holy he77fire
just picked up the mail and there is a shiny blue tag in it a CO sheep tag
akin to winning the lottery anymore--been 16 years since our last sheep hunt, I remember how,
man I gota get in shape, goin right to light beer after this 12ver is done promise!
yeehaw from the high country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations sir! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Congrats.
big time congrats
yeehay from the low country congradulations.
Congratulations!!
:biglaugh:
I am sure you will be fine. HAH!
Have a GREAT time Scott!
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Big congrats from cal :cool:
Congrats and the best of luck to you sir. I cant wiat till the day I draw one. I will likely be 70 and hopefully still loving it.
Congrats, you lucky rascal!Wish I could be so lucky.
BIG CONGRADS MAN! I long for a sheep hunt, but sadly may never climb those hills. If I do though, it will be with a Longbow!
Congrats on a very coveted tag. :clapper: :clapper:
And best of luck later on.
Congrats! Good luck!! :thumbsup:
Congrats Scott! please keep up posted.
I look forward to help pack out a sheep, usually it is just your elk! Congrats.
That's cool! I'd sure love to take a bighorn sheep with my longbow someday.
Bisch
What a good news Scott!
:clapper:
Congrats :thumbsup:
Congratulations Buddy.!
:thumbsup:
Thanks guys, going to be a great sheep year here in CO as several fellow bowhunters have drawn sheep tags as well,
my tag is for s-37 which is the st. vrain herd its the only tag issued very low population of sheep, but i live in the unit and is basically my back door, I know it very well, there are a couple of real busters here, will post pics through out the summer,as I am going to enjoy sharing this journey with everyone,
This will be my 5th sheep tag, and before the oohs and awes start I drew my first in 1984, which has special meaning as that is where I met my bride of 23 years, (another sheep story to follow)
So stay tuned, be glad to answer any questions, this is going to be a fun ride, for everyone.
Congrats. Hope you post the story and photos this fall, so we can follow along without the leg cramps, burning lungs, etc.
16 yrs since your last sheep hunt? No problem, nothing has changed in 16 yrs...right? haha
FIVE tags! Wow, I don't care how many years it took you to draw these. That's a lot of sheep tags! A friend drew one last year and that was after 26 yrs of trying.
Snag,
OLD guys in CO could buy sheep tags OTC back in the day...
jeff i am sure you understand
snag, back when i started applying you could draw with 1-2 points, sometimes 0, my wife drew in 84,85,89 , it is much different now
Seriously!?
Well good for you...
Ya our chances are so slim here I really dont think people understand how difficult it is to get that tag..
I've ben struck by lightning 3 times now.... Still no tag!! :dunno:
When asked what's wrong with the the world my answer would be..."Not enough elk and big horn sheep"
Congrats and best of luck.
Congrats on the great tag Hornunter! Good luck on your upcoming hunt.
Congrats OLD man!
S-37, wow, who do you know? (LOL)
:campfire: Take Lots of pics,I want to be there with ya!
QuoteOriginally posted by Steve O:
Snag,
OLD guys in CO could buy sheep tags OTC back in the day...
Ahhh yes, the good ol' days! When life was simplier. Just buy a sheep tag OTC and go hunting.
Have a great hunt!
Congrats and be safe ... just sent in my app today for June draw
Congrats! I hope someday I get a tag like that instead of the dear john letters.
Congrats Scott!!! I am looking forward to following along vicariously on your adventure! :thumbsup:
Congratulations Scott. I am looking forward to reading about your hunt. Keep us posted
All right so the honeymoon and hangover are gone, its time to get to work on this project
We have had record snowfalls in this end of the state 247% above normal, so I am not sure what that is going to do to my sheep hunt,
I am sure it will be mid august befor we can get over the continental divide, my unit lays on both the east side as well as the west side of the divide, and there are sheep on both, but the west side has never been hunted (at least in the last 200 years) for sheep, and I really want to get over there, not only the fact there is probably some very good size rams, but no one has ever killed a sheep in that country, and being the first to do somthing is far more important (at least to me) then inches of horn matter.
So this is how it really starts:
almost every morning "we" meaning the wife, lab, kid and I sit around the breakfast table discussing sheepy looking areas, old sheep sightings, routes, terrain, etc. etc. etc.
(http://i53.tinypic.com/14e00sx.jpg)
since its going to be a while: taken from my back yard
(http://i53.tinypic.com/8x0wh0.jpg)
snow covered peak on the far left is the northern boundry of my area
its is time to prep equipment as well- think I will hunt with this old warrior, a well known sheep hunter built this for me back in 1983, still shoots like a rocket, has taken a lot of game, very good mojo
(http://i54.tinypic.com/2ptbcc8.jpg)
(http://i56.tinypic.com/16izgns.jpg)
here are a couple of lion and winter kills from this unit we have found
(http://i52.tinypic.com/10fqtjb.jpg)
some from last year, date was messed up on the camera,
I think I would take a poke at this one?
