Nevada California Bighorn Adventure

[Marine4life]

Sunday, May 21st. 102 days until Sheep season.

I am dedicating this hunt to my Dad who passed away on April 21st. My passion for hunting began at his side and for that I will be forever grateful. I truly believe he had a hand in getting me this tag.

I have known for about 36 hours and am still in disbelief. My goal is to share as much about the entire experience on this forum. The folks that visit this sheep section were extremely helpful for my Dall hunt back in 2020 and I will very much enjoy sharing this sheep adventure. My mind has been busy working through many of the things I need to do in order to get ready. I don’t have 2 years to plan like I did for my Dall hunt and there is a lot more to do since this will be a do-it-yourself hunt.

I live in Missouri so will have a bit of windshield time to make this happen. Thankfully the schedule will work for me to hunt the opening 10 days or so then return later in the season if needed. I have an Arizona archery elk tag that starts 9/15 so my plan right now is to travel to Nevada late August and be there 9/1, hunt through 9/11 if needed then head down to AZ for the elk hunt. Preparing my wife and myself for being gone the entire month of September isn’t as easy as one might think. My daughter and SIL are stationed in Fallon which is 2-3 hours from my hunt unit so it will be nice swinging through there to see them and the grandkids. Maybe my wife can fly out and we can enjoy some time before I head to Arizona.

Physical Conditioning just became a priority. I have been doing a few workouts but am behind compared to where I
normally am this time of year simply because the unit for my AZ elk hunt is milder terrain compared to the other states I have hunted the last several years. However, I am confident I will be ready.

I have a lot of research to do on the unit. To be honest when you have only 4 unit choices on the application and you never expect to draw a tag like this I didn’t do any prior research on the unit. Lots of wilderness area in the unit.

More to come….


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[schmalzy]

So excited for you and looking forward to watching the adventure unfold.

Any gear change ups?
Which rifle is currently on deck?


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[gonhunting247]

Congrats, looking forward to the adventure!

 

[Marine4life]

Good questions. Not sure about either at this point. I will be using an EXO K4 for pack but will have to see about other gear. Hopefully I am set for the most part but will definitely post up here a lot on the gear. I currently only have two options for rifle but right now it would be my Abolt 300 WSM. I do have a 243 that probably isn’t ideal. Am I crazy to think I might be able to do this with a bow? Or is this the nudge I need to get a 6.5 PRC I have been thinking about since I have a few states with deer points I should be using in the future? I am not much of a rifle hunter so we will see.


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[nevadabugle]

Good questions. Not sure about either at this point. I will be using an EXO K4 for pack but will have to see about other gear. Hopefully I am set for the most part but will definitely post up here a lot on the gear. I currently only have two options for rifle but right now it would be my Abolt 300 WSM. I do have a 243 that probably isn’t ideal. Am I crazy to think I might be able to do this with a bow? Or is this the nudge I need to get a 6.5 PRC I have been thinking about since I have a few states with deer points I should be using in the future? I am not much of a rifle hunter so we will see.


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I helped a nonresident friend of mine kill one with a recurve last year. So, it can be done.

 

[twdjr]

Congrats and best of luck!

 

[HoytHntr4]

Looking forward to following along on how these hunts go. Congratulations on drawing some great tags and good luck!!

 

[flyingbrass]

congrats on your hunts

 

[ol490]

Congratulations. I hope you kill a smoker ram.

 

[BC Alpine Hunter]

Congrats on the tag! I have killed a few sheep with my A Bolt in 300 WSM. A great tool for the task at hand.

 

[SCHUNTER73]

Looking forward to following!

 

[duckcarver]

Congratulations! Excited to follow along with you.

 

[npm352]

Very awesome. Congrats and good luck. Hope you score on a sheep, then a nice elk.

 

[JLMUELZ]

Congratulations! Look forward to following along. Good luck!

 

[Marine4life]

Thursday, May 25th. 98 days until sheep season.

We have decided to make this a family event, at least for the first part of the season. My wife is going to drive out with me and take care of the grandkids so my daughter and SIL can join me on the mountain. We are also going to fly my son in as well and he will have to miss a couple days of college classes but this is a pretty cool reason. I have many great memories hunting with both my daughter and son and they are both in great shape. My SIL has never hunted but plans to start now that he is stationed in Fallon, NV. He is a Navy Fly Boy so we will Days see how he handles the mountains. I have put in a request for him to do some low level runs over the Black Rock range but I doubt the Navy will support. Best to keep it a secret that it is for a Marine or they will be late anyway.

I picked up the level of physical fitness and ran a few miles and did a nice hike today with 62 pounds. I will say I am liking the EXO K4 pack. Definitely need to hit it hard the next couple months. I have a trip planned for to Colorado in a couple weeks so will get some hiking in at altitude. My home here in Missouri is about 600 ft elevation.

I spoke with a couple people who had this hunt in the past. It is interesting to hear the different perspectives on how they each approached having one of these tags. It definitely helped me solidify my DIY approach and getting my family involved. I have also reviewed the previous 3 years data on sheep harvests for this unit and feel I have a good understanding of the units average and potential.

