About Five Stone Outfitting

What we now call 5 Stone Outfitting was previously owned for 18 years by the Kostynuk family (Marion, Calvin, Jill and the late Sam). Before that, it was Charlie Stricker’s area. This area has not been operated since 2005, the Kostynuks’ last year, when they thought they had it sold. The deal fell through and gave us the opportunity to buy the area. Only 50% to 55% of the area was being utilized.

I plan to spread the hunting over the entire area, leaving places to rest. The area is about 2,000 square miles. 

Five Stone Outfitting has 5 sheep tags, hence the name, and has been that way (knock on wood) for the past 20+ years. The area is located in north-central B.C. in the Ominica range which is 190 miles north of Smithers. It is very remote, and access is limited to float plane only.

I started guiding in the early 1990’s for Granby Guides & Outfitters southern B.C. They have some of the best California bighorn hunting in North America. Taking lots of rams in the 170 class and one at the 180 marks, they have been 100% for 20+ years. Here I started guiding for elk, mule deer, goat, whitetails, black bears and bighorns. It is a great family-run operation.

I later decided that I wanted to go to the Yukon and try out some white sheep (Dalls). This led me to Charlie Stricker and Bonnet Plume Outfitting. Charlie is one of the toughest men I have ever had the priviledge of stomping around the mountains with, and one of the neatest individuals you could come across. Bonnet Plume had lots of game. When Charlie sold, I decided to go to Blackstone Outfitters with Lee & Marie Bolster. Watching the size of rams that were taken out of that area made me want to work there, as I knew that for a lot of years, the largest ram to be taken in the Yukon annually came from there. Every guide wants to chase big game, and if you are a sheep hunter, it’s an even worse passion – at least for me.

I worked there in the later 1990’s and up until 2000, when Jim Fink and Ed Kapala took over from Lee and Marie. I was approached by my good friend Bear Brandow to do another year of bighorns with Granby Guides. After that year I was missing the north, but had my eye on another area that I had been watching over. Having always loved the Mackenzie Mts. from my Bonnet Plume days, I called Kelly & Heather Hougen and Artic Red River Outfitters. I was lucky enough to get a job with this outfit. The time I spent in their area and with their crew was exceptional. I still miss it today. It was a sheep guide’s dream: pristine, remote, wellrun and big sheep – what else could you ask for?

All those years, I was also doing spring black bears with Granby, whitetails with Stricker, and then later with Scott Taylor and Bear Paw Outfitting in northern Alberta. I also purchased my own whitetail area in north-central Alberta. Triple Deuce Outfitters.

After my daughter was born, I decided to stay home and try to buy a Stone Sheep area of my own, so my family could grow up with it and experience the good people and breathtaking wilderness that is out there. Being from B.C. I wanted to stay here, and 5 Stone Outfitting certainly has fulfilled my dream.

The longest ram to come out of this area was 42 4/8, and the biggest bases were 15 4/8. The area has always produced solid rams that have 14”+ bases and average 35” to 37” in length. The color of the sheep is typically very dark. We will be hunting some sheep country that has not been hunted in more than ten years.