Alaska Sheep Hunt Gear Review

WVHUNTER

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I went on an Alaska Dall sheep hunt and didn't kill a sheep so I will post a review of my gear.

I was in the Alaska Range,August 18th to 25th, temperature 30 to 50,elevation 2,500 ft to 6,500 ft,rained every day but one, didn't rain all day, just showered and drizzled with low clouds and fog, very little sunshine.

Tent, didn't have a tent, used a tarp, worked OK, a lot lighter than a tent to carry.

Pack, Mystery Ranch Wolfpack,4,200 cu in, might be a little small I strapped my sleeping bag to the outside so was big enough, only spike camped two days at a time. Mystery Ranch packs are nearly indestructible.

Sleeping bag, North Face 0 degree synthetic bag. You couldn't get in it wet and come out dry but you could get in damp and wake up dry. It did great.

Shirt, Cabela's wool shirt,did fine.

Pants, Cabela's Dry Plus rain pants, did fine, dried fairly quickly.

Underwear, Under Armour heat gear, did a lot of sweating so they helped.

Coat, Cabela's three way Goretex parka, worked well, did a lot of no coat, then light coat, add Goretex outer coat, then storm would blow through and take it off and start hiking again.

Socks, ordinary wool socks.

Badlands Bino Case, worked well for my needs,if you are going to sit and glass they do well, if you are going to pull them out 10 times an hour while hiking they would be cumbersome.

Trekking pole, used one inexpensive aluminum pole, it was invaluable, I wouldn't have fallen a dozen times without it. Would recommend a better one that would be less likely to break and wouldn't clang against the rocks.

Food, good food in base camp (sheep steak), spike camp, oatmeal for breakfast, pilot bread, spam and cheese for lunch, MREs for dinner, didn't think much of MREs, everything else was OK.

Rifle, mostly dead weight since I didn't chamber a round, Remington 700 XCR, did well, didn't rust, had blued scope rings that rusted some.

Boots,saved the worst for last, Kenetrek Mountain Extreme 400, with the rain we had stream crossings, wet grass, wet moss and brush. They soaked through by the end of the first day and I had wet feet for eight days. They were a horrible failure.
 
Sorry you didn't get your sheep? Did you see any shooters? Did those wet boots wreck your feet for the rest of the hunt? Are there any boots that could handle what you dished them? Beside not firing your rifle and those wet feet what would you change? Sounds like you have quite a story to tell, I'd love to hear more.
 
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I saw over 70 rams but never saw a legal one. Had these at 50 yards but not quite big enough, had to be a full curl.

I had some blisters, a swollen ankle and a black toenail when I got home but nothing disabling just a little uncomfortable.

My guide had Lowa boots and he had wet feet also. I think we had different problems, my boots just soaked through, his had bad seams and he could feel the cold water rush in when he stepped in water. Mine soaked through slowly, didn't really feel a rush of cold water.

I would take a pair of clean socks for every day. Would use scope covers that I didn't have. Front scope lens stayed wet and dirty.

I would look at some sort of carbon trekking pole instead of aluminum.

Look at some sort of sweat band and extra handkerchiefs. After the first day mine was so grimy that I couldn't clean my glasses with it.

Might look at some sort of goretex socks. I didn't step in over the top of my boots until the evening of the 7th day and at that point it didn't matter. My guide had a pair of nylon waders that we used if we thought the water was over our boots. But if you got your boots wet the first day there wasn't anyway to dry them out, they would stay wet the rest of the hunt.
 
I am wondering if there were 2 things working against you 400 gram are insulated and they will take longer to dry? Did the water leak though the boots or wick though your socks.

Either way sounds like quite the adventure.

If there is any proof of a man in a hunt it is not whether he killed a deer or elk but how he hunted it.
 

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