Alaska Today!!!
- Thread starter coryb
- Start date
live4muleys
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Have a blast man. Good luck.
GilaJeff
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Hey, are you the guy I wished good luck to at the airport in ABQ? I was the short, fat HIspanic dude at the Alaska Airlines ticket booth. I was dropping off my buddy who was flying home to WA on Sunday. The guy I wished good luck to told me he was hunting sheep in AK....had a big tan, hard-sided rifle case with a lot of stickers on it. If that was you, I hope you did well on your hunt!
coryb
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Hey Jeff, that was me. Thanks for the good luck wishes!
Alaska is awesome. Found rams hours into the hunt and was able to get on a legal one by the second afternoon. Made a single shot at 375 yards and he dropped like a fly.
Definitely one of the greatest experiences in the field I’ve had. I underestimated the weather and would totally rethink my gear to do it again. We showed up prepared physically so that was huge. We logged 25 miles in two days in terrain that made it feel like 2-3 times that much.
We were very happy with our guide Jordan at Dillinger River Outfitters. Even though I won the hunt in a raffle we were treated like first rate customers from start to finish.
Anybody interested in a recommendation or info to plan a similar hunt feel free to call me at 505.304.2363. Cory
Alaska is awesome. Found rams hours into the hunt and was able to get on a legal one by the second afternoon. Made a single shot at 375 yards and he dropped like a fly.
Definitely one of the greatest experiences in the field I’ve had. I underestimated the weather and would totally rethink my gear to do it again. We showed up prepared physically so that was huge. We logged 25 miles in two days in terrain that made it feel like 2-3 times that much.
We were very happy with our guide Jordan at Dillinger River Outfitters. Even though I won the hunt in a raffle we were treated like first rate customers from start to finish.
Anybody interested in a recommendation or info to plan a similar hunt feel free to call me at 505.304.2363. Cory
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coloradoman
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Awesome
whiteantlertip
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Congrats on a great hunt
yoteduster
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Great ram...glad you had a great hunt
coryb
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Thanks all! They aged him at 8 or 9 once he was in hand. We shot him on legal full curl.
He was with 6 other rams, one of which had enormous bases and a much bigger body. We really wanted to shoot him but his horns swept forward and didn’t make full curl and we could only get 8 rings through the scope. The guide was only willing to shoot on age with 10 rings due to false annuli.
I’m more than thrilled with him.
He was with 6 other rams, one of which had enormous bases and a much bigger body. We really wanted to shoot him but his horns swept forward and didn’t make full curl and we could only get 8 rings through the scope. The guide was only willing to shoot on age with 10 rings due to false annuli.
I’m more than thrilled with him.
SS!
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Nice! Have you got him sealed by the state yet?
freaknasty
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very nice congrats thats a great ram
you can never under estimate the weather there.
the first day in the bush was bright and sunny then wole up to 4" of snow. August 12th no sheep tag punched.
you can never under estimate the weather there.
the first day in the bush was bright and sunny then wole up to 4" of snow. August 12th no sheep tag punched.
GilaJeff
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SS!
Long Time Member
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Nice! Not questioning legality. It’s for sure legal just curious what ADFG ages it at. State troopers lost the right a few years ago to seal sheep as they really sucked at judging legality btw.
That part of the AK range is beautiful. It was a wet opening week!
BradA
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Congratulations looking forward to talking with you about your experience and what you would do different!
live4muleys
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Pretty awesome. Congrats. Wish Little League was still going to be able to talk about the story.
coryb
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Fast forward to April 20, 2022. NM draw results came out and I almost fell over when I saw I drew a once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn ram. After two decades of applying for sheep and striking out, now I killed a Dall in 2021 and drew again in 2022!!
This hunt was in my home state and the seven months of waiting and planning was half (or more) of the fun. I had a good crew show up including 3 generations of my family and a couple of friends.
We located a group of sheep the day before the opener and decided two of the rams were potential shooters. Opening morning we rolled into that spot and left the truck at first light. After walking about 1/2 a mile we set up to glass and found the group about another mile away and a solid 1500 vertical feet above us. We left a spotter to keep an eye on them and hit the hill on a mission. Our stalking crew consisted of me, my brother in law, a friend, and 4 kids age 8-12. The sheep were set in a steep canyon that allowed us to approach one canyon over without ever being in their sight. After about 30 minutes of hiking like our tails were on fire we got a radio call from our spotter letting us know the sheep were moving to our side of the canyon and we were likely in range.
Based on that info we crested over the ridge separating the canyons and quickly found the sheep at 140 yards. The terrain and cover made them tough to see and we spent about 10 minutes watching and waiting as they fed away from us. I was getting pretty nervous as it looked like they would drop into a hole out of sight. Right about then we heard a sharp crack and I immediately thought it was a rifle shot. Then there was another. Then, as the rams came into view I saw two **** back and slam heads, sending the sound through the rock canyon and I realized it wasn't a shot. The ram fighting was the one I wanted.
