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Looking at the harvest records, from 1995 to 2015 it looks like no rams were taken in 300 for nine of those years. I took a couple of days off and went home in the middle of season, then went back out to a different area than I had initially hunted. I was planning to stay for the duration, but then it started raining and I was literally in the clouds so visibility was zilch. Saw plenty of sheep but nothing even close to a mature ram. But I lost a good 20 pounds up in that country and am now in pretty good shape for deer/elk bow and rifle season.

On one of my last mornings I was actually above the clouds.
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That's a fine picture Cav1.

It illustrates something that ranks of anti-hunters and non-hunters will likely never comprehend: that being the objective of modern hunters, those who are not forced to hunt for physical sustenance, is not as much a kill as it is LIFE. Isolated by clouds on peak or plateau, one may convene with ancestors, both known and unknowable, who honored and pursued their prey from African savannas to ice sheet fringes.

A paradox I have experienced at such times, or on crystalline nights after the fire has died down to dull red embers and the blazing Milky Way clocks the horizon, is the sense of feeling infinitesimally tiny, yet, an integral part of Cosmic grandeur.

Hope that didn't come across as New Age mumbo-jumbo. However, I recognize that we are a remarkable species. Moreover, I believe that human beings' destiny is not restricted to this planet, wondrous as it is. Thus, the Heinlein quote I have adopted as my tagline.

Three days after the photo that I now use as my avatar was snapped; after I had returned to the sheep meat cached under a rocky cairn, slept another night in a half-snow, half-rock cave; after I'd invested another two days humping that 125# meat pack and also extracting my (useless) base camp; after I had indulged in a long, relaxing shower, I found it challenging to gather a pinch of my own waistline 'twixt finger and thumb where, previously, I could have clutched a fatty roll. A bathroom scale read: 157 pounds. Four weeks earlier, huffing and gasping, I'd entered the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness at somewhere between 180 and 185 pounds. So, I understand how fit you are feeling now, how ready and eager to pursue antlered game.

Enjoy LIFE! (That goes for ALL hunters of the unlimited units this year--and those of us still contemplating our next adventure.)
 
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Out earlier than expected by things weren't really lining up out there. It was 4 days before I even saw a ungulate animal and so I decided to come out and regroup. Hope everyone else is having some luck out there. Looking to get back in soon.
 

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Camp for first couple nights.....
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Couple mornings behind the glass....
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Attempting to make some water and lunch in 50mph winds...20190913_105842.jpg
Mmmmm..... warming the sole. 20190915_143408.jpg
The way I took out pretty much looked like this the entire way...... no effn bueno.
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Me dropping an f bomb after a dead lodge pole fell directly on my head and knocked my ass to the ground....
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The 1lb mushroom swiss burger with jalapenos I crushed in 15 minutes at the local watering hole when I left....... best burger ever until next adventure.
 
@EYJONAS!
I'm pulling for you, it's obvious you have the heart and guts to get it done, now you just need a bit of luck.

This time of year, are you finding you would need/like crampons? Maybe earlier in the year while scouting?
 
@EYJONAS!
I'm pulling for you, it's obvious you have the heart and guts to get it done, now you just need a bit of luck.

This time of year, are you finding you would need/like crampons? Maybe earlier in the year while scouting?
I brought some with haven't used them yet but I can think of a lot if times where I wished I would of had them.
 
That's kind of what I figured after seeing the snow in your photos. Adds another whole technical level to the hunt when you need to start bringing gear like that.
 
It illustrates something that ranks of anti-hunters and non-hunters will likely never comprehend: that being the objective of modern hunters, those who are not forced to hunt for physical sustenance, is not as much a kill as it is LIFE. Isolated by clouds on peak or plateau, one may convene with ancestors, both known and unknowable, who honored and pursued their prey from African savannas to ice sheet fringes.

A paradox I have experienced at such times, or on crystalline nights after the fire has died down to dull red embers and the blazing Milky Way clocks the horizon, is the sense of feeling infinitesimally tiny, yet, an integral part of Cosmic grandeur.

Your post reminded me of a quote I've shared before that shows that even crusty old Elmer Keith was awed by the grandeur of the high country and saw it in the same manner Sigurd Olsen did the Boundary Waters.

“Have you ever seen a mature bighorn ram silhouetted on the sky line of his rugged domain? If so, then you know that no word picture can ever quite do him justice. Ranging at or above timber line, no other animal so typifies, or is so symbolic of, the rugged grandeur of the lofty snow-covered peaks, beautiful glacier-fed lakes and alpine meadows of the Rocky Mountain chain. Some of the wildest, roughest and most beautiful country that God ever made.”
 
@kad11 there isn't a person in this entire world, and I don't care who they are that's just gonna stroll into the tooths and just get it done. Sure some guys have luck sometimes but 99.9 don't. Don't give up on it just yet if everyone gave up on their first hairy situation in there not many guys would make it past the first hunt which most don't. You just gotta remember to stay humble and make good decisions. I'm sure every mountain range is humbling in its own way but this one seems different. Keep at it buddy just team up with someone it's a lot better trust me. It'll teach you so much going forward down the road.
 
This is embarrassing to share, but I'm sure I'm not the first guy to be completely humbled by the Beartooths so maybe it will help prepare the next guy.

I’ve never seen the place, but I do know this, The man who has never been humbled by a mountain has probably never experienced many mountains. Thanks for sharing.
 
A guy that's spent pretty much his entire life up there said this to me....if your not humbled up there don't go cause you don't belong. That phrase has stuck in my mind ever since. No ram is worth losing it all for.

I like that quote "....if your not humbled up there don't go cause you don't belong." from your acquaintance EYJONAS. One might add: Go ahead; perhaps the wilderness will then remove such irreverant and reckless DNA from the gene pool.

Hope you are getting in for another go. I always enjoy your reports and photos. Even though they make me homesick, I get a kick out of seeing both familiar country and views that make me ponder just where.

Has anyone heard from Gomer this season? I know he planned on going in deep last year; perhaps he's doing same again.
 
I like that quote "....if your not humbled up there don't go cause you don't belong." from your acquaintance EYJONAS. One might add: Go ahead; perhaps the wilderness will then remove such irreverant and reckless DNA from the gene pool.

Hope you are getting in for another go. I always enjoy your reports and photos. Even though they make me homesick, I get a kick out of seeing both familiar country and views that make me ponder just where.

Has anyone heard from Gomer this season? I know he planned on going in deep last year; perhaps he's doing same again.
He's in deep very very deep.
 
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