I spoke with an area biologist who was very kind in answering all my questions. I am definitely going to try and make it out to the hunter’s seminar they do in Vegas or Reno. Gives me a chance to see the grandkids, learn more about these sheep and maybe even a scouting trip. The biologist provided some good information on the herd, behavior across the two month season and what to expect as far as habitat and the terrain. After these discussions I have set a few goals for the hunt.
1. Enjoy the hunt and entire experience from finding out about the tag all the way to picking the head up from the taxidermist.
2. Kill a ram - this is why I apply for these tags. Not just to say I had a sheep tag for a tough to draw bighorn subspecies but to say I had a tag and I killed a Ram. With that said I simply want a good representation of the species and what the unit has to offer. From what I gather a ram in the 6-8 year mark is mature and a 9 year old will generally be old for this unit.
3. Give a little back. I renewed my membership for WSF and will continue to maintain it going forward. I will help in other ways across the states that have sheep programs.

I realize I need to make some adjustments to the gear I normally take out west. So far here are a couple must haves from what I am seeing.
1. 10 gals of gas for truck and ATV.
2. 20 gals of water.
3. Extra spare tires for truck, trailer and ATV.
4. Glassing tarp for shade.

I was going to buy a new semi-custom rifle in 6.5 PRC which I have wanted for some time for potential mule deer hunts but now I think I will just use my 300WSM. It’s light, accurate and served me well in AK on my dall hunt. Plus it’s ready to go with hand loads, ballistic data etc. I am confident I have a solid 400 yard rifle and probably more with practice. Instead I think I will use the money for a new set of swaros. I currently have 10x42 ELs and am thinking of updating to 12x42 NL Pures. Down the road I will get a lot more use out from the binos than the rifle.

Hope this update finds everyone well and with at least one tag in their pocket for this fall.


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[JLMUELZ]

Sounds like an awesome plan!

 

[cmahoney]

Thursday, May 25th. 98 days until sheep season.

We have decided to make this a family event, at least for the first part of the season. My wife is going to drive out with me and take care of the grandkids so my daughter and SIL can join me on the mountain. We are also going to fly my son in as well and he will have to miss a couple days of college classes but this is a pretty cool reason. I have many great memories hunting with both my daughter and son and they are both in great shape. My SIL has never hunted but plans to start now that he is stationed in Fallon, NV. He is a Navy Fly Boy so we will Days see how he handles the mountains. I have put in a request for him to do some low level runs over the Black Rock range but I doubt the Navy will support. Best to keep it a secret that it is for a Marine or they will be late anyway.

I picked up the level of physical fitness and ran a few miles and did a nice hike today with 62 pounds. I will say I am liking the EXO K4 pack. Definitely need to hit it hard the next couple months. I have a trip planned for to Colorado in a couple weeks so will get some hiking in at altitude. My home here in Missouri is about 600 ft elevation.

I spoke with a couple people who had this hunt in the past. It is interesting to hear the different perspectives on how they each approached having one of these tags. It definitely helped me solidify my DIY approach and getting my family involved. I have also reviewed the previous 3 years data on sheep harvests for this unit and feel I have a good understanding of the units average and potential.

I spoke with an area biologist who was very kind in answering all my questions. I am definitely going to try and make it out to the hunter’s seminar they do in Vegas or Reno. Gives me a chance to see the grandkids, learn more about these sheep and maybe even a scouting trip. The biologist provided some good information on the herd, behavior across the two month season and what to expect as far as habitat and the terrain. After these discussions I have set a few goals for the hunt.
1. Enjoy the hunt and entire experience from finding out about the tag all the way to picking the head up from the taxidermist.
2. Kill a ram - this is why I apply for these tags. Not just to say I had a sheep tag for a tough to draw bighorn subspecies but to say I had a tag and I killed a Ram. With that said I simply want a good representation of the species and what the unit has to offer. From what I gather a ram in the 6-8 year mark is mature and a 9 year old will generally be old for this unit.
3. Give a little back. I renewed my membership for WSF and will continue to maintain it going forward. I will help in other ways across the states that have sheep programs.

I realize I need to make some adjustments to the gear I normally take out west. So far here are a couple must haves from what I am seeing.
1. 10 gals of gas for truck and ATV.
2. 20 gals of water.
3. Extra spare tires for truck, trailer and ATV.
4. Glassing tarp for shade.

I was going to buy a new semi-custom rifle in 6.5 PRC which I have wanted for some time for potential mule deer hunts but now I think I will just use my 300WSM. It’s light, accurate and served me well in AK on my dall hunt. Plus it’s ready to go with hand loads, ballistic data etc. I am confident I have a solid 400 yard rifle and probably more with practice. Instead I think I will use the money for a new set of swaros. I currently have 10x42 ELs and am thinking of updating to 12x42 NL Pures. Down the road I will get a lot more use out from the binos than the rifle.

Hope this update finds everyone well and with at least one tag in their pocket for this fall.


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Tire plug kit for the 4 wheeler and 1 for the truck.


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[easttex]

Not being critical, just an observation. Funny how often some lucky soul draws a once in a lifetime permit and immediately starts considering a new rifle, often when they already have one or more perfectly suitable
rifle/scope combos.

 

[Marine4life]

Not being critical, just an observation. Funny how often some lucky soul draws a once in a lifetime permit and immediately starts considering a new rifle, often when they already have one or more perfectly suitable
rifle/scope combos.

You are right. I primarily bow hunt and really only have two calibers, the 300 and a 243. I have been wanting a 6.5 for a couple years primarily because I have a lot of mule deer points in a few states and eventually need to burn them. I actually already purchased reloading components for a PRC so thought this would justify the expense. But you are right and I have a perfectly capable rifle now.


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[Hollywood]

Congrats again. Look forward to the story and pics!