All 4

[Gadjet]

I think he just started applying and hunting at the right time. Guy at my bow range is in his 50’s/60’s and he has hunted rams 3x with his bow in Co…

I know, I’m just poking some fun. My father in law that just passed away a few months ago at the age of 80 killed three rams in Colorado. First one was in 1969.

 

[Gadjet]

And I can’t complain. I’ve killed 3 Colorado rams myself.

 

[Hnthrdr]

And I can’t complain. I’ve killed 3 Colorado rams myself.

That’s awesome! I’ll be lucky to draw one tag the way things are going these days haha

 

[Gadjet]

That’s awesome! I’ll be lucky to draw one tag the way things are going these days haha

Keep applying. And good luck!

 

[Dawg In Montana]

Hunting sheep, or any other animal, is fun but I don’t do it to achieve some label. It shows you have money or got lucky above anything else.

 

[idelkslayer]

If I had the money I would do it, but it's not that important to me. If I could hunt sheep on a regular basis in my own state I don't think I would think about the other subspecies at all.

I wonder about how something like the grand slam gains enough prestige to become a thing. When a pursuit gains so much popularity it becomes difficult to discern who is interested in it for the activity itself and who is interested in it only because it has become popular or prestigious.

Even Jack O'Connor soured on it.

The Invention of the Grand Slam Killed Sheep Hunting, According to Jack O'Connor

Sheep hunting took a turn for the worse after an outdoor writer started tracking hunters who had killed all four species of North American sheep.

www.outdoorlife.com

I have had a certain hunting goal ever since I was a teenager to kill at least one of every big game species in my home state. I always assumed I'd achieve it one day and I'm getting close, however, I also know now better than ever that I might not get there. I think I'm ok with that.

 

[ssgjpd]

I will be making my second attempt at Dall this year and have a desert booked for next year. Unless I win a raffle or draw a tag I will not be doing stone or Rocky.

 

[7RemMag]

I killed my first sheep, a Rocky here in Wyoming this past September. A beautiful full-curl seven year old ram. I can never draw that tag again. I’m 25 years old. I’ll continue to put in for other states where it’s feasible in hopes that I get lucky, but I have no real aspirations for a “Grand Slam”.

I have a 19 year old sister. Two of my best hunting buddies are 25-36. My old man is just about 50. I have pretty good odds of going on another sheep hunt here in Wyoming with one of them,and a semi-fair chance of getting to go after another Rocky in Montana or Idaho for myself. However, if I could pick any big game tag in North America to fall from the heavens into my lap, it would be a Desert Bighorn. No preference on location.

 

[wind gypsy]

If I had the money I would do it, but it's not that important to me. If I could hunt sheep on a regular basis in my own state I don't think I would think about the other subspecies at all.

I wonder about how something like the grand slam gains enough prestige to become a thing. When a pursuit gains so much popularity it becomes difficult to discern who is interested in it for the activity itself and who is interested in it only because it has become popular or prestigious.

Even Jack O'Connor soured on it.

The Invention of the Grand Slam Killed Sheep Hunting, According to Jack O'Connor

Sheep hunting took a turn for the worse after an outdoor writer started tracking hunters who had killed all four species of North American sheep.

www.outdoorlife.com

I have had a certain hunting goal ever since I was a teenager to kill at least one of every big game species in my home state. I always assumed I'd achieve it one day and I'm getting close, however, I also know now better than ever that I might not get there. I think I'm ok with that.

Great share with that O'connor article.

I've tended to have a pretty negative attitude towards "slam seekers" and their justification. Hard to pin down exactly why one seeks such an accomplishment. Some folks just set goals for themselves and the slams just happen to be it. I can buy that for some it isn't about the prestige but for an awful lot of em it is.

There's some pretty powder puff guided sheep hunts compared to a lot of run of the mill lower 48 elk hunts IMO that people make out to be some huge challenge/accomplishment when really the biggest accomplishment was justifying the cost or making enough $.

 

[buffybr]

I've wanted to get the North American Sheep Grand Slam for many years, but I don't see that happening now. Something about the reality of Father Time and today's high costs. I just can't justify paying more for a sheep hunt than I paid for my house and 10 acres.

However, I do have 4 rams on my wall, but 3 of them are Bighorns that I shot when I was younger and on DIY solo hunts in Montana's Unlimited ram units.

I shot my Dall ram on a cancelation hunt in 1999 in the MacKenzie Mountains of Canada's Northwest Territory. A year later my Canadian Outfitter friend called me about a cancelation Stone ram hunt for $11,000, but at that time I was going through a very dasty divorce and I was borrowing money to pay my lawyer.

