Good Enough for Sheep by Craig Boddington

By Craig Boddington – Excerpt from Wild Sheep Magazine

You’ve dreamed about him for years, and he’s somewhere beyond that next outcropping. Are you ready? Can you make that last climb? Do you have the right stuff…within and without? Honest, I get as excited about a nice whitetail as a big ram. My hands are gonna shake. Fortunately, with long experience, I know they’re gonna shake after the shot. If I ever lose that, it’s time to take up golf, tennis, or maybe shuffleboard!

We do it to ourselves, because hunting is pure passion, not grocery shopping. It takes passion to drive us up sheep mountains, and we put a lot of pressure on ourselves. We’ve saved our pennies, suffered through years of “unsuccessful draws.” Now, finally, this is real.

There’s a lot of psychology on a sheep mountain. You gotta want it bad. If you want it bad enough, then neither age nor condition matter so much. Nor does what you’re wearing or carrying! But the right equipment makes it easier, and gives you more confidence to push on to that final stalk…and get you and your ram safely off the mountain. It isn’t a matter of best, because that’s subject to opinion. What’s important is that everything works. Your gear must be good enough for sheep. You must be good enough, too! Let’s start at ground level.
 

FOOTWEAR

It’s useful to see what the guides use, to a point, because you might be seeing conscious decisions…or folks making-do with what they have! About ten years ago, a BC goat hunt got tough, ice and snow at the end. One of the guides did the whole hunt in slick-soled riding boots. I have no idea how he managed to keep his footing. Good Asian guides are some of the most experienced mountain hunters in the world, usually getting by with awful footwear.

We don’t have to get by, and we have a wide selection. Everybody’s feet are different, so it’s important to learn what works for you. Most boots (and most feet) require break-in, but not all brands and styles work for everyone. Hotspots are normal during break-in, but after a half-dozen conditioning hikes you should know if they’re gonna work.

Thirty years in Marine infantry, my feet are pretty tough. I’ve abandoned few boots, and wear them until they fall apart. Donna’s feet are different. She’s tough, and has kept going with blisters that would have left me whimpering. She went through enough boots to buy an extra hunt before she finally found perfection. Which, for her, was Kennetrek, whose women’s boots are properly scaled to female feet.

I like good ankle support…but not too stiff. In rocks, I prefer Vibram soles, but after the snow flies Air Bob soles give a better grip without loading up with ice. Ages ago, when the Marine Corps finally allowed us to purchase our own boots in lieu of the government-issue horrors (any color, so long as black, with a toe that could be polished!), many of us went to Danner’s. That’s still a favorite brand, and the boots I’ll wear on my next mountain hunt are ten-inch Danner’s Thorofare. Brands often seen on the mountain include Crispi, Kennetrek, Lathrop, and Meindl. It took years, but last season I wore out a pair of Schnee’s leather boots.

My big dilemma with boots lies between too light for warmth…and too heavy to climb in! In the mountains you never know exactly what weather you’ll encounter, and my twice-frostbitten feet are sensitive. Unless very warm, I wear insulated boots, but these are not always enough. The second time I frostbit my feet was my first Tajikistan hunt, November ’99. For serious cold and snow, it’s hard to beat Schnee’s pacs with felt inserts. Although comfortable as slippers, they’re heavy to climb in. That’s what I wore on my second Marco Polo hunt…and on all cold hunts.

I always wear two pairs of socks, light inner and thicker outer. Recently I discovered “buffalo wool” socks, fantastic. Good boots with Gore-Tex are fairly waterproof today but, whether from outside or inside, bone-dry boots are unfamiliar to me. An old infantryman’s trick is to dry your feet and socks frequently (however you can), and I always carry dry socks in my pack. 
 

LAYERS

Aside from rapidly changing weather, mountain hunting means heating up while climbing…and then freezing when you get to the top. Layering is the only approach, shedding while exerting, adding layers when you stop or slow down.
  A saying much in vogue is “cotton kills.” Maybe. Cotton retains moisture and offers little insulation when wet…but between cotton hoodies, flannel shirts, and jeans a lot of guides still survive certain death! The secret is probably to keep cotton from getting wet! To this day, a dry cotton T-shirt in the pack is a wonderful thing to put on when you get to the top!
  Modern moisture-wicking synthetics are “better,” but when it’s cold there’s still a place for good old wool, which retains moisture, but offers warmth even when wet. In moderate temperatures, I start with synthetic long underwear, but when it’s cooler I switch to light merino wool.

