The Quest for a Bighorn

Talk anything related to the above listed big game.
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DeadI
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Re: The Quest for a Bighorn

Post by DeadI » Fri Dec 31, 2010 10:29 am

Great looking Ram Koby. And awsome story. Sure glad you were able to get it done. So are you now going to go for the grand slam?
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ridgetop
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Re: The Quest for a Bighorn

Post by ridgetop » Fri Dec 31, 2010 10:41 am

9er wrote:What a GREAT looking ram :not-worthy thanks for sharing with us. I was hooked on your adventure even though i had a decent understanding of the outcome.

Are we gonna see this ram at any expo or in a magazine?

Do those rams spend there time during summer in the burn and then migrate for the rut/winter?

9er
The fire has burned most of their range, both summer and winter. It has really opened up a lot of new habitat for them. Which really made it a challenge this year because they were not in their usual spots. 9er, sorry for not getting back with you about the yotes. There are a ton of them out there to be had. I don't know about any mags. yet and I'm really not counting on any more sheep in my lifetime.
There's always next year

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Re: The Quest for a Bighorn

Post by 9er » Fri Dec 31, 2010 12:23 pm

ridgetop wrote: about the yotes. There are a ton of them out there to be had.
When we going??? :)

9er
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Re: The Quest for a Bighorn

Post by proutdoors » Fri Dec 31, 2010 7:28 pm

Congrats once again, Koby! Awesome ram, awesome story, awesome effort from you and your crew, and awesome photos. I can't wait to watch the video footage once you have it all compiled.
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Re: The Quest for a Bighorn

Post by killerbee » Fri Dec 31, 2010 8:28 pm

i took the time this morning, before work- (couldn't sleep), to read your whole post, beginning to end.

Man what an awsome hunt!!!

it was getting pretty intence towards the end( which ram is he going to kill).

you did AWSOME!!

that ram has great mass and alot better than a normal california bigorn for length. they are broomers for sure.

super cool hunt, i'm glad i got to go on a hunt with my cousin- and a hunt with ridgetop- via WWW., thanks for all those updates! i think you should win that hunt easily, well between you and predator( only because she's a girl:))
thanks a bunch, it's a great read!

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Re: The Quest for a Bighorn

Post by ridgetop » Sat Jan 01, 2011 9:27 am

proutdoors wrote:Congrats once again, Koby! Awesome ram, awesome story, awesome effort from you and your crew, and awesome photos. I can't wait to watch the video footage once you have it all compiled.
Thanks Bart, to bad you couldn't have been there that last day but I know family comes first. I also know that those sheep hold special place in your heart. I commend your efforts with the transplants. When I get a DVD put together of the hunt and summer scouting, I'll give you a copy if you like. I'll also try to upload it onto this site, if it's not too long. Also I was really hoping to get the kill shot posted up for those interested but I'm having format problems with my computer right now.
There's always next year

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Re: The Quest for a Bighorn

Post by ridgetop » Sat Jan 01, 2011 9:30 am

killerbee wrote:i took the time this morning, before work- (couldn't sleep), to read your whole post, beginning to end.

Man what an awsome hunt!!!

it was getting pretty intence towards the end( which ram is he going to kill).

you did AWSOME!!

that ram has great mass and alot better than a normal california bigorn for length. they are broomers for sure.

super cool hunt, i'm glad i got to go on a hunt with my cousin- and a hunt with ridgetop- via http://WWW., thanks for all those updates! i think you should win that hunt easily, well between you and predator( only because she's a girl:))
thanks a bunch, it's a great read!
Thanks Killerbee, his length is what really sold me. He's almost 35" long and does carry is mass out really far.
There's always next year

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Re: The Quest for a Bighorn

Post by ridgetop » Sat Jan 01, 2011 1:04 pm

Follow-up

I thought you guys would like a review of the unit I hunted. First of all, the herd is very young with 90% of the rams under seven years old. There are only 3 or 4 rams that are 8 years or older. Only two of the older rams don’t have collars. Those two have ear tags.

Since these sheep have never been hunted before, I thought it was going to be extremely easy to get into muzzleloader range. Wrong. I don’t know if the sheep were so traumatized from being captured by helicopter, then loaded onto a trailer blindfolded, but they are very spooky. Most of the time, I couldn’t get within three hundred yards before they were off and running.

A lot of new habitat was opened up for the sheep this summer due to a big fire which burned over 50,000 acres. Because of this fire, the BLM closed off the West side of the range to motor vehicle travel from the reservation to I-80 (around 15-20 miles). This new roadless area, along with new open rangeland, caused the sheep to explore new areas, making them a lot more difficult to find.

If any of you draw this unit, I would be willing to help out the best I can. Do not expect any help or useful information from the local biologist–from experience. I have to say he won’t give it.

If you are looking for a big, non-collared ram, it will be hard to find one next year. I recommend holding off for a few more years. In four years or so, this unit will be unbelievable. If you just want to see sheep on a daily basis, with almost a 1:1 ram to ewe ratio, this is a good unit to put in for. Just expect to put in a lot of miles and have a really good optic that can spot three miles away from the mountain.

If the sheep continue to move South next year, it will be harder to scout during the summer–there are just so many places to look. The good thing is, so far, they have always shown up on the North and Northwest side of the range to rut and winter. There’s always the chance that chukar hunters will spook the sheep too while your trying to put on a stalk.

I ended up taking my ram on the 22nd day of the hunt. The other tag holder took his 160" class ram on the 29th day. In comparison, the guys hunting the Newfoundlands the last two years have shot their rams in the first three days. Be prepared to hunt hard early in the season with lots of gnats and mosquitos. Later, you may find a foot (or a lot more) of snow on top of these mountains, which will drive the sheep down into the foothills.

Hopefully, this info will help any of you who might be interested in this hunt to know if it is the right unit for you.

Happy Hunting! Happy New Year!
There's always next year

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Re: The Quest for a Bighorn

Post by MuleyMadness » Sat Jan 01, 2011 1:39 pm

Great info Ridge. I want to see that Ram in person some day, I just keep going back and looking at how cool he is. Amazing animals.

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Re: The Quest for a Bighorn

Post by firefighterbraun » Sat Jan 01, 2011 5:32 pm

Finally had a chance to sit down and read the story of the hunt and check out the pics! Sounds like an amazing experience and can't wait to someday hopefully have the luck of drawing a tag. Congrats on a amazing ram!! 10sign:

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