SC Living Outdoors
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This is a great thread. Thanks for taking us along. You have some serious self-control bc I think this ram would have gone home with me if it was my tag, haha. Cant wait to hear what happens.
2023 Montana Bighorn Sheep Tag/Hunt...
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shrapnel
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Time now for another commercial break...
BrowningCitori
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Oct 16th. I have really gotten used to the camper and camp site, seems a bit like a dream that will go on forever. If you have read this far, you a probably thinking this story is past forever. I am enjoying every morning; start the coffee, check the weather, go visit “the woods” and have a little breakfast. I check the weather this morning and all forecasts indicate that Indian summer is coming to an end. Below zero temperatures and snow are in the forecast for next week. So much for forever…
But seriously is it possible to see to many eastern Montana sunrises.....
I check for the ram off the road that disappeared two days ago. No sign of him. Levi and I meet up and glass the new glassing spot looking east. The rams were pushing ewes around yesterday, the pre rut activity is picking up each day. This morning there are sheep moving around and not far from last nights 190 ram location. We decide to hike in, it is steep up and down through several coulees and the bottoms are wet gumbo from the previous rain, ugh. We get into “the zone". After the strenuous hike we can’t find any sheep. We keep looking, knowing they are here somewhere. Levi spots 3 rams, two light colored younger rams (they contract with the background) and a dark, heavy, older ram. The rangefinder says 667 yards. We use the rangefinder and OnX to try to figure out if we can get in range. We are on the rim of a coulee looking down at them. They are on the far side but almost in the bottom. We make our way North, but avoid the rim of the coulee and then ease over to the edge. Rangefinder says 482 yards. We set up the Swaro and take a closer look at the big ram. They are bedded down and there is no rush. Levi is like “damn that is a very nice ram”. I agree and the fact that I should head home tomorrow have me thinking about this being the “one”. Just about then the sun clears the coulee rim and hits the rams. They get up and relocate to some shade (forecast is 70 degrees). When they bed down, he is facing directly away, not a shot I am interested in.
The next question is, can we get to him if I shot him? After studying the landscape, we decide no problem. Drop into the head of the coulee and go down the bottom and there is an old landslide that is timbered next to them. Easy peezy! Now will he get up and relocate? Just about then the two younger rams decide to pester him. He gets up and beds down broadside this time (maybe this is a sign)… Am I going to finally chamber a round? First I have to figure out a solid rest…
But seriously is it possible to see to many eastern Montana sunrises.....
I check for the ram off the road that disappeared two days ago. No sign of him. Levi and I meet up and glass the new glassing spot looking east. The rams were pushing ewes around yesterday, the pre rut activity is picking up each day. This morning there are sheep moving around and not far from last nights 190 ram location. We decide to hike in, it is steep up and down through several coulees and the bottoms are wet gumbo from the previous rain, ugh. We get into “the zone". After the strenuous hike we can’t find any sheep. We keep looking, knowing they are here somewhere. Levi spots 3 rams, two light colored younger rams (they contract with the background) and a dark, heavy, older ram. The rangefinder says 667 yards. We use the rangefinder and OnX to try to figure out if we can get in range. We are on the rim of a coulee looking down at them. They are on the far side but almost in the bottom. We make our way North, but avoid the rim of the coulee and then ease over to the edge. Rangefinder says 482 yards. We set up the Swaro and take a closer look at the big ram. They are bedded down and there is no rush. Levi is like “damn that is a very nice ram”. I agree and the fact that I should head home tomorrow have me thinking about this being the “one”. Just about then the sun clears the coulee rim and hits the rams. They get up and relocate to some shade (forecast is 70 degrees). When they bed down, he is facing directly away, not a shot I am interested in.
The next question is, can we get to him if I shot him? After studying the landscape, we decide no problem. Drop into the head of the coulee and go down the bottom and there is an old landslide that is timbered next to them. Easy peezy! Now will he get up and relocate? Just about then the two younger rams decide to pester him. He gets up and beds down broadside this time (maybe this is a sign)… Am I going to finally chamber a round? First I have to figure out a solid rest…
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hunter49
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Let me guess.
Shoot, miss, hunt over.
Jk
Shoot, miss, hunt over.
Jk
BrowningCitori
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This is where my computer crashes and the story never finishes....
