Yukon Dall Sheep Hunt
Hunting in the Yukon for Dall Sheep has created some great memories for me. I have been fortunate to harvest a couple of Yukon Dall Sheep and I was back for my 2019 hunt with a goal of harvesting a trophy ram.
The anticipation of the hunt really began to build as I began my journey to Whitehorse. Upon landing in Whitehorse, I was greeted by my good friend Leona Watson from North Curl Outfitters.
The next morning, I was at the floatplane dock preparing for my flight into a small lake where I would meet my guide, Mac Watson. When I arrived at the lake I was greeted by Iliana, a young sweet girl that would be the horse wrangler for the hunt. Fortunately, my favorite Yukon horse, Hippy, was saddled and awaiting my arrival. We rode for three hours to a campsite that we would call home for the next ten days. We pitched my tent and as I arranged my gear in the tent, I made sure to arrange a sleeping area for Jax, the faithful North Curl camp dog. Jax is a great companion and would alert me if any grizzlies came around.
The next morning, we were up early and ready to get into the mountains in search of rams.
I had my apparel from base layer to rain gear with me as you never know what the weather can bring in the Yukon.
After a two-hour ride, we tied up the horses at the base of the mountain and started our climb up the mountain. Hiking up the big Yukon mountains is slow going. The hard work is so worth it when you reach the top and see the Yukon in all its beauty and know the possibilities of finding a big ram. I’ve always felt like I’ve achieved something with every mountain I've climbed. We hiked down the ridge and through a saddle to look in all the holes the rams might be hiding in on the other side. It had been a productive day looking for rams as we had seen a dozen rams along with other ewes and lambs. None of the rams found were of the trophy class I was seeking. As darkness began to overtake the breathtaking Yukon skyline, we began our descent down the mountain and our journey back to camp.
Every day for the next eight days we would leave camp early and hike different mountains in pursuit of the old mature ram of my dreams. There were two days of lows 40's and high's 50's. Then an extreme cold front came in with downpouring rain for one day with highs in the 40's. The next week was high 30s and low in the teens. The water little streams were frozen and like icicles.
My hunt days had come to a conclusion, and as I sat at camp reflecting on the hunt I was proud of the effort we had given every day. We counted over 100 rams in the days we hunted, however the big old mature ram I was looking for never materialized. My body was sore from hiking and carrying my backpack and rifle every day. The sore muscles and great memories would be what I would take home.
As I rode Hippy toward the lake where the floatplane would pick me up, I was thinking of all the great days we had enjoyed on the mountain looking for rams, how the weather had challenged my Azyre apparel with all elements of rain, sleet, snow and sunshine. I am very proud to say Azyre gear met my expectations in extremely cold conditions. I am very excited to launch this line of apparel to empower women that hunt or enjoy the outdoors as much as I do.
