Imnaha, OR Post Office Oct 2009. Population about 300?
South End Imnaha River Road, entrance to God's Country.
Day One. Cow Creek Oct 2009 Looking WNW. Wallowa County, OR
Day One. Rhodes Creek in background. RMBS Hunt 559A2. Jon was glassing farther north, and Jacob and I spent three days in the upper Rhodes Creek area. Cow elk, one bull, lots of mulies, a variety of upland birds...five ewes and three lambs. No rams.
Day Four. Somewhere in Wallowa-Whitman Natn'l Forest Oct '09 Corral Creek area. Jon & I found rams this day.
Day Four. Jon & I hiked ESE from Imnaha Rvr in Corral Crk area, tough climb. Jacob had gone to glass another drainage. Didn't remember to factor in wind...missed 185ish ram at 505 yards w Lazzeroni 7.21 Firehawk. Missed clean, found ram quite alive and healthy next day but got busted by another ram...never to be seen again as they hightailed it to points unknown.
Nine sheep w three rams in this group...505 yards away. They do blend in...the ram I missed was in this group.
Day Six. Jacob and I hiked into the Lightning Creek area before daylight laid on a table-size flat area of elevated rock between my finger tip and the lone lodgepole pine...for at least an hour in rain/sleet waiting for the bedded group of rams to stand. I am standing where the ram rolled about 200 yards down the slope and was stopped by a boulder. It had been raining so hard we couldn't get the rangefinder to work. Finally the rain/sleet let up enough to get "425 yards". When they stood, he said "Shoot the one in the middle!"...and I said "F__K THERE ARE FOUR OF THEM! WHICH ONE IS THE MIDDLE ONE??!!"...and he said "Oh S__T, SECOND FROM RIGHT, SECOND FROM RIGHT!! CAN YOU MAKE THE SHOT??!!"...and with one shot the "one in the middle" crumpled and legs collapsed...and he rolled and rolled and was still against the boulder just behind me. It is a freeze-frame I'll never forget.
