Dall sheep outfitters ?

Geetar

FNG
Joined
May 5, 2019
Messages
58
I’m pinching my pennies and saving my dollars hoping to do a Dall sheep hunt by 2024 or 2025. If you were looking for an outfitter who would you choose or even more important are there operations or areas I should avoid. If you don’t wanna talk bad about a particular outfit that you had a bad experience with I respect that and you can dm me with good or bad info. I’m looking to do they style of hunt where you fly in on a bush plane to basecamp and backpack hunt from there. Thanks in advance for any info, success, or horror stories you can share.
 

GSPMich

FNG
Joined
Dec 5, 2019
Messages
50
Alaska Hunting Adventures
www.tokmanagementarea.com

This is my friends outfit that I guide for. I would be happy to answer any question's you may have. Feel free to shoot me a pm and good luck!!

Josh


Iḿ not trying to hijack the thread and what the OP is asking but I have a question about this. That draw odd is very low, does a hunter decide they want to hunt that area, apply and if they draw hire the outfitter based on having the tag, or is there something I´m missing here? I´m not currently looking at sheep outfitters, but am just very curious as to how getting a tag in this area works.

Private message me if necessary to not further hijack the thread.
 

Homer

FNG
Joined
Mar 2, 2020
Messages
56
To apply for the sheep draw hunts you must have a contract with the guide service before putting in for it as non resident. The TMA is beautiful country with some nice sheep but if you want to do a sheep hunt in the next few years I would plan on going in a harvest ticket area. I would still be putting in for the Tok tag just in the off chance you do manage to pull it.
 

Wapiti1

WKR
Joined
Sep 18, 2017
Messages
3,571
Location
Indiana
Josh will steer you right. Definitely look at Matt Snyder and the Enstminger's in the TMA.

A couple of things to ponder. Do you want to hunt with a small operation and talk to your guide all year leading up to the hunt? Are you OK with being assigned a guide when you get to camp? I'm not judging either setup. You can get a top end hunt with either scenario.

Are you good with a legal ram, or do you want something older/perhaps larger?

Some larger outfits air scout the rams and drop you in the right drainage, then you go up and find that ram. Others drop you in good areas, and you keep at it until you find a legal ram (no pre-scouting). So ask how they hunt the sheep. No hunting the day you fly, but some guys like the idea of knowing a legal ram is in the area. Others, like myself, want to find their sheep all by themselves (with the guides help, or course).

My point is ask questions so you know how they hunt, and you won't be surprised. Think about the adventure you want and find an outfit that will give you that.

Figure $25,000-30,000 all in to do Alaska in 4-5 years, and $35,000-40,000 for Canada.

A few others to look at. Jake Jefferson Black River Hunting Camps. Alaska Perimeter Guides. Ultima Thule. Kelly Vrem. Riley Pitts Big Game Alaska Guides. Henry Tiffany Alaska Perimeter. Tyrell's Trails. These are ones that I looked into, and believe are good. Please do your due diligence, I have only hunted with Jake.

Be OK with not shooting anything. Be OK with spending 8 of 10 days in a tent reading a book. Regardless of who you go with, it could be unsuccessful.

I successfully hunted sheep with Jake Jefferson in 2017 and am hunting with him again this fall for moose/bear.

Jeremy
 
Joined
Jan 6, 2014
Messages
918
Location
AK
Iḿ not trying to hijack the thread and what the OP is asking but I have a question about this. That draw odd is very low, does a hunter decide they want to hunt that area, apply and if they draw hire the outfitter based on having the tag, or is there something I´m missing here? I´m not currently looking at sheep outfitters, but am just very curious as to how getting a tag in this area works.

Private message me if necessary to not further hijack the thread.

For a non resident to put in for the draw, they have to have a signed guide-client agreement with an outfitter when they submit their draw application.

One common misconception that I hear about our outfit is that we only do draw hunts. This is not true, as we do open area hunts as well. Usually, if someone has booked an open area hunt with Matt, he will also have them apply for the draw just in case someone has a little luck on their side. You never know, I was lucky enough to draw a Tok tag last year myself, it does happen, ha.

Josh
 
OP
Geetar

Geetar

FNG
Joined
May 5, 2019
Messages
58
Josh will steer you right. Definitely look at Matt Snyder and the Enstminger's in the TMA.

A couple of things to ponder. Do you want to hunt with a small operation and talk to your guide all year leading up to the hunt? Are you OK with being assigned a guide when you get to camp? I'm not judging either setup. You can get a top end hunt with either scenario.

Are you good with a legal ram, or do you want something older/perhaps larger?

Some larger outfits air scout the rams and drop you in the right drainage, then you go up and find that ram. Others drop you in good areas, and you keep at it until you find a legal ram (no pre-scouting). So ask how they hunt the sheep. No hunting the day you fly, but some guys like the idea of knowing a legal ram is in the area. Others, like myself, want to find their sheep all by themselves (with the guides help, or course).

My point is ask questions so you know how they hunt, and you won't be surprised. Think about the adventure you want and find an outfit that will give you that.

Figure $25,000-30,000 all in to do Alaska in 4-5 years, and $35,000-40,000 for Canada.

