SPOTTED OWL
Active member
Happy for you terry. You got to here before FB:hump:
Colorado sheep
- Thread starter Oak
- Start date
Nut
New member
Congratulations!!
brownbear932008
Well-known member
I must agree wait until Nov hopefully I will be on stage.
The rumors are true. I'll try to get some photos edited in the next day or so. Thanks for the wishes of luck.
Yes, best laid plans don't always matter.There has been strange twist and turns already that will ensure this
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I took a short day drive to the unit in May, the week after learning that I drew the tag, hoping to see some sheep still on winter range. I managed to find 7 rams a bit higher than expected, at about 12,000'. Nothing too exciting, but it was fun to see sheep knowing that I had a tag on the way.
I decided early on that I was going to save my scouting time for closer to the season, so that the sheep would hopefully be in the areas they would be during the hunt. I did make a quick day trip up on July 3 with my Mini Me and glassed from areas I could access from the truck. We managed to spot 6 rams so far away that about all we could tell is that they were rams.
Scouting is tough work.
I decided early on that I was going to save my scouting time for closer to the season, so that the sheep would hopefully be in the areas they would be during the hunt. I did make a quick day trip up on July 3 with my Mini Me and glassed from areas I could access from the truck. We managed to spot 6 rams so far away that about all we could tell is that they were rams.
Scouting is tough work.
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The unit I drew is no joke when it comes to the ruggedness of the terrain. Most of the sheep are between 11,000' and 14,000'. There is decent access in the unit, but everything is straight up from the road. You will spend a whole day hiking 6-8 miles, straight up and then straight down, just to check one basin and find no sheep currently residing there. Family life and no premium tags made me soft and flabby since I hunted with Randy on OYOA several years ago. At the end of January this year, well before I even applied in CO, I decided to do something about that. When I returned home from the hunt 3 days ago I was 64 pounds lighter than the end of January. No way I could have done this hunt justice in my former shape.
My first real scouting trip was July 30-31. I hiked over a divide and camped in a basin that gave me a commanding view of a lot of sheep country. See the first post in this thread. I found a loose band of 21 rams from my vantage point, but they were nearly 2.5 miles away and bedded in some nasty stuff. The photos are terrible from that distance, which will be a common theme for this story. You'll just have to use your imagination.
Four rams in this photo, but one is difficult to see.
Do you see 4 rams in this photo?
Right here.
Soon the rams started getting up and heading to greener pastures for lunch. One ram in particular stood out, even at that distance. Here are some photos of the first ram to make my hit list.
By the time the rams made it out to feed, the light was so harsh at the long distance that it was nearly impossible to see any detail. But it was clear that there were many mature rams in the group. Only 9 of the 21 rams pictured here.
I was feeling pretty smug and confident after my first real scouting trip. I had just scratched the surface of the unit, had found lots of rams, and one that was definitely a standout.
My first real scouting trip was July 30-31. I hiked over a divide and camped in a basin that gave me a commanding view of a lot of sheep country. See the first post in this thread. I found a loose band of 21 rams from my vantage point, but they were nearly 2.5 miles away and bedded in some nasty stuff. The photos are terrible from that distance, which will be a common theme for this story. You'll just have to use your imagination.
Four rams in this photo, but one is difficult to see.
Do you see 4 rams in this photo?
Right here.
Soon the rams started getting up and heading to greener pastures for lunch. One ram in particular stood out, even at that distance. Here are some photos of the first ram to make my hit list.
By the time the rams made it out to feed, the light was so harsh at the long distance that it was nearly impossible to see any detail. But it was clear that there were many mature rams in the group. Only 9 of the 21 rams pictured here.
I was feeling pretty smug and confident after my first real scouting trip. I had just scratched the surface of the unit, had found lots of rams, and one that was definitely a standout.
