American Hunter – August 2019

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and Wyoming, as well as all of Canada

and Mexico, where guides are required.

CONNECTIONS

Unless you’re awfully self-reliant and/or

live in sheep country you will need to hire

an outfitter. Many good ones exist, fortu-

nately, because few of us could make do

without the expertise and infrastructure

that took them years to acquire.

Thanks to savvy friends, I landed with

two of the best, Dave Leonard in Alaska

and Reg Collingwood from British Colum-

bia. It’s no coincidence both men are

seasoned pros with  to  years in the

business, which shows in how they check

all the boxes in terms of location, equip-

ment, organization and, most important,

superb guides and other staff. Like skilled

managers in any field, they know how to

push the right buttons to make clients suc-

cessful. Yeah, it’s difficult, but expect no

pity. Hunters get pushed hard—there’s no

other way—but not to the breaking point.

They put clients in position to dig deep,

to exceed expectations, and you’ll be sur-

prised at how hard you can grind.

These two outfits contrast the fun-

damental choice one must make when

booking for sheep. Mostly there are two

options: backpack hunting, like I did

with Mountain Monarchs; and horse

hunting, the forte of Collingwood Broth-

ers. For most, it’s a difficult call. For sure

the horse does much of the work, thus

allowing the hunting party to cover way

more country. But in my opinion, long

hours in the saddle rival the punishment

of humping camp on your back. With

the exception of certain desert bighorn

hunts that involve driving part of the

way, there’s no easy alternative. Which

is exactly why this sport is held in such

high esteem. Suffice it to say, I’m glad I

have done both.

PREPARATION

The  required to prepare for effective

sheep hunting extends the experience

over several months (perhaps longer) so

that the actual hunt is merely a -day

culmination of a larger lifestyle shift.

For most of us, getting in better

shape will be necessary, and thankfully

the hunt provides powerful motivation.

If not before, this is the point where

would-be hunters must honestly self-

appraise to determine what it’s going to

take. In some cases, though, it’s time to

ask if it’s even possible.

The good news is that: a) practically

everyone can improve his/her physical

condition; and b) you don’t have to be

some kind of elite athlete to do this. In

fact I’m convinced anyone fit enough to

hike over rough ground for a few hours

at a time and who, more importantly, is

genuinely determined, can succeed.

There are better sources for exercise

advice, so I'll just add that along with

cardiovascular, upper body, leg and core

workouts, don’t forget your feet. They

should be hardened at least as much as

the rest of your anatomy, if not more.

What works best is actual hiking in your

hunting boots, and the rougher the trail

the better. Push hard and it’ll harden the

rest of you, too. There’s no better simula-

tion of the arduous slog of a sheep hunt.

Regardless what kind of workout you

choose, any is better than none and today

beats delaying until tomorrow. To para-

phrase the sneaker ad, “ ... do it.” Whatever

else happens, your improved health and

fitness makes this part all worthwhile.

You also need to get out and shoot

your rig in the run-up to the hunt. It's not

an everyday prerequisite like working

out, but you should do enough that your

sight picture and trigger-squeeze skills

sync-up like muscle memory. The longer

your practice targets, the farther you are

prepared to shoot on game. Effective

range for me is how far I’ve been able to

practice on paper or steel, though other

hunters who really know their holdovers

or click values may be able to reach

out farther.

ESSENTIALS

NOT FOUND IN

YOUR DEER PACK

[] water purification

[] moleskin

[] Garmin inReach Explorer—,

texting and 

[] trekking poles

[] sleeping roll and bag

[] firesteel

[] power cell and solar panel

[] dry bag

[] dehydrated meals []

[]

[]

[]

[]

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Horses play a major role in the pursuit of wild sheep. A horseback

hunt saves wear-and-tear on your legs, but many soon discover

they're not cut out to sample cowboy life in such rugged country.

Photo: Forrest MacCormack