Nevada California Bighorn Adventure

[GARLICSALT]

SICKNESS!!!

 

[Marine4life]

Home now and apologize for keeping everyone waiting.

Bottom Line Up Front - I killed a 6-year old Ram that scored 146 4/8s gross and one inch less net. He is above the average (133) for the unit and I am extremely happy with what I believe to be a great ram and the overall adventure of this once in a lifetime hunt.

As I stated before, I left Nevada to go hunt elk in AZ and then returned home to reset, repack and spend time with the family. After about 10 days at home I left Missouri again on 10/03 heading back to Nevada hoping for cooler weather and more sheep. At this point I had seen one mature ram while scouting prior to the season. It’s a 26 hour drive and my intent was to arrive about noon at my base camp location then make a long ATV ride to a location someone shared they had seen some mature rams the week prior. While about an hour away from my last turnoff I went by a fella who was a hotshot driver broke down on the side of the road. The left rear hub of his F250 was sitting on the road after his lug nuts completely sheered off. I ended up taking him into Winnemucca to get new lug nuts and helped him make the repair and get back on the road. By the time I got to camp I was tired and it was almost dark so I set up a quick base camp and adjusted my plan to leave the following morning.

I had previously met and shared a camp with one of the other tag holders and I had told him where I would be if he wanted to come up and have some help available. He is an older gentlemen and thought he may get a few more days in the field if he had help close by. Right about dark I was happy to see him roll in and we set up his camp. It is always nice when you meet someone you hit it off with and I was happy to have some company at camp. I sure hope he gets his ram.

The next morning I left 2 hours before daylight knowing I had a 20+ mile ATV ride to the location where I received the tip. I hiked about 7 miles that day and glassed a lot but didn’t see any sheep. I was out most of the day and returned just before dark. My new friend hadn’t seen any sheep either so we made a plan for the next morning to ride out together and glass a different area. After another morning of no sheep we returned early and I prepared to head out and spend a couple nights in the area I had seen the one mature ram prior to the season.

After a 35 mile 4 wheeler ride I was where I wanted to be in an area along the wilderness area. I made about a mile hike down a ridge to a glassing point and set up for the evening. It didn’t take long and I glassed up a ewe and a lamb about 2 miles below me on a bench above some cliffs. A bit later, I spotted a mature ram a mile across the drainage - finally. I didn’t have time to make it down and across before dark so I just watched him, studied the map and decided I would attempt to make a 4 mile hike round the top in the morning and relocate him. I was excited when I went to bed under the stars knowing I had seen a decent ram and had a plan for morning.


On October 7th, I woke early, drank a cup of coffee, ate a bit, packed up my gear and headed to a saddle I wanted to reach at shooting light. The saddle gave me access to the backside of the mountain and a series of ridges I could take to get around to where I has seen the ram. It also gave me a commanding view of a lot of sheep country. When I got to the saddle I decided to head north for about 1/4 mile (the ram was south) to quickly check the drainage where I had previously seen the ewe with the collar.

There were no sheep in that drainage but while glassing I seen a nice mature rams way down the mountain below me so I watched him for a long time trying to decide if I wanted to bail off after him. He was about 2000 ft below and 1 1/2 miles away and was feeding on an east facing slope. He fed until the sun started hitting the slope and then moved around the edge and out of sight. I decided I could hunt that ram later in the week from the bottom instead of dropping so much elevation not knowing exactly where he went.

It was time to get moving and go find the ram from the night before. I was anxious because the sun was up and I still had a long ways to go so I was moving quickly and glassing less. After about a mile around the mountain I stopped to catch my breath and was glassing some shaded slopes way below me when I spotted a white butt of what looked like a big bodied sheep. I pulled out the spotter and sure enough it was a mature ram. At first I thought he was just a young ram as he wasn’t even 3/4 curl but the more I looked I noticed the mass of the horns, the slight blooming and a pretty heavy body. At this point the ram was 1 1/2 miles and 1400 ft below me and feeding on a shaded slope which would stay shaded for well over an hour. I mapped out a plan to drop into the adjacent drainage, haul ass down the creek to a marked location then climb up to a rocky outcrop which I guessed would put me within 300 yards.