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My next trip to the unit was August 7-9. See this thread for the scenery shots. I returned to the area where I saw the 21 rams the previous trip with hopes of getting a better look at the big ram and the others in the group. This area is largely not viewable except from distance or from rifle range. I hiked into the drainage beyond where the rams had been the previous trip, which is quite a haul up from the road and a great place for rams to hide. I spotted one small ram on the skyline on my right as I climbed into the basin. As luck would have it, a "peak bagger" happened to be using the same drainage to access a popular mountain in the area. This is not one of the traditional routes to the peak, so I was surprised to see anyone. I hugged the right side of the drainage as he walked right up the middle. Soon after gaining elevation so that the basin could be glassed, I heard rocks rolling across the way. I quickly found the culprits; 5 rams which had been disturbed by the hiker. I recognized one ram from the previous trip, because his left horn was broken off about 8" from the base. There were no other standouts in the group.
After glassing the basin a while and finding nothing but deer, I decided to make the 1,300' climb up the ridge behind me which would allow me to glass the next basin over. I hunted sheep with a friend of mine in this unit 2 years ago, and he killed his ram in this basin. As soon as I got to the top, the storm clouds were rolling in. I managed to find one bedded ram before approaching lightning chased me a couple hundred feet off the ridgeline to wait out the storm.
After the storm passed I climbed back to the top of the ridge for another look. Soon I found two more rams bedded not far from where the first was, including one pretty nice one.
That was the extent of the sheep sightings that day. The next day I decided to hike to the base of the cliff where the rams had been bedded the previous trip. A couple thousand feet of climbing the next morning had me within rifle range of their rugged bedding area, but no rams were seen. I had searched the basin to the east yesterday, so I headed west and hiked the two nearest basins, turning up nothing but deer. My current trip was coming to an end and had been mostly unproductive. But I was still confident that I could relocate the large band of rams in the month remaining before my hunt.
After glassing the basin a while and finding nothing but deer, I decided to make the 1,300' climb up the ridge behind me which would allow me to glass the next basin over. I hunted sheep with a friend of mine in this unit 2 years ago, and he killed his ram in this basin. As soon as I got to the top, the storm clouds were rolling in. I managed to find one bedded ram before approaching lightning chased me a couple hundred feet off the ridgeline to wait out the storm.
After the storm passed I climbed back to the top of the ridge for another look. Soon I found two more rams bedded not far from where the first was, including one pretty nice one.
That was the extent of the sheep sightings that day. The next day I decided to hike to the base of the cliff where the rams had been bedded the previous trip. A couple thousand feet of climbing the next morning had me within rifle range of their rugged bedding area, but no rams were seen. I had searched the basin to the east yesterday, so I headed west and hiked the two nearest basins, turning up nothing but deer. My current trip was coming to an end and had been mostly unproductive. But I was still confident that I could relocate the large band of rams in the month remaining before my hunt.
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brownbear932008
Well-known member
The rumors are true. I'll try to get some photos edited in the next day or so. Thanks for the wishes of luck.
Yes, best laid plans don't always matter.
Now this is a tease like no other tease...... getting my popcorn ready!
passinthru
Active member
Congratulations!
Looking forward to reading the rest.
Looking forward to reading the rest.
I headed back down for another scouting trip a week later, August 16-18. Previous post here. The first day I checked out the area Mini Me and I had checked in early July. A common theme for all of my scouting trips this summer was rain and snow, and this trip didn't disappoint in that department. I had to wait out a rainstorm and fog for a couple of hours before I could see across the canyon.
I did manage to spot 5 rams in nearly the same area we had seen the 6 a month and a half earlier. But once again the lighting was terrible and I couldn't tell much about them.
I drove over to the other side of the unit and planned to make an overnight trip the next day into an area I had not checked yet this summer. The next morning I glassed from the truck before taking off and found 6 rams feeding and then bedding on a skyline ridge 2.5 miles away. This ridge split the two drainages I planned to scout, so I was off to a good start.
