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A night in the wild
Posted by chignik on Feb 12 2006
When I started hunting sheep, there was no books, no computers/forums and just not much "how to" info out there.
Also, had no hunt buddies that had any enthusiasm toward climbing mountains looking for sheep. My first hunt, I was poorly outfitted
in denim jeans and cotton shirts, some dried food, a light sleeping bag and a tube tent. I was hunting solo after being dropped off by
my barber/private bush pilot. I didn't intend to make a base camp
down low, so everything I had brought was going up with me on a wood frame & canvas pack. My rifle was a 10LB. pre-64 M70 30-06 with weaver k4 scope. By the time I got up where I wanted to be ,I made camp. I glassed from there for a couple days, in nice weather, only seeing ewes. No fire,way above timber,but decent weather. On the forth morning, I saw rams.They were about 3 miles away across a vally and small glacial river. I left my "base camp" and started down the mountain, across the thigh deep river, and up to the rams.
They were legal 3/4 curl rams,but I spooked them with a poorly planned stalk. Now I was bummed out, night was coming quick, and I was starting to get cold. It was too dark and dangerous to come back down. I spent my first "siwash" in Alaska that night. It was cold and almost sleepless. With daylight ,I headed down, crossed the river and back up to camp.
The first night back at camp on the mountain , the temp dropped to just above freezing , the wind and rainy snow came in and stayed that way for the next three days. I had packed up and moved down to my pick-up point. I was in timber ,but it was too wet to start a fire. By now everything I had was wet. More miserable nights with a real danger of hypothermia.
I learned alot and did not give up on sheep hunting. I returned better equipped the next year. I have enjoyed many more sheep hunts
since my first "Siwash".
Les
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