be good mountain hunters, we must first be good at being in the mountains.
So, having officially wound down my hunting season, I have turned my mind back to reality. One that unfortunately includes an off-season, and I am gearing up for another long, dark, cold winter. For those that may be in a similar spot due to work, weather, or simply being out of fun tokens for now, here are some things that we can all do to stay outside, connected to the mountains, in shape as we check days off the calendar until hunting season begins again.
I am fortunate to live at the base of the Chugach Mountains in Southcentral Alaska, and I have an abundance of easily accessed alpine trails in my backyard. In the shoulder seasons (just after the snow melts and just before it flies again), I often find myself out for day hikes with a lightish backpack on, trying to maintain some base level of fitness. Typically, my hunting season wraps up in October or early November. I have yet to take advantage of the local blacktail deer population, whose rut peaks in November and
continues through December. One of these days… Fall can be a perfect time to keep logging miles and spend some time refining your cool weather, high-output clothing systems, footwear, and equipment. Fall can also be a great time to observe wildlife in pre-, post-, or active rut behavior and learn more about your desired object without the pressure of trying to take some meat home. I have always believed in the importance of being a student.
Every outing, conversation, and time we put our eyes on the hills is a new chance to learn something and get better. I have always considered myself low on natural talent but high on motivation and desire to learn and improve. These quick trips into the foothills are great opportunities to do just that, not to mention to stay in shape. I am also fortunate to have a fair amount of wildlife in the places I can hike, and I like to keep my spotting and stalking skills tuned up while exercising. Though a rifle might not be an option, consider grabbing a camera and getting close (safety first) to some wildlife. Some of my favorite wildlife trophies are photos of animals that I simply watched and photographed. As mentioned earlier, exercise without a high fun factor doesn’t work well for me. Tossing on a pack, grabbing my trail running shoes, some light layers, and my binos after work, and hitting a local trail is fun and good training for my brain and body. Not everyone has a backyard hill with wildlife, but find ways to make your
local terrain or staircase more interesting. Invite a buddy or two, start a competition, etc.
Alpine ski touring (aka ski touring or randonée) is a fantastic form of entertainment in and of itself, even if you are not just looking at it as a way to stay in shape. For those that might not be familiar, alpine touring or randonée is alpine skiing that uses boots, bindings, and climbing skins (traction devices on the bottom of the skis) in combination with a pair of fairly typical downhill skis to both ascend and then descend ski slopes. The bindings and boots move like cross-country skis on the way up and then lock down like an alpine setup for the descent. Randonée was born, as with most things mountaineering, in the French Alps as a method of locomotion to get around in the mountains and to climb and ski off of peaks. Having an alpine touring setup and being well-versed in the techniques and safety could also benefit the hunting world. Alpine touring skis are often used here in Alaska on lateseason goat and caribou hunts, where some method of snow flotation and locomotion is needed, but motorized access is not allowed. These setups can be highly efficient on flat ground and in steep terrain. They can work with various footwear, from ski touring/ski boots to mountaineering or hiking boots. If hauling gear and meat, several methods exist for rigging sleds to tow while skiing or snowshoeing.
Showshoeing
The dialogue between skiers and snowshoers is much like the one between skiers and snowboarders. Insert your token insults about arrogant elitists vs. knuckle dragging knuckleheads, etc. There is no difference in this conversation, and now that I think about it, with skiers being the common denominator, perhaps they are the problem after all? Toss a split boarder into the mix, and things get even weirder. I still have my snowshoes, which serve a purpose, but I hope I never have to use them again, though I certainly will. Snowshoes fill a niche and are an excellent tool for specific applications in the backcountry. I just don’t like them
because, compared to skis, they are slow, loud, awkward, and slow compared to skiing in most terrain. Did I mention slow? How about loud? They are affordable and more user-friendly (bushwacking, carrying long distances, etc.) compared to an alpine touring rig, so they have a place. In the late winter or early spring, I often snowshoe around local terrain, scouting for moose sign, and looking for shed antlers while fighting tangles of alders, willows, and Devil’s Club. Shed hunting is an excellent way to stay connected to the seasonal movements of animals, find a few goodies to take home, and get some exercise and fresh air. Although winter sign doesn’t always translate to summer activity and locations for animals, a few times while out shed hunting in the spring, I’ve encountered signs of summer activity in areas I had previously thought to only be winter habitat. This “off-season” scouting prospected a pretty sweet moose hunting spot that turned up three legal bulls the first summer I hunted it.
