Nevada California Bighorn Adventure

[j_volt]

Please don’t let PSE boy limit your posts. I love reading your updates. Good luck on your hunt!

 

[Sierra Hunter]

Plus he’s gone, your updates have been great. I think everyone, myself included is delirious after a long off season.

 

[Bowfinatic]

I appreciate the write up as well. Your posts are nothing like the other thread so think you are safe. Good luck on the mountains and look forward to hearing more

 

[S-3 ranch]

I appreciate the write up as well. Your posts are nothing like the other thread so think you are safe. Good luck on the mountains and look forward to hearing more

X2 I am pumped to Liv vicararcly through this report, it’s definitely been a awesome read so far, plant a toad ram and have a great time

 

[PhotoHunter]

Following. You absolutely should enjoy the whole experience. Be sure to get after it pretty good. Find the rams and glassing spots. Thanks for sharing and best of luck!

 

[Bubblehide]

Best of luck!

 

[NE Herd Bull]

I greatly admire your approach to this tag/hunt.
Good for you and I wish you the best of luck.
Wanting to share this with your family really got me hooked on your story.
Pulling for you man!
Look forward to your every update

 

[duckcarver]

Enjoy every moment snd take lots of photos.

Capture the landscapes, camp, stories and planning at night, the sweat and dust. They’ll be a treasure your family will enjoy for years.

 

[FOS373]

Good luck!!!!

 

[Marine4life]

Friday, August 25th. One week from today is opening day and I am ready to depart early Sunday morning. I have been through the gear and checklists several times and am ready to go. Pretty exciting trip coming up and I get to celebrate my grandson’s 4th birthday on my way out in Fallon. It’s the first time I have birthday presents packed to go on a hunting trip.

This week has been slow and it has been so hot here in Missouri my outdoor activities and exercise have been minimal. I used the time to do a bunch of stuff around the house to help my wife after I am gone. I have just been trying to keep busy and pass the time.

I spoke with the biologist yesterday and everything looks promising. Habitat is in great shape and the sheep are doing well. So far no major fires in the area that would hinder glassing and the weather looks like it is going to drop into the 80s for the opener. Hopefully that stays the course.

My plan is to be in Fallon Monday evening then off to the unit Tuesday morning which will give me 2 1/2 days to scout, shoot my rifle and enjoy camp until the kids arrive Thursday.

Thanks for all the “good lucks” and for following along. I look forward to providing the next update.
Michael

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[realunlucky]

Pretty excited for you, going to be a great trip for sure. Can't wait to read all about it.

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[bojangles808]

Good luck sir

 

[Battleborn32]

Friday, August 25th. One week from today is opening day and I am ready to depart early Sunday morning. I have been through the gear and checklists several times and am ready to go. Pretty exciting trip coming up and I get to celebrate my grandson’s 4th birthday on my way out in Fallon. It’s the first time I have birthday presents packed to go on a hunting trip.

This week has been slow and it has been so hot here in Missouri my outdoor activities and exercise have been minimal. I used the time to do a bunch of stuff around the house to help my wife after I am gone. I have just been trying to keep busy and pass the time.

I spoke with the biologist yesterday and everything looks promising. Habitat is in great shape and the sheep are doing well. So far no major fires in the area that would hinder glassing and the weather looks like it is going to drop into the 80s for the opener. Hopefully that stays the course.

My plan is to be in Fallon Monday evening then off to the unit Tuesday morning which will give me 2 1/2 days to scout, shoot my rifle and enjoy camp until the kids arrive Thursday.

Thanks for all the “good lucks” and for following along. I look forward to providing the next update.
Michael

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If you run into any issues, let me know. I have hunted deer up there quite a bit, so traveled the area well. More than enough water, but there are a lot of places the sheep can be. It is a beautiful area and a lot of access, but should do plenty of walking. If need be, I have a few access points that will help you get to some sheep areas there if you haven't already mapped them. Good Luck!

 

[Marine4life]

Update. Have not seen many sheep but the time on the mountain and in camp with my daughter and son has been amazing. I found a nice spot to set up camp and had 3 days to scout before they joined. While scouting I was only able to turn up 2 small rams in a big drainage. Opening morning found us at the drainage trying to find the rams and looking for any others that might be in the area. On day one my goal was for the kids to simply see wild sheep. We hiked the drainage but never laid eyes on anything other than feral horses. 10 miles and 2200 vertical feet and I have to say I was especially impressed with my daughter never missing a step as she easily out hiked Dad. My son is a Marine Officer candidate, in great shape and has a high level for sucking it up so he easily handled the terrain. We enjoyed some great scenery, brewed some coffee and snacked on the mountain. They love my peanut butter and bacon sandwiches and the highlight of our day was finding a deadhead which I will be taking to NDOW to be recorded and plugged so we can keep it.

Day two we took a big swing and drove 60 long miles around the mountain which took over two hours. Roads were muddy, flooded and rough but we were rewarded with spotting a group of 14 with 3 young rams. We watched them for a couple hours until they bedded about 700 yards from us. It was awesome seeing these sheep hope around the rocks. I think the kids were more excited than I was. We also glassed more of the drainage but didn’t move because we didn’t want to push the group out. That evening we went to the next drainage over and met one of the five resident tags holders. We enjoyed meeting him and his hunting buddy and talked about our special tag plus shared a bit of information.

