Alaska Dall Sheep

[JPhelps]

I had dreamed of going to Alaska and chasing sheep since I was a little kid.  In 2020 I happened to draw a goat tag here in Washington and after my nerves recovered, 3 days later I called Matt Snyder with Alaska Hunting Adventures and booked a Dall sheep hunt for 2024.  I was addicted to the terrain, the difficulty and the beauty that the goats and sheep call home.

As we set off 2 days prior to the opener, the weather report wasn't looking the best and it looked like I was going to get to hunt sheep in my rain gear.  After some work we we were finally able to make camp about 3pm the night before the opener.  Fortunate for us we were able to spot 4 rams on the skyline of our basin, 2 looked to be good.  At about 5pm they fed away from and we spent the next four hours sitting in the rain, eating dinner and glassing the adjacent slopes for other sheep. We finally turned in around 9 with the intention of getting up somewhat early to glass, drink some coffee and be on our way.

Opening morning we were getting out of our tents around 6:00 and after coffee and a quick bite we were climbing straight up by 7:00am.  We spent the next 4 hours navigating steep slick alpine grass/moss, cliffs, loose scree and other terrain features that didn't look possible for humans to pass through.  Around 11:00 we peaked over a small ridge that separated 2 large basins but still along ways off from the rams we saw the night before and Matt spotted five sheep down below.  Matt is a quiet guy and left us in the dark for quite sometime and after a while when we were loaded up to move closer (they had fed towards us and out of sight) he made mention that they were rams and one looks good.

We moved 150 yards down the main ridge where we were only able to see the last 2 drop into a ravine as they were still feeding towards us.  As Matt and I were discussing what to do one of the rams popped up on the same rock spine we were on about 250 yards away.  We slowly disappeared and moved down the ridge about 15 yards where we setup for a shot expecting they would cross in to a smaller basin to our right.  After about 30 minutes of sitting there they never showed.  Matt decided to move up and over to try and lay eyes on them.  He came back down to where I was and said he can see one bedded straight down below us but in order to get a shot we will have to move another 30 yards closer as we both pointed to a rock spire down the ridge.  At this point rolling rocks wouldn't be allowed and we slowly made our way down and Matt motioned for me to come to over to the right side of the rock with the gun.

After confirming 7-8 times we were both talking about the same RAM I settled in for a 190 yard shot.  This was one of the more difficult shots I ever had to make.  the gun was pointing straight down off one side off a cliff and I was standing on my tip toes on the other.  I struggled to get my eye high enough above the scope to get in line.  It was about 25-30mph gusts to top it all off.  Matt and I talked and I was going to hit him in the spine directly between the front shoulders.  I squeezed the first round and was stoked on what I thought was the report of a hit.  The 5 rams scattered and all ran to the larger one.  We then confirmed which was the target ram when he put his head down and I hit him perfect this time below the spine and taking out both longs.  The shot stunned the ram and he laid there without rolling down the hill. 

We made the longest 190 yard downhill hike ever and I was able to put my hands on one of my dream animals.  A beautiful full curl+ ram in the beautiful mountains of Alaska.  We spent the next 2 hours taking it all in as we ate some lunch and broke down the ram.  About the time we finished that up the rain gear went back on for the steep pack out off the mountain.  It was a little bitter sweet to kill on the first afternoon but I couldn't pass a sheep up like this.  I had trained and planned on a hard hunt where you grind it out and kill on the last day but I'll take an early one (especially once we saw Matt's other hunter was in his tent for 4 days straight waiting for the weather to pass).  We stashed the meat, hiked all the way back to camp where we would spend the night.  The next morning we loaded up our packs with camp and headed off the mountain.  We picked the sheep up at the stash spot and continued the long wet hike out.

Some things I learned; sheep meat is excellent, it's tough to train for the heavy straight down packouts, trekking poles are a must, I can get through rock slides and cliffs better than I think I can, I need to get back to Alaska soon.

[pianoman9701]

Boy what an amazing ram and hunt, Jason. 

[hunt6226]

Congratulations on an Amazing animal!!!!

[High Climber]

Yup! Can’t pass that one, Congrats and thanks for sharing your story

[bearhunter99]

Beautiful sheep.  Congrats!

[LDennis24]

Nice Ram Jason! How old is he? Looks like almost 10? Congratulations!

[OutHouse]

Wowzer! Amazing animal. I would shoot the first day, first minute at something like that. Thanks for sharing and congratulations!

[10mmg]

Fantastic ram. Almost looks like he has some Marco Polo cousins. Super cool adventure for sure.

[emac]

Nice Ram Jason! How old is he? Looks like almost 10? Congratulations!

My original thought was11.5 but after looking closer i think you are pretty close at 10,  i would say 10.5 but i always add a .5 .  Either way amazing ram and congrats on it

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[Boss .300 winmag]

Nicely done on a beautiful ram.👍

[scotsman]

Congrats, that’s a beautiful Ram. Amazing there’s no brooming!

[Skillet]

 
That is a very nice specimen Phelps - great write-up.

[elkrack]

Right on! Beautiful Ram!

[HillHound]

Awesome Ram!

[starbailey]

Congratulations on a great looking ram!
Sounds like sheep fever might have set in.
Enjoy the ride.
Bryan B