In the fall of 2023, Mark from Exo Mtn Gear went on a backpack Dall Sheep hunt in Alaska. In the first 8 days of the hunt, Mark and his guide, Mark Rowenhorst (@LimitlessAlaskaGuiding), had covered countless miles, lost shelters to wind storms, crossed swollen rivers, glassed through hours of wind and rain, and more.
On Day 9 they were able to kill a mature double-broomed ram before a winter storm dumped snow that night. The following day, they completed a 15-mile no-trail heavy packout back across glaciers, through snowy mountain passes, and across ripping waterways. It was truly an adventure of a lifetime. (You can hear the whole story via the podcast at the bottom of this article.)
Now, six months after this life-changing adventure, Mark shares all of the gear he used for this hunt. In the video below he takes the time to go over every item — and answers many questions he has received about this hunt. Below the video you will also find Mark's complete gear list spreadsheet, with links and weights for all items used...
DOWNLOAD THE GEAR LIST
To get a list of all items, including links and weights, you can download Mark's Gear List spreadsheet...
For more information on how to use this gear list spreadsheet, modify it for your personal needs, or compare it to other gear lists for other hunting seasons and species, visit our Backpack Hunting Gear List page.
UNIQUE GEAR FOR THIS HUNT
Just a few weeks after Mark went on this sheep hunt, he also went on a backpack hunt in Idaho's October rifle season, targeting elk and deer. We thought it would be worth highlighting the similarities and differences in gear for these hunts, which occurred just a few weeks apart, yet were obviously targeting different species in very different places.
If you compare the gear spread sheet for the sheep hunt (linked above) to the gear list for Mark's elk and deer hunt, the vast majority of the items are the same...
He used the same pack and pack accessories. The same sleeping bag/quilt, sleeping pad, and pillow. The same water filtration system, stove/cook kit, and drinking containers. The same electronics. The same personal care, essentials, and repair kit. The same knife and sharpener. The same rifle, ammunition/bullet, bipod, tripod, and rangefinder. The same optics. The same pants, base layer, mid-layer, puffy jacket, boots, gaiters, and beanie.
The difference worth noting are...
- He added a K4 Drybag for the Alaska Sheep Hunt
- He used a Hilleberg Niak tent for Alaska, but a lightweight bivy for Idaho.
- He used smaller, lighter game bags for boned-out meat in Alaska, but larger meat bags for Idaho and packing out elk quarters.
- He carried more weather-dependent clothing in Alaska, including puffy pants, rain gear, down glassing mits, and waterproof over-mittens.
- He packed crampons for Alaska's glaciers, but those obviously weren't needed in Idaho.
As you can see from highlighting those differences, most backpack hunters in the Lower 48 are well-equipped for a backpack hunt in Alaska and may only need to make a few gear changes for something like a backpack sheep hunt.
MARK'S SHEEP HUNT STORY
To hear the full story of Mark's sheep hunt, listen to Episode 424 of the Hunt Backcountry Podcast. It was certainly a wild adventure with an entertaining story...