I began the hike up to the head of the first drainage, with the plan to camp on the ridge at the head and scout the adjacent drainage the next morning. Not long after hitting the trail I spotted a large band of sheep in a grassy basin across the creek. I was sure that the large number of sheep meant it was ewes and lambs, but was pleasantly surprised to see that they were rams, 21 in all, on what I came to call the "golf course." In a rugged, rocky landscape, it was the perfect spot to find and kill a sheep.
The golf course:
After setting up the spotter and sizing up the rams, it was apparent that there was one standout in the group, both for his horns and cape. He was obviously the largest ram in the group, and his cape was several shades darker than most of the others. He was really striking, and he became the #2 ram on my list.
I continued up the drainage and crossed over to the head of the adjacent drainage. A nasty approaching storm made me find a spot to set up the tent and duck inside just before it hit. The rain and snow finally stopped after more than 3 hours, and by then it was too late to do any more for the day. The next morning I scout the drainage on the back side of the ridge where I saw the groups of 6 and 21 rams the previous day. Great looking country, but I only saw deer, elk and one small ram. By noon the storms were building again. I have a strong aversion to being on exposed ridges above timberline during lightning storms, so I headed back to the tent. This storm lasted over 4 hours, so when it cleared off I packed up and headed home.
I did manage to spot 5 rams in nearly the same area we had seen the 6 a month and a half earlier. But once again the lighting was terrible and I couldn't tell much about them.
I drove over to the other side of the unit and planned to make an overnight trip the next day into an area I had not checked yet this summer. The next morning I glassed from the truck before taking off and found 6 rams feeding and then bedding on a skyline ridge 2.5 miles away. This ridge split the two drainages I planned to scout, so I was off to a good start.
I began the hike up to the head of the first drainage, with the plan to camp on the ridge at the head and scout the adjacent drainage the next morning. Not long after hitting the trail I spotted a large band of sheep in a grassy basin across the creek. I was sure that the large number of sheep meant it was ewes and lambs, but was pleasantly surprised to see that they were rams, 21 in all, on what I came to call the "golf course." In a rugged, rocky landscape, it was the perfect spot to find and kill a sheep.
The golf course:
After setting up the spotter and sizing up the rams, it was apparent that there was one standout in the group, both for his horns and cape. He was obviously the largest ram in the group, and his cape was several shades darker than most of the others. He was really striking, and he became the #2 ram on my list.
I continued up the drainage and crossed over to the head of the adjacent drainage. A nasty approaching storm made me find a spot to set up the tent and duck inside just before it hit. The rain and snow finally stopped after more than 3 hours, and by then it was too late to do any more for the day. The next morning I scout the drainage on the back side of the ridge where I saw the groups of 6 and 21 rams the previous day. Great looking country, but I only saw deer, elk and one small ram. By noon the storms were building again. I have a strong aversion to being on exposed ridges above timberline during lightning storms, so I headed back to the tent. This storm lasted over 4 hours, so when it cleared off I packed up and headed home.
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BigHornRam
Well-known member
Congrats Oak!
A couple of days later, August 21, I got the chance for a quick day trip down to the unit. Hey, it was only 300 miles round trip...why not?
I drove down on Saturday night and slept in the truck. At first light Sunday morning I found 5 rams very nearby. One of the rams was the most beautiful ram I saw all summer, but he was obviously only 7 or 8 years old. Despite his young age I dubbed him #3, and secretly hoped he didn't give me an opportunity after the season started. He just had so much potential to be something special in 3-4 more years.
I drove down on Saturday night and slept in the truck. At first light Sunday morning I found 5 rams very nearby. One of the rams was the most beautiful ram I saw all summer, but he was obviously only 7 or 8 years old. Despite his young age I dubbed him #3, and secretly hoped he didn't give me an opportunity after the season started. He just had so much potential to be something special in 3-4 more years.