(http://i53.tinypic.com/2z5j5vb.jpg)
although I wouldnt shoot this guy, he is going to be a tremendous ram, saw him just recently, we call him Ibex
(http://i54.tinypic.com/255uyxc.jpg)
just a couple more of the locals
(http://i56.tinypic.com/2eoekrb.jpg)
well thats all for now,
getting in sheep shape,equipment prep, map scouting, and most of all thanking God everyday for providing the Rocky Mountains my home.
Scott........12 years since my last tag, I am so jealous man, yer killin me! Taking the old Bighorn sure is poetic justice......shoot straight.
Proud for you
I see a new avatar coming
Congratulations on the tag, and the Bighorn is an obvious bow choice for this hunt. Looking forward to tagging along.
Good luck Scott,I am next to you.I love also the bow of choice you couldn't find a better one for a CO bighorn hunt.
I think they are still excellent bows.
WOW, That is great!!!
I look forward to reading all about your upcoming sheep hunt Scott, congrats on the tag.
This is my 39th year applying for an Oregon bighorn tag, so maybe it will be MY lucky year as well. :pray:
Vince-- thanks bud, 16 for me, I still remember how
get in shape, get in shape, get in shape, these are the three things I am working on right now
good grief this hurts, right now I am just hiking a STEEP hill once a week, later on i will do some other stuff, but for now it is picking the ol horn up and making a shot, getting my gear togeather because once the snow clears every waking moment will be put into scouting, scouting scouting, and when the time comes I want to just grab this bag and that pack and it is good to go,
no question if i need this or that, it will be decided long befor.
this is nothing short of the olympics for me and my wife, the tag we dream about---well other then that shiras bull tag--which jan had last year,,
cool should i post a pic of that as well? had my best friends from the landocheese out here? they shared the fun
Ron good grief 39 WOW that is dedication
Yep, that was much fun! Cant wait to photo a dead bighorn & a happy hornhunter.
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b58/Hallstead/elkhunt2010028.jpg)
that was a day of butchering, but as you can see we had top knotch help
sharing the hunt is so very important, good friends and good times
Scott, thanks for the update and I hope this continues for those of us who love sheep hunting. You seem to be well prepared already. That photo of your den and the winter/lion killed rams and sheds shows how much boot time you have spent in that unit already.
well its going to be a while befor any alpine scouting, still alot of snow in them thar hills
6/15/11
(http://i55.tinypic.com/nlo2nk.jpg)
many of you have been here it is the Alpine visitor center in Rocky Mountain National Park looking west
more important though it is the Continental Divide just a few miles south is my sheep area
the snow is melting quickly now but it will still be late july- early august before we can get to the places I want to scout.
probably will have to kayak to my sheep mountain ;)
(http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx293/dazzafelix/DSCN0667.jpg)
Good luck Scott.
The snow is melting here time to scout.
congrulations and good luck! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Who said, no pain no gain must have been thinking of sheep hunting. Sixteen is a long time; got your running shoes and weights. :thumbsup: :clapper:
hud
I got good boots and a back pack, much prefer to hike to get into sheep shape,
I will ride a bike later on this summer to help build stamina, and I mean a real bike SINGLE speed big tires-up hill
mental toughness is about 75% of sheep hunting, you can prep, scout , get in top shape, but if you quit it is all for nothing I have seen many first time sheep hunters, train like olympians, buy the most expsensive gear,scout like they should and after 3 days on the mountain hunting by themselves they go home.
I have a much different approach to sheep hunting or any type mountain hunting , when season gets here I start out slow, very slow,I set up a good camp, lay around get used to the altitude, shoot my bow, fish a little, then as the season progresses i get stronger,(actually building more red blood cells, the ones that carry oxygen) and by the end of the season few people can keep up with me...and thats not bragging, but mental as well as physical conditioning, if you burn out the first few days you are in real trouble, cause it does not get any easier in fact it gets tougher, because you are losing weight-strength,
and you think you should be doing somthing else.
It takes a real faith to stay strong by yourself away from your daily routines for a long period of time.
I think that is most rewarding , being able to not only survive but excel in the wilderness.
Congratulations, must be nice. I haven't had that amount of luck yet but, still trying.
HornHunter, isn't it time for another update? :campfire:
You can't hold a tag that good and not share every gory detail with us sheep addicts....
