effendude
Gold $$ Contributor
I just got back from a 14 day hunt Dall Sheep hunt on the Yanert River about 60 miles East of Healy, Alaska. I was hunting with an outfitter friend of mind, Mike Colpo, of Lazy J Bar O Outfitters. Day two found us looking at a herd of caribou at the top of the mountain where the sheep were earlier in the morning. A couple animals in the herd looked different from the rest, upon closer inspection, they were wolves! Mike and I make a run around the mountain, then back and up the mountain before the wolves split the caribou herd up. A lone wolf was left looking over the mountain top when we got into position about 800 yards away. Mike let out a howl as I got into position behind my pack. Mike was whispering yardages to me, I was frantically clicking as the wolves got closer. One by one the wolves came back over the mountain top. When the closest was about 225 yards away, it stopped. Mike hissed "Shoot the one on the left, I missed, and followed with as quick a shot as the single shot Cooper would allow. I dumped the big wolf on the second shot. Another wolf ran to the first wolf and I shot it with the third shot. A third wolf was found in the scope running away and I let a hail mary shot go at it but missed. Two wolves down! Mike was estatic, he had only seen one wolf the previous season and none the couple years prior. He told me they were a couple real trophies. Both were large females with beautiful pelts. We skinned them out and hunted sheep the rest of the day.
A couple days later after hunting sheep until dark on the same mountain range, we heard a wolf howl while walking down the mountain. We spotted a white wolf about a mile away but it was too dark to pursue. The next morning we went up onto the flat where we saw the wolf the night before. Colton, the young guide, signs me 2-4-0 and points to our left. A white wolf stands up out of the brush. I jump off the horse, load a shell into the rifle and dump the big wolf offhand. I throw another shell into the rifle and swing on another wolf running away at about 325 yards. The wolf stumbled at the shot and then continued running. Colton and I spotted another wolf sitting up on the mountain above us. His rangefinder wouldn't get a reading. I said it wasn't 600 yards but was at least 500, Colton agreed. I dialed 550 and told Colton to watch where the shot landed. This shot was prone off a backpack. At the shot, the juvenile black wolf tumbled down the mountain! When the guide went to get the black wolf, he found the second wolf I shot at too, another large male! The first male was almost pure white and had a collar on it from Fish and Game. I am awaiting information on the collar from the department.
All said, it was a great hunt. I didn't shoot a ram, but saw about 40 rams that will be legal next year. I will hunt a few extra days before my moose hunt next year and get a ram. And maybe, just maybe, another wolf or two!
Ever notice how camo adds 30 pounds to the picture of the hunter? And no comments about a nice *** either!
Scott
A couple days later after hunting sheep until dark on the same mountain range, we heard a wolf howl while walking down the mountain. We spotted a white wolf about a mile away but it was too dark to pursue. The next morning we went up onto the flat where we saw the wolf the night before. Colton, the young guide, signs me 2-4-0 and points to our left. A white wolf stands up out of the brush. I jump off the horse, load a shell into the rifle and dump the big wolf offhand. I throw another shell into the rifle and swing on another wolf running away at about 325 yards. The wolf stumbled at the shot and then continued running. Colton and I spotted another wolf sitting up on the mountain above us. His rangefinder wouldn't get a reading. I said it wasn't 600 yards but was at least 500, Colton agreed. I dialed 550 and told Colton to watch where the shot landed. This shot was prone off a backpack. At the shot, the juvenile black wolf tumbled down the mountain! When the guide went to get the black wolf, he found the second wolf I shot at too, another large male! The first male was almost pure white and had a collar on it from Fish and Game. I am awaiting information on the collar from the department.
All said, it was a great hunt. I didn't shoot a ram, but saw about 40 rams that will be legal next year. I will hunt a few extra days before my moose hunt next year and get a ram. And maybe, just maybe, another wolf or two!
Ever notice how camo adds 30 pounds to the picture of the hunter? And no comments about a nice *** either!
Scott