Hunt Talk Radio - Look for it on your favorite Podcast platform

Montana 3/4 curl ram judging

I've posted this pic before. This is the last ram that I shot in a Unlimited unit. I passed him up the year before, although he was legal then also. Horn wise he is my smallest ram, but at 9 1/2 years old, he was my oldest ram. One of the things that I look for is if the horn tip curls up. In the FWP office he was legal by almost 2".
WgGp4MYl.jpg
 
I've always felt like the age of a ram is as important in trophy quality as length and mass. The 3/4 curl rule is an attempt to get rams to some level of maturity before they are harvested, but for me, I'd need to see some decent mass on a ram before I attempted to draw any lines to determine legal length. I'm in the, pass if there is a question, camp myself.
 
The whole reason i did this thread was for the guys going into the unlimited units that have never even seen a big horn and you guys have been spot on if you don't know don't shoot i hope i can find the one i found two years ago this year. 2 years ago i didn't have a tag and was wolf hunting.
 

Attachments

  • 972B2C5C-DFB8-46E2-8341-939C5903FBE8.jpeg
    972B2C5C-DFB8-46E2-8341-939C5903FBE8.jpeg
    477.4 KB · Views: 90
The whole reason i did this thread was for the guys going into the unlimited units that have never even seen a big horn and you guys have been spot on if you don't know don't shoot i hope i can find the one i found two years ago this year. 2 years ago i didn't have a tag and was wolf hunting.
That’s what a guy wants right there. No guessing, no twine, no embarrassment, no shame. Just stare at that old warrior on the wall with a sense of pride and accomplishment.
 
I posted the pics to get reactions and thoughts I also have other pics that change the story on the pics I've posted.

It's all for feedback.
 
Just pass..... the big ram is waiting over the next ridge.

All 3 rams are from 3/4 units. I bet none of them felt great when they walked up to em.

#dontdoit.
View attachment 219654
There's almost nothing as majestic and awe inspiring as a big, heavy, old ram. On the contrary, those smaller rams are some of the mostly gangly, awkward, adolescent looking things. It's like it's a different animal.
 
There's almost nothing as majestic and awe inspiring as a big, heavy, old ram. On the contrary, those smaller rams are some of the mostly gangly, awkward, adolescent looking things. It's like it's a different animal.
Dink rams are like teenage kids going through puberty. Trying to figure out life and gangly and awkward as hell. Oblivious to the world yet. Kinda like me
 
Last edited:
Shoot first and break out the bailing twine for the measurement
 
When I had the 210 sheep tag in 2007 there was a broomed off old warrior of a ram we would see every day. We could count 10yrs, he had scars all over his face a busted up nose etc. He had 16"+ bases (he had better bases than the one I shot which were over 16") and carried his mass all the way out. We were guessing his 4th quarters at around 13+" He was right on the 3/4 line and I mean right on it, but was still a mid 170 class ram. Really cool old ram used to have a picture of him with 6 other big rams.
 
Back
Top