Post by: Huckleberry on September 17, 2023, 09:20:24 PM
Life is busy. I had plans of scouting a few times through summer but between having started my own forestry consulting company during the COVID pandemic, having a self employed wife, a 19 month old, 4 year old and 5 year old, home life took priority. Needless to say I spent countless hours late at night looking at sheep pictures and every resource I could find. There were several good threads on this site of what the unit may have to offer. Only time will tell.
I left late the afternoon of the 14Th and spent the bulk of opening day exploring access and meeting the Ewu tag holders. I never saw a sheep until a gentleman woke me up at 11:30pm to show me his Ewu and give me a rundown of what he was seeing. Thank you. Its always fun to see folks put in 100% effort. Saturday was my first real day. I glassed a bit, but being a forester I like my boots. I'm sure this is a disadvantage for sheep but the freedom from home life and scenic country kept me on my feet. I watched a disabled Ewu tag holder hike further in than I could have imagined in 90 degree heat, make a great shot and his helpers had it out in 1/4 of the time I figured it would take. I was impressed.
I saw perhaps 70 of the girls Saturday in various herd sizes and a dozen or so rams. My first sheep of the trip was very nice but I've been telling myself not to shoot the first one for 3 months. Alone in the cliffs he never even gave me a chance to count rings and unlike most of what I've seen he ran down a cliff to never be seen again. Fun though. I'm my mind he was big, heavy and old. Looking down and running away may add something. Hard to say. I ended Saturday with a dozen or so rams. Mostly 4-6 year old's. The only older animal was broomed so bad that he wasn't hardly a half curl. I had no interest.
Today I changed locations and spent 14 hours on my feet with the occasional glassing and water break. It was eventful. Close to 30 rams spotted and no ewes. I snuck to within 20 yards of a pair of 6 year old's, one very pretty full curl that had me tempted. Still too early. Most of what I saw was in pairs or 3-4s, one nice herd. I saw a couple 7 year old's, and lots of 4-6s. Hiking out I ran into the biggest herd of the day. They were close to the truck and I spent an hour with them. One was OK and if it wasn't for all the pictures I've seen I'd be done. I'm really trying to hold out for something special. Tomorrow is another day. We shall see
Post by: MADMAX on September 17, 2023, 09:27:11 PM
Thats the hunt of a lifetime 🤞👍
Post by: Huckleberry on September 17, 2023, 09:30:19 PM
Post by: LDennis24 on September 17, 2023, 09:30:51 PM
Post by: Huckleberry on September 17, 2023, 09:32:27 PM
Post by: Huckleberry on September 17, 2023, 09:35:47 PM
Post by: cem3434 on September 17, 2023, 09:40:40 PM
Post by: Dan-o on September 17, 2023, 11:54:42 PM
Can't wait to keep following.
Post by: JDArms1240 on September 18, 2023, 01:25:22 AM
Post by: Klickitatsteelie on September 18, 2023, 04:11:54 AM
Post by: bearhunter99 on September 18, 2023, 06:04:46 AM
Post by: Jpmiller on September 18, 2023, 06:49:51 AM
Post by: Rainier10 on September 18, 2023, 07:20:06 AM
Post by: Gentrys on September 18, 2023, 09:48:29 AM
Post by: KP-Skagit on September 18, 2023, 12:13:11 PM
Post by: hunterednate on September 18, 2023, 01:26:46 PM
I am the son of the disabled hunter and wanted to say publicly that I really appreciate you taking time away from your hunt to sit with us as we got him on the animal. He was very impressed by you as a hunter and we are confident you will get on the one that you want!
Very cool. Congrats to your dad and rooting for the OP along with you on his hunt.
Post by: cem3434 on September 18, 2023, 04:43:40 PM
I am the son of the disabled hunter and wanted to say publicly that I really appreciate you taking time away from your hunt to sit with us as we got him on the animal. He was very impressed by you as a hunter and we are confident you will get on the one that you want!
Lots of bonus karma points coming the OP's way! :tup:
Post by: Pathfinder101 on September 18, 2023, 05:18:22 PM
Post by: Romulus1297 on September 18, 2023, 07:46:22 PM
Post by: Caseknife on September 18, 2023, 08:16:52 PM
Post by: Huckleberry on September 20, 2023, 08:10:13 AM
Post by: HikerHunter on September 20, 2023, 08:59:37 AM
Post by: Huckleberry on September 20, 2023, 12:12:24 PM
Sheep country ranged from somewhat gentle grass and sage slopes to relatively extreme rock cliffs and outcrops. It appeared that the rams liked the rocks the most. It was easy to walk above or below them and us not see each other due to the rugged terrain. Many I saw stand for a few minutes then bed down beneath or behind large boulders. Out of site from most glassing angles, and almost impossible to see had they not moved for a minute.
