Rams in the zone

HARD BY THE BORDER OF BANFF NATIONAL PARK IN ALBERTA IS Zone 410, an enclave of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep that holds 100 or more mature rams. Come the snows and the last two weeks of November, when the rut hits, dozens of the massivebased, full-curl creatures come down out of the high country with love on their minds.

Flint Simpson's Sheep Creek Outfitters offers a handful of bowhunts in the zone each year. Accommodations are motel or wall tents, depending on conditions. The preferred method of hunting is spot-and-stalk.

"If you're willing to climb and hike, you'll shoot at big sheep," Simpson told me. "The terrain is steep, but it's not goat country. The thing that gets people is the weather It will be cold and the snow can be two inches or waist-deep. But if you're physically and mentally prepared and ready to work hard, I guarantee you that Zone 410 will give you about the best chance there is to get a shot at a ram near or in the Boone and Crockett book."

"During those last weeks of November, the real big ones come down out of the park and the ewes are in heat and the rams start fighting," Simpson went on. "Often we're putting stalks on them while they're battling with each other Most rifle hunters never get to see anything like that."

Archers who tag-out early in the 14-day hunt have the option to buy a license for the exceptional whitetail hunting that's also to be found in the area. Contact Simpson at 403/625-2150. The cost for this hunt is $9000. Hey, I can dream, can't I? sA

Copyright Hearst Magazines Nov 1997
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