wooduckman
Lil-Rokslider
I could probably write an entire book about this hunt, but will do my best to keep it short(ish).
I have wanted to hunt bighorn sheep for as long as I can remember, but somehow felt like it would never happen. I would put in for the draw every year basically out of habit, not assuming I’d ever draw. Imagine my surprise when I got the “successful” email from CPW in April! I had to reread the email at least 20 times before it sunk in that I had in fact drawn my Colorado ram tag!! I called my wife with the news and only partially joking told her that all of the house projects we had planned would have to be on hold for the summer.
I have two young girls at home, but was lucky enough to squeeze in 3 scouting trips over the summer- looking for sheep, but mostly looking at trail-heads and different access points. The first two trips I found a lot of ewes and lambs, but no rams. On the third trip to a completely different part of the mountains, I finally found a band of 9 rams that had two shooters in it. Knowing how much this hunt meant to me, my wife approved of my plan to spend 10 nights in high country chasing these magnificent creatures.
The plan was for my buddy @Cjohnson03 and his brother Cody to join for the entire trip. The night before the season opened we spotted 2 rams across the drainage. Opening morning we found the rams again and watched them all day to get an idea of their pattern. One of the rams was young, but the other was a nice 3/4 curl and shooter in my eyes.
We put together a plan and set the alarms for 2:30 am to give us enough time to hike down off our mountain and up the next mountain where the rams were hanging out. We made it and got set up just before legal light. The rams came across the face as expected, but given the steepness of the terrain I wasn’t able to see them and unfortunately never had a shot. We spent the rest of the day on the grassy face hoping the rams would come back out lower, but we never saw them again. We dropped off the backside of the mountain just before dark and as we started our hike back to the trucks (camp was too far), we spotted the two rams up where we had just came from getting ready to bed for the night. We got back to the trucks well after dark and made a plan to come back in midday the next day and get set up to shoot the ram as he came over to bed before dark. We slept in and hit the trail around 10 am, making the 6 mile hike and getting set up 200 yards below the ridge line by 4 pm, knowing the rams would come over around 5:30 pm. Then the unexpected happened- the Inreach buzzed and it brought bad news for my two buddies from back home. They had to leave immediately and I went with them so they could stay in contact with family on the hike out.
I now was solo for the remainder of my trip and was worried about getting my camp and my friends' camp off the mountain. I was basically ready to give up as I was exhausted and it would take 2-3 days to get both camps off the mountain. Knowing this back home, my wife started calling all of my other friends and organized a rescue mission! Three friends and my dad came in to get my other buddy's camp off the mountain and provide moral support so I only needed to worry about my camp and could keep hunting. I found 4 more rams, one of which was a complete stud and moved my camp 10 miles into the next drainage for easier access. I spent the next 3 days looking for those rams, but could ever turn them up. Weather started to move in and I was completely and physically exhausted. I knew I had given everything I had on the hunt, but couldn’t help but feel angry and emotional as I packed out camp, knowing that my ram tag would go unfilled.
I got home late that night and had messages from multiple people asking for updates on the trip. Upon sharing the news of the unfilled tag, @Foldem was persistent that I couldn’t give up and volunteered to join me if I could squeeze in another trip. Nervously, I brought the idea up to my wife and to my surprise, she approved! In what felt like a Hail Mary attempt, I packed my truck and headed back up for one last attempt. I was headed to the same area where I had been seeing rams, but picked a new campsite that would give me easier access to multiple drainages.
Kevin packed in early Friday morning and spotted a band of 5 rams on the mountain that I had seen during my previous trip. We glassed together for a bit and found 2 more rams on the same mountain, but lower. We made a plan to hike up a ridge line and try to drop down on them. Upon getting on the ridge line, we spotted another hunter sitting high on the adjacent ridge line above the band of 5 rams. We then saw the 2 rams much lower at the bottom of a chute and put on a stalk to get to them. 45 minutes later we were peering out to where we had last seen the 2 rams, but could not turn them up. Assuming they were bedded, we decide to sit them out and wait for them to get up to feed. 3 hours later, we came to the conclusion that the rams gave us the slip and we started to head back down the mountain while there was still a little bit of light to help navigate the dead fall. Once at the trees, we looked up and saw the 2 rams feeding on a grassy face above some cliffs. Kevin went into mountain goat mode and scaled the cliffs as I followed. We got to where the rams were, but once again they out-smarted us and we found them 250 yards away walking across a boulder field. I threw my backpack down and got them settled in the crosshairs- unfortunately they were walking almost straight away from us and never presented a clean shot. I was disappointed, but couldn’t help but smile as I just had 2 rams in my scope for the first time in my life!
