Richard Manley
FNG
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2014
- Messages
- 19
21 days with a bow
First Colorado Bighorn: 5 seasons of hunting and 64 days in the field with the bow in hand. Sheep fever got to me a couple of times or I might have gotten my first the 4th season! I worked in the unit I finally bagged the ram in. Also "wasted" one sheep tag when I shot a nice P&Y NT mulie 10 miles away from the truck and effectively ended my sheep hunt in a remote unit. This was in the good old days in Colorado as I had 5 archery ram tags in 5 consecutive years. Three tags were out of a unit that had leftover tags every year.
Eight days when I got lucky and drew a NV desert sheep tag. My buddy who drew the tag the previous year went with me and helped me make it happen. Note that I had the entire 28 day season to hunt and decided in the summer that the the first 25 were dedicated to bowhunting, but the last three would be rifle season. Fortunately I didn't need a the gun.
I went on a two week unsuccessful Dall sheep hunt in Alaska with an outfitter that did not work to maximize your hunting opportunity. The first week was spent in a taxidermy shop in Wasilla! Soured me on outfitters for a while.
My second Colorado bighorn was taken on the 11th day of the hunt in the unit I worked in again, 15 years after the first ram. I got a medium sized ram near the end after trying hard for a big one.
I have 5 hunts over the last four seasons in for Stone's......44 days and counting. One of these hunts will be successful! Close encounters just out of my bow range but no ram so far!
Anyway, it is the challenge, the magnificence of sheep country, and ultimately when I finally arrowed one of my rams, the sweet feeling of accomplishment that keeps me trying.