I made the descent to the creek as fast as I could and once in the dry creek bottom I hustled through the rocks and sage brush until reaching my marked location. I then made the 400 foot climb back up but just short of the rock outcropping. Before cresting I stopped to catch my breath, removed my rifle from the pack, loaded a round in the chamber, attached the bipod and readied my pack for a quick dump. As I eased over the top my heart was pounding hoping the ram was still there and I was going through the possibilities for the shot as I looked over the terrain. I expected to see the ram slightly below me and to my left in the little bowl and as I slowly eased up exposing more of the hillside. I began to wonder if he was going to be there at all and all of a sudden, to my left and much higher up the slope than I expected, I spotted the ram about the same time he spotted me. I quickly dropped to the ground out of sight and ditched the pack. I eased my head up and confirmed the ram was still there but knew he had me pegged. I crawled about 20 yards forward on the crest to make sure I could clear the grass for a good prone shot. He stood quartering to me and watched as I crawled slowly through the grass until I was confident I could clear it all for the shot. I made a slight adjustment to the bipod, picked him up in the scope and and zoomed in a bit. He looked really nice from the front and I could see some pretty impressive bases. It was an easy decision - I was going to shoot this ram. I quickly ranged him once, then twice getting 228 and 226 yards. A couple clicks on the Leupold turret and I settled in behind my rifle.

The feelings I experience as a hunt develops into a shooting opportunity is one of the main reasons I continue to enjoy hunting. The adrenaline, pounding heart, slight shakes and knowing I have time to execute but at the same time I have to hurry so I don’t miss the opportunity. I settled the crosshairs on his chest slightly forward of his front shoulder and thought to myself - holy crap this is it. As I let out a breath and increased the pressure on the trigger the 300 WSM boomed and I heard a the distinctive whop of the bullet impact. I quickly chambered a second round and found the ram in the scope as he was hauling ass down the hill and just as he tumbled. After rolling a few yards downhill he came to a rest and I had my ram.





I normally don’t make a lot of noise on the mountain but when he went down I yelled out several emotional hoots. I then gathered my gear and quickly made it over to MY ram. When I walked up I couldn’t believe how much bigger he looked up close and I was very glad I didn’t pass him up. It was 930 am and I took a few minutes to drink some water, get my gear organized and reflect on the experience. I began to think of my Dad, to whom I dedicated this hunt, and shed a few tears while thanking him for sparking my passion to hunt and for his role in the man I am today. He passed away in April and it wasn’t very long after that I found out I drew this awesome tag. I was solo on the mountain the day I killed my ram but I know I wasn’t alone.

At noon, the tag had been punched, pictures were taken and I strapped a very heavy pack to my back. It was going to be 75 degrees so I decided to do it in one trip because I was worried about the cape and meat. At 415 I reached the 4 wheeler after the 4 mile and 1500 ft climb out of the wilderness area. It was a long 35 mile ride back to base camp on the wheeler but I was picking bugs out of my teeth the entire way.

 

[Marine4life]

The next day I intended to sleep in then pack up camp but was wide awake well before sunrise so I made me a cup of coffee and enjoyed my last morning in the Nevada mountains.

Since it was Sunday I planned to head to my daughter’s house in Fallon and wait until Tuesday (Mondays was a holiday) for the the trip into Reno to check in my ram and drop him off at the taxidermist. I called my taxidermist to let him know my plan and he asked if I would bring the ram straight to him so he could get the cape taken care of so we wouldn’t have any issues.

My friend, the other sheep hunter, made a couple calls and also found out that NDOW was actually going to be open Monday so I wouldn’t have to wait until Tuesday and now had an appointment Monday morning to check in the ram. NDOW’s entire staff was genuinely excited for me and we had some great conversations while going through the check in process. I also had my 4 year old grandson with me and he really enjoyed the time with the NDOW crew and my new friend who showed up as well. After leaving the NDOW office we dropped off the head to the taxidermist and went to Scheels where my grandson showed me what sheep, elk and deer look like. He spent a few hours with grandpa wandering the store, playing in the kids area and riding the Ferris wheel before heading back to Fallon.

Tuesday morning I headed east, eager to get home to my wife. I had an amazing hunt/experience and it was was also one of the most challenging hunts I have ever done, both physically and mentally. Physically because of the many 10 mile plus days hiking in steep country, the heat, and a tough pack out. Mentally because of the “pressure” of having such a tag, most days not even seeing sheep, the back and forth travel, and most days and nights being solo. In total is spent 3 days scouting and 14 days hunting the black rocks. I appreciate all the support from my family and especially the time on the mountain with my daughter and son early in the hunt. I also appreciate all you for following along, the encouragement I received and the messages and information you shared to help me be successful.

Thanks everyone,
Michael

 

[bigeyedfish]

Congrats man. Hell of a great write up.