The next morning we made our way up to the glassing rock and found the 2 rams again. They worked their way up the saddle (directly below the other hunter) and up over the mountain peak. To our surprise, he never saw the rams and stayed out on the ridge line. We made a plan to drop some weight at camp and make the 2500’ climb to chase the rams. Once on top, we looked across the basin and found a band of 5 rams sitting high in a saddle and a band of 9 rams working down the ridge line. We kept an eye on these rams, but knowing the 2 we were chasing had to be close. We kept working the mountain keeping the wind in our face, but could not turn up the 2 rams.
Frustrated, we sat down for a snack and to do a bit of glassing. To my surprise, the 9 rams we’d seen earlier were coming straight down the mountain into the basin below us. We watched them for 20 minutes as they were feverishly feeding in the basin, unaware of their surroundings. I decided that I had to try and put a stalk on them and try to make something happen. It took me an hour to crawl, skid, slide and tumble 1000’ down the chute without spooking the sheep. Once at the bottom, I worked my way through the willows up a hill between myself and the rams. I finally spotted 5 of the rams, the 3 big ones and 2 young ones. I ranged them at 260 yards and set my backpack on a rock. I watched the rams through my scope for 10 minutes waiting for a clean shot. Finally, the ram I wanted cleared the other rams and I squeezed the trigger- he looked hit!! I reloaded and found the sheep 300 yards up in a boulder field. I counted and there were 5 rams- I think I missed. I scanned all the rams and couldn’t find any looking like they’d been hit. I started looking closer and noticed there were 2 big rams and 3 young rams. Where was the 3rd big ram? Still shaking like a leaf with adrenaline pumping, I scanned low with my binoculars and found the 3rd big ram lying dead on his back not 10 yards from where I shot him!!
\
We got some pictures and got to work processing the ram. Kevin was a mule and packed all the deboned meat while I packed the head and the cape 2 miles back to camp. We arrived at camp just after 9 pm and grilled a tenderloin over a small fire- delicious! The next morning we packed the entire ram and Kevin’s camp back to the truck. I then went back in to get my camp and on the way out, couldn't help but feel immense gratitude and some sadness that the trip was over.
All told between the two trips, spent 12 days hunting, hiked 104 miles and climbed over 21k feet of elevation. It was, without a doubt, the most physically and mentally difficult thing I have ever done. It feels great to be back home with my family, but I can’t help to want to be back in the high country chasing sheep!!
I have wanted to hunt bighorn sheep for as long as I can remember, but somehow felt like it would never happen. I would put in for the draw every year basically out of habit, not assuming I’d ever draw. Imagine my surprise when I got the “successful” email from CPW in April! I had to reread the email at least 20 times before it sunk in that I had in fact drawn my Colorado ram tag!! I called my wife with the news and only partially joking told her that all of the house projects we had planned would have to be on hold for the summer.
I have two young girls at home, but was lucky enough to squeeze in 3 scouting trips over the summer- looking for sheep, but mostly looking at trail-heads and different access points. The first two trips I found a lot of ewes and lambs, but no rams. On the third trip to a completely different part of the mountains, I finally found a band of 9 rams that had two shooters in it. Knowing how much this hunt meant to me, my wife approved of my plan to spend 10 nights in high country chasing these magnificent creatures.
The plan was for my buddy @Cjohnson03 and his brother Cody to join for the entire trip. The night before the season opened we spotted 2 rams across the drainage. Opening morning we found the rams again and watched them all day to get an idea of their pattern. One of the rams was young, but the other was a nice 3/4 curl and shooter in my eyes.
We put together a plan and set the alarms for 2:30 am to give us enough time to hike down off our mountain and up the next mountain where the rams were hanging out. We made it and got set up just before legal light. The rams came across the face as expected, but given the steepness of the terrain I wasn’t able to see them and unfortunately never had a shot. We spent the rest of the day on the grassy face hoping the rams would come back out lower, but we never saw them again. We dropped off the backside of the mountain just before dark and as we started our hike back to the trucks (camp was too far), we spotted the two rams up where we had just came from getting ready to bed for the night. We got back to the trucks well after dark and made a plan to come back in midday the next day and get set up to shoot the ram as he came over to bed before dark. We slept in and hit the trail around 10 am, making the 6 mile hike and getting set up 200 yards below the ridge line by 4 pm, knowing the rams would come over around 5:30 pm. Then the unexpected happened- the Inreach buzzed and it brought bad news for my two buddies from back home. They had to leave immediately and I went with them so they could stay in contact with family on the hike out.