OK
so just a quick up date on the scouting--which isnt really happening where I want it too- still a lot of snow at the 10k level
(http://i54.tinypic.com/116jd4x.jpg)
picture looks smokey? thats snow fog from melting snow
this is an area just north of where I want to look for rams, no animals yet, just a few deer tracks, no elk, no moose, no nothing other then snow birds?
but its melting fast been in the high 90's in the low country last couple weeks, lots of monsoon rain storms -which are early
So I have been looking in the lower elevations where I have hunted and found rams before, and they are there, unfortunatly my camera was dead when I found them, so with new battery, and renewed gusto I will go back and gets some pictures of these posers.
so here is a couple of pics from the country I will be hunting
(http://i52.tinypic.com/w2llbp.jpg)
Beautiful country!
Lookin' forward to more scoutin' & huntin' pics!
Enjoy the journey!
Shoot straight, Shinken
:archer2:
Hell wit those sheep, how are my elk doing?
oh ya about those elk....a...er...are they the big brown ones?
You know, the ones with the HUGE antlers on their head! Hope the snow melts for you sooner or later. Considering it`s 97 degrees & slimy here, that high country looks mighty fine right now.
BR 549
is this one?
(http://i53.tinypic.com/jpigea.jpg)
or do they look more like this?
(http://i52.tinypic.com/e3ps9.jpg)
were hunting sheep this year Bubba, not elks, I suppose if a calf stumbles into sheep camp you can try to shoot it,providing you dont fall apart.
Did you figure out a way to carry my pack and yours? Save you a lot of boot leather being able to combine the two--long ways in ya know.
What an awesome thread! Keep us posted!
Brian, I believe your "guide" is giving you the berries. Or does Scott consider the "verbal harassment" as part of your pre-season conditioning, to toughen you up for life around camp? Good luck to both of you this Fall!
Well I wish I had a big juicy-sheepy report but the continental divide is still under 10 foot of snow, I'll post some pics from last weekend.
Meantime here is a story from my sheep hunt 16 years ago, same area:
The story of this sheep actually actually started back in the early 80's when I first applied for Colorado bighorns, the CO DOW had reopened the now famous Georgetown unit in about 81, and there were some absolute gigantic rams in that area, I was fortunate enough to draw my first tag in 1984, I was green as a gord when it came to sheep hunting, but I loved the high country and this was about as good as it gets.
I was to be hunting alone as I knew no one else that had a one of the 5 tags issued, I really didn't care who else held a permit I had one and that's all that mattered, I was scouting one summers day driving down a rough two track off the mountain when I rounded a corner and there was a person backpacking walking down the road?
Up to this time I had not seen anyone, and this was out of the way for your usual backpacker types as I pulled along side, "she" stopped and said hello, I about fell out of the truck a young gorgeous woman with a full pack and dressed in camo?
I said what are you doing up here, your aways off the beaten path,-- she looked at me like the dumb redneck I was -and politely said "I am scouting sheep I drew an archery tag for this area and this is one of the places I intend to hunt"
I offered a ride down the rest of the way and we talked about the upcoming hunt, I could tell she was a very serious hunter, so there was no BSing her.
Well I am proud to say 25 years later that young beautiful woman is still my wife, hunting partner, and best friend, something's were just meant to be.
"we" continued to hunt Georgetown over the next10 years as sheep tags were easy to come by back then and game was plentiful, we both took good mule deer, elk, and in 1989 Janet took her ram, a huge 7/8 curl, that scored very well in P&Y, I had the pleasure to watch her do a barefoot stalk onto a cliffs edge and shoot this big ram with her recurve in his bed.
I had passed on several rams over that span of years always trying for one of the whoppers, they were there, but not easy, then in 1995 I decided to try sheep hunting in my backyard as the DOW had expanded the Big Thompson unit another well know big ram area, these sheep were very different then the Georgetown sheep they were not as spooky although they lived in the timber, once you found them, they were approachable or so I thought, I drew that year with 3 points and had figured out sheep tags were getting much more difficult to draw and if I was going to kill one I had better get with the program.
So needless to say Jan and I spent the entire summer scouting we knew these sheep as they were only a few miles from our house and we could watch them year around, by sept 1st when the season rolled around I felt confident about killing a ram, but oh what a lesson I was in for, the first week of sept is always a transition period for all animals , deer, elk even sheep they change there habits and there locations from there summer haunts.
And "my" sheep I had watched all summer had disappeared, I didn't panic because these rams can be extremely hard to locate because of the rough terrain, and you can find them if you just keep after it, but the season was only about 30 days although that sounds like a generous amount of time its not when you are searching a haystack for a needle.