Just as they were dropping out of sight we saw a ewe turn left and come back clearly into sight as she skirted a tall rock outcropping that ran under the big cliffs. I told my brother in law we just needed the group to follow her and we still had a chance. Soon after a ram showed up behind her. I looked through my scope and decided he wasn't the one I wanted. In over 30 years of big game hunting this was my first time to pass on shooting a legal animal with a good shot set up. I'm not a trophy hunter and this was hard for me! As I waited another ram came out, and then another. I held patiently.
Finally, the ram I wanted walked out. Range was called to me: 170 yards. I was laid out on backpacks propped over a 5'tall boulder. I turned my scope all the way down to 4x to make sure I could see all the other sheep and the shot was clear. The second I squeezed the trigger I heard the smack and the ram plummeted off the cliff for a 20' free fall. I looked back at the crew and everybody was celebrating, especially the four boys who now felt more like men than I think they ever have. We walked up to the ram where I had to finish the job. Amazingly, he survived the shot and the fall, a testament to the ruggedness of these desert sheep.
I am so proud of my sons and my nephews. These boys made a long hard stalk in cold steep conditions where everything pokes and bites. They did it as good as any men I have hunted with. I'm thankful for the friends and family that left their wives and jobs at home to join me on this adventure. Thank you to the wives who love us strange men and their support of our obsessive adventures.
More than anything, I am thankful to God who made these mountains and the wild beasts we love so much. God has blessed me beyond belief. Jesus is the ultimate giver and sustainer and the only way to be made righteous in the eyes of God.
I encourage anybody that is wondering how they can know this God to call me at 505.304.2363. I'd love to talk about sheep hunting too...
Cory
This hunt was in my home state and the seven months of waiting and planning was half (or more) of the fun. I had a good crew show up including 3 generations of my family and a couple of friends.
We located a group of sheep the day before the opener and decided two of the rams were potential shooters. Opening morning we rolled into that spot and left the truck at first light. After walking about 1/2 a mile we set up to glass and found the group about another mile away and a solid 1500 vertical feet above us. We left a spotter to keep an eye on them and hit the hill on a mission. Our stalking crew consisted of me, my brother in law, a friend, and 4 kids age 8-12. The sheep were set in a steep canyon that allowed us to approach one canyon over without ever being in their sight. After about 30 minutes of hiking like our tails were on fire we got a radio call from our spotter letting us know the sheep were moving to our side of the canyon and we were likely in range.
Based on that info we crested over the ridge separating the canyons and quickly found the sheep at 140 yards. The terrain and cover made them tough to see and we spent about 10 minutes watching and waiting as they fed away from us. I was getting pretty nervous as it looked like they would drop into a hole out of sight. Right about then we heard a sharp crack and I immediately thought it was a rifle shot. Then there was another. Then, as the rams came into view I saw two **** back and slam heads, sending the sound through the rock canyon and I realized it wasn't a shot. The ram fighting was the one I wanted.
Just as they were dropping out of sight we saw a ewe turn left and come back clearly into sight as she skirted a tall rock outcropping that ran under the big cliffs. I told my brother in law we just needed the group to follow her and we still had a chance. Soon after a ram showed up behind her. I looked through my scope and decided he wasn't the one I wanted. In over 30 years of big game hunting this was my first time to pass on shooting a legal animal with a good shot set up. I'm not a trophy hunter and this was hard for me! As I waited another ram came out, and then another. I held patiently.
Finally, the ram I wanted walked out. Range was called to me: 170 yards. I was laid out on backpacks propped over a 5'tall boulder. I turned my scope all the way down to 4x to make sure I could see all the other sheep and the shot was clear. The second I squeezed the trigger I heard the smack and the ram plummeted off the cliff for a 20' free fall. I looked back at the crew and everybody was celebrating, especially the four boys who now felt more like men than I think they ever have. We walked up to the ram where I had to finish the job. Amazingly, he survived the shot and the fall, a testament to the ruggedness of these desert sheep.
I am so proud of my sons and my nephews. These boys made a long hard stalk in cold steep conditions where everything pokes and bites. They did it as good as any men I have hunted with. I'm thankful for the friends and family that left their wives and jobs at home to join me on this adventure. Thank you to the wives who love us strange men and their support of our obsessive adventures.
More than anything, I am thankful to God who made these mountains and the wild beasts we love so much. God has blessed me beyond belief. Jesus is the ultimate giver and sustainer and the only way to be made righteous in the eyes of God.
I encourage anybody that is wondering how they can know this God to call me at 505.304.2363. I'd love to talk about sheep hunting too...
Cory
elkhunterUT
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Great rams-congrats on back to back amazing hunts!
yoteduster
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Great write up and a super nice ram..congrats...and your right god is sure enough walking with you
yotebuster17
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Yep. Typical big outfitter pic with that row of guides and spotter. ?
Congrats on both rams!
coryb
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Dall was 8, Desert BHS was 7
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