BrowningCitori
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This photo is the two smaller rams harassing big boy, which causes him to relocate
I take both our backpacks and put them back to back for a rest. I sit down and see what it looks like. We try several combos with shooting sticks and packs but finally it looks like the back to back packs is the best with me in a sitting position. I put the rifle up and try to settle in. After a minute or so I dry fire. Nice, that felt good and looked good. I chamber a round and get behind the scope, my heart rate doubles. Seriously, I have fought wildfires and structure fires, and load patients on life flight helicopters at 2 am, this is a crazy amount of adrenaline. This isn’t going to work unless I settle down and I would rather not shot than miss or worse yet cripple this ram. I empty the chamber and dry fire again, all good. I chamber a round and same racing heart…… Levi says take a few deep breathes, you have time, he isn’t going anywhere. This is better, I can see my heartbeat in the scope, however, it never leaves the vitals. Couple more deep breathes and…
Booommmm, the echo in the coulee is crazy loud and startles me, and makes me think I flinched. SHIT! The ram is up and moving, the other two are climbing. Levi calming says “he is bleeding out the nose” WAIT! WHAT! I hit him? Get your shit together I say to myself, you start this, you need to finish the job! I get back in the gun and shot again and again. He is now just standing and hasn’t moved since the second shot. The other two rams are scrambling to get the hell out of Dodge. I dig another shell from my pocket. Levi says take your time, just finish him. Boom, flop. He dies behind a big rock but his horns are visible through the scope. I just make the longest shot of my life. I would have preferred to be closer and a one shot kill and with some patience he would have died from the first shot, now what?
Ram down and in the shade
Hard for me to believe but basically the ram is dead at the end of my finger (and a bit lower)
I take both our backpacks and put them back to back for a rest. I sit down and see what it looks like. We try several combos with shooting sticks and packs but finally it looks like the back to back packs is the best with me in a sitting position. I put the rifle up and try to settle in. After a minute or so I dry fire. Nice, that felt good and looked good. I chamber a round and get behind the scope, my heart rate doubles. Seriously, I have fought wildfires and structure fires, and load patients on life flight helicopters at 2 am, this is a crazy amount of adrenaline. This isn’t going to work unless I settle down and I would rather not shot than miss or worse yet cripple this ram. I empty the chamber and dry fire again, all good. I chamber a round and same racing heart…… Levi says take a few deep breathes, you have time, he isn’t going anywhere. This is better, I can see my heartbeat in the scope, however, it never leaves the vitals. Couple more deep breathes and…
Booommmm, the echo in the coulee is crazy loud and startles me, and makes me think I flinched. SHIT! The ram is up and moving, the other two are climbing. Levi calming says “he is bleeding out the nose” WAIT! WHAT! I hit him? Get your shit together I say to myself, you start this, you need to finish the job! I get back in the gun and shot again and again. He is now just standing and hasn’t moved since the second shot. The other two rams are scrambling to get the hell out of Dodge. I dig another shell from my pocket. Levi says take your time, just finish him. Boom, flop. He dies behind a big rock but his horns are visible through the scope. I just make the longest shot of my life. I would have preferred to be closer and a one shot kill and with some patience he would have died from the first shot, now what?
Ram down and in the shade
Hard for me to believe but basically the ram is dead at the end of my finger (and a bit lower)
BrowningCitori
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WAIT! WHAT? Did that just happen? Now what? Now how the heck do we get this trophy out of the breaks?
We had cell service about a 1/4 mile south. I text our Lewistown friends and ask if they can bring the boat. The logical way to get this ram out is via the river. We could pack it back out of the coulee but it would take lot of work. Getting it to the river will be work but not near as much. Our friends text back that they will meet us at the river. I learn later that they were getting lunch at a diner and told the waitress “we need this to go”! We hike back out and meet them at the river (there might have been a celebratory beverage). We motor up river a few miles and hike in the 1/2 mile with packs, cameras, etc. It has been 3 hours since the shots. I finally get to touch my ram. No ground shrinkage. First, shot was through the lungs and would have been fatal, second shot has back just bit in the liver and the 4th shot hit the spine right above the vitals.
After a couple hundred photos (literally) we cape and butcher the ram. We are back at the boat ramp by dark. I am so thankful for friends (old and new), glassing, gear, strong backs, amazing photos, not what I thought about when I drew the tag. Thanks also to my wife who puts up with all my hunting and fishing trips. So grateful for the opportunity. I am the luckiest son of a bitch on earth!