I hunted hard everyday looking and glassing the best known areas, the sheep were gone, and I was running out of time, with just three days left, Jan suggested we go look at a spot we had only heard that there were sheep in, I thought it was a waste of valuable time but I didn't have a better place to look
So we hiked into this drainage one afternoon and started glassing suddenly Jan said "ram" he was all alone half a mile away in a place we simply couldn't get to, so while we were looking for a better place to glass him from we started to notice all the sheep beds on this rock outcrop, I asked her do you think that ram lives here as well? There was fresh sheep sign everywhere, so with a little snooping we found a faint trail leading towards where the ram was bedded, sure enough sheep tracks and they were fresh, so it was an aspen covered hillside with rocky out crops and a few scattered pines we were not on really a good place for a spot and stalk as our vision was limited, way to open for a ground blind, sheep really notice things that are out of place when there in the timber, what about a tree stand in one of those aspens?
So the next afternoon I snuck in and hung a tree stand and snuck back out with intentions of hunting it the next day, well we had a storm front brewing and the next day the winds were gusting 50-60 mph I tried to sit the stand but the aspen was swaying 3-4 feet, not good.
So about 4 in the afternoon I finally climbed out and just as I hit the ground I looked up the trail and here comes the ram, he is about 75 yards and closing at a steady walk, and I am in the wide open, I hit the dirt and crawled into some tiny dog hair aspens just a few feet away I rose high enough to see, and the ram was still coming straight down the trail I was 5 yards from, my outline was broken up from the "twigs" I was hiding in but I could draw my bow with out making a racket, so I just got on my knees with arrow pointed at the trail and hoped.
Well the old ram got about 15 yards when he put his head down and started to feed directly at me, the strong wind was good, there was green grass in those little aspens and that was what he was after, I glanced at my watch on my left wrist it was 4:35 plenty of day light left, but I had no shot and wasn't sure I could raise and shoot even if it presented itself, so I just sat tight not looking at the ram, as I have always felt animals can tell when you are looking at them,
As I watched the minutes tick by, and the ram just mere feet from me, I kept hoping he would just turn and walk away, as bad as I wanted a shot I knew if I spooked him he would not come back and tomorrow was the last day of the season, I was actually praying for him to just leave, 11 years 4 tags and 89 days of sheep hunting had come down to this , a big old ram, 10 feet away had no idea I was there, and I couldn't shoot, he was to close.
I remember tears starting to come to my eyes, because these situations never work out, I thought it was over when he suddenly snapped his head up and looked directly at me, not sure if he had caught my scent or just being that close he sensed a fear, but he started backing up, looking directly at me, I didn't even breath, he backed up about 15 feet, then spun and trotted about 20 feet still looking at me, I sat there not moving, he continued on up the side hill all the time staring at me until he was about 35 yards, he then just simply walked away, not spooked just not sure.
I looked at my watch it was 5:15 about half hour till dark, I waited there till dark then snuck off the mountain, I was sure he wasn't spooked and if I snuck in there the next afternoon I might have a chance to locate him.
Well as bad as I wanted to go back at daylight I knew the thermal current would not be good I had to hunt this place the last hour of the day when the wind would be steady downhill, so at 4:30 the next day last day of the season, I was back and silently slipping up towards the meadow I had last seen him in, sure enough I wasn't there 15 minutes and I had found him bedded just about 100 yards from the night before, he was in an open clearing about 35 yards across I was on the edge in some small thick firs, I figured that he would soon get up and feed, I had the wind, I just needed him to stand before it got dark, I don't remember exactly took place I just remember his rump starting to rise and that big yellow fletch was on its way, it looked good but he was in some shadows, he bolted hard to my left, I heard him break timber for a short distance then it was quiet, and starting to snow, I felt good about the shot, but there always that doubt, so I simply left.
Jan and I were back there at daylight with 4 inches of fresh snow, I went to the spot where he was standing and started to trace his steps, with Jan behind me suddenly she whispered "look at this", pointing to my footprints , there was blood, coming up through the snow where I had been standing, we both just got a big grin on our face, and yes the trail was short he had fallen over a big log just out of sight the night before, I had my ram.
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/Hornhunter2/95sheep-1.jpg)
What an awesome story! I do wish the picture was a bit bigger. That ram looks like a beast.
Good luck to you this year!
Great story Scott. I hope this year goes well. Good Luck!!
Great story. That's getting your moneys worth, taking the ram on the last day like that. Bet you wouldn't mind that exact scenario playing out for you again this year. Good luck, and looking forward to your future posts.
Awesome, awesome story Scott. What a great way to meet your wife. Best of luck with this years adventure.
"That ram looks like a beast."
A beast for sure, just not as big as his wife's ram!
; ^ )
leave to an alsaskan:)
check the book there cheekolot
good to see ya man--hope things are well on moose pass
Steve's just lucky Donnie isn't a bowhunter cause I can assure you if she was his mounts would be in the garage cause there wouldn't be room for his in the house. One intense lady... ;)
Great story Scott!! and good luck this year!
Thanks for sharin' Scott!
*Awesome* story with an excellent outcome!
Lookin' forward to your Continental Divide scoutin' updates....
Shoot straight, Shinken
:archer2: