This hunt story is dedicated to my good friend, Steve Andrade, who guided me into the world of big game hunting. Steve is the father of my youngest daughter’s best friend, and she had always told me that I would get along well with her dad. However, for years, we never crossed paths as he and I were always busy running our respective companies. When we finally met, we discussed his hunting passion for big game – elk, deer, sheep, moose, wild hogs, etc. I had never been a big game hunter, and with my daughters having now left the nest for college, I had some free time to explore this form of hunting. Steve jumped at the chance to show me the ropes, and off we went to hunt wild hogs, which I found extremely fun and beneficial to the environment and my freezer. Next came a cow elk, a mule deer, a reindeer, more pigs, a bull elk, a 4x4 mulie, and many more. In other words, I was hooked. Steve and I have been friends for over 10 years now, and there is no one I would rather go hunting with.
We plan hunting trips several times a year with both of us applying for premium tags in most western states and Alaska. This year, I was lucky enough to draw a premium Dall sheep tag in Alaska’s TOK management unit with the help of the Huntin’ Fool Application Service. They referred me to my guides, Lance Kronberger and John Rydeen from Freelance Outdoor Adventures. I can’t say enough good things about the crew at Freelance Outdoor Adventures as they ran a great hunt that resulted in my first sheep. I call him “Wally” because he will not only be on my wall of trophies, but a picture of us will also be on Steve’s wall at home with pictures of other sheep hunters he has mentored over the years.
Before leaving on this hunt-of-a-lifetime which Steve couldn’t help out with due to injury, he mentioned his wall of pictures and that I would be successful if I got in great shape, practiced my shooting from various angles and distances, and was prepared for a tough hunt. Steve was right as the trip turned out exactly as expected and I harvested a great Dall sheep.
Wally didn’t make the record book at 38"; however, he did mark a turning point in my hunting career and certainly marks a milestone in my experience. The trip started out from the Captain Cook hotel in Anchorage with a six-hour drive to the TOK management unit with my guide, John, and another Freelance client and guide who were going to hunt a different area of the TOK. My hunt consisted of hiking 19 miles from the road at an elevation of approximately 2,000 feet to the sheep area at an elevation of approximately 6,000 feet. As the crow flies, it was probably a 7-mile hike, but for us, it was a 19-mile adventure following a creek drainage. We crossed that creek at least 100 times with rocks, alders, and deep water as obstacles almost the entire way. Fortunately, we were blessed with absolutely great weather – sunny and 75 except in the morning and evening where it probably got down to the low 40s.
The first days were spent hiking, glassing, and looking over the many sheep opportunities we were fortunate to find. We saw at least 7 legal rams to look over amongst about 35 rams. There were also ewes and lambs, especially at night during what I called the sheep show between 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. On opening day, the plan was to get to a location before sun up that we thought would provide the best opportunity to have a chance at Mr. Big. However, during our hike over that morning, what turned out to be a legal ram intercepted us on our way there and we were forced to freeze in place while this ram looked us over from around 180 yards away. We couldn’t move a muscle for over two hours until he finally decided to move away. We didn’t get a shot at him because he didn’t give us a chance to check him out. This obviously had an impact on our plans for the day, but we found out later that the rams were not where they were the day before, having relocated to an adjacent ridgeline across the mountain. We hiked to a vantage point 600+ yards away, which was as close as we could get without getting busted, and set up a glassing watch as they bedded down for the day.
Finally, at around 6:00 p.m., a few of the rams, including Mr. Big, got up from their beds and walked around the top of the mountain and out of sight; however, there was no way to access them from where we were. They had gone the wrong way! Eventually, most of the rams also followed and we attempted to follow only to find that doing so required being a sheep, even for the guides. I settled down on a ridgeline for dinner and was watching a few ewes and lambs across the valley while my guides hiked up a small cliff we had previously glassed from. In about 15 minutes, they came back and reported that several of the rams that had gone the wrong way had come back and were headed down to the waterhole about halfway down the mountain. I quickly got my gear together and followed my guides down the mountain about one mile to a concealed vantage point 400 yards away from the watering rams. Upon arrival, John, my head guide, said the first one on the right was the best but all three were legal. With that notice, I set up for a shot, leaning over a large boulder with my pack on top. I confirmed my guide’s range and ranged the sheep at 405 yards or 378 yards with angle compensation. We had an approximate 15 mph crosswind, and I noted the effect on my hold off. I gently squeezed the trigger, and Wally was flipped upside down after absorbing the effect of my 150 grain Warbird round fired from my Lazzeroni-made hunting rifle through both lungs. The hunt was over, and the longest 400-yard hike of my life was on.
We finally got down to where the ram was located and quickly grew amazed at what a fine specimen he was. The usual picture taking, backslapping, caping, and meat prep followed by a hike back to camp in the dark with horns and cape in my pack ensued. Although my pack was heavy with the extra load, I was quite satisfied with the extra work that night.
The next morning, we broke camp early to get Wally and our gear back to the truck and get into TOK before the town’s only restaurant closed for the night. Going downhill is tougher than going uphill, especially with an additional load! We made it to TOK in time for a shower, a well-earned beer, and a great meal, and we also met up with the other hunter who had harvested a great ram that day.
While I’m not yet the sports hunter I would like to become, I have started introducing other friends and family to our sport and hope I can do as well as Steve as he has been one great teacher and friend!
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