Morning of day 3 found us in yet another drainage on the same side of the mountain. We just made it to our first glassing point before the sky opened up. The area has received a crazy amount of rain the last couple days. No sheep spotted so we headed back to camp to pack up and get the kids back to commitments. We made the drive to Fallon going by Burning Man. What an interesting event and people were lined up all over the road covered in mud trying to get out of the desert.
The black rock city they build each year is in the desert floor which looked like a muddy mess.

Family is off to work, kids, school, etc, so today I head back up solo. Although I would have much preferred having the kids with me for the harvest I am grateful for the wonderful time we had exploring the mountains and enjoying camp. Finding sheep is a lot harder than I expected so its time to focus and start working through the many areas they can be. Thanks for reading and more to follow hopefully in a few days.
Michael





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[Marine4life]

Quick update: I came off the mountains yesterday for a couple days to rest and spend time with the family. I will head out Sunday morning for the final 3 days of segment one for this adventure. Then it is off to AZ to hunt elk for 2 weeks before returning to hunt sheep.
I decided to spend a night on the mountain just to change it up a bit, reduce time on the 4 wheeler and get a little deeper into the wilderness area.

I did find a few sheep that day but no rams. The new area I was hunting was a higher at about 8K and was awesome looking country. Temps have been warm so glassing at distance, especially with the spotter, from late morning until an hour before dark is tough.

Burning man traffic and the show was something I don’t ever care to experience again. The mess they are leaving along the highway back to Fernley is bad.

Enjoy your weekend everyone.
Michael


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[mxgsfmdpx]

Cool update! Those "burners" are horrible to deal with. Making a giant mess of the desert every year.

 

[CaliWoodsman]

Great thread, I love following along on this hunt. Keep us posted!

 

[mtwarden]

Mike- not sure how I missed this thread, but was a great read, thanks for taking the time to post it. Now I’m all caught up and rooting hard for you.

Mike

 

[Marine4life]

Spent the last 48 hours way up on the mountain trying to locate rams. On 9/10 I dropped my Mom off at Reno in the morning, she was here visiting her great grandkids, and headed for the hills. I went up a nasty creek for a 30 mile ATV ride to access some of the higher country in hopes of finding rams. I glassed that evening and didn’t see anything. I slept next to the 4 wheeler and was hiking before daylight. The stars and night sky were amazing and I learned what Starlink looks like flying by. After glassing from above for about an hour and not seeing anything I moved to the next drainage and found 5 sheep. Two yearling rams and lamb and two ewes. I thought it was cool one of the ewes had a collar. Hike and glassed for 6 miles until the hear was just too much for me and the glass. I spend the afternoon sitting under a tarp next to the wheeler.

That eventing I didnt see a thing. Spent another great night under the stars.

The next morning I had moved to the north end of the mountain. Shortly after first light I picked up the same 5 sheep as the day before and watched them from about 2000 yards away. They were very skittish and stomping their feet and bounding away then stopping to turn back. I finally picked up what was bothering them - a bobcat seemed to be stalking them. It was interesting to see the sheep not overly afraid but they did keep their distance. Another day without seeing a ram.

I am off the mountain and headed to Arizona for my elk hunt. Probably be a couple weeks before I am back to hunt sheep. I hope the rams start looking for ewes and are on their feet more when I return. I am told the rut takes place through most of October. Thanks for following.
Michael



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[mxgsfmdpx]

Spent the last 48 hours way up on the mountain trying to locate rams. On 9/10 I dropped my Mom off at Reno in the morning, she was here visiting her great grandkids, and headed for the hills. I went up a nasty creek for a 30 mile ATV ride to access some of the higher country in hopes of finding rams. I glassed that evening and didn’t see anything. I slept next to the 4 wheeler and was hiking before daylight. The stars and night sky were amazing and I learned what Starlink looks like flying by. After glassing from above for about an hour and not seeing anything I moved to the next drainage and found 5 sheep. Two yearling rams and lamb and two ewes. I thought it was cool one of the ewes had a collar. Hike and glassed for 6 miles until the hear was just too much for me and the glass. I spend the afternoon sitting under a tarp next to the wheeler.

That eventing I didnt see a thing. Spent another great night under the stars.

The next morning I had moved to the north end of the mountain. Shortly after first light I picked up the same 5 sheep as the day before and watched them from about 2000 yards away. They were very skittish and stomping their feet and bounding away then stopping to turn back. I finally picked up what was bothering them - a bobcat seemed to be stalking them. It was interesting to see the sheep not overly afraid but they did keep their distance. Another day without seeing a ram.

I am off the mountain and headed to Arizona for my elk hunt. Probably be a couple weeks before I am back to hunt sheep. I hope the rams start looking for ewes and are on their feet more when I return. I am told the rut takes place through most of October. Thanks for following.
Michael



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Great update!

Good luck here in AZ! I’ll be up in Cococino National forest near dairy springs campground Thurs-Sunday. Reach out if you need anything.