Cross Country/Skate Skiing
Cross-country and skate skiing are both favorite pastimes for people in the mountain culture and shouldn’t be overlooked for training or fun. The movement can be slow and leisurely or as aerobic as anything you have ever done. Pick your pace and slope angle for your desired workout, and get ready to sweat. I enjoy skate skiing to classic style as the movement feels more ergonomic and fluid. The initial investment in a pair of skis, poles, and boots doesn’t have to be huge, and it doesn’t take a ton of snow to get the local trails opened and groomed. Crust skiing in the spring through the forests or on the still-frozen rivers can be an absolute riot. This type of skiing isn’t a method of true mountain locomotion as it works best on flat ground and moderate ups and downs, but it is good physical conditioning and good outside fun. There must be some applicability to hunting, right? Look at biathlon, cross-country skiing and shooting stuff, for crying out loud. A match made in heaven?
Avalanche Safety
I would be remiss in recommending winter training topics like skiing and snowshoeing without discussing safety. A while back, we ran an article on avalanche safety. I can’t stress the importance of avalanche safety and awareness when it comes to getting around in the mountains in winter. Anywhere there is snow, there is the potential for avalanche, and it doesn’t take a lot of snow to bury you for good. A greatly simplified summary of what you need to know to stay alive in avalanche terrain is the following, and a simple pneumonic brings it home: Five to Stay Alive:
1. an avalanche beacon,
2. a shovel,
3. an avalanche probe,
4. training in how to use these things and how to stay out of an avalanche, and finally,
5. a partner with all of these things. Many organizations offer recreational avalanche safety and awareness classes in a one to three-day formats. Take one.
I am also a big proponent of becoming an expert on mountain weather as I feel that is a skill that affects both safety and functionality in everything we do in the mountains. Nothing can make or break a trip like the weather. Data from recent weather and storm cycles are
huge parts of assessing avalanche risk and making hazard assessments as well. Check out the resources published by Jim Woodmency at his website www.mountainweather.com for more weather products and data than you will probably want to wade through. I’d also highly recommend his intro or advanced mountain weather classes if you want to make your brain hurt and learn how little you know about weather and forecasting. Getting dialed in on mountain weather could save a hunt or save a life.
Work out indoors, if you have to
As part of my role as a mountain guide, I often found myself counseling guests on physical fitness as part of their preparation for big climbs worldwide. I gave ad nauseam advice: “Always go outside and hike uphill with a pack on.” The simplicity of this advice often frustrated people, eventually prompting me to draft more detailed guidelines that I shared as part of trip planning packets, but everything I recommended revolved around hiking with some weight on your back. I would always get nervous when a guest would go to great lengths to lay out their gym workout routine for me or claim to be a world-class runner or marathon enthusiast. Though this type of fitness (weight lifting and
running) is great for general health, it rarely translates well to mountain fitness and stamina as standalone training. I can’t tell you the number of gym devotees and marathon runners I have seen get crushed by simply walking uphill for a few hours with a big pack on.
You only need a backpack, some weight, and a little time for indoor training. When I find myself in the gym, I am typically on a Stairmaster or doing low-weight, high-rep activities to build endurance. Muscle mass isn’t usually an advantage for mountain athletes; long and lean tend to work out better than thick and super strong when it comes to mountain athletes. This is just some food for thought.
If
you can’t
beat it, run away
Breaking up a long winter with a trip somewhere to hunt, fish, hike, or generally just exist outside without freezing your butt off can do wonders for morale, not to mention your body and brain. Each time I have gone in search of a non-typical hunting experience, that is, one for an animal or in a place that I wouldn’t usually be going after, I feel like I have learned a ton that applies to my preferred style, place, or critter that I am hunting. In other words, I’d like to believe that every time I go hunting, I become a better hunter, though this past season sure felt like a step backward. Many super cool, relatively affordable hunts can be combined with family trips to places like the southwestern U.S. or Hawaii. These hunts can provide target-rich environments with great chances to practice spot and stalk skills and marksmanship with your bow or rifle and bring home some awesome groceries while you are at them.