Sheep are funny animals and if in open gentle ground would run if I was spotted. In the rocks they just watched for the most part and didn't move much unless pressured or enough time went by that they started feeling uneasy. I figure I saw perhaps 50 different rams and 120 or so ewes.
My family and hunting partners had important obligations opening weekend. Between salmon derbies and Alaska I was solo. It was OK, I like alone in the cliffs. I didn't put ammo in the gun Saturday due to the heat and my attempt to be selective. Sunday I stuck 2 rounds in the magazine and kept the chamber empty. It cooled off Monday and I was a little more itchy. I had seen some animals and wanted to try hard to find a shooter before Wednesday was over and it started getting warm again. Monday was slow, my attempt at locating something I didn't think many people could find was a brutal 13 hours of wildlife watching minis the sheep. It was almost demoralizing.
Tuesday's cool morning found me climbing rock cliffs, balancing safety and the ability to get an animal out alone, with viewpoints of hidden ledges and canyons. At 8:50 am on one such ledge I stopped to eat a pear and perhaps glass a little while planning my route. As I slipped my pack from my left shoulder the sound of hooves on rocks caught my ear. I turned and no more than 50 or 60 yards uphill was a band of rams. I had seen a group nearby I called half curl's and my first thought was it's them. For some reason I counted sheep and the number didn't add up to any other band I had seen. They started to move uphill and clump. One caught my eye and looked big compared to the others. I don't remember taking the scope covers off and putting them in my pocket. I do remember looking through the glass and thinking I hadn't seen one quite like him yet. Heavy, wide and character. He had the wow factor that everyone talks about. It was cool, early, and for the ground I had covered the last few days, relatively manageable. They clumped, he was the uppermost ram with nothing behind him. There was a perfect gap between the ones below and to his side. I had just shot the rifle on the drive over and had plenty of room to get a bullet in. The .300 thundered and he dropped in his tracks. I waited for movement, he didn't roll, kick, only a single leg went stiff. I was done. On the short walk uphill I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't count rings or make a guess on score. I hadn't seen him from afar and made an epic stalk. I simply shot because it seemed like the thing to do.
I wasn't sure what sheep would go home with me. My goal was that of most sheep hunters. I didn't need the biggest ram in the unit but gray faced, Roman nose, and one I could look at and smile at for the rest of my life. I wanted to know I tried, whether it took two days or two weeks. I was happy with what I saw. 12 hours later at the truck I was relieved to be done packing. My solo Chelan Butte sheep hunt was indeed a once in a lifetime experience. Thank you for the positive thoughts and people I met along the way.
Post by: boneaddict on September 20, 2023, 12:33:07 PM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on September 20, 2023, 12:34:19 PM
Post by: Pathfinder101 on September 20, 2023, 12:38:58 PM
Post by: 300rum on September 20, 2023, 12:44:55 PM
Post by: CamoDup on September 20, 2023, 12:50:23 PM
Post by: hunterednate on September 20, 2023, 12:57:42 PM
Post by: GOcougsHunter on September 20, 2023, 01:10:27 PM
Post by: MADMAX on September 20, 2023, 02:34:31 PM
Congrats
Post by: djgianukakis on September 20, 2023, 02:39:29 PM
Post by: LDennis24 on September 20, 2023, 03:04:05 PM
Post by: johnbmyersii on September 20, 2023, 03:04:43 PM
Post by: redi on September 20, 2023, 03:12:52 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on September 20, 2023, 04:10:27 PM
Post by: Huckleberry on September 20, 2023, 05:47:41 PM
Post by: LDennis24 on September 20, 2023, 05:51:50 PM
Post by: millerwheeler on September 20, 2023, 05:59:39 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on September 20, 2023, 06:00:59 PM
Awesome ram.
Thanks for sharing.
Post by: LDennis24 on September 20, 2023, 06:03:23 PM
Post by: cem3434 on September 20, 2023, 06:08:56 PM
Post by: Ridgerunner on September 20, 2023, 06:14:38 PM
Post by: Dan-o on September 20, 2023, 06:43:04 PM
Beautiful ram!
Post by: Caseyd on September 20, 2023, 06:46:01 PM
Post by: Tree Killer on September 20, 2023, 07:22:37 PM
Post by: Timberstalker on September 20, 2023, 07:32:23 PM
Post by: Caseknife on September 20, 2023, 07:52:06 PM
Post by: Katmai Guy on September 20, 2023, 08:01:20 PM
Post by: actionshooter on September 20, 2023, 08:06:18 PM
Post by: blindluck on September 20, 2023, 08:38:09 PM
Post by: BKMFR on September 20, 2023, 08:39:26 PM
BKMFR
Post by: huntnphool on September 20, 2023, 11:20:42 PM
Post by: Alex4200 on September 21, 2023, 07:52:10 AM
Post by: Gringo31 on September 21, 2023, 10:16:18 AM
The bio didn't age him for you?