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My next scouting trip was August 27-29, and would be my last trip before heading down for the hunt. Previous post here. Justdada from Hunt Talk came down to join me on this trip. We met on the evening of August 26 and hiked in early the next morning to a location that would give us a good view of the area I saw my #1 ram and his 20 buddies in July. Long story short, we had an invigorating and unproductive hike. No sheep were seen. We hustled back down to the creek around noon, as the regularly scheduled afternoon monsoon storms rolled in.
Steep climb up from the creek.
The next morning there was fresh snow on the higher peaks and we split up to cover more country. Justdada hiked into a huge basin that I had not checked yet and found a large herd of ewes and lambs. I hiked back into the basin I had checked on August 7 and had found the 5 rams. I was hoping to relocate the large band that had my #1 ram, but it turned out to be another unproductive hike. I saw one ewe on the skyline up high as I hiked in, but that was all the sheep. The snow prevented me from hiking the scree slopes and checking the adjacent basins like I hoped to do.
I decided to head back to the truck and drive across the divide to the area I had found my #2 ram the previous trip. A short hike revealed that although his group had strunk from 21 rams to 9, the largest were still on the golf course 11 days after I had first spotted them. An additional 3 rams were bedded high on the skyline above them.
The chocolate ram still present on the golf course.
The next morning we split up again and I decided to drive back over to the area I had regularly seen 5-6 rams but had not gotten a good look at them yet. After some searching I once again relocated 6 rams, and this time the light was good enough that I could get a decent look. There were two nice rams in the group, including a heavily broomed ram that I recognized from previous years. He was previously radio collared, but the collar had since released and he only sported his red "58" ear tag. Friends of mine had nicknamed him Von Miller when scouting the unit 2 years earlier. He had grown up to be a stud, but had broomed his horns back heavily. The other nice ram was longer, but didn't seem to have the mass of Von Miller.
A somewhat ridiculous photo of Von Miller from the back.
Since I had regularly seen these rams in the same area for nearly 2 months, I decided that they would be my backup plan if something went wrong and I couldn't find one of my top 3 rams.
Steep climb up from the creek.
The next morning there was fresh snow on the higher peaks and we split up to cover more country. Justdada hiked into a huge basin that I had not checked yet and found a large herd of ewes and lambs. I hiked back into the basin I had checked on August 7 and had found the 5 rams. I was hoping to relocate the large band that had my #1 ram, but it turned out to be another unproductive hike. I saw one ewe on the skyline up high as I hiked in, but that was all the sheep. The snow prevented me from hiking the scree slopes and checking the adjacent basins like I hoped to do.
I decided to head back to the truck and drive across the divide to the area I had found my #2 ram the previous trip. A short hike revealed that although his group had strunk from 21 rams to 9, the largest were still on the golf course 11 days after I had first spotted them. An additional 3 rams were bedded high on the skyline above them.
The chocolate ram still present on the golf course.
The next morning we split up again and I decided to drive back over to the area I had regularly seen 5-6 rams but had not gotten a good look at them yet. After some searching I once again relocated 6 rams, and this time the light was good enough that I could get a decent look. There were two nice rams in the group, including a heavily broomed ram that I recognized from previous years. He was previously radio collared, but the collar had since released and he only sported his red "58" ear tag. Friends of mine had nicknamed him Von Miller when scouting the unit 2 years earlier. He had grown up to be a stud, but had broomed his horns back heavily. The other nice ram was longer, but didn't seem to have the mass of Von Miller.
A somewhat ridiculous photo of Von Miller from the back.
Since I had regularly seen these rams in the same area for nearly 2 months, I decided that they would be my backup plan if something went wrong and I couldn't find one of my top 3 rams.
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bobbydean
Well-known member
Really enjoy the story and love the pictures and videos. This is bliss!
I didn't take nearly as many photos during the hunt as I did scouting.
