Got Sheep? / RAM River

herbecm · #1 12-18-2014, 07:06 AM

Earlier this year I spent five days hunting the Ram River area and was only able to find a group of juvenile sheep (6).

I have a few questions:
1. I was there between September 11 and 16th was my timing wrong?
2. Is there a large outfitter allocation here? How do I find out as I saw a few camps and 3 parties on horses?
3. Was I looking in the wrong place? I glassed and hiked like heck and decided not to go all the way to the headwaters given the traffic we saw...

I’m looking for a little insight as there are plenty of other sheep areas in the province and I’m considering a different location and not my wasting my time going there again.

I know sheep are where you find them and am most interested into thoughts on questions 1 and 2...

Cheers,
herbecm

calgarychef · #2 12-18-2014, 08:01 AM

First post and asking about sheep? Everyone knows that sheep hunters are a secretive and scurrilous bunch, it's going to take years of effort on your part to even find someone who admits to knowing that area

Lr1000 · #3 12-18-2014, 08:56 AM

Don't hunt that area at all. But if you your seeing more sheep hunters then sheep. Keep forging on.

Young Eldon · #4 12-18-2014, 09:05 AM

There are likely about 4 outfitter tags in there. It is also an area where you can hunt right up against the Banff Park boundary so it is easy for the rams to be held back in the Park for most of the season. The first and last weeks of the season are likely best but can be very busy with other hunters.

pottymouth · #5 12-18-2014, 10:20 AM

Did you want gps coordinates too?

fish_e_o · #6 12-18-2014, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pottymouth

Did you want gps coordinates too?

ummm if he doesn't i do

Bigrackdreams1973 · #7 12-18-2014, 04:59 PM

You can contact APOS and they will tell you what outfitters are operating in the WMU and how many tags are allocated.

albertabighorn · #8 12-18-2014, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by herbecm

Earlier this year I spent five days hunting the Ram River area and was only able to find a group of juvenile sheep (6).

I have a few questions:
1. I was there between September 11 and 16th was my timing wrong?
2. Is there a large outfitter allocation here? How do I find out as I saw a few camps and 3 parties on horses?
3. Was I looking in the wrong place? I glassed and hiked like heck and decided not to go all the way to the headwaters given the traffic we saw...

I’m looking for a little insight as there are plenty of other sheep areas in the province and I’m considering a different location and not my wasting my time going there again.

I know sheep are where you find them and am most interested into thoughts on questions 1 and 2...

Cheers,
herbecm

Nothing to do with timeing, sheep are tough to find took many years for me to kill one. Keep at it

Grizzly Adams · #9 12-18-2014, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lr1000

Don't hunt that area at all. But if you your seeing more sheep hunters then sheep. Keep forging on.

Sounds like every day in the field, hunting sheep.

Grizz

510-Gem · #10 12-19-2014, 09:02 AM

I try not to let seeing other hunters deter me from an area. One opening day we were the last ones of at least 6-7 parties into a well known drainage. We stayed there for the next 6 days and eventually had a legal ram stroll through. Didn't get him, but learned that being patient pays off in the mountains.

Kolt30 · #11 12-19-2014, 03:38 PM

Put in more time and km to get to know the area better

-JR- · #12 12-19-2014, 07:24 PM

Took me 5 years to get my first sheep in that area ,and i would go up every other weekend on the last few years and you gave up on your first week.

Grizzly Adams · #13 12-19-2014, 07:37 PM

Ram Mountain used to produce a few, but the powers that be decided it was too easy.

Grizz

-JR- · #14 12-20-2014, 06:55 AM

Thats where I took my ram at Ram mountain in the 80's took 5 years .
A lot of hunters ,and not many legal rams ,when it was good I heard an average of 5 rams were taken a year. Then they got really slim and moved it to full curl .
Never heard if any got taken ,then they closed the area for sheep hunting

ASAT1 · #15 12-20-2014, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pottymouth

Did you want gps coordinates too?

