Sheep Hunt
Clothing:
1 pair rain gear; I personally wear an Arcteryx Ascent jacket and I use a Kuiu Gear Chugach jacket (for back up) and pants (unless I am wearing waist high waders). Sitka Gear has a good reputation as well. Helly Hansen Impertech (heavy and hot) is what many of us have worn in the past. The key here is, easy to dry, and don’t worry about the noise.
1 to 2 pair of fleece, or synthetic pants-avoid heavyweight style (I use Cabela’s Legacy Fleece and the Windshear option is preferred)
1 wool sweater, or lightweight down jacket
1 fleece jacket, or pullover-midweight (Cabela’s Legacy Fleece)
2-3 thermal shirts, Kuiu’s merino wool is superior to most due to keeping the odor down for weeks! Duofold, Thermax, Under Armour, or Simms Waderwick tops are very good. Go with midweight, or lighter.
1-2 thermal bottoms, (I use Simms Waderwick Core bottoms). Merino wool bottoms are also very good.
1 extra fleece shirt or pullover if weight allows
You should be prepared for temps in the mid 30’s to upper 50’s with plenty of wind.
3-5 top quality hiking socks, Thorlo’s Mountaineering sock are the best I have found to date. Cost around $17 per pair, but worth it. Coolmax sock material is generally considered cooler on the feet in warm environments. Do not, I repeat, do not skimp on socks, or try unfamiliar types for your hunt, buy the best and wear them before the hunt. Thorlo Light Hiker with Coolmax is also exceptional and much cooler in warmer times of the year.
1 pair top quality mountaineering boots. Whether you choose double boots, a 4 season classical mountain design (Koflach, Scarpas) or single (La Sportiva, Scarpa, Lowa), make sure you are dealing with a real mountaineering boot, and avoid so called hunting boots for sheep country. I am currently using the La Spotiva’s Trango S EVO GTX, which is a mid-weight synthetic 3 season mountaineering boot.
1 pair of lightweight water shoes or sandals for stream crossings. “Crocs” are super lightweight.
Backpacks:
I am currently using the Mystery Ranch G 7000 that is made in Montana. Capacities for all packs should be 6,000 cu. in. or more. External frames with similar capacities can be used if necessary. Apart from the Mystery Ranch I would look to Kuiu, Stone Glacier, or Dana Designs and Gregory.
1 large pack cover-waterproof
Sleeping bag -Currently I am using the Mont-Bell Super Stretch #2, which is a 25º bag and probably not warm enough for some folks. I use the extra long model and it weighs in at 1 lb. 15 oz. and of course it is down. Most people will probably prefer a 0º to 15º bag. The Mont-Bell Ultra Long Super Stretch #0 is rated at 0º and weighs in a wonderful 3 lb. 1 oz., while the #1 in the same product line is rated at 15º and weighs in at 2 lb. 7 oz. Long bags are recommended if you are 6’ or taller. Synthetic bags rated between 0º to 20º degrees are fine as well, but a bag weighing 5 lb. is simply not the way to go. Please spend the money and keep your bag under 3.5 lb.
Therma-rest self inflating pads are great, and I use the Pro-Lite 4. If full length pads are used they should be the models no wider than 20”s. No pads over 2 “ thickness.
1 hat, fleece face mask.
Gloves-wool, or any waterproof glove is good, although neoprene tends to sweat, and gets clammy.
Miscellaneous Gear:
Knives-avoid overweight Rambo knives. Small caping type knives are preferred.
Gun oil and maintenance tools. Critical tools to dismantle rifle in the field may save the day. Minimal is the key.
GSI Outdoors Lexan® 32 oz. Fairshare Mug (www.campmor.com) and additional small cup for coffee, etc.
Nalgene water bottles, at least 1, 32 ounce bottle
Spoon
Washcloth, towel-lightweight, soap, toothpaste and toothbrush, razor if you are so inclined. Packaged moist towelettes (baby wipes) are great for freshening up. Small bottle of shampoo, etc.
Flashlight-small LED headlamp, or similar. Headlamps are certainly preferred. I use a Petzl Myo XP LED.
First aid-prescriptions, ibuprofen, gel blister pads.
MSR Mini-Works – Water purifiers are discretionary-if you feel the need to purify your drinking water we ask that you bring your own mechanism for doing so. Giardia is apparently common in all wilderness streams, but I routinely drink un-filtered water.
Binoculars-8×40 minimum, but 10×42, or 10×50 are best, higher grade glasses permit longer viewing with less eye strain, which brings better results in the long run-don’t skimp if you are purchasing for the first time.
Spotting scope is optional, but recommended if you are going to constantly want to look through your guide’s scope.
Laser rangefinder is optional, as guides pack one.
Rifles and cartridges should be discussed prior to the hunter’s arrival.
20 rounds of Ammo should be sufficient, but 30 is not too much.
Length of nylon rope has many uses.
Emergency space blanket, -Thermo-Lite® Emergency Bivy Sack by Adventure Medical Please do not bring the small aluminum foil type that fit in a shirt pocket (www.campmor.com)
Insect repellent.
Camp Time Roll-up Pack Stool® or REI Trail Chair (I prefer the trail chairs) or similar. Invaluable when glassing for hours. The Crazy Creek Hexalite Original (REI) appears to be a great chair at 14 ounces. Avoid the chairs that require an additional pad inside, such as most of the Thermarest models.
Sunglasses
Sunblock
Weight:
For individual’s sheep hunting, you should strive to keep your fully loaded pack between 30-40 pounds. Everyone is expected to carry their load, which obviously translates into sharing the overall weight of the camp, food, etc., and especially the harvested game. This extra weight can easily mean 30 extra pounds on occasion, so for this reason we stress getting your gear streamlined before you ever arrive in camp. If someone expects to carry 50 pounds of their own gear around, they will certainly be disappointed by the extra 30 pounds that the guide is going to put in their pack. Streamline is the key word here.