I now was solo for the remainder of my trip and was worried about getting my camp and my friends' camp off the mountain. I was basically ready to give up as I was exhausted and it would take 2-3 days to get both camps off the mountain. Knowing this back home, my wife started calling all of my other friends and organized a rescue mission! Three friends and my dad came in to get my other buddy's camp off the mountain and provide moral support so I only needed to worry about my camp and could keep hunting. I found 4 more rams, one of which was a complete stud and moved my camp 10 miles into the next drainage for easier access. I spent the next 3 days looking for those rams, but could ever turn them up. Weather started to move in and I was completely and physically exhausted. I knew I had given everything I had on the hunt, but couldn’t help but feel angry and emotional as I packed out camp, knowing that my ram tag would go unfilled.
I got home late that night and had messages from multiple people asking for updates on the trip. Upon sharing the news of the unfilled tag, @Foldem was persistent that I couldn’t give up and volunteered to join me if I could squeeze in another trip. Nervously, I brought the idea up to my wife and to my surprise, she approved! In what felt like a Hail Mary attempt, I packed my truck and headed back up for one last attempt. I was headed to the same area where I had been seeing rams, but picked a new campsite that would give me easier access to multiple drainages.
Kevin packed in early Friday morning and spotted a band of 5 rams on the mountain that I had seen during my previous trip. We glassed together for a bit and found 2 more rams on the same mountain, but lower. We made a plan to hike up a ridge line and try to drop down on them. Upon getting on the ridge line, we spotted another hunter sitting high on the adjacent ridge line above the band of 5 rams. We then saw the 2 rams much lower at the bottom of a chute and put on a stalk to get to them. 45 minutes later we were peering out to where we had last seen the 2 rams, but could not turn them up. Assuming they were bedded, we decide to sit them out and wait for them to get up to feed. 3 hours later, we came to the conclusion that the rams gave us the slip and we started to head back down the mountain while there was still a little bit of light to help navigate the dead fall. Once at the trees, we looked up and saw the 2 rams feeding on a grassy face above some cliffs. Kevin went into mountain goat mode and scaled the cliffs as I followed. We got to where the rams were, but once again they out-smarted us and we found them 250 yards away walking across a boulder field. I threw my backpack down and got them settled in the crosshairs- unfortunately they were walking almost straight away from us and never presented a clean shot. I was disappointed, but couldn’t help but smile as I just had 2 rams in my scope for the first time in my life!
The next morning we made our way up to the glassing rock and found the 2 rams again. They worked their way up the saddle (directly below the other hunter) and up over the mountain peak. To our surprise, he never saw the rams and stayed out on the ridge line. We made a plan to drop some weight at camp and make the 2500’ climb to chase the rams. Once on top, we looked across the basin and found a band of 5 rams sitting high in a saddle and a band of 9 rams working down the ridge line. We kept an eye on these rams, but knowing the 2 we were chasing had to be close. We kept working the mountain keeping the wind in our face, but could not turn up the 2 rams.
Frustrated, we sat down for a snack and to do a bit of glassing. To my surprise, the 9 rams we’d seen earlier were coming straight down the mountain into the basin below us. We watched them for 20 minutes as they were feverishly feeding in the basin, unaware of their surroundings. I decided that I had to try and put a stalk on them and try to make something happen. It took me an hour to crawl, skid, slide and tumble 1000’ down the chute without spooking the sheep. Once at the bottom, I worked my way through the willows up a hill between myself and the rams. I finally spotted 5 of the rams, the 3 big ones and 2 young ones. I ranged them at 260 yards and set my backpack on a rock. I watched the rams through my scope for 10 minutes waiting for a clean shot. Finally, the ram I wanted cleared the other rams and I squeezed the trigger- he looked hit!! I reloaded and found the sheep 300 yards up in a boulder field. I counted and there were 5 rams- I think I missed. I scanned all the rams and couldn’t find any looking like they’d been hit. I started looking closer and noticed there were 2 big rams and 3 young rams. Where was the 3rd big ram? Still shaking like a leaf with adrenaline pumping, I scanned low with my binoculars and found the 3rd big ram lying dead on his back not 10 yards from where I shot him!!
\We got some pictures and got to work processing the ram. Kevin was a mule and packed all the deboned meat while I packed the head and the cape 2 miles back to camp. We arrived at camp just after 9 pm and grilled a tenderloin over a small fire- delicious! The next morning we packed the entire ram and Kevin’s camp back to the truck. I then went back in to get my camp and on the way out, couldn't help but feel immense gratitude and some sadness that the trip was over.
All told between the two trips, spent 12 days hunting, hiked 104 miles and climbed over 21k feet of elevation. It was, without a doubt, the most physically and mentally difficult thing I have ever done. It feels great to be back home with my family, but I can’t help to want to be back in the high country chasing sheep!!
and the wife
