Thank you for visiting our website. We hope you find the information helpful. We
have endeavored to include the things that we have learned and what we would want to see if
planning our own High Mountain Hunt. The ever-changing world of hunting requires
diligent attention to detail, the size of which could fill a book. We have attempted and have
brushed only the tops.
Warning High Mountain Hunting is Extremely Addictive!
Why choose me and my team? I have traveled to fifty-eight countries of the world, and most roads weren't paved. I have hunted with some of the best and a few of the worst. I am Life Member #93 of the Wild Sheep Foundation (formerly Foundation for North American Wild Sheep) and served as Treasurer and Vice-President. I served as Treasurer of The Boone and Crocket Club and am an Official Measurer. I was a Charter Member and President of the Texas Chapter of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep (now Texas Bighorn Society). I am a Life Member of the Dallas Safari Club, Safari Club International, Wild Sheep Foundation, Texas Bighorn Society and the National Rifle Association. For twenty years, I was a name at Lloyds of London. I’ve been thrown, bitten, kicked, shot, whipped, humbled and occasionally wrong. I’m here to help you, and I’m not with the government. I know how the rubber meets the road and have personally experienced transporting and packing my own string of horses, outfitted, guided, cooked and backpacked for six or eight hunters for weeks. I have spent over fifty years gathering information through other hunters and travelers. I have been blessed by paying for my share of overpriced camping trips delivered by unreliable
hunting outfitters, and I have shared a fire with some of the best in the premier places of the world. "Good judgment comes from experience and a lot of that comes from bad judgment". Wisdom is
the reward for listening over a lifetime. When you choose High Mountain Hunts, all this experience is
included in the price. I am qualified to give advice on the subject.
Start with a dream. Reach for the sun and should you miss, you will still end up among the stars.
Prepare for making that dream a reality. One should strive to have an excellent agent, an excellent area to hunt,
an excellent outfitter, an excellent guide and a commitment from all involved.
In the order of their importance:
- start with a dream
- choose High Mountain Hunts as your agents - EXPERIENCE COUNTS!
- prepare your body and its endurance for whatever you might incur
- be committed
- choose the right equipment
- go now as your physical abilities will diminish. You are not getting any younger. It’s caused by too
many birthday cakes!
A Lesson in Life
If you don’t know about
something……
Don’t screw around with it…… Or, you might lose your butt!
CHOOSE THE RIGHT AGENT! Excellent reputations are expensive, but bad ones are just as expensive. If a
hunter goes to another country, an intelligent one must rely on the advice of an experienced agent. I’ve never
learned anything more important than to be smarter! Choose High Mountain Hunts as your agent.
ENDURANCE Endurance is all about you and your physical and mental abilities. If you love yourself, resolve to be
healthier. Plan to hunt and get in High Mountain Hunting shape and stay that way. It’s the most important
thing you can do for yourself and your family. Your objective should be to increase your odds of successfully
harvesting your trophy and the enjoyment of the adventure.
COMMITMENT Many, many times success has come on the last day and hour of the hunt. Stay positive and
engaged to the end if necessary. If you are not in or can not obtain High Mountain Hunting condition, visit
me. I should have some answers.
EQUIPMENT Thinking about equipment and its related bulk and weight, think small, light, yet top quality
for performance and diversity. Good things in life are generally expensive. Finding the perfect equipment that
will do it all, last a lifetime, and become a family heirloom is important.
Boots
- For High Mountain Hunts, the proper boot is the most important singular
piece of equipment you will ever own.
On it everything depends: your feet, ankles, knees, back, neck, your hunt
and your life!
Some
say an ounce on your feet is like a pound on your back. I say, “invest six more ounces in
your boot to stay warm and protect your feet and take six pounds off your back“. I have also heard it said that there is no
single boot to cover all hunting needs.
I have put on many pair of wet, frozen boots and walked them dry; and I
believe from an extensive fifty-four years of testing and research that one
stands out above all the others. It
performs perfectly from ninety-six feet below sea level at 115°F to 16,500’ at -58°F . While
supporting a 70 pound back pack for weeks and months,
MEINDL 10” Glockner Sil-Nubuckleather, made in
Kirchanschoring, Bavaria containing 400 ounces of thinsulate and weighing in at
about 4 ¼ pounds does the trick. I suggest that you put a thick coat of
tennis shoe goo on the toe, and they will last for years. This boot is the intelligent choice and
inexpensive for what it does and how long it lasts. In the highly unlikely event a hot spot
develops while wearing any boot, immediately unwrap a piece of duct tape from your gun barrel or
pack frame, and put it over the hot spot thus preventing
blisters
Rainwear
- Your life depends on staying dry.
Spend what it takes because, when you hunt enough, you will be rained on
and often. Cabela’s MT050
Professional Rainwear will do the job and is quiet too. Use it as an outer layer of clothing
when you stop climbing. It’s
a great wind stop.
Sleeping
Bag - On one of my many 21 day stone sheep hunts, my cheap, light weight,
small packable rain suit was almost ripped from my body and I stayed cold and
wet all day. Upon returning to camp
just at dark, in a driving rain storm, I saw that our rain fly over our
sleeping bags had been blown away and the unrolled bags had been exposed to the
storm all day. To my surprise, my 7
pound goose down bag was dry. The
quality shell had turned all the rain.
