Zellhouse
Well-known member
It is hard to believe that a year has passed since My once in a lifetime Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Hunt in December 2022. In many ways it has taken awhile to process the hunt as a whole event. At first it seemed like this was more of a dream than a reality. Am I really doing this, after 30+ years of applying & waiting? Even during the hunt, itself, had this “pinch me” tone to it. I had to constantly remind myself that this was real.
This story has been jelling for the past year. I choose to stand down on my own hunting in 2023 in part due to the financial outlay of 2022, (that’s a whole separate conversation for later on in this saga). Not wanting dilute the memories I realized from the get go I was going to be a one and done sheep hunter. Many an elk hunt over 25 years, going back to my home state of Montana, kept the hunting account trim and lean. Wouldn’t have it any other way, the time I spent with Dad. He’s been gone almost 5 years now. I would gladly satisfy my sheep hunting desires here in my home state.
There were a lot of challenges in putting this hunt together, fortunately I’m retired and have the time to take this on without too much stress. There were a lot of lessons learned, mistakes if you will, or just things that could have gone better. One of my main goals in documenting this hunt is to provide food for thought. Not that I’m an expert hunter, no more like an average guy that had a dream, and was fortunate enough to see it come true.
Full disclosure, this was not a DIY hunt. Several factors played into the decision to hire a local guide. First and foremost was safety. Am at an age where hunting partners have aged out or passed on. Being out and in the desert by myself would have been a fool hardy adventure, even with an In-Reach. The terrain was just too rugged, and I didn’t feel safe. This is not the format go into pros and cons with self-guided vs. guided hunts. I have too much respect for this format to push any type of limits. Any mention of the guided portion of this hunt has been left out. Instead, I will use the terms “we” and “my partner”.
Part One: A Season of Preparation:
Planning for this tag had gotten serious about 5 years before hand. I researched units, guide services, and draw data all in an effort to be prepared for drawing this once in a life time AZ desert sheep tag. At 66 years of age, I was concerned about aging out prior to drawing. There were approximately 500 people ahead of me in the points tally. I wasn’t out of the single digit draw odds with 29 bonus points. I also knew that I wanted to take a mature ram, and felt that hiring a guide for this hunt was necessary.
Az draw results were released the first part of July, while I was on vacation in Yellowstone National Park. I was stunned, the details would have to wait until I got back to town, I was going sheep hunting. I drew the last tag of the 2nd hunt, with my second choice. I drew the last tag available to me, and it didn’t matter. The Kofa’s at last, the plan was set into motion.
I am an active person, have been all my life. Love of the outdoors, the life style it brings are main themes in my life. Keeping active therefore is a must, to maintain this life style, so exercise is also a must. During COVID I walked an average of 3-4 miles, 6 days a week. Now it was time to hit the gym, and take this to the next level. Started with a trainer, the last thing I needed to do was injure myself and loose valuable time rehabbing. Worked mainly on my cardio, doing some weights to strength my legs, and I walked 3-4 miles on days off from training. Guess I am fortunate as my health is good, & I enjoyed keeping busy during the 5 months prior to the hunt.
Prior to retiring I upgraded my hunting gear, making an investment in boots, technical clothing, trekking poles, and optics. There wasn’t a need to fill too many gaps. Wanted to take my ram with Dad’s old hunting rifle. He bought a Remington 721 in .270 caliber right out of high school. He hunted with it his whole life, and I wanted to include it in this hunt. Replaced the old weaver scope with a new Leupold VX-3HD 4.5 x 14 w/CDS. Decided to build a new load for this rifle, utilizing Barnes 140 grain TSX BT mono bullets.
Final load came out at 2907 FPS. Long range practice began about 2 weeks before the hunt.
Long Range Practice.
Began shooting distance from 300-500 yards out in the desert, making 2-3 trips a week leading up to the hunt.
Looking back at the truck from the area of the targets.
My confidence began to build as the process continued. This confidence in my shooting will be a key factor on the last day of the hunt. My backup rifle would be my Winchester Model 70 in .300 Win Mag, shooting 180 grain Barnes TTSX-BT at 2950 FPS. This rifle has served me well over the past 30 years and I am still comfortable shooting it.
Attended the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society’s Hunter’s Clinic in Scottsdale the first Saturday of October, 2022. Leading up to this event and the time following I was devouring everything I could find on Desert Bighorn Sheep Hunting in both Video and Print formats. Learned a lot during this timeframe. The Hunter’s Clinic seemed to pull all of it together in a way that made sense of the muddle. I decided to focus on getting a Class IV ram (8.5- to 10-year-old ram), and not get too hung up about the score. This is the oldest age class of rams & a trophy for sure. Clay Goldman of Mogollon Taxidermy in Payson, AZ had several of his mounts at the Hunters Clinic. Was very impressed with his work, and changed my mind regarding which Taxidermist to use. All in all, this event was very helpful, well worth the investment of time.
