Local hunter applies to become Red Deer County’s first member of Grand Slam Club

Officially named the Grand Slam Club/Ovis, the purpose of the organization of hunter/conservationists is to improve global populations of wild sheep, goat, and North American big game.

Registered Grand Slams are by those who have successfully hunted four different North American wild sheep or rams, specifically the Dall, Stone, Rocky Mountain Bighorn, and Desert Bighorn sheep, in an ethical and legal fair chase. Trophies, which are hunted animals kept for display, are not accepted if they were poached or hunted on private properties, known as high fences.

With records kept since its inception, only 2,269 people have achieved the title, now holding their own Grand Slam number. In fact, more people have successfully climbed Mount Everest; 6,338 as of this year to be exact, according to High Adventure Expeditions.

If Johanson’s application is accepted, he will become the first person to accomplish a Grand Slam in the Red Deer area.

EARLY DAYS

Johanson, born in 1950, was introduced to hunting by his father.

“He used to take me out of school and we’d go out west for a week and sometimes two weeks,” he said.

“My dad said the worst thing he ever did was take me hunting because I was hooked on it for the rest of my life. Just being out there and the thrill of everything; learning and doing what you had to do to be successful or be a loser. There’s a lot of luck involved but there’s a lot of skill as well.”

The only boy and last child in a large family of sisters, Johanson jokes that hunting kept his father young, who was 56 years old at the time of his birth, and 88 during his last hunt.

Pictures in a photo album of Johanson’s father hunting. (Supplied)

Johanson went on to hunt in the central Alberta region on month-long expeditions with his father and solo, with just his horse, camping gear, and eventually his dog Rosie.

He says he first heard of sheep hunting in his teenage years. Reading the Grand Slam magazine, the title became a “pipe dream” of his.

GRAND SLAM RAMS

His first successful ram hunt was at the age of 23 during an elk hunting trip with his father. Walking up a mountain, he says he heard rocks falling in the distance. He climbed quickly to feast his eyes on five Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep. He shot the biggest one, he said, and carried the 250-pound beast back to the base on two horses, sharing the precious meat with family only on special occasions over the next two months.

He changed his hunting strategy from travelling to glassing; this is when a hunter waits in one position for an animal while monitoring the area with binoculars and telescopes. Once a ram moved close enough, he would shoot from a self-imposed maximum of 300 yards. From this distance, he knew he could accurately fire a direct shot behind the ram’s shoulder to their lung or heart, to ensure the animal would not suffer.

Photo in album of Dave Johanson out hunting in his late-teens/early 20s. (Supplied)

He proved this accuracy when he casually, and without a flinch, shot a fly mid-interview in the kitchen with a salt gun.

Later working as an electrician in Arizona, it took an intolerably hot day that reached 55°C for Johanson to tell his wife that they would be moving to Alaska. While the heat was one motivator for the drastic change, Johanson also admitted he wanted to take advantage of the hunting season.

In 1986, he hunted an Alaskan Dall sheep; his second ram for the Grand Slam.

In 1991, Johanson says he hunted the Stone, the third sheep requirement, while travelling in northern British Columbia.

But it was his last sheep, the Desert Bighorn, that was one of his most memorable hunting experiences.

THE FINALE

“I got thinking about it and I figured, I can’t really afford it but I’m still physically able to do it so why not just do it,” he said.

This January, Johanson and his friend made their way to Mexico in search of the final sheep. After dealing with turbulent COVID-19 restrictions at the border and a snowstorm, both nearly cancelling his trip without refund, the pair finally made it to their destination.

At 73 years old, he described wandering through desert and mountain in the rugged terrain of central America with his hunting guide. He passed some sheep, but he could tell they weren’t legally large enough to hunt.

“It’s just as important that you’re mentally fit; don’t give up. You got to think the whole time that there’s something there and you’re going to find it sooner or later,” he said.

Finally, in the distance, he spotted the right ram and shot from 301 yards away. Bending his rule, his fear was almost realized as he saw the sheep continue to run. Johanson ran after it before seeing it fall.

Far away from the base and without any horses, he questioned how they would bring this ram back. His guide phoned for Jacob.

Two burley men, he described, soon came out of a pickup truck with a donkey in the back: Jacob.

Johanson watched the men help Jacob carry the ram, equal to its own size, on a makeshift saddle up the mountain and back to the house.

There, he remembers sharing the meat together for dinner as a team, with Jacob at the table.

“I’m ecstatic anyway. That was a goal that I had; it was a dream actually. I didn’t think I’d be able to do it,” he said about hunting the four sheep.

Dave Johanson with just some of his trophies in his living room. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

THE CHALLENGE

Jason Price, Executive Director of the Grand Slam Club/OVIS, says sheep are the pinnacle of north American big game. Hunters must commit sometimes numerous attempts to catch them in challenging terrains, requiring good physical fitness.

Johanson stays in shape by biking 13 kilometres each morning and working in the field.

Price also says ram hunting requires a large financial investment for equipment and travel expenses.

An American citizen, Price earned his Grand Slam membership just last year while hunting in central Alberta. He says, particularly for Americans, one trip can cost up to $30,000.

Johanson admitted that he’s spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the sport over his lifetime.

“I would’ve been retired years ago. I’ve spent more money and quit more jobs just for the sake of going hunting,” he said jokingly.

Price believes that this strong desire for rams has led to their conservation.

“Hunters and the value of the species are what leads to the protection of the species. There’s a common quote throughout the conservation world that, ‘if it pays, it stays’. If an animal has a value, then people will protect that animal,” he said, adding that organizations have transplanted sheep to improve herds and habitats as a result of the love and popularity of the animal.

Price says the Club is one of the oldest conservation organizations in North America with hunters doing their part to follow hunting rules of sustainability, like targeting the most mature of the herd past breeding point.

Johanson agreed, adding that it’s important to pay attention to what you’re hunting. For example, he once hunted a ram that had no teeth; stating it would have likely starved to death in the wild.

He showed me the many pictures and photo albums he had over his 60 years in hunting, preparing for his Grand Slam application. Trophies hung around his house while other spaces stood empty for new trophies to come.

It seemed natural; some talents are just in your blood.

by Alessia Proietti

Local hunter applies to become Red Deer County’s first member of Grand Slam Club

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