Won a CO RMBH Tag of a Lifetime... Now What

[jto]

Do you have ideas for where you might stay/use as a home base during your hunt?

 

[jmart5687]

I would also plan to attend this event;

Sheep & Goat Meet and Greet | Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society

www.bighornsheep.org

I would second this advice. I know it would involve some traveling, but the crew from RMBS and the volunteers know CO sheep!

 

[MeatInTheFreezer]

Any valuable takeaways from the Sheep and Goat meet and greet, if you were able to get there?

 

[sreg8]

Congrats on the tag!! Which unit are you leaning toward?

 

[sreg8]

Did you talk to Trey at the sheep meet and greet on Saturday?

 

[wannabemtnman]

Any valuable takeaways from the Sheep and Goat meet and greet, if you were able to get there?

I was able to attend and it was a great event. The folks at RMBS are top notch. It's well laid out as they have a "mentor" for each unit set up at tables, many of whom brought maps. There were several individuals and guides walking around networking, sharing advice. It's an open door approach to hunting with folks who have the same tags sharing insight on scouting, feedback of the animals in the unit, areas they have or have not seen sheep this year or in the past. I received a number of contacts of guys who will be in the field this fall that all seem to be about helping others fill their tags. Couldn't recommend the event and the group of people enough if you have a sheep or goat tag. Looking forward to going back in the future.

 

[Ramem7mm]

That is pretty cool. Good luck on the hunt

 

[TXCO]

Any updates here? Whats the plan with seasons open?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wannabemtnman]

It probably is time for an update.

The way my schedule is working, I’m going to head in for a week the end of September with two units in mind, focusing on one northern unit and then going more central state if I don’t turn much up in the north. Since I lived in Steamboat and Fort Collins for a number of years I’ve got plenty of places to stay across the state and will utilize that come November.

I’m saving my primary focus time for November, where I’ll have from 10/29-11/22 until my wife said she’ll start talking to a lawyer. That’s also assuming I can take being away from her and the kids for that long. Looking to hunt the rut and focus on winter range. Will start with the same units in mind but have 3 others I hope to spend some time in.

My goal is to do something unique with this tag, I’d prefer to have a real adventure hunt since this is one of the only tags you can do some crazy things with. One option that I’d prefer to do over any others is to backcountry ski into a spot where rams are rutting/wintering and pack a ram out on skis. I love to backcountry ski and snowmobile so having that as an option, even if it meant killing a smaller ram vs a booner out someone’s back door on the front range, would be way more fun to me. This idea came up when talking to Trey at the RMBS meet and greet and it has stuck with me. I’ve got a few buddies who want to join on that hunt if it comes up too. The weather needs to cooperate and plays the biggest factor but it’s my goal at the moment.

Have transitioned away from focusing on archery as primary method of take, depending on where and who’s with me I may take both, but otherwise I’ll pack a rifle.

Can’t wait, a lot going on in the meantime but if you have any other unique suggestions, I’m all ears.

 

[Steve O]

That sounds EPIC…find a cabin near where you want to go and have he bring the kids out for a weekend or two while you are in that month. My archery tag in 07, coming from Michigan and hunting the whole season, I packed up the wife, young kids and pup and we stayed in a cabin right in the middle of the unit for a month. Awesome awesome time in our life.

 

[5MilesBack]

I’m saving my primary focus time for November, where I’ll have from 10/29-11/22 until my wife said she’ll start talking to a lawyer.

Tell her to make sure the lawyer is willing to help with the pack out. At least make himself useful.

 

[wannabemtnman]

I mentioned her coming out and she wasn’t excited about flying with 2 under 3 years old by herself. I may fly back for a couple days to make things easy if it comes to it. Not going to plan on it at this point though.

 

[MeatInTheFreezer]

It probably is time for an update.

The way my schedule is working, I’m going to head in for a week the end of September with two units in mind, focusing on one northern unit and then going more central state if I don’t turn much up in the north. Since I lived in Steamboat and Fort Collins for a number of years I’ve got plenty of places to stay across the state and will utilize that come November.

I’m saving my primary focus time for November, where I’ll have from 10/29-11/22 until my wife said she’ll start talking to a lawyer. That’s also assuming I can take being away from her and the kids for that long. Looking to hunt the rut and focus on winter range. Will start with the same units in mind but have 3 others I hope to spend some time in.

My goal is to do something unique with this tag, I’d prefer to have a real adventure hunt since this is one of the only tags you can do some crazy things with. One option that I’d prefer to do over any others is to backcountry ski into a spot where rams are rutting/wintering and pack a ram out on skis. I love to backcountry ski and snowmobile so having that as an option, even if it meant killing a smaller ram vs a booner out someone’s back door on the front range, would be way more fun to me. This idea came up when talking to Trey at the RMBS meet and greet and it has stuck with me. I’ve got a few buddies who want to join on that hunt if it comes up too. The weather needs to cooperate and plays the biggest factor but it’s my goal at the moment.

Have transitioned away from focusing on archery as primary method of take, depending on where and who’s with me I may take both, but otherwise I’ll pack a rifle.

Can’t wait, a lot going on in the meantime but if you have any other unique suggestions, I’m all ears.

Freekin love this plan. Enjoy every minute.

 

[TalusHunterCA]

Mike Duplan is very dialed on Colorado sheep. Might find him on IG

He's knowledgeable. He's also no longer in Sheep Shape.

 

[wannabemtnman]

Update - ended up spending a 4 nights solo in S73. Lost a day to work and a day to weather last Tuesday when the 1/2" of forecasted snow quickly turned into 4" on the ground by 5 am with no vis all day at 11.5k. When the clouds cleared and sun rose on Wednesday saw some tracks but no sheep. Had 3 beautiful days. Turned up 3 rams and 22 ewes/lambs, one group of 20+. Covered 40 miles and learned a lot about the country. Colors were 10/10 at least! Treated this hunt more like a scouting trip with a rifle in tow. Looking forward to heading back out at the end of October, not stuck on this unit but have some great ideas on where to start.

Weather pending, hoping to pack the skis along and see what we can get into on the next trip.

If anyone has other ideas or areas to check out, all ears. The "month" my wife had graciously granted is fading a bit given the state of dealing with an a$# hole 3 year old and a 4 month old solo.

If you zoom in on the 3rd pic you can see the ewe sky lined looking over the basin below.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Update - ended up spending a 4 nights solo in S73. Lost a day to work and a day to weather last Tuesday when the 1/2" of forecasted snow quickly turned into 4" on the ground by 5 am with no vis all day at 11.5k. When the clouds cleared and sun rose on Wednesday saw some tracks but no sheep. Had 3 beautiful days. Turned up 3 rams and 22 ewes/lambs, one group of 20+. Covered 40 miles and learned a lot about the country. Colors were 10/10 at least! Treated this hunt more like a scouting trip with a rifle in tow. Looking forward to heading back out at the end of October, not stuck on this unit but have some great ideas on where to start.

Weather pending, hoping to pack the skis along and see what we can get into on the next trip.

If anyone has other ideas or areas to check out, all ears. The "month" my wife had graciously granted is fading a bit given the state of dealing with an a$# hole 3 year old and a 4 month old solo.

If you zoom in on the 3rd pic you can see the ewe sky lined looking over the basin below.

We saw a couple of oil rams in S51 & S65 on Culebra peaks in September when elk hunting
I don’t know if you are interested in that area?