I hope this provides some inspiration for staying active and ready for your next mountain hunt. The snow is still coming down outside, and I have some bike tires to air up, skis to wax, an Axis deer hunt to plan, and a list of draw-tag opportunities to look through. Bring on the off-season!
he beating heart of any organization is its membership. It is your immense support that has allowed us to reach greater heights year over year, with 2024 being no exception. We kicked things off with the unveiling of our Half Curl Youth Life Membership program at our Life Member Breakfast in Penticton, a program focused on the future of our organization, and one we will continue to focus on moving forward.
In terms of growth, we saw a 10% increase in our membership this past year, having recently surpassed the 1600 total member mark. This includes more than 800 Life Members and over 170 Monarch Members, truly astounding support that we cannot thank you enough for.
We will continue to look for innovative ways to show our appreciation for this support and have a couple of initiatives up our collective sleeve that cannot be published just yet. From an education aspect, horn aging seminars were conducted throughout the province in 2024 as we continue our push for greater education for sheep hunters. We will be back
at this again in 2025, with a hope of hosting at least one in each region of the province.
We continue to look for ways to get our members together, be that at a sheep count, golf tournament, pub night, or on a project. To that end, we will be hosting the Spences Bridge Sheep Count in early April, our 3rd annual Mountain Monarch Golf Tournament in June in Kamloops, and various pub nights across BC.
This upcoming year will also offer greater opportunities than ever before for our members to get their hands on a wild sheep as we have a drop-net capture planned for the Fraser River in early January, as well as the kick-off to our Psoroptes drug trial in Penticton, where we will be handling sheep monthly.
The only way to get involved in these projects is to sign up on our website through the following link and QR code. We would love to see you there!
January 31-February 1, 2025 – Northern Fundraiser, Dawson Creek BC
February 20-23, 2025 – Salute To Conservation and Mountain Hunting Expo, Penticton BC
April 26, 2025 – Courtenay Pub Night & WSR Drawing, Match Eatery Courtenay BC
June 2025 – WSSBC 3rd Annual Golf Tournament, Kamloops BC
August 2025 – Jurassic Classic, Chilliwack BC
WSSBC Sheep Counts and Projects
January 2025 – Fraser River Drop Net Capture, Pavillion BC
January 2025 – Psoroptes Drug Trial Project, Penticton BC (2025-2026)
April 5, 2025 – Spences Bridge Sheep Count
July 2025 – Ruck for the Shulaps
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is Wild Sheep Society’s first ever newsletter released to its membership in February 1992. We hope you enjoy it.
by Nolan Osborne
s a sheep guide, my tent is my sanctuary. It becomes more than just where I lay my head at night; it’s a bubble of peace, a shelter from all Mother Nature has to throw at us on the worst days. On the best of them—when we have downtime between hunts—It becomes a lounge, a place to recharge for the next one, or beat the afternoon’s heat with a good book. Suffice it to say, I choose my tents carefully and care for them to ensure they keep doing their job. When you spend a couple of months living in one annually, you quickly learn which tents are built to live out of and what features you need in a backcountry tent.
Over the years, I’ve spent more than a few nights in various mountaineering and hunting backpack tents. This led me to Hilleberg, a Swedish family-run tent company with over 50 years of experience that’s now become a household name amongst the sheep-hunting fraternity.
Before diving into the Rogen, it’s important to understand Hilleberg’s shelter rating system. Unlike conventional tent manufacturers, they have scrapped the two-, three-, and fourseason 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 lightestduty tents outclass some manufacturers four 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 lightweight 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.
I have used Hilleberg’s Akto Red Label, Nammatj 2 GT, and Soulo Black Label tents for my guiding, personal hunting, and general adventure needs in the last seven years. They have been incredibly consistent tents with rock-solid durability and comfort no matter the weather. At 8lb 6oz, the Nammatj 2 GT has been my go-to horse camp or high country drop-off “basecamp” tent, and the 6lb 3oz Soulo BL has been my backpacking companion. The Soulo BL may seem like a ridiculous weight for a 1P backpack tent to some, but no one has ever said, “I wish my tent were lighter/ less durable” at 2 am, camped in a high alpine saddle when the wind is gusting 60+ kilometers per hour. I’ve always had a “strength over everything” mindset regarding tents.
