Canadian Sheep Hunting 101

My advice from having chased creatures in far flung places and providing the same for folks at home here in BC, is find out what motivates you. The “slams” and collections didn’t age well for me. The bragging rights and adventure map I was captivated by was the Big Five, which fell apart just past the halfway point when I got caught up in an unscrupulous outfitter who went bust then ran.

‘Slams’ / completions exist in every search for adventure, meaning; and purpose- as in bagging the seven summits in climbing, or circumnavigating sailing. Equally satisfying experiences are available at a fraction of the cost. You can go hunt mountain goat, ibex, tahr, chamois in mountains of unparalleled beauty to that functionally are no different than sheep to hunt, some are even harder. And you might even do all those combined for the price of a stone sheep hunt. Or do what I do and go to the same places, just with a camera, fly rod and book, and hunt for the freezer closer to home.

We don’t need a ram, Billy, or bull to pull us into the mountains. If you do, that’s not silly, but I would sit down and look at the bigger picture before putting a 50% deposit down on the better part of six figures or moving your home and career.
 
I always appreciate your insight Ardent and I get that these "slams" are not for everyone.

The whole concept is relatively new to me as I just recently discovered GSCO this year.
The true appeal is having the opportunity to hunt new game in far off lands that I would have otherwise never been exposed to.

Living in the East we are limited on what big game we can hunt which is the primary attraction to western game and mountain hunting in general.

The plan is to harvest 3 of the 10 here in Ontario (Whitetail, black bear and moose).

I have an AB elk hunt booked for next fall as well as a BC mountain goat in a few years bringing me to 5/10 if successful.

Im hoping to do a combo grizzly/caribou combo hunt either 2026 or 2028 which would leave me with Pronghorn (attainable), Bison, mountain Lion and one of the sheep.

Although I am setting out to complete the 10 (Super Slam 29 is unrealistic in my case) I am also drawn to Africa, Europe and Asia for other more cost effective adventures.

If my North American sheep hunt never comes to fruition, I'd still be happy if I could hunt Ibex, Tahr, Mouflon etc. in the mountains abroad instead.
 
Northern Shooter said:
I always appreciate your insight Ardent and I get that these "slams" are not for everyone.

The whole concept is relatively new to me as I just recently discovered GSCO this year.
The true appeal is having the opportunity to hunt new game in far off lands that I would have otherwise never been exposed to.

Living in the East we are limited on what big game we can hunt which is the primary attraction to western game and mountain hunting in general.

The plan is to harvest 3 of the 10 here in Ontario (Whitetail, black bear and moose).

I have an AB elk hunt booked for next fall as well as a BC mountain goat in a few years bringing me to 5/10 if successful.

Im hoping to do a combo grizzly/caribou combo hunt either 2026 or 2028 which would leave me with Pronghorn (attainable), Bison, mountain Lion and one of the sheep.

Although I am setting out to complete the 10 (Super Slam 29 is unrealistic in my case) I am also drawn to Africa, Europe and Asia for other more cost effective adventures.

If my North American sheep hunt never comes to fruition, I'd still be happy if I could hunt Ibex, Tahr, Mouflon etc. in the mountains abroad instead.
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I could help you out on all of this if you are really serious. Where do you live in Ontario?
 
Ardent said:
My advice from having chased creatures in far flung places and providing the same for folks at home here in BC, is find out what motivates you. The “slams” and collections didn’t age well for me. The bragging rights and adventure map I was captivated by was the Big Five, which fell apart just past the halfway point when I got caught up in an unscrupulous outfitter who went bust then ran.

‘Slams’ / completions exist in every search for adventure, meaning; and purpose- as in bagging the seven summits in climbing, or circumnavigating sailing. Equally satisfying experiences are available at a fraction of the cost. You can go hunt mountain goat, ibex, tahr, chamois in mountains of unparalleled beauty to that functionally are no different than sheep to hunt, some are even harder. And you might even do all those combined for the price of a stone sheep hunt. Or do what I do and go to the same places, just with a camera, fly rod and book, and hunt for the freezer closer to home.

We don’t need a ram, Billy, or bull to pull us into the mountains. If you do, that’s not silly, but I would sit down and look at the bigger picture before putting a 50% deposit down on the better part of six figures or moving your home and career.
Click to expand...

I agree on not needing to actually be hunting to enjoy it. I went with my buddy this Feb on his Desert Bighorn hunt after killing mine in December.

No gun, no stress on me, lots of tecate and tacos. When I didnt feel great (hungover) I just slept on top of a mountain under the only tree I could find. The only bad part of the trip was being arrested on the final night outside of a nightclub (for no reason but a shakedown). Got out for 150 bucks and it was worth it; Hermosillo Mexico is a pretty fun (and senorita) filled place!

There are lots of hikes I do in Arizona when I spend winter there that I see Desert Bighorns on. Always cool to have a nice walk in sheep country.

It was awesome. I wish I could post pics; too tricky on here.
 
Northern my only advice if you do one and only one north American sheep hunt is to book very soon, lock in pricing in CAD and do a horseback hunt. Don't do a helicopter hunt.

The horse pack trips for sheep in Yukon/AB/BC are the "classic" and in my opinion still the premier hunt available in the world. They are expensive because they are worth it.

You could also look at doing a horseback moose/goat combo hunt in northern BC with a stone outfitter. If you don't care about a ram that is a phucking unreal hunt and gives you the full experience.
 
AR15meister said:
Northern my only advice if you do one and only one north American sheep hunt is to book very soon, lock in pricing in CAD and do a horseback hunt. Don't do a helicopter hunt.

The horse pack trips for sheep in Yukon/AB/BC are the "classic" and in my opinion still the premier hunt available in the world. They are expensive because they are worth it.

You could also look at doing a horseback moose/goat combo hunt in northern BC with a stone outfitter. If you don't care about a ram that is a phucking unreal hunt and gives you the full experience.
Click to expand...
DM sent.
 
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