Dinkshooter and I headed to the sheep unit the morning of September 3, in advance of the Sept. 6 opener. I decided to first check on my #2 ram to make sure he was still on the golf course, and also take a little jaunt over and look in a couple of other drainages, coming out at a different trailhead where we left one vehicle. It would be a nice little through hike warmup. Long story short: there were no sheep on the golf course, there were no sheep in the next three drainages, it started storming and we were nearly killed by lightning, we saw 2 nice bull moose, we got to the trailhead about 7pm, and the 11 mile or so hike about crippled some of us. It was a disappointing day and I felt like I was back at square 1, not knowing where any of my top 3 rams were.
The next day we split up. I hiked back into the basin that was snowy on my last scouting trip and Dink hiked in to check out the three basins to the west of me. The skies were mostly clear but the wind was horrendous.
I apologize for the closeup selfie, but I took this to demonstrate the ridiculous wind this day. Not funny then, but I can laugh now. You have been warned.
The basin was empty, so I climbed the ridge to look into the adjacent basins. I found one ram in the first one, the 1-horned ram again. He was like a bad penny....
I hiked the ridgeline to look into the next basin. Amazing views, bull elk, buck deer, bowhunter camps, but no sheep.
I continued around the basin and then dropped back down for the hike out.
Dink reported seeing only a large band of ewes and lambs across the canyon for all of his hiking that day. Down to one day of scouting before the season and I still didn't have a plan.
That night our buddy Doug showed up to help out. We decided to glass the big drainage at first light where the chocolate ram had been, in particular the lower areas near treeline, thinking that he may have moved to the trees. We didn't have any luck. I decided that the plan would be to hike in and set up a camp near the head of this drainage so that we could hunt the next drainage over, figuring that the rams had just moved over the ridge since I had last seen them. So we loaded up the packs, hiked in 4.5 miles or so, and set up camp that evening. Luckily the weather forecast was looking really good for opening day.
Dinkshooter on opening morning. The thing you can't tell in this photo is that the snow isn't falling, it's blowing sideways.
Dinkshooter and I headed to the sheep unit the morning of September 3, in advance of the Sept. 6 opener. I decided to first check on my #2 ram to make sure he was still on the golf course, and also take a little jaunt over and look in a couple of other drainages, coming out at a different trailhead where we left one vehicle. It would be a nice little through hike warmup.
Long story short: there were no sheep on the golf course, there were no sheep in the next three drainages, it started storming and we were nearly killed by lightning, we saw 2 nice bull moose, we got to the trailhead about 7pm, and the 11 mile or so hike about crippled some of us. It was a disappointing day and I felt like I was back at square 1, not knowing where any of my top 3 rams were.The next day we split up. I hiked back into the basin that was snowy on my last scouting trip and Dink hiked in to check out the three basins to the west of me. The skies were mostly clear but the wind was horrendous.
I apologize for the closeup selfie, but I took this to demonstrate the ridiculous wind this day. Not funny then, but I can laugh now. You have been warned.
The basin was empty, so I climbed the ridge to look into the adjacent basins. I found one ram in the first one, the 1-horned ram again. He was like a bad penny....
I hiked the ridgeline to look into the next basin. Amazing views, bull elk, buck deer, bowhunter camps, but no sheep.
I continued around the basin and then dropped back down for the hike out.
Dink reported seeing only a large band of ewes and lambs across the canyon for all of his hiking that day. Down to one day of scouting before the season and I still didn't have a plan.
That night our buddy Doug showed up to help out. We decided to glass the big drainage at first light where the chocolate ram had been, in particular the lower areas near treeline, thinking that he may have moved to the trees. We didn't have any luck. I decided that the plan would be to hike in and set up a camp near the head of this drainage so that we could hunt the next drainage over, figuring that the rams had just moved over the ridge since I had last seen them. So we loaded up the packs, hiked in 4.5 miles or so, and set up camp that evening. Luckily the weather forecast was looking really good for opening day.
Dinkshooter on opening morning. The thing you can't tell in this photo is that the snow isn't falling, it's blowing sideways.
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7mm08mo
Well-known member
Man the suspense that reading this brings. Enjoying it very much.
krshntr81
Member
This is a great story! I can't wait to hear the rest.
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