From there, my outerwear is a mixture of what works. The camouflage-fashion police would bust me every time! To slightly below freezing, I’ll wear Kuiu synthetic trousers and a good vest, with a Kuiu hoody over the top. In my pack I carry Sitka raingear, generous hood, good seals on cuffs, and plenty of vents. Raingear serves as an excellent outer layer if the wind comes up.

I’m sensitive to cold, so this isn’t enough if it stays below freezing. I may add a second layer of longies, but in serious cold I go to good old wool or insulated bibs and parka. Always, I carry an extra layer in my pack. Boyt Harness has light insulated jackets and vests that weigh nothing; I’ve carried them for years and use them often. Donna uses mostly Prois, an excellent line for women, and asked me to be sure to put in: “There’s no substitute for a good down vest!”
 

OTHER GEAR

Other than feet, my ears and hands suffer most from cold. A hood that can tighten around your face is essential. That and a wool watch cap or balaclava does me fine in most weather. Another old trick: I tie a large silk bandanna around my neck, helps a lot. It doesn’t have to be very cold for my hands to become useless. I start with fingerless wool gloves, then more serious waterproof gloves over the top.

Packs are essential for any mountain hunt…but exactly how large depends on whether you’re hunting on foot or horseback…and how much you can carry. In Alaska, packs and frames from Barney’s Sports Chalet in Anchorage are almost uniform. Up there they pack a lot of moose! Right now, I’m using an Alps Outdoors pack, comfortable and it can haul what I’m able to carry. Stone Glacier and Mystery Ranch are famous for state-of-the-art packs for mountain work.

Depending on the situation, you may or may not carry a sleeping bag. I prefer synthetic to down because a wet down bag is useless, but get one rated warmer than you think you need. The list could be much longer, but I’ll add one item: Use hiking poles! I use strong, light carbon-fiber trekking poles, and I think they’ve extended my time in the mountains.  

OPTICS

Years ago, Jack Atcheson Jr. told me: “Optics cost nothing and weigh nothing.” White sheep and goats are like cue balls on a pool table. Absent snow, darker sheep are more difficult to spot. However, all mountain hunting relies on good optics, and judging horns requires the best.

I’m no longer convinced that optics weigh nothing, but I’m certain you get your money’s worth from good optics. Old standbys include Leica, Leupold, Swarovski, and Zeiss, but newer brands seen on the mountain include Sig-Sauer and Vortex. The brands of your various optical tools don’t have to match (and mine don’t), but get the best glass you can afford. If you need to scrimp, do it in other areas (including a cheaper rifle)!

Mountain hunting requires the full suite: Binoculars, spotting scope, riflescope, rangefinder. Powerful tripod-mounted binoculars pioneered by Coues deer hunters are effective for spotting game, but heavy. Under most circumstances I’m happy with good old 10x42 binoculars. A good spotting scope is essential, with a steady tripod. Because of wind and mirage, it’s rare to use 60X, but 20X isn’t enough to count annular rings!

Riflescopes are largely personal preference. Jack O’Connor thought a fixed 4X riflescope was all anyone needed! I like more, but I’m not an extreme range guy. For the shooting I’m most likely to do, I’m okay with 3-9X! The thing is, larger scopes are heavier and bulkier. Also brighter, but last light shots are unusual in sheep hunting: As dark approaches it’s time to drop down. That said, thanks to increased magnification ratios, the last few years I’ve been using bigger scopes. The most powerful scopes I have on potential mountain rifles are a Leupold VX6 3-18x44mm (six times zoom); and a Swarovski Z8i 3.5-28x50mm (eight times zoom). It’s unlikely I’ll ever need that much magnification, but it’s there. With powerful scopes, remember to turn them down until higher magnification is desired. Close shots are never impossible!

 

 

RIFLES AND CARTRIDGES

I’ve done most of my mountain hunting with bolt-actions, a little with single-shots. Provided you have accuracy, range, and power, action type means little. Charlie Ren, the mysterious desert rat who guided so many early hunters to desert sheep, used a lever-action .25-35 and felt he needed nothing more! At least one modern hunter has taken all four North American sheep with a .30-30, and others have done this with archery tackle.

Worldwide, the scoped bolt-action is probably King of the Mountain, and should be, with the best accuracy and huge variety of chamberings. Although I prefer walnut stocks and blued metal, mountain hunting is tough on equipment. Most rifles I take up mountains wear synthetic stocks, with stainless steel or rust-proofed metal! Gun weight matters, but heavier rifles are steadier when the wind is howling and you’re puffing like a steam engine! Donna’s MGA .270 weighs just over 5 ½ pounds with a Leupold 3.5-10x40mm scope. My Jarrett Ridge Walker in .300 Winchester Magnum weighs 8 ¾ pounds with Leupold VX6 3-18X. Ideal is probably somewhere between these weights.