Im still waiting for them,might actually need you to walk me right to the spot

d bowhunter · #16 12-20-2014, 08:51 AM

why is it when someone ask a question about this kind of thing there is always someone here that makes a rude comment ,i dont post much anymore because of this if that stuff upsets you then dont read it.

packhuntr · #17 12-20-2014, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by d bowhunter

why is it when someone ask a question about this kind of thing there is always someone here that makes a rude comment ,i dont post much anymore because of this if that stuff upsets you then dont read it.

I will bite. Ok,, man rule number one. The first thing out of a hunters mouth is "congratulations"!!!
Rule number two. A hunter NEVER asks where. NEVER. If one wants, he or she need invest. Go sweat it out.
There is no third rule.

casual observer · #18 12-20-2014, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ASAT1

Im still waiting for them,might actually need you to walk me right to the spot

I didn't think it was a secret. The pictures are out there of his lifted blue chev with a spotting scope on the window off highway 40. You don't need him to walk you there; he could drive you though.

woods_walker · #19 12-20-2014, 01:40 PM

I am not sure why this guy is getting such flack for some simple questions. My reading comprehension didn't pick up that he asked for exact locations just some tips in general, so I will bite too.

It seems pretty reasonable to wonder if your timing is off (sheep still hanging out in the parks instead of the general area possibly, or are most of the legal rams for that area generally harvested in the first week because the access can be easy. Both are right. Does the outfitter have a big allocation? Not for this area and they are typically a bit further to the south so don't let that stop you... As a side comment I have hunted an area that wasn't worth it because the outfitter had camps everywhere even with no one staying in them and another the ***** of an outfitter thought it was a good idea to hammer a bunch of scraps of meat in the trees when he headed out to attract the local grizzlies. Thirdly, was he looking in the wrong places? No. He is in sheep country out there. Heck, some days in the season they are in the parking lot of the staging area. A lot of days sheep hunting comes down to being in the right place at the right time. The sheep move lots and he is in sheep country. Not there today, possibly tomorrow. I think I answered his questions without giving my sweet spot for the area out, just some tips in general. Whether its sheep or deer or elk, learn the area, learn the trails, put in some time. You can't harvest animals unless you are out there.

Also, Ram mountain, the officially named one in wmu 429 isn't open for sheep hunting anymore so I don't think old stories of getting a ram there are of much help, other than to jump your post count...

herbecm · #20 12-21-2014, 03:13 PM

To the Gents, you know who you are, much appreciated for your insights.

burbotman · #21 12-21-2014, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by packhuntr

I will bite. Ok,, man rule number one. The first thing out of a hunters mouth is "congratulations"!!!
Rule number two. A hunter NEVER asks where. NEVER. If one wants, he or she need invest. Go sweat it out.
There is no third rule.

Pack, your man rules should be stickied at the top of the forum

albertabighorn · #22 12-21-2014, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by burbotman

Pack, your man rules should be stickied at the top of the forum

Im just surprised they let him comment still after that muledeer scoreing fiasco
HaHa only kidding

packhuntr · #23 12-21-2014, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by albertabighorn

Im just surprised they let him comment still after that muledeer scoreing fiasco
HaHa only kidding

Lol hey man that fiasco was fun i thought! You nailed it though lol, dont take much to land a guy in hot water, thats why im trying to AO convert over to the more accepted liberal mindset an mentality. Stay liberal and stay alive, i see its the new conservative haha

Acesneights · #24 12-22-2014, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by casual observer

I didn't think it was a secret. The pictures are out there of his lifted blue chev with a spotting scope on the window off highway 40. You don't need him to walk you there; he could drive you though.

Actually I was with him on this trip and I assure you it wasn't from the highway. It was more like a 16 km walk. Just to set the record straight I believe like me sometimes I just like to see sheep and so sometimes it's nice to sit in the truck and look at some Rams around the park boundaries.

pottymouth · #25 12-22-2014, 01:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acesneights

Actually I was with him on this trip and I assure you it wasn't from the highway. It was more like a 16 km walk. Just to set the record straight I believe like me sometimes I just like to see sheep and so sometimes it's nice to sit in the truck and look at some Rams around the park boundaries.