I also got my Mountain Goat many years ago on a DIY solo hunt in SW Montana. These 3 rams and my goat only each cost me a $25 tag and a tank of gas. I got the Wolverine while packing out my Dall ram.

 

[Gadjet]

I've wanted to get the North American Sheep Grand Slam for many years, but I don't see that happening now. Something about the reality of Father Time and today's high costs. I just can't justify paying more for a sheep hunt than I paid for my house and 10 acres.

However, I do have 4 rams on my wall, but 3 of them are Bighorns that I shot when I was younger and on DIY solo hunts in Montana's Unlimited ram units.

I shot my Dall ram on a cancelation hunt in 1999 in the MacKenzie Mountains of Canada's Northwest Territory. A year later my Canadian Outfitter friend called me about a cancelation Stone ram hunt for $11,000, but at that time I was going through a very dasty divorce and I was borrowing money to pay my lawyer.

I also got my Mountain Goat many years ago on a DIY solo hunt in SW Montana. These 3 rams and my goat only each cost me a $25 tag and a tank of gas. I got the Wolverine while packing out my Dall ram.

$11000 stone hunt! It's crazy how much those prices have gone up in 25 years! Hell, 11 grand would barely cover the tip these days.
By the way, great trophy wall.

 

[buckpro]

I’ll bite, as I have my stone and desert and hopefully the other two in the next two years. I could care less about registering my slam if I’m fortunate enough to get it, its just a personal goal, I just want to experience them all and the country they live in.

In 2019 I finally got a chance to hunt stones for a few days in October in the Yukon on a TF. I never even saw a sheep, but as I stood on top of a mountain in a foot of snow with wind chill in the negative, for some ungodly reason my mind went “this is what I have to do”. I just fell in love with sheep and sheep country and what it takes to get there. Helps I’m slightly financially irresponsible. I have two additional hunts booked after my slam, and I booked them specifically because it was certain mountain ranges and country I want to see. I don’t sheep hunt because I want to, I do it because I feel I have to. Plus I refuse to be a old man wishing I had.

 

[Hnthrdr]

I've wanted to get the North American Sheep Grand Slam for many years, but I don't see that happening now. Something about the reality of Father Time and today's high costs. I just can't justify paying more for a sheep hunt than I paid for my house and 10 acres.

However, I do have 4 rams on my wall, but 3 of them are Bighorns that I shot when I was younger and on DIY solo hunts in Montana's Unlimited ram units.

I shot my Dall ram on a cancelation hunt in 1999 in the MacKenzie Mountains of Canada's Northwest Territory. A year later my Canadian Outfitter friend called me about a cancelation Stone ram hunt for $11,000, but at that time I was going through a very dasty divorce and I was borrowing money to pay my lawyer.

I also got my Mountain Goat many years ago on a DIY solo hunt in SW Montana. These 3 rams and my goat only each cost me a $25 tag and a tank of gas. I got the Wolverine while packing out my Dall ram.

What a wall! Love the buck what state did he come from?

 

[wind gypsy]

$11000 stone hunt! It's crazy how much those prices have gone up in 25 years! Hell, 11 grand would barely cover the tip these days.

That is some crazy context! I assume there was a better crop of rams on the mountain back then too.

 

[TheGrayRider]

Luckily and completely unexpectedly, I drew a nonresident Arizona desert bighorn sheep tag in 2022 with 13 points. I am still blessed, grateful, and thankful for the opportunity to hunt such an iconic species in such a unique environment and terrain. Kofa NWR - late, rifle, day 5 of 10 day hunt.

Alaska dall sheep backpack hunt (Brooks Range) upcoming in 164 days, 4 hours, and 10 minutes…but who is counting? The training continues - my 2nd attempt for a white sheep.

Best of luck to all who have hunted any of the species of North America bighorn sheep and best wishes to those who ever dream of hunting any of the bighorn sheep. Also, Beautiful trophies and mounts in the above posts.

Dream big! Travel far and wide. Happy hunting and see you on the mountain, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.

 

[Gadjet]

I’ll bite, as I have my stone and desert and hopefully the other two in the next two years. I could care less about registering my slam if I’m fortunate enough to get it, its just a personal goal, I just want to experience them all and the country they live in.

In 2019 I finally got a chance to hunt stones for a few days in October in the Yukon on a TF. I never even saw a sheep, but as I stood on top of a mountain in a foot of snow with wind chill in the negative, for some ungodly reason my mind went “this is what I have to do”. I just fell in love with sheep and sheep country and what it takes to get there. Helps I’m slightly financially irresponsible. I have two additional hunts booked after my slam, and I booked them specifically because it was certain mountain ranges and country I want to see. I don’t sheep hunt because I want to, I do it because I feel I have to. Plus I refuse to be an old man wishing I had.