We love our campfire arguments about cartridges but it isn’t rocket science, and there’s a broad range of suitability. Power isn’t the issue. Goats are tougher than sheep, but neither are big. Some people are comfortable shooting farther than others, but ideal mountain cartridges must shoot reasonably flat, and the major criterion is accuracy, which has more to do with the rifle than cartridge or caliber. Many sheep are taken with .243s, and the fast .25s are very adequate.

However, lighter calibers don’t hold up well in wind. I think there’s a break between the .25’s max 122-grain bullet and the 6.5mm’s 140-grain bullet. Velocity is needed as the major contributor to bullet energy, and time of flight is a major factor in wind drift. Therefore, I don’t think mild 6.5mms like the Creedmoor and .260 Remington are ideal sheep cartridges, but I’m comfortable with faster 6.5mms (6.5-.284 Norma and the old .264 Winchester Magnum on up) as good starting points.

Although it’s taken me most of a lifetime to accept it, I think Jack O’Connor was correct in touting the .270 Winchester as a great mountain cartridge! Moderate in recoil, the .270 is fast enough and plenty powerful. Faster .270s (.270 WSM and .270 Weatherby Magnum) may be slightly better, but O’Connor’s .270 is still a good choice.

 

The only thing: Never considered a target cartridge, the .270 lags behind in development of modern “low drag” bullets for extreme range. So, the faster 6.5mms and all the fast 7mms may be technically better, still offering moderate recoil with plenty of speed and power, and a better selection of aerodynamic bullets. For my money, milder 7mms like the 7mm-08 and 7x57 aren’t fast enough, but all the 7mms from .280 Remington on up are. Steve Hornady and Jim Carmichel have taken most of their mountain game with .280s, and the brothers Klineburger took most of the world’s mountain game with the 7mm Remington Magnum.

This year, I’m messing with a Ruger No. One in .280 Ackley Improved and a wonderfully accurate Custom Shop Remington M700 in 7mm Remington Magnum. Both will see high country use! Mostly, however, I’ve used a .270 or stepped up to .30-caliber. There is never anything wrong with using a fast .30, with plenty of speed and power and the most robust bullet selection. Most of my life I’ve been a .300 Weatherby Magnum guy, but there’s nothing wrong with any of the fast .30s. A caveat: .30-caliber power is not essential for any sheep or goat on earth, and the recoil level is uncomfortable for many. So, to my thinking, ideal sheep cartridges run from the faster 6.5mms on up to the fastest 7mms. Within that range anything that shoots straight and gives you confidence is a sound choice.
 

BULLETS

Goats are very tough and sheep are not, but accuracy and confidence are the important criteria. It’s essential to play with available loads and find the bullet weight, style, and brand that delivers extra-good accuracy in your rifle. I think anyone using a fast .30 (including me) has more gun than needed…and anyone using a tough, deep-penetrating bullet has more bullet than needed. Again, the “C” factor, for Confidence, is everything. Almost any bullet will work, but I prefer faster-opening bullets that do internal damage.

The idea is to anchor the animal as quickly as possible! This is especially critical for goats because, if strength and mobility remain, a goat will drive for the steepest, nastiest escape habitat it can reach…where horns may be shattered and recovery dangerous. A ram may attempt a suicidal escape; with goats you can almost count on it. I like to hit them very hard, preferably breaking shoulder bone). Preferred choices include Berger VLD Hunting and Classic Hunter; Nosler Ballistic Tip; Hornady SST and ELD-X; and plain old Sierra GameKing.

All of these may open too fast at close range and high velocity, but this is mitigated by bullet weight. And, with aerodynamic design, heavier bullets hold up better at distance. So, in 6.5mm and .270, I use bullets from 130 grain and up; in 7mm, from 150 grains; and in .30-caliber, from 180 grains upwards. Accuracy in an individual rifle is more important, so I’ve used homogenous-alloy Barnes X-series and Hornady GMX, as well as the various tipped-and-bonded bullets (AccuBond, Interbond, Swift Scirocco). I’ve also used plenty of cup-and-core bullets, such as Hornady Interlock and Remington’s timeless Core-Lokt. All will work…provide you can make the shot!

When the chance comes, there’s a lot going on. Your equipment and your preparation were good enough to get you this far. Now you have questions to answer: Is this the animal you’ve dreamed of? Is he good enough? Can you make the shot? Are you good enough? Years of dreaming, lots of hard-earned dollars…and you know there’s likely just this one chance. It’s time to rely on confidence born of practice. Take a few deep breaths and get steady! 
 

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Originally published in the Fall 2020 issue of Wild Sheep magazine. Not a member? Join today.