In this episode of the Hunt West Podcast, Jaden sits down with client and now good friend Chris Atkins to trace his rapid journey from adult-onset hunter to fulfilling a lifelong-level dream: an Alaska Dall sheep hunt.

Chris didn’t grow up hunting. In fact, he didn’t pick it up until his late 30s while working as an art curator in Minnesota. What started with pheasants and turkeys quickly expanded into Western big game — antelope and mule deer in Wyoming, a free-range aoudad hunt in Texas, and finally the big one: a Dall sheep hunt in Alaska for his 50th birthday.

You’ll hear how Chris used each hunt as both practice and preparation for the mountains of Alaska — from learning body awareness crawling after pronghorn, to handling glassing and long-range shots on aoudad, to dialing in gear and fitness for the sheep mountains. Along the way, he shares the mindset, financial discipline, and community support it took to make the dream a reality.

This episode is packed with lessons for anyone chasing their own “someday hunt” — whether it’s sheep, elk, or just a first trip out West.

Chris also offered to be of help for any other hunters going on trips like this. You can email him at eyes.ears@gmail.com or DM via Instagram @eyesears

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Thanks to Bo DePena, a musician, friend, and avid hunter in Colorado, for the intro and outro for the show.