Well said. I feel the same way. I could care less about getting into some elitist bs club. A lot of people don’t understand what the sheep hunting addiction really is. Those hunts will take a person into some of the most awesome country on the planet.

 

[flathead#2]

At this point I'd be satisfied with one DBH.
Just cant justify the coin of a slam.

 

[buffybr]

What a wall! Love the buck what state did he come from?

I shot that buck back in the early '70s in NW Colorado when I still lived there. I shot him with a patched .45 caliber round ball from CVA percussion Kentucky rifle kit that I had built. That hunt might have been Colorado's first modern muzzleloader hunt.

 

[buffybr]

Well said. I feel the same way. I could care less about getting into some elitist bs club. A lot of people don’t understand what the sheep hunting addiction really is. Those hunts will take a person into some of the most awesome country on the planet.

I agree with you 100% that sheep hunting is often in "some of the most awesome country on the planet", but I definately wouldn't consider the Boone & Crockett Club as an "elitist bs club". Just like Ducks Unlimited or the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation or a score other sportsmen's organizations, the B&C Club supports and works for wildlife conservation both politiclly and through on the ground projects. Anyone can join and you don't have to have killed a record book animal to become a member.

I killled my first deer, a spike muley buck, hunting with one of my college roommates. We enjoyed eating his venison that winter, and I proudly hung his spike antlers on my bedroom wall.

Like many big game hunters and just other people enjoy and are impressed with big horns and antlers. I bought my first B&C record book in 1973, and as a DIY public land hunter, I never thought that I would ever even see an animal that would qualify for their record book, let alone kill one.

Then in the late '70s I killed a big 6x6 bull elk on a DIY hunt on public land in NW Montana. I decided to have him mounted, and my taxidermist said that I should have him B&C scored. He gross scored the record book minimum, but symmetrical deductions kept him out.

In the early '80s I drew a Montana moose tag. Again, my DIY public land hunt in SW Montana yielded a very old, heavy, 50" Shiras bull moose. A great hunt, a freezer full of excellent moose burger, and every day I enjoy seeing his shoulder mount on my wall. But his antlers didn't meet the B&C scoring requirements.

The next year, my NW Montana hunting partner called and asked where he should apply for a moose tag. He put in for the same area where I had shot my bull, and drew a tag. We took my horses in, and first thing opening morning, we found a big bull moose. That bull met all of the B&C scoring requirements, and at that time, he was the 4th highest B&C scored moose from Montana. When my friend entered his moose with B&C, it is listed with my name as co-owner. Wow! My name is in the B&C Record Book.

In 2004 I booked a combination Caribou and Muskox hunt in the Arctic of Canada's Northwest Territory. There were 4 hunters in camp, and we all shot caribou bulls that qualified for the B&C Record Book, as did my Muskox bull. The B&C scorer that scored my bulls is a retired Montana FWP biologist that I've known for almost 50 years. My bulls were officially scored, but I didn't enter them for "the Book."

Jump ahead to 2017. I had friends that had gone on caribou hunts in Quebec and I had wanted to go, but never did. Then at a sports show in January I talked to a Quebec Outfitter, and he verified that Quebec was going to close caribou hunting to non-residents at the end of that year. So I booked a hunt.

That Outfitter had two fly in camps and just assigned hunters to each camp. Our hunt was susposed to be 2 hunters for each guide, but one of the guides was sick, so there were 3 of us in my group. I didn't know the other hunters, and in the canoe trip across the lake on opening morning, our guide asked who would get first shot. One of the other hunters suggested that the oldest hunter could shoot first. I just smiled and said that I was 71.

Since I had previously hunted caribou in Alaska and twice in the Northwest Territory, I turned down a bunch of bulls until I saw the bull in my avatar. He turned out to be one of the largest bulls that that outfitter shot that year and he easily me the B&C minimum.

Back at home when I had this bull scored, my friend asked me if I had entered my other caribou and Muskox for the Record Book. When I said no, he appeared hurt, so I said that I would enter them all. It was close to the deadline for entering animals for the 3 year B&C Awards Program, so I only had time to enter that caribou that year then entered the other 2 animals the next year.

It turned out that my bull scored high enough to be invited to the 30th B&C Awards Banquet at the Bass Pro headquarters in Springfield, MO. My bull won the 2nd place award for Quebec Labrador caribou for that 3 year period, so pictures and my story were also published in the 30th B&C Award Book. My sister and GF went with me to the awards ceremony.

A picture from the 30th B&C Asards book of two of us "elitist" Montana hunters at the Awards banquet.

The next year I did enter my Central Canadian Barren Ground Caribou and Muskox in B&C. That caribou was also invited to that Awards Ceremony, and although I didn't go to that ceremony, he won 1st place in his division, and again my pictures and story was published in the B&C 31st Awards Book.