Having lived out of the Soulo & Akto, respectively, for a couple of guiding seasons, I was after something a little more spacious - I have, after all, become accustomed to the sprawling Nammatj 2 GT. Spending a few months of the year in the bush, it’s nice to have the extra room and, frankly, a few different tent options depending on the weather and situation - horse guide things, I know. I’d been eyeballing a couple of options over the last off-season, and frankly, I couldn’t decide. The ease of use of freestanding tents cannot be ignored, and the inherent strength in their design – yet the ability to save weight while using more robust materials with a tunnel tent design has its appeal. However, my decision was made when a friend notified me of a heavily discounted Marketplace ad for a Hilleberg Rogen, and I jumped at the opportunity. I was excited at the
prospect of the increased space and lighter weight, and I have enough experience with their tents at this point that I trust they will dutifully serve their intended purposes.
Truth be told, I’d never spent a night in a Yellow Label Hilleberg, and while I always felt that their tents and ratings were burlier and more flexible than the industry standard of “ three and four seasons,” I was curious how their lighter-duty offering would do in the mighty north. I set off on July 8th for Toad River with the new-to-me Rogen & my trusty Soulo BL as a backup in case the weather turned incredibly sour before my return in mid-October.
Hilleberg’s Description: “SINCE ITS INTRODUCTION, the Rogen has become one of the top 2-person tents of choice for any trip in snowfree conditions. The Rogen models’ self-supporting dome structure, which requires only the vestibules to be pegged out, along with two vestibules, each with two doors, offer plenty of comfort and weather protection, while curved patterning on the bottom of the outer tent walls and all-mesh inner tent doors provide constant, full-time air flow.”
It is of note that both their Rogen product description and their Yellow Label rating make clear that these tents are designed for warmer climates and snow-free conditions. While July-October in the Northern Rockies is a far cry from winter goat hunting, the white flakes of old man winter usually rear their heads by the end of August, however fleeting.
The Rogen is a lightweight 2p dome tent with two vestibules, two entrances, and a 5-pole setup—albeit without cross poles that touch the ground. This common and effective design saves some weight over the conventional 5-pole dome tent with cross
poles going straight to the ground, though I do feel you give up some rigidity with this choice. Hilleberg has tweaked the conventional shortened cross pole design by using an integrated pole sleeve, which considerably boosts the strength and durability of this design—no fumbling with pole clips in the dark or additional parts to break or wear out. The cross pole stays tensioned snug in its sleeve. The full-length cross poles run through a fabric sleeve, with pole tensioners on both corners for a snug, firm fit.
Set up, as with any freestanding Hilleberg, is straightforward. The Rogen uses 9mm DAC poles, purposebuilt guy-line points from all tent corners, and vestibules. The inner tent body stays clipped into the fly, and the poles run exterior to the fly. This feature is mandatory for serious weather, 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 external to the poles, although more have adopted exterior poles to the fly in recent years.
I slept in the Rogen exclusively from July 15th to September 8th this season and across several hunts spiking out of my main wall tent camp from September 16th to October 11th. It easily handled all environments, including a 130mm 40hr rainstorm and a few blizzards. Despite its “snow-free” caveat, the Rogen made light work of shoulderseason snowfall, and the bathtub floor design proved versatile while pitching on top of the snow. As with any flat roof tent, snow (and water) will accumulate on the small flat section on the top around the cross poles, though this never caused problems for my use.
Without conventional vents, the Rogen opts for curved lower fly walls & full mesh doors to increase the
Specs: Rogen 2
Number of people: 2
Outer tent fabric: Kerlon 1000 (20 D High Tenacity Ripstop Nylon 66)
Poles: 9mm
Minimum Weight: 4lbs 3oz
Packed Weight: 4lbs 14oz
Inner Tent Area: 20.5ft2
Entrances: 2
Vestibules: 2
Vestibule Area: 10.8 ft2
Price: $1165 USD
airflow—quite effectively. Hillebergs often get a bad rap for condensation, something I have found can be curbed by diligent attention to prevailing winds, evening thermals, and careful tent positioning. This wasn’t an issue I experienced with the Rogen, undoubtedly due to a combination of the mesh walls, fly design, and larger tent with a single occupant. Having used a 1P tent on all backpack sheep hunts in the past, the dual doors and vestibules feel luxurious—and there is ample space for loaded packs, spotter/tripod setups, boots, and soaking wet raingear, even for two hunters. As with all Hillebergs, inner tent doors have dual zippers and are generously sized, with well-placed retention hooks and elastic loops to make access easy without catching inner walls and zippers. The fly also features a dual zipper, which is functional for additional venting if needed, and an ample door size with retention hooks and elastic loops for full tent access when necessary.
