Home from Alaska.

[mshowman]

Well, Alex, you've certainly set the bar this time! Thanks for taking the time to share such a wonderful experience.

[thornvalley]

Dude. That was...uh....wow....Damn. Very Nice. Thanks for sharing.

[sxsneubaum]

Well done, both the hunt and the PE.  Did you look up Jim McCann while in Fairbanks?

[RASKE]

Outstanding!  I'm with bobman...my knees are hurting just thinking about walking on all those scree slopes.  Thanks for letting us experience the hunt vicariously through your lens and words.

[Wirehair]

I called it my Triple Stupid gun for this trip. Most people I talked to said it was stupid to bring a wood stocked gun to Alaska, stupid to use a 30/06 on a sheep hunt and stupid to use a 30/06 on a grizzly bear. O well.

The bad news was that on the very first night, my sleeping bag broke. The zipper was busted, and from then on I would have to fold it in half around me- it didn’t work well and was uncomfortable at best. I spent $70 on the bag, I should have spent more.

It was pure steep shale. If you have never hiked on shale before, let me put it like this, think a 60 degree slope stacked with dinner plates. Every step is a balancing act and the rocks slide and you try to stay put.

Sheep hunting is absolutely my favorite type of hunting. It is difficult, they are wary, it is hunting on steroids. I LOVE it, the only problem is it is so damn expensive.

Wow congrats on the whole trip!!!

As for the 30/06......  It amazes me how people get so hung up on large caliber rifles espescially for just hunting deer and yet people hunt wild country with "just a 30/06" and do just fine.  I hunted mountain goats twice, first trip the guide carried a 25/06 for bear protection, and the second trip the guide carried my 30/06 while I carried my bow. I ended up killing my goat with the 30/06. I guess the 06 was big enough  

Sleeping bag......I bought a Marmot $80 bag and I froze my butt off, should ofspent more  

Steep shale.......  Pictures don't do justice and the "dinner plates on 60 degree slope" is about the best way to explain it.

Now that you/ve hunted sheep you best try goats!!!! If I can ever afford another guided hunt it'd be mountain goats again.

[Buddy Knox]

One of the hardest hikes I ever made was hauling my grizzly out.  There were 12 inches of new snow, it was about 0 degrees, and the uneven footing made every step an adventure.

Congrats on your bear.  Mine was a 6 year old Toklat...and the color on yours is similar.

buddy

[Guest]

Not just an amazing trip, but also, an amazing story.  Not many twenty-somethings could have pulled off an experience like that.  Will be curious to see if you and the guide do something again some day.  By your account, he also seems like a fine young man and would be a worthy friend to keep in touch with.  

HUGE thanks to you for sharing.

[Alan Briere]

Congratulations Alex. Great job.

Alan

[NHBirddogger]

Great PE and even better attitude towards getting your ram. You more than earned it.

[ckfowler180]

Need to figure out how to change my font like Thorn has as I am green with envy.  Not likely I will ever get to do that kind of hunt, age and family obligations.  Really glad to see that it can still be done the way I always dreamed of it being.

Did notice lots of water and no mention of the fish in them.  Did that fall to the wayside?

[nobirdshere]

Damn. Alex, that was a great report and that trip will provide lifetime memories. Not being a big game hunter, that is a trip I will probably never take. I sure appreciate getting a glimpse of yours. Thanks.

[Hub]

Sounds like a great trip.....I can't wait to get home from work to check out the pictures.

[Rusty_Setter]

Awesome...simply awesome!  Congrats and thanks for sharing.

[topdog1961]

My cubicle just got smaller, if that is possible.

[brymoore]

Great report.  Sheep hunting is addicting!  You need to start applying in the Western states that have sheep hunts.