 

[mtwarden]

Sweet- big congrats Sir!

 

[saltfork]

What an awesome experience! Congratulations. Thanks for sharing

 

[j_volt]

CONGRATS! I absolutely loved following along. Thank you for bringing us with you.

 

[Tmcgarrigle]

@Mark at EXO Another guy with great pack taste and a good story to hear on the podcast!

 

[Marine4life]

@Mark at EXO Another guy with great pack taste and a good story to hear on the podcast!

@Mark at EXO Another guy with great pack taste and a good story to hear on the podcast!

Love the EXOs. I still own my first K2, which my son uses often. I had a the K3 for a couple years and used it on my Dall hunt and updated with the K4. I have two bags but only used the 2200 with no lid for both this sheep hunt and my elk hunt to include a couple overnight trips.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[OXN939]

Home now and apologize for keeping everyone waiting.

Bottom Line Up Front - I killed a 6-year old Ram that scored 146 4/8s gross and one inch less net. He is above the average (133) for the unit and I am extremely happy with what I believe to be a great ram and the overall adventure of this once in a lifetime hunt.
View attachment 613065
As I stated before, I left Nevada to go hunt elk in AZ and then returned home to reset, repack and spend time with the family. After about 10 days at home I left Missouri again on 10/03 heading back to Nevada hoping for cooler weather and more sheep. At this point I had seen one mature ram while scouting prior to the season. It’s a 26 hour drive and my intent was to arrive about noon at my base camp location then make a long ATV ride to a location someone shared they had seen some mature rams the week prior. While about an hour away from my last turnoff I went by a fella who was a hotshot driver broke down on the side of the road. The left rear hub of his F250 was sitting on the road after his lug nuts completely sheered off. I ended up taking him into Winnemucca to get new lug nuts and helped him make the repair and get back on the road. By the time I got to camp I was tired and it was almost dark so I set up a quick base camp and adjusted my plan to leave the following morning.

I had previously met and shared a camp with one of the other tag holders and I had told him where I would be if he wanted to come up and have some help available. He is an older gentlemen and thought he may get a few more days in the field if he had help close by. Right about dark I was happy to see him roll in and we set up his camp. It is always nice when you meet someone you hit it off with and I was happy to have some company at camp. I sure hope he gets his ram.

The next morning I left 2 hours before daylight knowing I had a 20+ mile ATV ride to the location where I received the tip. I hiked about 7 miles that day and glassed a lot but didn’t see any sheep. I was out most of the day and returned just before dark. My new friend hadn’t seen any sheep either so we made a plan for the next morning to ride out together and glass a different area. After another morning of no sheep we returned early and I prepared to head out and spend a couple nights in the area I had seen the one mature ram prior to the season.
View attachment 613067
After a 35 mile 4 wheeler ride I was where I wanted to be in an area along the wilderness area. I made about a mile hike down a ridge to a glassing point and set up for the evening. It didn’t take long and I glassed up a ewe and a lamb about 2 miles below me on a bench above some cliffs. A bit later, I spotted a mature ram a mile across the drainage - finally. I didn’t have time to make it down and across before dark so I just watched him, studied the map and decided I would attempt to make a 4 mile hike round the top in the morning and relocate him. I was excited when I went to bed under the stars knowing I had seen a decent ram and had a plan for morning.

View attachment 613068
On October 7th, I woke early, drank a cup of coffee, ate a bit, packed up my gear and headed to a saddle I wanted to reach at shooting light. The saddle gave me access to the backside of the mountain and a series of ridges I could take to get around to where I has seen the ram. It also gave me a commanding view of a lot of sheep country. When I got to the saddle I decided to head north for about 1/4 mile (the ram was south) to quickly check the drainage where I had previously seen the ewe with the collar.

There were no sheep in that drainage but while glassing I seen a nice mature rams way down the mountain below me so I watched him for a long time trying to decide if I wanted to bail off after him. He was about 2000 ft below and 1 1/2 miles away and was feeding on an east facing slope. He fed until the sun started hitting the slope and then moved around the edge and out of sight. I decided I could hunt that ram later in the week from the bottom instead of dropping so much elevation not knowing exactly where he went.

