Bighorn Sheep?

mntnguide · Jan 17, 2017

I would put in as many freaking days as you can!!! I scouted over 2 weeks straight when I had a tag in Idaho and it was still the toughest hunt of my life...sheep hunting is not easy, and it's basically once in a lifetime damn near..I would be putting in far more time than 1 day ahead. Guides will be up there before openers set up on the big rams I would bet for sure. Whatever time you can put in,I highly suggest you do so! Sheep can disappear in a hurry and seem like they vanish in thin air..they aren't always gonna stay in an area especially when they get pressured

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hoshour · Jan 17, 2017

I agree. For a once in a lifetime hunt, you'd have to be crazy to wait until the day before on a DIY hunt. Spotting and stalking sheep is a lot harder than it looks, and if you want a big ram, you'll need to find him first. If it were me, I'd take at least a week to scout ahead of time and if I lived close to scout more, I would scout all I could before the season.

mntnguide · Jan 18, 2017

Haha..that makes sense. I figured you'd be scouting but just making sure! I would say it depends on which area you Drew and are hunting?..if it's one of the more popular units,you probably won't be the only one watching a good ram. Yes, sheep will flat out bail out of the country if spooked bad. If it were me and I found the ram I wanted to tag, I would be up there 2-3 days before opener depending on last time I had watched him so I had time to relocate him and I would try to do so at a distance. Set up camp further, then day before opener find your ram and literally sleep on him so you are right on him the next morning hopefully! I love sheep hunting, it is the most frustrating but incredible hunt. I wish I was drawing a tag anytime soon!haha. You should have a blast though no matter

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BuzzH · Jan 18, 2017

I would definitely scout as much as you can.

I drew an AZ desert tag in 2012 and spent about 10 days prior to the season scouting. IME, the best part of the hunt was actually the scouting. I never saw another sheep hunter until 2 days before the season (granted there were only 6 total tags). I kept track of all the rams I was finding and had a list of 3-4 that were rams I would be happy with.

My number 1 ram was found by a group of hunters the night before the season opened. They were at the base of the hills watching them, I was watching them from a different angle. I had already decided at that point, I was going to hunt my number 2 ram rather than have that turn into a total cluster shag. I didn't want a once in a lifetime hunt turning into a foot-race competition with another hunter.

Interestingly enough, about 40 minutes before dark, those sheep, including my number 1 ram, moved about a mile north and the other hunters lost them. They weren't paying attention, too busy talking I guess, when the rams moved rather abruptly. You could see the hunters panicking, they split into 2 groups, one group looking north and one south...they flat couldn't see them anymore. The rams had tucked into a large draw and from where they were, I knew there was no way the other hunters could see them.

At that point, since I knew they didn't know where those rams went, I then planned to hunt my number 1 ram.

The next morning, before daylight, my buddy and I made our way into the draw we last saw the rams in. The other hunters were nowhere to be found. About 30 minutes into the season, I shot my ram at about 80 yards. The other hunters gambled that the rams had went south when they lost them, leaving me with a wonderful hunt, all by ourselves.

IMO, it was more important to enjoy hunting rams without worrying about other hunters. If they wouldn't have lost those sheep, I was planning on hunting a different ram.

It would be a real bummer to have to compete with another hunter over a ram...I personally wouldn't ever do that. Remember its supposed to be a fun, once-in-a-lifetime experience, not a foot-race.

Few pictures while scouting.

BuzzH · Jan 18, 2017

I've also hunted Montana with my Dad, and a good friend that drew.

Those hunts, we waited until later in the season, and did essentially no scouting prior to the season. In fact, we never hunted in either case until November, even though the season started Sept. 15.

My buddies tag, he just showed up and we started hunting. About 3 days in, we found a good group of rams and he as able to take a 10.5 year old ram, 40" on each horn, that qualified for the awards book, at 179 and change net. There was another ram with this one, that was an absolute dinosaur. It was a tough choice between the two. The other ram was killed the next year, and it was 14.5 years old, heavily broomed, and just squeaked into the record book at 180 and change. Wish I would have taken pictures of the other ram, it was a cool sheep.