In the ‘80s the $450 price tag was more than worth that night’s
sleep. With today’s
compression sacks, there is no reason not to have a bag that does it all. My poor guide agreed.
Clothing
- Dress in layers. Your clothing
must breathe, be quiet, comfortable and wick the moisture your body generates
while climbing in the mountains. If you sweat, you freeze! Starting at the bottom, I use cotton
socks even in sub-zero conditions.
In the middle of the day, when temperatures and time permit, while
glassing or sleeping, etc. I remove my boots, laying them on their side thus
allowing drying of the inner boot.
If damp, I remove socks and dry them or replace them with a dry pair. An army moves on its feet and so does a High Mountain Hunter.
For
High Mountain Hunts in cold weather, I prefer black silk long johns with
Northern Outfitters Vaetrex quilted bottoms and tops. The outer shell should be quiet and wind
proof. Goose down coat and hood and
Northface goose down mittens finish it off. For hunts in medium cold weather, I
prefer the black silk long johns with wool pants and suspenders, wool shirt,
and medium-weight wool jacket. If
necessary, I use the rain wear for wind relief. For High Mountain Hunts in light cold
weather, I wear the black silks, wool pants, wool shirt and upon occasion,
rainwear. Kangaroo leather gore-tex
shooting gloves (super tough) are my choice for all-around climbing.
While
climbing, I unbutton my jacket, shirt and pants (that is the reason for the
suspenders). This gets rid of the
moisture. When not climbing, close up everything and put on rain jacket.
Binoculars
- Ziess 10x25B-Field of Vision - 282 yards, 8.4 oz. It folds and fits nicely in a shirt
pocket.
Range
Finder - Nikon Monarch Gold Laser 1200 yard range. Without a ranger finder, I’ve
watched many hunters miss at 200 yards thinking and arguing that it was much farther.
Why pay big bucks to go on the other side of the earth and dumb out by not
bringing a finder.
Spotting
Scope and Tripod - Small, compact, light weight, great clarity and light
gathering capabilities, fitted with a very short, light-weight tripod is the
Alpen 711 20x50. The cost is about
$90 which is surprising quality for the price.
Rifle
- I believe that any brand of 7 mm magnum and a 168 grain bullet will handle
all African and North American animals, except elephant, rhino, hippo, lion,
cape buffalo, brown and polar bear.
That is seven animals out of hundreds. This is a tried and tested opinion. I
prefer a 7 mm magnum Ruger model 77, fitted with a custom Shilen 24”
stainless steel barrel (don’t worry about shooting it out) and custom
folding stock. This rifle fits
inside or outside a backpack (36“).
When going downhill, I carry my rifle in front across my chest to
protect it from catching on limbs and rocks or in the likelihood that I should
slip and fall. It is protected as
it is secured to my chest. Put a
piece of tape over the end of the barrel for protection and shoot through
it. It doesn‘t hurt
anything.
Rifle
Scope - Leupold 3-9 power. I’ve
never seen a Leupold fail. Leave it
on 3 power. More game has been
missed because hunters have their scope on the hightest power and can’t find the
target quickly. When and if time
permits, one can adjust upwards. A
3” wide piece of tire inner tube is the most reliable scope lenses
cover. It is inexpensive, tough and
won’t break.
Rifle
Sling - I prefer the Dick Murray quick adjust.
Flashlight
- I prefer a headlamp
Insect Repellent - A small finger mister applies it efficiently and accurately.
Satellite
Phone - 9505A Iridium
Water
- stay hydrated! Always carry 2
liters of good, fresh, healthy water in your pack. You don’t have to eat, but you
have to drink! Altitude, dampness,
cold and water are the most important things you have to worry about, and in
that order. They all can be deadly. Take them very seriously and plan
accordingly.
Fire
- In an emergency, be prepared to spend the night away from the base camp
and/or the fly camp. That means you
must have fire and fire starter. In
a rainfall, you should have the starter.
Both should be carried in your pocket and not your pack. You may have to give your pack to a bear. Don’t ask me how I know!
Ultra Violet Radiation - From sea level to 10,000', UVR increases approximately 90%. Adding to that, snow reflects about 70%; therefore, you will get burned if you don't take precautions. Cover bare skin and use sun screen. Protect your eyes with good sun glasses.
Wind - It can be your friend. When hunting, keep it in your face. When trying to survive, keep it at your back and get away from it as much as possible.
Lightening - When you are near cumulonimbus clouds and you feel the hair on your arms, neck and head stand erect, know that you are in lightning's crosshairs. I choose to immediately dive to the ground shucking my rifle and pack in the process and pan cake out. This allows for the hairs to rescind and the body's positive charge to be dispatched. I have experienced this on many occasions and lightening stuck very near. Some experts advise to have as little contact with the ground as possible. I don't know how to do that on a mountain top. Stay away from tree trunks, ridge lines and mountain points and know that lightening can travel horizontally for many miles. Use your best judgment as I have not been trained by an expert.
When High Mountain Hunting, to enjoy your adventure one must be able to
adjust,
adapt and improvise.
Click Here To Know Before You Go!
© 2009 TMS.
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