Yukon hunters get 'sheep shape' for mountain hunt

Thirty-one-year-old Ryan MacGillivary has been hunting sheep for about 10 years. He's gone out on hunts without being in top physical shape — and he was miserable.

"It was a very daunting task, it was very difficult. The first few days were absolutely killer. I  found myself resenting the decision to go."

So MacGillvary started looking for a training regime that would give him the stamina and strength to hike up mountains for days on end. He found one that works. 

"Within about a month, I was able to get rid of most of the fatigue, most of the lactic acid build up in my legs that made my legs burn, I was able to get rid of the congestion in my chest, so I thought, well, maybe this is something Yukoners want."

He was right. Sheep hunting is becoming very popular in the Yukon, with nearly 1,300 sheep tags sold to Yukon hunters last year.

Eleven hunters have signed up for MacGillivary's first "boot camp," which started June 29 and ends on July 29. Sheep hunting season opens August 1.

Core strength, endurance

Shawn Wilkinson, 28, plans to hunt with a bow, and he knows it's going to be demanding. "We gotta get real close, so I'm just trying to improve fitness a bit so I'm able to get closer to the sheep to make a safe and effective kill."

The boot camp includes exercises to build core strength, endurance and flexibility. It includes lung-wrenching ordeals such as lugging loaded backups up the steep trails on Grey Mountain. 

Raymond Nielsen is humping 25 kilograms on this training run. He too has gone on a sheep hunt without proper training.

"It's not fun. You gotta be prepared to be out there."

Thirty-year-old Chris Rose says it makes sense to put in the work beforehand. "We're putting in the miles with the weighted backpack, breaking in the boots. I've got about 45 pounds here. I can really feel it."  

Rose's partner, Leslie Shipman, isn't planning on hunting but signed up for the camp as a show of support. "I figured if I tagged along it would be a really good incentive, and good incentive for me as well, to build up lung strength." 

Shipman can see the difference in her fitness level from when the camp started. "I'm exhausted, but it's not my legs that are burning, it's just my calves, so it's great to see the improvement."

Getting in 'sheep shape'

Mark Callan is a hunter education coordinator with the Yukon government's Environment department. He says sheep hunting attracts people who may not otherwise be hunters. "People who are interested in being up in the mountains for a few days, and really giving themselves a physical challenge and a mental challenge."

Callan says the training leading up a hunt is referred to as getting "sheep shape."

An area in the Annie Lake Range is reserved for bow-hunting only. "That hunt is seen as the pinnacle for a lot of people — with a bow you're getting within 40, 50 metres of these animals and that can be a really challenging thing to do," Callan says.

Sheep hunters must be prepared to pack out the meat, horns and skull of a sheep, in addition to their personal gear, he adds. "That means you're carrying a hundred-pound pack down the mountain, so it's not something to be taken lightly. It's a lot of work."

Wilkinson agrees. "We're getting ready for it. You can't just play the game. You gotta do the training first."