To be Continued.
This story has been jelling for the past year. I choose to stand down on my own hunting in 2023 in part due to the financial outlay of 2022, (that’s a whole separate conversation for later on in this saga). Not wanting dilute the memories I realized from the get go I was going to be a one and done sheep hunter. Many an elk hunt over 25 years, going back to my home state of Montana, kept the hunting account trim and lean. Wouldn’t have it any other way, the time I spent with Dad. He’s been gone almost 5 years now. I would gladly satisfy my sheep hunting desires here in my home state.
There were a lot of challenges in putting this hunt together, fortunately I’m retired and have the time to take this on without too much stress. There were a lot of lessons learned, mistakes if you will, or just things that could have gone better. One of my main goals in documenting this hunt is to provide food for thought. Not that I’m an expert hunter, no more like an average guy that had a dream, and was fortunate enough to see it come true.
Full disclosure, this was not a DIY hunt. Several factors played into the decision to hire a local guide. First and foremost was safety. Am at an age where hunting partners have aged out or passed on. Being out and in the desert by myself would have been a fool hardy adventure, even with an In-Reach. The terrain was just too rugged, and I didn’t feel safe. This is not the format go into pros and cons with self-guided vs. guided hunts. I have too much respect for this format to push any type of limits. Any mention of the guided portion of this hunt has been left out. Instead, I will use the terms “we” and “my partner”.
Part One: A Season of Preparation:
Planning for this tag had gotten serious about 5 years before hand. I researched units, guide services, and draw data all in an effort to be prepared for drawing this once in a life time AZ desert sheep tag. At 66 years of age, I was concerned about aging out prior to drawing. There were approximately 500 people ahead of me in the points tally. I wasn’t out of the single digit draw odds with 29 bonus points. I also knew that I wanted to take a mature ram, and felt that hiring a guide for this hunt was necessary.
Az draw results were released the first part of July, while I was on vacation in Yellowstone National Park. I was stunned, the details would have to wait until I got back to town, I was going sheep hunting. I drew the last tag of the 2nd hunt, with my second choice. I drew the last tag available to me, and it didn’t matter. The Kofa’s at last, the plan was set into motion.
I am an active person, have been all my life. Love of the outdoors, the life style it brings are main themes in my life. Keeping active therefore is a must, to maintain this life style, so exercise is also a must. During COVID I walked an average of 3-4 miles, 6 days a week. Now it was time to hit the gym, and take this to the next level. Started with a trainer, the last thing I needed to do was injure myself and loose valuable time rehabbing. Worked mainly on my cardio, doing some weights to strength my legs, and I walked 3-4 miles on days off from training. Guess I am fortunate as my health is good, & I enjoyed keeping busy during the 5 months prior to the hunt.
Prior to retiring I upgraded my hunting gear, making an investment in boots, technical clothing, trekking poles, and optics. There wasn’t a need to fill too many gaps. Wanted to take my ram with Dad’s old hunting rifle. He bought a Remington 721 in .270 caliber right out of high school. He hunted with it his whole life, and I wanted to include it in this hunt. Replaced the old weaver scope with a new Leupold VX-3HD 4.5 x 14 w/CDS. Decided to build a new load for this rifle, utilizing Barnes 140 grain TSX BT mono bullets.
Final load came out at 2907 FPS. Long range practice began about 2 weeks before the hunt.
Long Range Practice.
Began shooting distance from 300-500 yards out in the desert, making 2-3 trips a week leading up to the hunt.
Looking back at the truck from the area of the targets.
My confidence began to build as the process continued. This confidence in my shooting will be a key factor on the last day of the hunt. My backup rifle would be my Winchester Model 70 in .300 Win Mag, shooting 180 grain Barnes TTSX-BT at 2950 FPS. This rifle has served me well over the past 30 years and I am still comfortable shooting it.
Attended the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society’s Hunter’s Clinic in Scottsdale the first Saturday of October, 2022. Leading up to this event and the time following I was devouring everything I could find on Desert Bighorn Sheep Hunting in both Video and Print formats. Learned a lot during this timeframe. The Hunter’s Clinic seemed to pull all of it together in a way that made sense of the muddle. I decided to focus on getting a Class IV ram (8.5- to 10-year-old ram), and not get too hung up about the score. This is the oldest age class of rams & a trophy for sure. Clay Goldman of Mogollon Taxidermy in Payson, AZ had several of his mounts at the Hunters Clinic. Was very impressed with his work, and changed my mind regarding which Taxidermist to use. All in all, this event was very helpful, well worth the investment of time.
To be Continued.
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