VAspeedgoat
Well-known member
Dang it, is this just for effect. I need my sheep hunting fix!
2017 sheep
- Thread starter Bambistew
- Start date
Bambistew
Well-known member
We continued to watch the rams, but couldn't do much. We were not in a good position to move without being seen, and no reason to move until they did.
We watched and waited for a few hours, finally the big ram got up and moved out of sight. We dumped our camp and kept needed items for the kill/hunt and charged up a small drainage. We encountered a group of ewes and lambs and had to play a game of cat and mouse as we moved up, along with watching other rams as they were feeding.
We finally get to a position where we should be able to see the feeding ram, and he's not there. We'd last seen him about an hour before, who know how far he'd moved, or which direction. We took a chance and assumed he continued to the left, we slowly inched our way around the mountainside... no ram. Further an further, nothing. I mentioned to YK, that we should double back and see if we can find him. The wind sucked, as it was to our back, but we had the elevation, and really had nothing to lose if he was downwind anyway.
We made it back to nearly our original position, when I glanced over a small ridge and up an avalanche chute... sheep! A quick look through the bino's and it was him. No mistaking a heavy broomed side. I dumped the pack and readied the shooting sticks. Double check to make sure its him and then wait for the shot, and wait, and wait, and re-adujust. Man I was getting excited. I usually don't spend a lot of time waiting for a shot. Finally he turned broadside, I fire.
No reaction. WTF? I quickly put another one in the chamber. He moved a bit, but didn't know where we were. I could tell it was just a matter of seconds before he took off, and would be out of sight. Boom... all I see are feet in the air. Dead ram!
As we get closer, I see no blood, other than on his head. Damn... head shot, right through the curl. Not impressed with my shooting, but glad it was over and he was down. Had to clean up the picture a bit, but as luck would have it the cape and horns seem to be quite salvageable.
We got to work as daylight was quickly fading, we still had to find a spot to camp in the boulder field, and it would be dark before we got off the mountain.
The next day we packed up and headed for the strip.
As we were descending the hill, we were separated by maybe a 50-60 yards or so, and were talking rather loudly as we approached the guide tent. I remarked that I didn't think anyone was using this tent, for a couple reasons... If there was hunters there, they would have likley been in a position to shoot one of the rams we'd see the day before, and the crap strewn about outside the tent hadn't moved.
Just then we see one of the guides come out of the rocks below us, the one we'd run into the day before. I'm sure he'd heard the conversation...
First thing he says jokingly (I assume) is "You F*&Ker! I knew as soon as you passed us that ram was dead."
Then he comes clean and says that he gave us a load of crap story to try and keep us from going back there to shoot that ram. He had a client coming in a few days and was hoping to put him on it. How his little birds need to "eat." Then he offered me a job, then possibly a share of the business, and let me know I could still hunt there, but it would be after his clients where done. Pretty funny conversation.
We made a couple trips back and forth to the strip over the next couple days and made it home with about 140lbs of sheep meat and great memories.
His head and skull was huge, 1/2" wider than the ram I shot last year. I ended up with 78lbs of boned out meat, which is about 10-15 lbs more than any other sheep I've shot. Part of that is attributed to no meat loss, but still... he was a chunk.
We watched and waited for a few hours, finally the big ram got up and moved out of sight. We dumped our camp and kept needed items for the kill/hunt and charged up a small drainage. We encountered a group of ewes and lambs and had to play a game of cat and mouse as we moved up, along with watching other rams as they were feeding.
We finally get to a position where we should be able to see the feeding ram, and he's not there. We'd last seen him about an hour before, who know how far he'd moved, or which direction. We took a chance and assumed he continued to the left, we slowly inched our way around the mountainside... no ram. Further an further, nothing. I mentioned to YK, that we should double back and see if we can find him. The wind sucked, as it was to our back, but we had the elevation, and really had nothing to lose if he was downwind anyway.
We made it back to nearly our original position, when I glanced over a small ridge and up an avalanche chute... sheep! A quick look through the bino's and it was him. No mistaking a heavy broomed side. I dumped the pack and readied the shooting sticks. Double check to make sure its him and then wait for the shot, and wait, and wait, and re-adujust. Man I was getting excited. I usually don't spend a lot of time waiting for a shot. Finally he turned broadside, I fire.
No reaction. WTF? I quickly put another one in the chamber. He moved a bit, but didn't know where we were. I could tell it was just a matter of seconds before he took off, and would be out of sight. Boom... all I see are feet in the air. Dead ram!
As we get closer, I see no blood, other than on his head. Damn... head shot, right through the curl. Not impressed with my shooting, but glad it was over and he was down. Had to clean up the picture a bit, but as luck would have it the cape and horns seem to be quite salvageable.
We got to work as daylight was quickly fading, we still had to find a spot to camp in the boulder field, and it would be dark before we got off the mountain.
The next day we packed up and headed for the strip.
As we were descending the hill, we were separated by maybe a 50-60 yards or so, and were talking rather loudly as we approached the guide tent. I remarked that I didn't think anyone was using this tent, for a couple reasons... If there was hunters there, they would have likley been in a position to shoot one of the rams we'd see the day before, and the crap strewn about outside the tent hadn't moved.
Just then we see one of the guides come out of the rocks below us, the one we'd run into the day before. I'm sure he'd heard the conversation...
First thing he says jokingly (I assume) is "You F*&Ker! I knew as soon as you passed us that ram was dead."
Then he comes clean and says that he gave us a load of crap story to try and keep us from going back there to shoot that ram. He had a client coming in a few days and was hoping to put him on it. How his little birds need to "eat." Then he offered me a job, then possibly a share of the business, and let me know I could still hunt there, but it would be after his clients where done. Pretty funny conversation.
We made a couple trips back and forth to the strip over the next couple days and made it home with about 140lbs of sheep meat and great memories.
His head and skull was huge, 1/2" wider than the ram I shot last year. I ended up with 78lbs of boned out meat, which is about 10-15 lbs more than any other sheep I've shot. Part of that is attributed to no meat loss, but still... he was a chunk.
Last edited:
mdunc8
Well-known member
Very cool. Congratulations.
npaden
Well-known member
Thanks for taking the time to post this. I enjoy reading your sheep stories each fall. Nice ram!
Addicting
Well-known member
That was worth the wait! Congrats on a beautiful ram!
7mm08mo
Well-known member
Well worth the wait, congrats on a fine ram.
rmyoung1
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2010
- Messages
- 2,409
That's awesome. Thanks for sharing and taking us along for the ride.
Gerald Martin
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2009
- Messages
- 8,643
Congrats! Thanks for the write-up.
Bugle 'Em In
Well-known member
Fun story to follow! Thank you for taking the time to share your story...its greatly appreciated!
VAspeedgoat
Well-known member
Great write up, thanks so much for sharing
brownbear932008
Well-known member
Man that is a great ram I love the mass in his curls. Again congrats and thanks for posting. I will likely never get to experience a hunt such as this so I live through guys like yourself. Thanks!
elkrchr
Well-known member
Really enjoyed reading this thread! Congrats to you and YK. Good luck on caribou and grizzly trip and I'm sure we'll all be reading about in your next thread.
noharleyyet
Well-known member
Well done Bambi...your stories have evolved among the rites of Fall, thanks for sharing.
Muleyhunter78
Active member
Beauty ram. Congrats. And good story.
targetpanic
Well-known member
Awqesome story and pics!! Absolutely gorgeous country!