Then when the latest B&C All Time Record Book came out, I was very humbled to see two half page pictures of me with my caribou in that book.

 

[Gadjet]

I agree with you 100% that sheep hunting is often in "some of the most awesome country on the planet", but I definately wouldn't consider the Boone & Crockett Club as an "elitist bs club". Just like Ducks Unlimited or the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation or a score other sportsmen's organizations, the B&C Club supports and works for wildlife conservation both politiclly and through on the ground projects. Anyone can join and you don't have to have killed a record book animal to become a member.

I killled my first deer, a spike muley buck, hunting with one of my college roommates. We enjoyed eating his venison that winter, and I proudly hung his spike antlers on my bedroom wall.

Like many big game hunters and just other people enjoy and are impressed with big horns and antlers. I bought my first B&C record book in 1973, and as a DIY public land hunter, I never thought that I would ever even see an animal that would qualify for their record book, let alone kill one.

Then in the late '70s I killed a big 6x6 bull elk on a DIY hunt on public land in NW Montana. I decided to have him mounted, and my taxidermist said that I should have him B&C scored. He gross scored the record book minimum, but symmetrical deductions kept him out.

In the early '80s I drew a Montana moose tag. Again, my DIY public land hunt in SW Montana yielded a very old, heavy, 50" Shiras bull moose. A great hunt, a freezer full of excellent moose burger, and every day I enjoy seeing his shoulder mount on my wall. But his antlers didn't meet the B&C scoring requirements.

The next year, my NW Montana hunting partner called and asked where he should apply for a moose tag. He put in for the same area where I had shot my bull, and drew a tag. We took my horses in, and first thing opening morning, we found a big bull moose. That bull met all of the B&C scoring requirements, and at that time, he was the 4th highest B&C scored moose from Montana. When my friend entered his moose with B&C, it is listed with my name as co-owner. Wow! My name is in the B&C Record Book.

In 2004 I booked a combination Caribou and Muskox hunt in the Arctic of Canada's Northwest Territory. There were 4 hunters in camp, and we all shot caribou bulls that qualified for the B&C Record Book, as did my Muskox bull. The B&C scorer that scored my bulls is a retired Montana FWP biologist that I've known for almost 50 years. My bulls were officially scored, but I didn't enter them for "the Book."

Jump ahead to 2017. I had friends that had gone on caribou hunts in Quebec and I had wanted to go, but never did. Then at a sports show in January I talked to a Quebec Outfitter, and he verified that Quebec was going to close caribou hunting to non-residents at the end of that year. So I booked a hunt.

That Outfitter had two fly in camps and just assigned hunters to each camp. Our hunt was susposed to be 2 hunters for each guide, but one of the guides was sick, so there were 3 of us in my group. I didn't know the other hunters, and in the canoe trip across the lake on opening morning, our guide asked who would get first shot. One of the other hunters suggested that the oldest hunter could shoot first. I just smiled and said that I was 71.

Since I had previously hunted caribou in Alaska and twice in the Northwest Territory, I turned down a bunch of bulls until I saw the bull in my avatar. He turned out to be one of the largest bulls that that outfitter shot that year and he easily me the B&C minimum.

Back at home when I had this bull scored, my friend asked me if I had entered my other caribou and Muskox for the Record Book. When I said no, he appeared hurt, so I said that I would enter them all. It was close to the deadline for entering animals for the 3 year B&C Awards Program, so I only had time to enter that caribou that year then entered the other 2 animals the next year.

It turned out that my bull scored high enough to be invited to the 30th B&C Awards Banquet at the Bass Pro headquarters in Springfield, MO. My bull won the 2nd place award for Quebec Labrador caribou for that 3 year period, so pictures and my story were also published in the 30th B&C Award Book. My sister and GF went with me to the awards ceremony.

A picture from the 30th B&C Asards book of two of us "elitist" Montana hunters at the Awards banquet.

The next year I did enter my Central Canadian Barren Ground Caribou and Muskox in B&C. That caribou was also invited to that Awards Ceremony, and although I didn't go to that ceremony, he won 1st place in his division, and again my pictures and story was published in the B&C 31st Awards Book.

Then when the latest B&C All Time Record Book came out, I was very humbled to see two half page pictures of me with my caribou in that book.

You've been on some great hunts and taken some amazing animals. Congratulations on your entries in the books!
I suppose I came across a little wrong on my previous post. But it's hard for me to not be a little soured over the direction hunting as a whole seems to have taken these days. There's way to many "pose" hunts with a whole tribe of scouters scouring the woods to find one tag holders claim to fame trophy.