It was time to get moving and go find the ram from the night before. I was anxious because the sun was up and I still had a long ways to go so I was moving quickly and glassing less. After about a mile around the mountain I stopped to catch my breath and was glassing some shaded slopes way below me when I spotted a white butt of what looked like a big bodied sheep. I pulled out the spotter and sure enough it was a mature ram. At first I thought he was just a young ram as he wasn’t even 3/4 curl but the more I looked I noticed the mass of the horns, the slight blooming and a pretty heavy body. At this point the ram was 1 1/2 miles and 1400 ft below me and feeding on a shaded slope which would stay shaded for well over an hour. I mapped out a plan to drop into the adjacent drainage, haul ass down the creek to a marked location then climb up to a rocky outcrop which I guessed would put me within 300 yards.

I made the descent to the creek as fast as I could and once in the dry creek bottom I hustled through the rocks and sage brush until reaching my marked location. I then made the 400 foot climb back up but just short of the rock outcropping. Before cresting I stopped to catch my breath, removed my rifle from the pack, loaded a round in the chamber, attached the bipod and readied my pack for a quick dump. As I eased over the top my heart was pounding hoping the ram was still there and I was going through the possibilities for the shot as I looked over the terrain. I expected to see the ram slightly below me and to my left in the little bowl and as I slowly eased up exposing more of the hillside. I began to wonder if he was going to be there at all and all of a sudden, to my left and much higher up the slope than I expected, I spotted the ram about the same time he spotted me. I quickly dropped to the ground out of sight and ditched the pack. I eased my head up and confirmed the ram was still there but knew he had me pegged. I crawled about 20 yards forward on the crest to make sure I could clear the grass for a good prone shot. He stood quartering to me and watched as I crawled slowly through the grass until I was confident I could clear it all for the shot. I made a slight adjustment to the bipod, picked him up in the scope and and zoomed in a bit. He looked really nice from the front and I could see some pretty impressive bases. It was an easy decision - I was going to shoot this ram. I quickly ranged him once, then twice getting 228 and 226 yards. A couple clicks on the Leupold turret and I settled in behind my rifle.

The feelings I experience as a hunt develops into a shooting opportunity is one of the main reasons I continue to enjoy hunting. The adrenaline, pounding heart, slight shakes and knowing I have time to execute but at the same time I have to hurry so I don’t miss the opportunity. I settled the crosshairs on his chest slightly forward of his front shoulder and thought to myself - holy crap this is it. As I let out a breath and increased the pressure on the trigger the 300 WSM boomed and I heard a the distinctive whop of the bullet impact. I quickly chambered a second round and found the ram in the scope as he was hauling ass down the hill and just as he tumbled. After rolling a few yards downhill he came to a rest and I had my ram.
View attachment 613066

View attachment 613070

View attachment 613071
I normally don’t make a lot of noise on the mountain but when he went down I yelled out several emotional hoots. I then gathered my gear and quickly made it over to MY ram. When I walked up I couldn’t believe how much bigger he looked up close and I was very glad I didn’t pass him up. It was 930 am and I took a few minutes to drink some water, get my gear organized and reflect on the experience. I began to think of my Dad, to whom I dedicated this hunt, and shed a few tears while thanking him for sparking my passion to hunt and for his role in the man I am today. He passed away in April and it wasn’t very long after that I found out I drew this awesome tag. I was solo on the mountain the day I killed my ram but I know I wasn’t alone.

At noon, the tag had been punched, pictures were taken and I strapped a very heavy pack to my back. It was going to be 75 degrees so I decided to do it in one trip because I was worried about the cape and meat. At 415 I reached the 4 wheeler after the 4 mile and 1500 ft climb out of the wilderness area. It was a long 35 mile ride back to base camp on the wheeler but I was picking bugs out of my teeth the entire way.
View attachment 613073

Gorgeous ram. Territory looks similar to where I was in the Pequops in August. Congrats!

 

[realunlucky]

Congratulations knew karma would give you an opportunity, glad you were able to capitalize. Beautiful Ram thanks for taking us along for the ride.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[SteelheadBum406]

Well done, Sir. I enjoyed reading your excellent write up. Good stuff!

 

[MikeSommers]

Congrats on your Ram! Memories to last a lifetime

 

[Muleyczy]

Great write up, thanks for sharing and congratulations

 

[the hack]

I am sorry about the passing of your father. I too believe that loss and gain are interwoven so your ram/harvest makes sense. You were very generous with your time, resources and research and helped me with my Dall. All the best!

 

[cbeard64]

Congratulations and thanks for taking us along!!

 

[TWHrunner]

Great stuff right there

 

[Grassymike]

Way to go. Sheep earned by doing everything yourself are the greatest trophy there is.

 

[npm352]

Neat sheep and story. Nice work and thanks for sharing.

 

[monteman11]

Great write up and photos! Hopefully someday!