A few others to look at. Jake Jefferson Black River Hunting Camps. Alaska Perimeter Guides. Ultima Thule. Kelly Vrem. Riley Pitts Big Game Alaska Guides. Henry Tiffany Alaska Perimeter. Tyrell's Trails. These are ones that I looked into, and believe are good. Please do your due diligence, I have only hunted with Jake.

Be OK with not shooting anything. Be OK with spending 8 of 10 days in a tent reading a book. Regardless of who you go with, it could be unsuccessful.

I successfully hunted sheep with Jake Jefferson in 2017 and am hunting with him again this fall for moose/bear.

Jeremy
Thanks for this detailed reply. Very good advice.
 
OP
Geetar

Geetar

FNG
Joined
May 5, 2019
Messages
58
@chinook907 I’m guessing from your confidence in Josh that you’ve hunted with him? If so I’m just curious did you draw the Tok or hunt the otc area he hunts?
 

gbflyer

WKR
Joined
Feb 20, 2017
Messages
1,590
Josh will steer you right. Definitely look at Matt Snyder and the Enstminger's in the TMA.

A couple of things to ponder. Do you want to hunt with a small operation and talk to your guide all year leading up to the hunt? Are you OK with being assigned a guide when you get to camp? I'm not judging either setup. You can get a top end hunt with either scenario.

Are you good with a legal ram, or do you want something older/perhaps larger?

Some larger outfits air scout the rams and drop you in the right drainage, then you go up and find that ram. Others drop you in good areas, and you keep at it until you find a legal ram (no pre-scouting). So ask how they hunt the sheep. No hunting the day you fly, but some guys like the idea of knowing a legal ram is in the area. Others, like myself, want to find their sheep all by themselves (with the guides help, or course).

My point is ask questions so you know how they hunt, and you won't be surprised. Think about the adventure you want and find an outfit that will give you that.

Figure $25,000-30,000 all in to do Alaska in 4-5 years, and $35,000-40,000 for Canada.

A few others to look at. Jake Jefferson Black River Hunting Camps. Alaska Perimeter Guides. Ultima Thule. Kelly Vrem. Riley Pitts Big Game Alaska Guides. Henry Tiffany Alaska Perimeter. Tyrell's Trails. These are ones that I looked into, and believe are good. Please do your due diligence, I have only hunted with Jake.

Be OK with not shooting anything. Be OK with spending 8 of 10 days in a tent reading a book. Regardless of who you go with, it could be unsuccessful.

I successfully hunted sheep with Jake Jefferson in 2017 and am hunting with him again this fall for moose/bear.

Jeremy

I believe it’s now illegal to scout Dall Sheep from the air starting Aug 10 - Sept 20.
 

chinook907

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 1, 2014
Messages
117
@chinook907 I’m guessing from your confidence in Josh that you’ve hunted with him? If so I’m just curious did you draw the Tok or hunt the otc area he hunts?
.

I've hunted with him in a way. I work as a hunting guide occasionally and I've worked with Josh for a different outfit in a different area for a different species.
 
Joined
Nov 19, 2018
Messages
201
Location
North Pole, Alaska
Stay out of GMU 19 and 20A with outfits on state land. Way too many commercial outfitters and is overcrowded.

Outfitters I’d recommend.

Draw areas in 14C Dan Montgomery
TOK Management Area Matt Snyder

“Native Land” Private Land concession Jeff Burwell

OTC Areas:
Brooks Range outfitters: Aaron Bloomquist, Joey Klutsch, Thor Stacy, Bob Summers

South East Wrangells Ultima Thule or Aaron Bloomquist again.

All the OTC outfitters I mentioned are booked to at least 2023. They are all on a federal sole use concession.

PM me if you want more info on the above outfitters or our convuluted guiding laws in Alaska. I will gladly give you the time.

Good luck in your search.
 

NUGGET

WKR
Joined
Oct 7, 2019
Messages
328
If I was coming up to do a once in a lifetime hunt I would look at Alaska Range or Wrangels outfitters. You really can’t compare those mountains to anything else. Flat out beautiful. Get in on some glaciers. Big tall jagged peaks. The last place I would pick would be the brooks range. Fall comes earlier up there and the weather can get nasty. Look at the success rates of the outfitters in the brooks last fall. A lot were at 70% or less. Of course bad weather can happen anywhere.

Lots of great outfitters in non concession areas. Look up Litzen guide service, he gets it done year in year out. List goes goes on, kokanee guide service is another great one. Lot more out there.
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2012
Messages
1,762
Location
Western Montana

Ovis Outfitters are a great bunch of folks. I had an amazing hunt last fall on a grizzly bear. One guy that was leaving about the same time I was coming into base camp had a 40" plus Dall ram that he just took. I'd sure give these folks a call and shoot them an email too.

David

Any questions I can answer please feel free to PM me.
 
OP
Geetar

Geetar

FNG
Joined
May 5, 2019
Messages
58
Thanks for all the replies so far. I knew I could find good info here. Has anyone ever hunted with Mont Mahoney / Alaska Dall Sheep Guides?
 
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