Ram’s the word

First in a six-part series

By Evan Saugstad

Rams, a word that brings all mountain sheep hunters to attention. After that, the next two words are important, those being legal rams. If you aren’t a hunter or don’t hunt sheep, let me explain.

B.C.’s mountain sheep live in some of our most inhospitable terrain. Stone sheep (Ovis dalli stonei) of northern B.C. are no exception. Not only is their home largely inhospitable for humans, but it’s also mostly remote and not easily accessible, other than through one’s sheer will, determination, and stamina. Sheep hunting is about finding a very small segment of a scattered population in the vast mountain landscape. B.C. stone sheep population estimates vary between 10,000 to 12,000 individuals.

Legal stone sheep rams (thinhorns in the hunting regulations) must be either over eight years of age or have at least one horn extending higher than the bridge of its nose (full curl). Thus, with a very small percentage (est. <5%) of a widely scattered species being the only ones regulated hunters can legally harvest, when rams are spotted and those two words are subsequently uttered, the biggest hurdle in harvesting one of this species has been overcome. The thinhorn ram harvest averages about 250 per year, or 2% of the population, with about 80% of those being over the age of eight.

In 2020, I booked a hunt with a guide outfitter on the east slopes of the Northern Rockies and was rewarded with my first stone sheep ram. You can read my fivepart story published in Alaska Highway News by clicking here. I so enjoyed that experience that I booked with another guide outfitter for a hunt in October 2022.

Being a person that values a variety of experiences, I chose an outfitter in a different part of the province (if asked, I would still would highly recommend my 2020 outfitter). This time, I went on a horseback hunt with Darwin and Wendy Cary of Scoop Lake Outfitters in the Kechika River drainage. I chose this area as it has been one of B.C.’s best ramproducing areas for decades, and the Carys are known for ensuring a great adventure; they have successfully owned and operated their business for more than 30 years. If the opportunity presented itself, I would also look for a mature mountain goat billy.

Sheep hunting is not something for the faint of heart. It is not inexpensive, and especially so if one chooses to use the services of a guide outfitter. Although most B.C. residents can, and do, choose to hunt on their own, the success rate for a self-guided resident hunter is significantly less than for those who use the services of a professional guide working for a reputable outfitter.

Although some ask what my hunt cost, I don’t say as that’s between me and my outfitter. What I will tell you is that every outfitter is different, and all deal with resident hunters in their own way. Most charge in U.S. dollars, as most clients are American, with some from other parts of the world, and with very few from B.C.

All outfitters are on sheep quotas (as for most huntable species), but as a B.C. resident, this quota does not apply, so some outfitters are willing to negotiate lower prices from those who require the use of their quota. Remember, the cheapest outfitter may not always be the best; as with most things, one gets what they pay for. Yes, a low-cost hunt may have its rewards, but it can also end with a less than desirable experience. I chose to pay for what I expected and, in that, Scoop Lake did not disappoint.

In 2019, before COVID restrictions, 1,303 B.C. residents hunted 10,888 days for both stone sheep and their white cousins, the Dall, and harvested 137 thinhorn rams for a success rate of 10.5% — or 79 hunter days per ram harvested. The 234 non-residents (includes a few B.C. resident who used the services of guide outfitters) harvested 159 rams for a success rate of 68% and 10 days per ram.

In 2020, with COVID restrictions, 1,363 residents hunted 12,146 days and harvested 205 rams for a 17% success rate and 59 days per ram. Sixty non-residents (from other parts of Canada and B.C., like myself) used the services of a guide outfitter and harvested 42 rams for a succuss rate of 70%, or 8.6 days a ram.

Scoop Lake Outfitters reports a greater than 80% success rate, with most unsuccessful hunts happening when the hunter is searching for a specific size or quality of ram and chooses not to harvest one just because it’s legal, or they aren’t physical prepared for the rigours.

Unlike my previous sheep hunt, when I harvested a very representative Stone ram (full curl and older than eight years old), I was going with these thoughts in mind.

I was now searching for one that was either distinctly different, larger, older, or somewhat unique. I was not going to settle for a ram that looked much like my first one. Some will call this trophy hunting, others a selective hunt, but I care not as, in B.C., all edible portions of the animal must be removed for consumption, mountain sheep being no different. Originally, my hunt was booked for Oct. 3 to 15 (last day of the season), as I wanted another ram that had its early winter long-haired coat, and most, if not all resident hunters would have left the remote mountains in fear of being snowed or frozen in. I was willing to take my chances with weather, as being with horses and professionals would somewhat or eliminate those risks. I had also indicated that being in Fort St. John and only a 10-hour drive from Watson Lake, the departure point, I could leave a few days early if guide availability and conditions allowed.

On Sept. 26, I received an email requesting to be in Watson Lake for the 29th. I was already packed and ready, so off I went for my mountain adventure.

Next week, Part 2, and the adventure begins.

Evan Saugstad lives and writes in Fort St. John

Dear Miss Patti, I feel my four-year-old is quite dependant on me and my friends are suggesting I encourage more independence. What do you suggest?

— 4 Going on 13?

Dear 4 Going on 13?,

I always felt the same as a parent. I thought the key was always to get them ready for school. I soon learned to follow their lead. They showed me very quickly when they were ready to do up their own coat or put on their own shoes. I always taught the skills but if they wanted my help I was always there to support. Children are a lot more capable than we give them credit for sometimes. Try not to do things for them that they can do themselves. Start the zipper and let them finish, put on one shoe and encourage they try the other.

Dr. Gordon Neufeld and Dr Gabor Mate wrote a book called Hold On To Your Kids and it taught me so much about this lovely balance. We want them to be dependent on us for many things for as long as we can. But again, not the things they are more than capable of doing on their own. If we create children who are too independent and feel they can’t look to us for support, they will turn to their peers, and we know that their peers are not always the best at providing good advice or lending support and encouragement. We want them to value our opinion and help them build an incredibly strong foundation. Just like with a house, if the foundation is not solid, then years later the house will start to crumble. We want them to know we will always be there for them to come to.

If we push them out of the nest too early, they won’t know how to fly yet and will lean on others to support them. Keeping them close allows children to learn the values and morals of your family and the things that are important in your home rather than values and morals of their peers, which again might not be in their best interest or align with yours.

You want to build their confidence so that they can go out into the world and explore but know that they can look back and you will be there to return to or give hugs when things don’t go well. Having said that, if we hold them too close we are creating an anxious state where they feel the world is too scary to explore. When you bring them to preschool or daycare for the first time, model your confidence that they’ve got this! Model the language that this is a safe place for them to learn and grow and their teachers have got them and will keep them safe — then go and cry in the car. If you hang on too long or cry in front of them, they will sense the place is not safe and will have a difficult time separating.

Now, that’s not to say that they enter kindergarten without any skills, but you’ll find that so much growth happens as they turn five or right before they enter school, and they will be more than ready. There is no need to drill it into them at three or four. Modelling kindness, honesty and patience goes a lot further than knowing how to zip up their jacket. I guarantee you that they will not be 30 years old and not know how to zip up their coat.

—Miss Patti