We rested Friday the 25th of August, after hiking in and putting in our camp, to nurse my blisters and recuperate.  Two days earlier, an outfitter company had dropped off two hunters across the glacier from us, so we elected to stay away from that side of the abyss. All the while, we kept tabs on those other hunters so as to keep from interfering with them, but they never seemed to leave their camp.  So after we had patterned a band of Dall Sheep Rams for 4 days, we decided to make a plan for a mountain stalk the next morning, Saturday the 26th.

A tradition among hunters whom hold tags such as these is to draw, or flip to see who gets first shot.  My Alaska resident brother in law Paul and I did this before flying into our location, the Johnson Glacier in the Alaska Range, and because he won, he would get the first crack.  I was disappointed at first, but then snapped out of it and felt that, yes, this would be all right; after all, we are in one of Alaska's premier Dall units, the Tok management unit.  It is n this unit that some of the oldest Dall sheep in the state of Alaska reside.  The Alaskan game managers have managed this unit for trophies, and are successful.

There are many a sheep hunters who live in Alaska and have never drawn a tag. Paul has been fortunate to draw and harvest four other Dall Rams, none of which were in the 40 inch caliber, but was gracious to me in offering to pass on any Ram smaller than what he had already harvested, and let me take the shot.  Paul is very specific about the type of Ram he wanted to harvest, he prefers a tight curling Ram, with little or no flare, and of course, would love to take a doubled broomed big boy.  I have learned this is the dream of many sheep hunters, as these tend to be older with a lot of character to there horn.  So when Paul made the offer, I was pleased, hell all I really wanted was a legal ram, in my eyes, anything I take will be trophy.

The weather was a picture perfect day for us on Saturday the 26^th,

sunshine, mid 30s below at camp (3800 ft) now the climb to get above the

Sheep. The wind perfectly in our faces and coming from the right, and down the

Glacier, up to almost 6000 ft.  We had patterned a group of 5 Rams for 4. Dall sheep rams have a tendency to hang out in same age groups when there are lots of rams. In areas where there aren't a lot of rams, then they all hang out together. Of this group, at least 2 of the 5 we were legal, maybe 3 or 4?  We had the best equipment money could buy, our mountain tent was a two man, two Vestibule, two entrance's, and weighted only 6 lbs.  Boots gloves, guns, ammo, food, cooking stoves, back packs, socks, underwear, sleeping bags, down to our trekking poles and optics where the best we could get!!!

We both started getting into shape last January, right after we found out we drew tags. Paul lost close to 20lbs and I lost the same.

When we left camp that morning, there was no sign of the rams.  But these boys were not your typical bunch of bachelors, for some odd reason they hung out about 200 to 400 feet below four ewes and lambs. When we left, we could see the upper bunch of ewes and lambs.  On our way up the mountain that morning, Paul asked me what day it was; I told him it was Saturday the 26th.  He asked if I knew what he usually does on Saturdays, and I said I didn't. Paul being a Seventh Day Adventist, and active in his church, shared with me that it was his day of observance, and he would prefer not to kill anything that day, and would like to give me the shot that day. Needless to say I was extremely moved.

We climbed up close to 5900 feet and got busted by a ewe. She locked on us for over 30 minutes, not wanting to alarm her; we hunkered down, glued to the mountain until she wandered off with her lamb. It took us over three hours to get to where the ewe and lamb were, hoping to be able to see her and the bachelor band; we were disappointed when none of them were to be seen.  With this Wild Game Chess Match in full swing, we didn't know which way to proceed.  Tracking in rocks isn't exactly easy.  We elected to continue with the wind in our faces and only descend 100ft.  After only 100 to 200 yards, we saw the other two ewes. Having now spotted all four ewes, we anticipated the bachelor band to be nearby, where in the hell are the boys?  We were watching the last two ewes when then the next thing I know, I've got three rams looking straight at me.  I pull up my bino's and ID the first ram past full curl, then all five come into view, and without a doubt, three of the ram's were full curl, maybe four, and all I new to do was to drop my pack, get my gun out, and some how, get ready for a shot!!!

At this time I told Paul as calmly as I could, which probably came out in hysteria, "There's the sheep", and followed it with solicitations of the range and which to shoot. They began to move up this gnarly bolder field, when Paul asks me where they are, and I still don't have my pack off and am trying to point at the same time.  Finally Paul sees the sheep when one goes broad side and enthusiastically announces to me the range to be 350 yards and to take the lead Ram.  I start running the ballistics through my head and am visualizing the hold over (point of impact), and by now I am completely focused on making a good shot.

The terrain isn't conducive for a good rest, and at 350 yards on an animal like this, the margin for error is small.  Choosing to use my pack as a rest, I grabbed it with my left hand and held it perpendicular to the slope, holding the rifle with my right hand taking advantage of the palm swell stock on it; I fired and missed my first shot.  Damn!  While shoving in another round I asked Paul which one to take, and again he replied the lead Ram.  The canyon echoed with a loud BOOM as my instincts recognized a second miss.   By now all five are on the move, but are making poor time in the boulder field we caught them in.  Without being questioned, Paul announced to again take the lead Ram, I chambering a third round, and readied myself for the third one handed shot.  Not holding as high this time, the canyon walls echo with the sound of success.  Instinctively, I raise my eye from the scope with confidence to see the regal Ram has fallen.

Holy God, I've connected!  I get a flutter in my stomach, but something wasn't quit right. When I was shooting, I tried not to look at his horns, but couldn't help it.  The Ram I took wasn't the one past full curl, but he was always the leader. I knew I was taking my spotters advice, and 99 percent of the time the oldest and most mature ram will be the leader, which is the one I took. I started to glass the other 4 rams going up the hill when Paul said "forget it, were only going to take one". 

I replied "there's at least 3 more legal rams".

"Forget it, lets get yours", Paul implored

            Traversing over a deep ravine to get to my Ram, I catch my first whiff of sheep blood when I'm about to crown the ridge.  I immediately get a tingling sensation in my stomach. These animals live in tough country, which toughens them to the core, so I'm not surprised when he's not down all the way when I get there and have to put another round into him, and fortunately, he didn't do the infamous sheep tumble. I begin to take stock of him and notice that indeed he's barley a full curl, but broomed on both sides.

Not only did I get a true Alaskan Trophy, but a real dandy!!!!

A few days later when we took him into have the horns sealed; the Biologist for the Tok area informed us it was the oldest and biggest ram to come through the station so far that year. He was an 11 1/2 year old ram, his left side measuring 36" and his right 37".

My taxidermist Dan Foster out of Wasilla, AK green scored him at159" with only 2/8" deduction, for a net score of 158 and 6/8th's.  Using other Rams Dan had in his shop that weren't broomed off, we figured mine would have had 5 to 6 more inches on each side, which would have put him close to qualifying for the all time Boone & Crocket records. Upon realizing all these numbers, both Paul and I were in awe of the other Rams in the band that Paul passed on, they would've easily challenged the minimum 170" B&C.

This experience now ranks as one of my personal greatest achievements in my life.  This hunt was no cake walk, in total we hiked over 63 mountain/glacier miles, and our last day out we hiked 19.2 miles alone, packing all our gear, horns, and cape, we worked our butts off. The Saturday of the harvest, we tallied close to 9 miles in 15 hours over some of North America's toughest terrain.  And you better bet your ass I'm going to do a full mount.  I will NEVER look at a mounted sheep the same way I did before.  I am truly fulfilled with the knowledge of knowing how hard we had to work to take this

Ram, MY FIRST.

Ryan Kolodejchuk