Ignore the goof. Hes referring to this year, while i was parked on the side of road waiting for fish and wildlife to meet up with us. That's the day we turned in that guy who poached.

Omg...i got caught on the highway by one of my jealous worshipers, on year that i didnt have a sheep tag... im a terrible hunter..

I would gladly guide casual observer to ram, if i knew he actually could keep up...

Bigwoodsman · #26 12-22-2014, 08:37 AM

I spent a lot of time hunting the South Ram River Headwaters area, the Ranger Creek drainage, and some time in the Clearwater River Drainage. The best way to learn the area is to put in effort and time, wear out some boot leather, make notes sit and glass a granite wall and then when you think you've seen everything there is to see on that face glass it again.

These areas hold rams, I never had the good fortune of connecting with one or even touching off a round at a prospective trophy. We seen Rams but by the time we got to where they were, they were gone, sometimes spooked off by other hunters, sometimes by me. Sheep hunting is hard work, it is rewarding work, and I would trade those times out on those rocks for anything.

Best we ever saw on a pre-season hunting trip into the Ranger Creek headwaters was 21 legal rams, this was about 1989-1990. It was August long-weekend. We hiked in right up to the boundary markers. When we went back for opening day, while setting up a spike camp about 1KM back of the park two F&W officers, rode through the valley just before dark, they had been doing a circuit and rode over through the Ram headwaters, staying at that cabin, and were heading through Ranger Creek to stay at their cabin a few KM into the park. If there were any sheep holding up in the drainage they were gone. Did see a few G-bears in those drainage's, but they never bothered us. Also one year the helicopters were patrolling the park boundaries pretty hard and dropping park wardens on the peaks. These areas are hard hunts but not impossible, time and effort is what you need to succeed.

I hunted Ram Mountain in the '80's and it was a tough hunt too, but back then there were more hunters on that mountain then legal rams. We hiked Dizzy creek drainage, what we called Fuji, climbed up from the Gap and everywhere in between, it was good training for the South Ram Headwaters.

5 days isn't very much time when you're hunting sheep. Yes some guys are fortunate and walk right up to their lifetime Ram, but those guys are few. If sheep hunting was easy everyone would be doing it.

BW

Squeaker · #27 12-22-2014, 12:10 PM

Hunting populated areas is a good start ,theres other hunters there for a reason just carry a sharp set of eyes is all!!

walking buffalo · #28 12-22-2014, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pottymouth

Ignore the goof. Hes referring to this year, while i was parked on the side of road waiting for fish and wildlife to meet up with us. That's the day we turned in that guy who poached.

Omg...i got caught on the highway by one of my jealous worshipers, on year that i didnt have a sheep tag... im a terrible hunter..

I would gladly guide casual observer to ram, if i knew he actually could keep up...

Living up to the sheephunter's reputation.

Some truth mixed in with some lies...

ASAT1 · #29 12-22-2014, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pottymouth

Ignore the goof. Hes referring to this year, while i was parked on the side of road waiting for fish and wildlife to meet up with us. That's the day we turned in that guy who poached.

Omg...i got caught on the highway by one of my jealous worshipers, on year that i didnt have a sheep tag... im a terrible hunter..

I would gladly guide casual observer to ram, if i knew he actually could keep up...

Sorry Bud, You know me I just like to joke with you everytime I get a chance ,didn't know but should know that a smart remark would come up.

pottymouth · #30 12-22-2014, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by casual observer

I didn't think it was a secret. The pictures are out there of his lifted blue chev with a spotting scope on the window off highway 40. You don't need him to walk you there; he could drive you though.

Paparazzi WOW !

Hope you got my good side! You should post those pics !

Followed, photographed, and even stalked at my work and the mountains.... Man, I feel like a Celeb ! Guess no more sleeping in the nude!

Casual Observer, is politically correct for Peeping Tom, I guess!