Post by: washingtonmuley on September 21, 2023, 11:18:50 AM
Post by: lewy on September 21, 2023, 01:27:33 PM
Post by: bearhunter99 on September 21, 2023, 05:50:28 PM
Post by: Falcon on September 21, 2023, 07:39:54 PM
Great write and huge congrats on your do it your self sheep hunt. Nice mature bloomer ram :drool:
Post by: Huckleberry on September 22, 2023, 09:57:22 AM
Post by: Huckleberry on September 22, 2023, 09:58:24 AM
Post by: Huckleberry on September 22, 2023, 09:59:41 AM
Post by: pianoman9701 on September 22, 2023, 10:21:14 AM
Post by: LDennis24 on September 22, 2023, 10:37:57 AM
Post by: Alchase on September 22, 2023, 10:42:24 AM
Can't wait to see it mounted, have you decided what type of mount you want?
Post by: Mfowl on September 22, 2023, 11:13:48 AM
Post by: Pathfinder101 on September 22, 2023, 02:43:47 PM
Fun speculating though :)
Post by: LDennis24 on September 22, 2023, 02:57:06 PM
I tried aging him... but if you guys can tell where the lamb tips start, you're a better man than me :dunno:. I only see 8.5 rings, but he's so broomed off, I'm sure he's older than that...
Fun speculating though :)
It's definitely hard when they are so beat up but that usually means it's an older scrapper too. This shows how difficult it is to tell an old ram from a young one at first glance. I hope the OP posts the age.
Post by: Huckleberry on September 26, 2023, 05:36:21 PM
Post by: LDennis24 on September 26, 2023, 05:47:30 PM
Post by: Huckleberry on December 16, 2023, 12:17:47 PM
On all my hunts, be it a short day hike with a belt pouch, or a minimalist wilderness hunt I raid my wife's linen closet. All old pillow cases and bed sheets are up for grabs. The in-laws have also been instructed to save them for my use. I always carry 2-4 pillow cases and if packing, one flat sheet. I have used them for many things from hanging food to extra sleeping protection on very cold nights but most importantly for game processing. The sheets are nice to keep the animal out of the dirt and sand. The pillow cases are my game bags and how I pack an animal out in a single trip.
My packing strategy has evolved over the years to the shuffle method. Fill each pillow case with 35 or so pounds of meat. Tie two together with 550 cord. I like to throw an extra wrap or three around the bottom for additional support and if I have 4 pillow cases double them up to help wick blood and stay clean.
To pack the animal out I load my pack to a comfortable weight, preferably less than 100lbs, and walk until I get tired. Set the pack down and go grab the two pillow cases. Through them over your shoulder, adjust to fit and hike to your pack. You're tired but now you have to walk until you don't enjoy it. Set pillow cases down and go back for the pack. The first leg is the worst since you have to go past the previous point of being tired. After that the stages get shorter. Base how far you walk past the previous drop off stage to the ground conditions. Somehow your resting while hiking with no weight. It's very important to mark with GPS and flagging. Make it obvious or you'll really regret doubting if you've gone far enough or missed it. Trust me. A camo backpack, even with horns, is not always on your mind when your watching your footing. When your tired your brain is not operating at 100%.
This is a much more enjoyable approach vs. two separate trips and a long empty pack to the original kill site. With my sheep hunt this year I found another use for the flat sheet. As the sun came out and I realized I would be working in full sun I made a tent. The original set up worked until I noticed the sun moves around the earth :) readjust and back at it.
At the truck I had the largest cooler I owned filled with frozen milk jugs from Costco. The square style packs well. Half gallon juice jugs were in place where I could fit them. The cooler is heavy to the point of don't move it but stayed cold with ice in the jugs despite several days of 90 plus temperatures. It's free and I could get things cooling immediately. Typically I'll swap out the now blood soaked pillow cases, and wrap any larger pieces loosely with a thin bedsheet to allow them to cool clean and insect free. If bedding is trashed toss it, if it's decent I wash it for later reuse. I also use the sheets to wrap whole animals if I’m able to get them out and hang them for a few days. The bedding system is fun and I’m able to pick thin/light when weight matters and save the thick heavy ones for cold weather.
Post by: Falcon on December 17, 2023, 02:04:00 PM
With max points, if God humors me with a tag, I hope to do it similar to your style :tup:
Post by: Gentrys on January 22, 2024, 11:19:02 PM
What a cool experience!
Post by: Wanttohuntmore on January 23, 2024, 05:39:47 AM
Post by: Huckleberry on December 01, 2024, 10:28:12 AM
Post by: LDennis24 on December 01, 2024, 01:39:18 PM
Post by: Pudelguy on December 07, 2024, 09:24:35 AM
Post by: Falcon on December 08, 2024, 08:56:13 AM
Great looking ram on the wall. Love the heavy chipped up horn look :drool: