Chugach Sheep Permit

Well, permits came out on Friday evening and I was shocked to see that I had actually drawn a coveted Chugach Mtns. sheep permit!  There are 20 permits available and normally over 800 applicants.  Lucky me.  The season is only 12 days long, the last 12 days of September.  I will be hunting the entire season as this may be the only time I ever get a chance to hunt this area.  

The Chugach Mtns. are just outside of the Anchorage and Wasilla area, which means it will be close to home but far from an easy hunt.  Last year I drew a archery sheep permit for a very small section of the Chugach and that permit was for Sept. as well (a lot easier to draw though)  The weather can be brutal that time of year.  A foot or more of snow and tent squashing winds in the 60 mph range can appear overnight.  On the 2nd night of my hunt last year one of my tent poles bent in half after getting hammered by heavy gusts.  I spent the rest of the night putting my feet up against the back of tent.  My second 4 season tent took some punishment as well but made it through with only one pole having taken a slight bow.  I finally gave up the hunt on the 8th day when the snow added up to 8 inches and showed no signs of stopping.  If the weather holds out it will be a great hunt.......even so it will be good to be in the mountains.

The pictures are from my hunt last year and give a glimpse of what the Chugach looks like.