Forums.NitroExpress.com

I hunt Dall Sheep here in Alaska every year (well, almost every year). I think your gear needs to be tailored to the area you are hunting. For instance, I'm sure your equipment would be different for hunting here than say, in Nevada for Desert Bighorn.

For rifles, any accurate rifle that fits you well chambered for a relatively flat shooting cartridge is fine. They aren't that big or hard to kill once you actually get your shot. I'd guess a .25 caliber rifle shooting 115 grain or better well constructed bullet around 2700 fps at the muzzle would do the trick. I tend to carry rifles with more thump here because of bears roaming the sheep hills, but if that weren't the case, I'd probably tote my 7x57 and be happy.

I think there are 4 things that are absolutely critical for a successful and enjoyable sheep hunt:

First is get in shape for it. You don't need to be a marathon runner or expert mountain climber, but you need to be conditioned for walking up steep slopes and carrying a pack.

Second is good food. You will burn a lot of calories scrambling around the slopes. You need to feed the machine to perform.

Third is good boots that are broken in and fit you well. Stiff leather or mountaineering plastic boots, or a combination thereof, is a good idea. I used Meindl's for several years, but last year switched to Sportiva Lhotse's and like those better. The Lhotse is a mountaineering boot, made with leather uppers, but has a steel shank in the sole and plastic inserts for reinforcement. Basically, if you can dig a lug of sole into a toe hold, you can lift yourself up. Tons of ankle support and they really dig into shale and scree slopes with minimal effort. They are not, however, very good for walking down creek beds. They support your feet and ankles extremely well, so they don't flex at those points. If your foot slips on rounded creek rocks, something has to roll, it's not going to be your foot or ankle, so that only leaves your knees. If you have bad knees I wouldn't recommend mountaineering type boots, I'd go with Danners or Meindl's. If you have bad ankles, I'd definitely go with a mountaineering boot.

Fourth is good glass. A good pair of binoculars in the 8-10 power range, 30-40mm in size. Also a great spotting scope, something around 15-45x. Anything much over 45x and you give up clarity for distortion or haze. Weight plays a major role in good glass, so there is a balance you need to achieve, but I'd take a little heavier pair of glass with great clarity than lighter, less clear optics. I use a pair of 8x30 Swarovski binoculars for about the last 15 years and have never had a problem with them. Very clear and adjustments stay where set. I really like the new Leupold spotting scopes, but have a very old Bausch and Lomb that I can't justify replacing (even though it is too heavy).

If you are sheep hunting in Alaska or Canada, rain gear, fleece, tents and other things should be discussed because of the weather that is usually encountered during sheep season. Tony Russ' book, Sheep Hunting In Alaska, is very informative and highly recommend if you are going to be taking the trip north.

I have to warn you, though, sheep hunting is an addiction. It gets in your blood. In my honest opinion, there is no finer adventure.