Big Game Hunting New Zealand Jul/Aug 2015 | Page 20

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British Columbia

SHEEP HUNT

Written by Kuran Ireland

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i, my name is Kuran Ireland,
I’m co-owner and trainer for
Ultimate OE.

As part of our programme we train people
based on our own skills and previous
experience so we believe it’s imperative as
trainers that we continue to guide abroad,
ensuring Ultimate OE is up to date and relevant,
not just another group of has-been’s preaching
to those that might not know any different.
The following is my recollection of a backpack
sheep hunt we had during the past summer in
Canada.
After several days of travel, spanning half
way around the planet I have reached the
home of some familiar faces. My northern
hemisphere outfitting family greets me. I
will be spending the next 6 weeks in Northern
British Columbia.
We spend the afternoon picking up the last of
the supplies needed in camp and make our
way up the Alaskan highway. The time goes
by quickly as we catch-up on what has been
happening since we last saw each other. Five
hours later we have gone as far as we can go
by wheel, now it’s time to board the “Beaver”,
a floatplane. I help Bill, the seasoned bush
pilot, load the clients
and gear aboard. The
pitchy sound of the
single engine creates
just enough fear to be
exciting, thoughts that
only get a brief second
to arise as I’m once
again amazed at how
beautiful the remote
wilderness of Canada
really is.
The flight to camp
takes the best part of
an hour and seeing
the camp again
gives me a strange,
“it’s good to be
home sensation”.
This is when I really
acknowledge how
much I miss the

20 BGHNZ Issue 7 Jul/Aug 2015

www.bghnz.co.nz

www.bghnz.co.nz

Canadian wilderness when I’m not here and
how much the environment, the experience and
those involved in the outfitting business mean to
me.
After quick hellos to those I have worked
with before, it’s straight into the job. There
is no time for resting in the game of outfitting.
I take the first sheep hunters out to the range,
thankfully this is as straightforward as it gets.
As usual the clients are full of the typical prehunt excitement questions; how far will I be
shooting? What’s a good ram? Am I hunting
with you? Where is the best area to hunt? Blah
blah blah. While sometimes these questions
seem almost unanswerable, seeing such
excitement in another hunter is at the very
least invigorating and often generates the drive
within.
All the clients are happy and eager to go.
It is now as I head to the cookhouse for
dinner I’m told to quickly pack my gear,
I leave in 10 mins and I will be backpack
sheep hunting for the month of August at
least. Understandably “sheep” hunt just doesn’t
seem such an amazing event to a kiwi hunter.
But those who have been involved in a sheep
hunt will know it’s a drug, a drug only someone
that loves mountains, challenges and amazing

Spotting scope proves
handy when judging
trophies at a distance