Who is it for?
Hilleberg’s Rogen could be the ideal sheep hunting tent for solo hunters who value strength, space, and light weight in that order. It is a palace for one person, with a compact footprint and versatile two-door design, and it is roomy enough to share on trips where you want to maximize efficiency. For the solo hunter, the Rogen feels strong, sprawling, and light enough to justify carrying on any adventure. It feels larger inside than competitors’ 2P tents and would be a fantastic choice for couples and those who take a child or dog along in the backcountry
Bottom Line
There is no denying that the Rogen is one of the most expensive tents in the 2P category. Even amongst their lineup, there are other options that may be more versatile for the same price or less. However, the Rogen is a specialist tent and more robust than competitors’ “3-season” tents. While it doesn’t share the same strength I have enjoyed in the Nammatj or Soulo, it isn’t designed to, and it is still more than capable for the avid sheep hunter. It is roomy enough to be functional for two people, more so than many competitors’ “2P” tents, and strong enough to carry for all but the worst late-season hunts. While I won’t be selling my Black Label tents anytime soon, I haven’t found a better blend of weight, strength, and size in a freestanding tent, and it will certainly stay in my rotation.
Members, send us your hunt story (~50 words plus a picture or two) to kstelter@wildsheepsociety.com.
Success on the first day leads to less hunting, less hunting leads to less success in the future. Enjoy the journey with those you travel with, and wait for a ram you’d be happy to carry with you at the banquet. If possible, ensure your partner is an Olympic athlete.
Brogan’s goat, a 360 yard shot, and it fell 300 yards down a muddy shale hill.
After several days sitting in the tree stand, we had a few opportunities but nothing quite right. With the cold weather starting to get the best of us we decided to take a drive. Luck was on our side this day, I couldn’t have imagined stumbling on to such an incredible deer. To have my son by my side, along with my aunt and uncle, it was all I could ask for on a deer of a lifetime. I’ll never forget my son’s face when he walked up and put hands on this deer.
– Anthony
Klubi
– Cole Hank & Reece Howden
Here is Brogan Vipond’s first whitetail, taken with one 380 yard shot.
Planning a stalk on a mountain goat high on up a snow-capped mountain can go awry when a bull moose is grunting down the lake. I quickly switched gears to get down there and see what I was working with. When this bull stepped out with a cow-calf pair and the wind in my favour, I knew I stood half a chance with my recurve. Using a chainsaw bar guard to rake and a few challenge grunts, I called the stomping, swaying bull into 6 yards, landing two arrows in his chest before he fell 45 yards away.
– Landon
I had hunted a few times in the spring season but unfortunately we couldn’t get lined up on one. Dad and I went out on Aug 15, opening day for the fall season. That day we had seen 7 other bears. We were just headed out of the field and headed for home when we passed one of the last fields. I saw a big black bear grazing on the far side. We talked quick and decided to sneak in closer. Then dad and I went to the edge of the field and we snuck in from bale to bale to get within a range I was comfortable with. We got to about 120 yards from the bear. After we got the bog pod set up quietly, we locked my gun into it. We waited until he was in the right spot at the right angle. Dad told me to shoot when I was ready. I got all lined up, settled in and shot. He spun in 5 or 6 circles, then landed with all 4 paws in the air. Dad and I waited and watched for about 15 min, then we snuck in and dad made sure he had expired. Once we did that we called the recovery crew (mom, brother, nana, papa and uncle). After we got him home my uncle Ty and dad helped me skin and process him (pepperoni in process). Then they told me what the measurement was! 6 foot 4! With a dog tail. It was huge! I would like to thank everyone who helped and made it possible to get my bear.
