Category Archives: British Columbia

Dall Sheep Hunting in British Columbia

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Dall sheep hunting offers sportsmen a challenging quarry and an excellent trophy. With their thick, magnificently curled horns, Dall sheep make for a top-notch alpine prize.

The Quarry 

Dall sheep, sometimes called Dall’s sheep and including the subspecies Fannin sheep, live in the subarctic regions of North America, including northern British Columbia, Yukon, and Alaska. They live in steep mountains where they can quickly escape less agile predators. They have white coats, black noses, and yellow horns and eyes.

Prize rams can weigh nearly 300 lb—twice as much as the largest ewes. They yield about one-third of their weight in meat, which many consider to be excellent. However, since they’re so hard to reach, few Dall sheep hunts are performed for the sake of the meat alone, but rather for the experience and the trophy. Both sexes usually stand about three feet tall at the shoulder.

Both males and females grow horns. During the first three years of their lives, the horns of males and females are very similar in size and shape, curving backwards and outwards. The horns of ewes then reach their largest size, but those of a ram continue to grow, curling forwards again. By the time they reach eight years of age, a ram’s horns form a full circle, known as a full curl. These typically reach 35 inches in length. Most Dall sheep hunting is done in the hopes of bagging one of these full-curl rams, especially those with exceptional horns that are 38 inches long or longer.

Rams and ewes tend to form separate groups and approach the opposite sex only during mating season. Both sexes fight amongst themselves for dominance within their groups, and battles between rams can be spectacular.

Dall sheep hunts are done during August and occasionally September. Most outfitters offer 10-day hunts.

 The Hunt 

Our outfitters often take clients out in bush planes in order to reach the hunting grounds. Hunters then proceed into promising territory. Most hunts are performed at altitudes of 5,000-7,000 feet, where the largest rams can be found.

Most of the time, a hunter can get the opportunity to bag a ram without an excessively grueling hike, but it’s important to be prepared for one just in case. It may become necessary to pursue your quarry for a considerable distance over very rough terrain.

The most commonly recommended calibers for Dall sheep hunts are .243 and .300. It’s recommended that you be practiced at hitting targets 300 yards away with your chosen rifle in order to have the highest possible chances of success.

Call Global Sporting Safaris today at 888-850-4868, Extension 705 and let us know what type of Dall sheep hunting experience you are looking for. We’ll send you information on opportunities that match your goals. Our experienced outfitters are second to none and we’re happy to share personal experiences with you.

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Mountain Goat Hunting Tips – Identifying a Trophy Billy

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Hunting for Mountain Goats

Tips – Identifying a Trophy Billy

Picking out a trophy billy is one of the most notorious difficulties of mountain goat hunting. Males and females look much alike, and the difference in horn length between the average and a world record is less than two inches. While our outfitters are experts at picking out the best goat in a crowd, it’s good to know the difference for yourself so you can speed up the process and avoid shooting a nanny on accident. Here are a few things to look for when identifying your record-breaking billy:

1. Horn Shape

One of the primary differences between billies and nannies is the shape of the horns. The horns of males curve over their entire length, while the horns of females are mostly straight, curving suddenly about one-third of the way down from the tip. This is a great identification method when looking at a goat from the side; be sure to pack high-quality binoculars so you can take a careful look.

2. Horn Width

This is a great way to identify a goat that’s looking directly at you (hopefully without seeing you!). Compare the width of their eyes to the width of the base of their horns: if the horns are wider, it’s a male. If the eyes are as wide as or wider than the horns, it’s a female. Be sure to ask your mountain goat outfitters for confirmation if you use this method.

3. Answering Nature’s Call

A dead giveaway of a male is that he’ll stay standing during urination, stretching out with his hind legs back. A female, on the other hand, will squat.

4. Rump Patch

Males often have a yellow stain on their upper hind legs. This is a near-certain giveaway that you’re looking at a billy.

5. Horn Length

While the other tips are for telling a male from a female, this is how you can identify a real prize billy. An excellent trophy will be any male with horns that are at least nine inches long; those that are over ten inches are likely to win awards and may break records.

But how can you tell if the horns are long enough at 300 yards? Your best bet is to look at the ears—the majority of these goats have six-inch ears. Compare the length of the ears to the length of the horns. If the horns are at least one and a half times as large as the ears, you’ve got a trophy in your sights. If they’re even longer, you might have one for the record book on hand! Be sure to ask your mountain goat outfitters if they agree, and be patient—close the distance until you’re sure you can manage a clean kill, and make sure your target won’t fall off a ledge when he goes down.

Call today or fill out the form on the right and let us know what type of mountain goat hunting experience you are looking for. We’ll send you information on opportunities that match your goals. Our experienced outfitters are second to none and we’re happy to share personal experiences with you. © Global Sporting Safaris – Protected by Copyscape.