The Hunting Consortium

NORTH AMERICA

In North America the variety and scope of hunting opportunity is mind-boggling. Quality varies enormously from outfitter to outfitter and the ability of certain areas to produce good trophies is continuously changing. Monitoring current developments in dozens of places and making accurate predictions in this ever-changing scene is our full-time job. Our staff is dedicated to finding out where, when and with whom our clients should hunt in order to maximize the chance for taking the trophies they seek. We have worked with most of the outfitters we represent for many years and are thoroughly familiar with there hunting areas. We are also visiting and hunting with new operators constantly and evaluating their areas. Most of the quality big game hunting in the United States, outside of Alaska, is had on private land. We are proud of the close relationships we have developed with the owners of some of the finest hunting ranches in the United States. It is impossible to list every North American hunt we can arrange. In the following pages we have chosen to list the primary species of game which have been most popular with our clients in recent years. We have listed typical hunts by species. We are capable of constructing individual programs to fit every taste and budget. Please call or email for details of hunts for the species you are interested in hunting.

North American Wild Sheep

To many hunters the wild sheep are the ultimate trophies of North America. Since 1949 when Grancel Fritz first used the term “grand slam”, taking all four kinds of North American wild sheep has been recognized as a superior achievement in the sport of hunting. Wild sheep are hunted in the most remote and primitive places on the continent, reached only by bush plane and horseback. Sheep hunts invariably entail

a great deal of climbing, as well as hours of glassing mountain sides and putting up with adverse weather conditions and physical strain. Sheep hunting requires better physical shape and shooting ability than most other forms of hunting and it is regarded as among the most challenging of pursuits.

There are two species of wild sheep found in North America. Both are pachyceriform sheep, which family includes the snow sheep of Russia (see the Russian section of this site). These are the American thin-horned sheep and the American bighorn sheep. The American thin-horned species is the Ovis dalli, of which there are two subspecies, the Dall sheep and the Stone sheep. The bighorn sheep, Ovis canadensis, also has two main subspecies, the Rocky Mountain bighorn and the Desert bighorn. There is also the smaller variant of the Rocky Mountain bighorn, known as the California bighorn.

Dall Sheep

The elegant, pure white Dall ram is the least difficult and the least expensive of the North American sheep to hunt. It is found in the mountains of Alaska, and in the Yukon, and Northwest Territories of Canada. Populations are high and well distributed throughout the sheep’s range. Dall rams are usually slightly smaller in body than their close relatives the Stone sheep, weighing ca. 180 pounds.

Hunts:

• Alaska - 10 day hunt, fly in

• Yukon - 10 day hunt, horseback

• Northwest Territories - 10 day hunt, horseback

Stone Sheep

Stockier than the Dall sheep the Stone sheep varies in color from a “salt and pepper” mixture in the north of its range to almost black in the southern most parts of its range. The belly, rump, and inside of the legs are white. It is found from the Peace River in British Columbia, northward into the southern part of the Yukon. Stone sheep and Dall sheep intergrade in the northwestern part of British Columbia and in the central Yukon and the paler form, not quite white, is referred to as a Fannin sheep. These are recognized as Stone sheep for the purpose of the “Grand Slam”. Rams can reach weights of 250 pounds.

Hunt:

• British Columbia - 10 day hunt, horseback

Rocky Bighorn Sheep

Stockier and heavier than the thin-horned sheep, bighorns carry massive, heavy horns, which have given them their name. The Rocky Mountain bighorn is the largest sheep in North America, reaching weights approaching 300 pounds. They are found along the Rocky Mountain chain from northern New Mexico up through Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana into British Columbia and Alberta. Most of the best hunting areas is restricted to special permits. This is the most difficult North American trophy to collect.

Hunts:

• Wyoming - 10 day hunt, special permit

• Utah - 10 day hunt, special permit

• New Mexico - 10 day hunt, special permit

• Colorado - 6 day hunt, landowner permit

California Bighorn Sheep

This variety of bighorn is roughly 25 % smaller than the Rocky Mountain bighorn, with shorter and less massive horns. Rams generally weigh up to 200 pounds. It is found west of the Rocky Mountains from northwestern Nevada through Oregon and Washington into British Columbia. The densest population is in British Columbia.

Hunt:

• British Columbia - 10 day hunt, horseback

Desert Bighorn Sheep

Adapted to the hot, arid desert environment, the desert bighorn is the smallest subspecies of bighorn sheep. Rams seldom exceed 180 pounds in size. Horns however, can approach the Rocky Mountain bighorn in size.

These sheep are found from southern Nevada and Utah, southward through eastern California and western Arizona into the states of Baja California and Sonora in Mexico.

Hunts:

• Texas - 10 day hunt, landowner permit

• Mexico, Sonora - 10 day hunt, landowner permit

• Mexico, Tiburon Island - 10 day hunt, landowner permit

American Mountain Goat

The largest member of the Rupicapra family of goat-antelopes, the charismatic mountain goat, with its snow white hair, is related to the chamois of Europe and the serow and goral of Asia. It is found in the high mountain ranges of the northwestern United States from Idaho to Alaska and in British Columbia, Alberta and in the Yukon in Canada. The mountain goat is a tough, sure-footed mountain animal and the hunt for this game is among to he toughest in North America.

Hunts:

• Alaska - 6 day hunt, from boat

• British Columbia - 5 day hunt

“My good friend Bob Kern has built one of the best hunting companies in the world. I have taken many great trophies with him and I recommend The Hunting Consortium to all my friends. My wife and I are hunting again with them next year and look forward to many more great hunts with Bob!”

- Jesus Yuren