Didn’t sleep well that night. I drive away from camp a bit sad that it is over, but the smile on my face says otherwise. Up at 4 am, packed up and left at 5:30. Elk on the road in the dark while headed to Lewistown. Got the ram checked in with Joe the game warden. Stopped by my taxidermist on the way home, he scored it at 188, without the recent break on the left side probably 190. Numbers and scores, would I rather shoot a 200” ram on day one or a 180” on day 20, or a 160 on day 30 with these friends? The only thing that would have made this hunt better was if Dean had been there when it happened, but maybe we were only meant to "hunt" sheep together and not kill them when together. So thrilled and thankful I got this opportunity! If you are counting that was 16 days of hunting.
If you draw this tag in the future, I would be glad to talk about lessons learned, etc, etc. If you read this far, thanks for following my adventure. Now that I am hooked on sheep hunting and I have hooked you with my storytelling, anyone interested in my GoFundMe@BrowningCitori's Dall Sheep hunt? Don't worry if too many donations come in, it will fund @BrowningCitori's Stone sheep adventure! Just kidding, not kidding (how do these kids monetize their "likes")? Hopefully my humor isn't lost in translation!
If you read this far, thank you! If you want to read another adventure story written by me, you might check out the following link where I go chase a bucket list fish (one over 100 pounds),
www.bdoutdoors.com
Spoiler
We had cell service about a 1/4 mile south. I text our Lewistown friends and ask if they can bring the boat. The logical way to get this ram out is via the river. We could pack it back out of the coulee but it would take lot of work. Getting it to the river will be work but not near as much. Our friends text back that they will meet us at the river. I learn later that they were getting lunch at a diner and told the waitress “we need this to go”! We hike back out and meet them at the river (there might have been a celebratory beverage). We motor up river a few miles and hike in the 1/2 mile with packs, cameras, etc. It has been 3 hours since the shots. I finally get to touch my ram. No ground shrinkage. First, shot was through the lungs and would have been fatal, second shot has back just bit in the liver and the 4th shot hit the spine right above the vitals.
After a couple hundred photos (literally) we cape and butcher the ram. We are back at the boat ramp by dark. I am so thankful for friends (old and new), glassing, gear, strong backs, amazing photos, not what I thought about when I drew the tag. Thanks also to my wife who puts up with all my hunting and fishing trips. So grateful for the opportunity. I am the luckiest son of a bitch on earth!
Didn’t sleep well that night. I drive away from camp a bit sad that it is over, but the smile on my face says otherwise. Up at 4 am, packed up and left at 5:30. Elk on the road in the dark while headed to Lewistown. Got the ram checked in with Joe the game warden. Stopped by my taxidermist on the way home, he scored it at 188, without the recent break on the left side probably 190. Numbers and scores, would I rather shoot a 200” ram on day one or a 180” on day 20, or a 160 on day 30 with these friends? The only thing that would have made this hunt better was if Dean had been there when it happened, but maybe we were only meant to "hunt" sheep together and not kill them when together. So thrilled and thankful I got this opportunity! If you are counting that was 16 days of hunting.
If you draw this tag in the future, I would be glad to talk about lessons learned, etc, etc. If you read this far, thanks for following my adventure. Now that I am hooked on sheep hunting and I have hooked you with my storytelling, anyone interested in my GoFundMe@BrowningCitori's Dall Sheep hunt? Don't worry if too many donations come in, it will fund @BrowningCitori's Stone sheep adventure! Just kidding, not kidding (how do these kids monetize their "likes")? Hopefully my humor isn't lost in translation!
If you read this far, thank you! If you want to read another adventure story written by me, you might check out the following link where I go chase a bucket list fish (one over 100 pounds),
Montana goes hunting for a cow - Part 1
Some names and dates have been changed, well because I can't remember like I used to. Year - 2000 We are mostly broke. but the wife and I take a vacation in early March. She wants to go to Las Vegas and see a Nascar race and I want to go...
www.bdoutdoors.com
Spoiler
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BAKPAKR
Well-known member
Wow! That is a great ram. Congrats.
Damn, that’s getting your money’s worth. Great ram. Great hunt. Great story.
Thanks for sharing here. Congratulations on a hunt/ram of many lifetimes.
Thanks for sharing here. Congratulations on a hunt/ram of many lifetimes.
rogerthat
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Great ram! Congrats!
BRI
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Great ram and story. Thanks for sharing!
Stone_Ice_1
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Great hunt and story. Hope I am lucky enough to get to do it some day.
Sask hunter
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Congrats!
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