– Jennifer Matson (Age 12)
by Allen Bolen
by Bill Pastorek
s I slogged up the 1000-foot slope, thoughts raced through my mind. After many unsuccessful sheep hunts, I was finally stalking the ram of my dreams. I had traversed at least 100 miles and passed up dozens of opportunities for legal sheep in anticipation of this moment. Not that one can earn such a moment; sheep like this come once in many lifetimes.
And that was the problem I was now facing. I was stalking a world-class Stone sheep with a bow and arrow. Clearly record class, this would likely be one of the top Stone rams in the Pope & Young book... if I could make it happen—daunting thoughts.
As my heart raced, pressure mounted and fear of failure crept into my subconscious. Every bowhunter knows fear and doubt thwart performance, resulting in poor stalks and bad shots. So I dug deep into my mental training. Thousands of times I had repeated certain phrases in my mind; “I don’t care if I miss; I can only do my best; control what I can control; settle the pin and make a smooth release; the shot will go where it goes; I don’t
care if I miss.” That’s all that matters.
I say these things in my mind because after decades of shooting a bow I know ‘process is primary’. I know if I focus on the process and forget the results the results are actually more likely to come.
However, this is much easier said than done. When faced with a monumental opportunity, fear and doubt tend to appear. Fear comes from thinking about the result and worrying about failure. Nothing is more damaging to your chances of success than being scared you might fail. Fear evokes powerful emotions and nerves, which are detrimental to performance. When your heart races and your hands quiver with excitement, patience and accuracy suffer.
So I repeated in my mind, “I don’t care if I miss. I can only do my best.”
But I continued to feel the arousal of my nerves as the fear of failure loomed in the back of my mind. My demons started to torment as my most terrifying memory bared its teeth.
Ten years prior, I had been hunting mule deer in Eastern Colorado when I failed to kill the biggest buck I had ever seen. With 21 points, I believe this deer would have scored
more than 230 inches. I made many bad decisions on this hunt that led to missed opportunities, missed shots, and much disappointment.
For years thereafter, I replayed every one of those bad decisions in my head and cursed myself for my stupidity, “It would’ve been so easy to kill that buck. If I’d only...” Now, as I stalked a 45-inch Stone ram, I battled the demons from my past.
“It doesn’t matter if you miss!” I told myself.
But my mind argued back, “Don’t screw this up like you did that deer.” My internal dialog was a mess, and fear and doubt started to consume me. I had to regain control. I took a deep breath and thought about my thinking.
“It doesn’t matter if I miss.” And, “If I’d only killed that deer.”
“I can only do my best, which is all that matters.” And, “I made so many stupid mistakes and ruined a once-in-alifetime opportunity.”
I could see the hypocrisy. But how could I reconcile such conflicting beliefs? Finally, a critical question occurred to me:
“Allen, did you do your best when you hunted that deer?”
I thought about it. Without question, I had done my best. A glimmer of hope grew. In this light, that hunt had been successful! I just had to forgive myself for mistakes and accept I had done my best... everything I could possibly have done.
For the first time, I felt at peace with the hunt that had haunted me for a decade. I had no regrets because I had done everything I could. In fact, dozens of important lessons were learned that made me successful in the years that followed. I saw the experience in a new light—as a learning experience I was thankful for.
As I extended the olive branch of forgiveness to myself, fear melted away. Doubt became inconsequential. I realized even if I made a bad decision or missed this sheep I could walk away peacefully as long as I did my best. For that was all I could do, all I could control.
An hour later I was on my back, flat against the mountain, sliding the last few feet down a steep grassy chute between cliffs. Once I got into position, I ranged my sheep at 67 yards while he slept in the sun. I took a deep breath and relaxed. I was as close as I could get without alerting one of the five rams spread out directly below me.
During the next two hours my mind was clear as I focused on the sleeping ram. I debated taking the shot while he was bedded, but occasionally the ram turned his head and massive horns covered his vital area. It simply was not worth the risk; the wind was good and I was enjoying myself. I felt peace and no pressure because I knew this hunt would be a success either way. I would do my best, and that was the only measure of my success.
When the sheep finally came to his feet, I found myself instinctively coming to full draw and calmly settling my pin on the target. Almost automatically, I released the shot
and the arrow struck home. The sheep, unaware of what had happened, turned 180 degrees. I re-nocked and placed another perfect shot through his vitals.
