Jul 08
22
The Ghost Ram
Although the only part of the ram that could be seen was the horns, as they were silhouetted in the afternoon sun, it was enough to induce a grueling climb up the steep shale bowl that lay above us. The beginning wasn’t too bad, but a small group of curious ewes made it a stop and go affair. When we finally crested the top, all three of us were beat, as the rain and sleet began to come down in waves. It was the third day in the Alaska Range, hunting with a group of four from Mexico. The father and son were both hunting sheep and the other two were along for the adventure.
On this day I had in my care Luis and Billy, and on a whim we had followed a grizzly into this valley and had almost turned back when the sheep were spotted. Now all our hard work seemed to be slipping away as the weather got nasty, and the band of seven rams were moving out into another shale bowl.
The distance of six hundred yards kept us from a shot, but then our chance came in the form of fog. It
completely covered the sheep, and us, so we quickly and quietly closed the distance. We could hear the sheep moving around but weren’t sure of their location, so we set up and waited. Sure enough, the fog began lifting, and the band of rams appeared, ghost like, 300 yards away. Luis had a good rest and the range finder accurate, I singled out the biggest, making sure he new which one, and the shot rang true, only one, and our success was displayed fervently. 
The rain came and went, but it didn’t dampen our spirits. However, just as we were finishing dressing the Ram, the sun set, and went from some rain, to a down pour. The hike that followed was by far the worst pack that I have had to endure. It was four miles back to camp, and we had to treck it in the dark, with head lights, and wet gear, crossing rivers and streams numerous times. Needless to say I was very happy to see the glow of the small cabin, as we wearily finished our trek and I was able to drop the 130 lbs pack on the ground. although late at night,
the joy was felt and congratulations were exchanged over dinner reheated by Tabitha, who had been cooking extraordinary meals. With the hunt successful I headed out to moose hunting. However on the way out, a rise in the river because of the down pour, got one of the trucks stuck, which required a lot of work to recover, but with Brain and Braun we succeeded in overcoming the situation. The clients continued hunting with the other guide, Lauren and the Packer Andy, and managed to get a nice black bear for Luis, and his father shot a beautiful 40 inch Ram on the second to last day. A great hunt and great clients to spend it with.