My buddy (on the left), with his Montana ram.

My Dad's hunt was a bit different. I went up a week early and scouted for him, since he was still working. Again, that was the most fun for me, just getting to look over a bunch of rams. I found about 40-50 rams that were 3/4 curl or better, maybe 5-6 that were record book heads.

I took a TON of photos of sheep, and when Dad got off work, I showed him all the pictures I'd taken. It was a tough call on the top 5, but he liked the looks of this one, better than the rest:

It took a day to find this one again, as I hadn't kept real close track of him, too busy looking for more rams. We watched the ram until dark. The next morning we hiked into where he was, and found him in a hell of a snowstorm. Actually, got pretty lucky, as they had not moved more than a few hundred yards from the night before.

Dad shot it at about 90 yards or so, turned out being over 40 on the long side, 8.5 years old, and officially scored 183 3/8 net.

Again, the most fun for me on all the hunts was the scouting.

mtncowboy · Jan 18, 2017

I have mulled this question over a lot. I was too scared that I would bump the rams if I was in there super early, so we went in the day before. We relocated the ram the day before the season, I took cover a half a mile away out of sight. It was super hard, but I didn't want to blow him out. We were out of sight all afternoon. Snuck in opening morning and he was no where to be found. Waited and glassed all day, nothing. Luckily, turned him up the next day and we got the job done. I think each case is unique and there is no perfect answer. Is it a Wyoming tag with 40 other hunters or a AZ desert tag and you have the area to yourself, is it close to the rut or not, are there wolves in the area....the list goes on and on. Good luck, it will be fantastic!

Timberstalker · Jan 18, 2017

I had a Oregon sheep tag in '11. I scouted a couple times in the summer and found two shooter rams. I went a week prior to season to make sure they were there and keep tabs on them, they were gone. I searched the entire week before season and couldn't find them. Once the season started I had a two week season and one week of vacation left and I was at ground zero. It took me seven more days to find a good ram with no more vacation time remaining. If I had it to do over I would have saved some pre season scouting days for the actual season. I could have very easily ended up empty, and having to go back to work with an entire week of season left. I would have certainly lost my job and my wife wouldn't have been too pleased with me. It turned out to be the most difficult, stressful and rewarding hunt of my life. I don't know what your situation is but use your time wisely, I didn't do a very good job at that.

Umpqua Hunter · Jan 18, 2017

Wyoming has a long sheep season so you have a lot of options. In Oregon we have a week so you need to be there early.

On my Wyoming hunt, I went mid season. The only other sheep hunter I saw was at the trailhead coming out with his guide and a ram. I saw 40+ rams.

On my son's Wyoming tag we went for the next to the last week of the season and he shot his rams within sight of the road as the rams were dropping down to the sage for the winter.

sheephunter · Jan 22, 2017

However you decide to start out your hunt I would recommend having a Plan B in place. And also Plans C&D. I was up to about plan E and had to adapt quickly before I was successful on my sheep hunt.

Timberstalker · Jan 22, 2017

sheephunter said:
However you decide to start out your hunt I would recommend having a Plan B in place. And also Plans C&D. I was up to about plan E and had to adapt quickly before I was successful on my sheep hunt.

Good advise, one thing that's not an option is giving up.

WEST RIVER · Jan 23, 2017

If you go to a regional game and fish office they will let you look at the pictures they take of every ram and give you a sheet that has all the harvest information date killed drainage killed and that kind of stuff for not just last year but previous years
and it is free.

CoHiCntry · Jan 24, 2017

WEST RIVER said:
If you go to a regional game and fish office they will let you look at the pictures they take of every ram

Sounds more like grocery shopping... I'm all for stacking the odds in your favor, especially on a once in a lifetime hunt, but seeing a pic of every ram on the mountain definitely takes some of the adventure & element of surprise out of it!

Bighorn Sheep?

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