Among steep cliffs, the giant ram walked 10 steps before bedding down one last time on a small grassy flat. When I approached and laid my hands on him for the first time my heart was full of appreciation. To this day, it is one of my most vivid memories, and I need only bring it to mind to feel as though I can accomplish anything, even the impossible. This ram has become a symbol of confidence and self-forgiveness in my life.
As we reflect on the power of forgiveness, we should consider forgiving ourselves. How many of us carry baggage in our lives from past mistakes? How many of us find that certain events from our past make us fear failure in the present? We need to look back on the past and forgive. In this, we find freedom that inspires confidence and a fearless perspective on life.
Author’s note: Allen’s sheep is the largest Stone sheep killed in the Yukon in over 50 years, with any weapon. It is the current P&Y #2 and has the longest horns of any archery-killed ram in history (45 3/8 x 44 1/4). Allen was guided by Greg Spenner at Yukon Stone Outfitters.
by R.P. Musselman
istory: The disorder “Sheep Fever” was first recognized in the mid-1950s. While the etiology is unknown, the disease is real.
Common theories as to its cause support a transfer of an unknown substance to the human bloodstream, which then transverses the blood-brain barrier after eating a freshly killed sheep steak cooked on a flat rock. Other theories espouse factors such as low oxygen levels at high altitudes, lactic acid buildup due to poor conditioning, Type-A personality disorder, and low sodium chloride levels from excessive sweating. Regardless of its cause, the fever has been found to affect all sheep hunters equally.
Prodromal Symptoms: The prodromal period can occur for weeks, or even years. The symptoms during this time include sleeplessness, nightmares, depression, anxiety, leg cramps, shortness of breath, hallucinations, and agitation. Symptoms seem to greatly worsen after the first sheep hunt and while waiting for the second.
Subjective Findings: Generally, the patient exhibits manic depressive behaviour, insomnia with frequent night sweats, and horrible nightmares of blown stalks. Symptoms often worsen in the late spring when refund cheques start arriving without licences to hunt sheep from the different wildlife offices. Great restraint is needed not to damage the local post office. Later in the season, visual hallucinations of 46-inch rams lying broadside, in spectacular mountain meadows, are common.
Objective Findings: Typically, the disease strikes 30 to 50-year-old males, though many women are now affected as well. Patients in the winter and early spring are anxious, easily upset, and nervous. Once on the mountain many seem unable to judge distance. This is often accompanied by tremors when a gun is in hand. Common objects appear to take on the form of sheep, so much so that rocks are sometimes shot at. A small minority develop nearsightedness accompanied by black rings around their eyes. This is generally caused by prolonged, excessive glassing. Frequently, they acquire a hollow-eyed stare after failing to spot sheep.
Treatment: Many treatment regimes have been tried over the years. Blood-letting and sacrificial ceremonies have been unsuccessful. Electroconvulsive therapy, snake venom, and pregnant mare’s urine have also failed miserably to alleviate the symptoms. These symptoms seem to reach a fever pitch in winter when patients gather in their support groups. One such group, the Wild Sheep Foundation, only
worsens the situation. Many patients exhibit symptoms so severe at these gatherings that they spend their entire lifesavings in hopes of a cure.
The most successful treatment to date, albeit not a longlasting one, is to return to the mountains where the source of the clinical manifestations is believed to originate. The patient must travel great distances, tolerate inclement weather, choke down so-called food, and endure traveller’s diarrhea. They must willingly sacrifice their body to strenuous climbs and aching muscles and joints, all while embracing saltwater flowing relentlessly into their eyes.
As they near the source of their disease, actually seeing a ram on the mountain, the patient experiences a greatly increased heart rate, extreme shortness of breath, and tremors. Occasionally, total incontinence occurs. Macro vision is a real threat (objects appearing larger than they really are). The patient must be spoken to softly, gently sat down, and have their equipment arranged on their behalf. You need to calm them, ideally by taking them through breathing exercises while having them gently squeeze their trigger finger. Oftentimes, these patients declare the wind is too cold or dust is blowing in their eyes, causing their symptoms to worsen.
But then the cure. Of course, you already know what it is... that mystical 400-yard one shot kill. Happy hunting.
