It started back mid June when the draw results came out for Montana's big three. No goat or moose and I wasn't eligible for a bighorn ram yet. On the upside I hadn't even known I could put in for a bighorn ewe till I was filling out the application. Low and behold I had drawn a bighorn ewe for up on the north side of the Missouri Breaks. The Breaks are incredible country, like upside down mountains and plenty rugged enough for anybody. I was very excited to be able to go chase sheep again even if it was just a ewe. Come on Sept...
Low and behold I had a terrible time getting away this fall, just too much going on at home and even though it's in the same state it was a seven hour drive to hunting unit. After a few false starts I saw a break in the weather, said heck with it and just took off. One thing you have to consider in the Breaks is if it's wet nothing moves, the gumbo mud is pretty much impossible. I have a friend up there that many times has to chain up a vehicle to get to the mailbox.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/64884EC0-5A9B-4A83-8120-3978AE921351_zpsihooyot6.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/D2AF0839-7352-4364-92BB-EE0EA7A36BAF_zpsnu7x45cu.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/97DFF76C-8E5B-4485-9291-0FBEAA05E6B4_zpsppoqow5m.jpg) Taking advantage of the weather was a must and I happened to time it perfectly with several days of fantastic weather. I arrived at my hunting Unit early morning and started glassing where my research had shown the sheep should be. After a day and a half and nothing but a couple dandy mulie bucks and a ton of elk I found a high spot and made a couple calls. One incredible thing is even though your 60 miles from the nearest town you still have pretty decent cell reception.... After talking to a buddy and the local FWP Biologist I learned the sheep had moved a couple drainages to the East.
I drove twenty or so miles of the jeep trails headed east and found a new camp that I hoped would be closer to the sheep. It was noonish so I headed back into the breaks to see what I could find. Five miles or so of hiking and glassing later I rounded a bend and saw a dozen light colored sheep butts going away from me. I was pretty sure I hadn't been busted as they were still 400 yards away. I dropped down off the rim to keep from skylining myself and moved as fast as I could after the sheep. In the coulee the sheep were leaving I found the reason they were there. A beautiful pond with tracks all around it was hidden right in the bottom of the canyon. I circled thru the terrain to get ahead of the sheep but it was noisy going and when I peeked around the rocks I was using for cover nearly every eyeball was looking my direction. Time to back out and wait for a better opportunity...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/66C7BA44-2F58-4B14-8277-E9A7CF48D4AD_zpscowvursy.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/2A8474E3-160E-4FC3-8EC4-021B6942543D_zpsyc0adshx.jpg)
I was up and out early the next morning so when first light arrived I was glassing the bedded sheep a half mile away. They were bedded in a perfect spot for the stalk backed up against a cliff with the ground sloping away and the wind in my favor. Thirty minutes later I was above them crawling on my belly to the edge of the cliff. It was sketchy going when I realized a half doz young rams had gotten up and were grazing out from the cliff base. This put them where they could see me as I worked my way in for the shot. After a couple suspicious stares I decided to back out and come in at a different angle that would put me out of their line of sight. I finally started to rise up behind a burnt off pine snag getting ready to draw on the first ewe I saw. As I looked over the ten or so sheep all I saw were young rams. That's when I caught movement to my left and saw several ewes a hundred yards away grazing their way back in the direction of the pond I'd found the evening before...
I thought there still has to be a ewe right here below me and continued to raise up ready to take a quick shot. A couple of the rams finally spotted me and bolted down the slope with the rest close behind. Then out runs one lone ewe and her lamb from right under me. She stopped 25 or 30 yards out at a hard quartering angle. I thought no problem, drew, shot and watched my arrow zip into the dirt just to the left of her shoulder. Needless to say that was the end of that stalk, I couldn't believe I'd blown the shot.
I plopped down right there and watched the rams and one ewe bound to the edge of a nearby canyon and disappear over the edge. Looking over my shoulder I could see the nine ewes that had gone around me slowly grazing away toward the pond. The ewes were out in the wide open with no chance for a stalk. Time to sit down, eat an apple, kick myself in the butt and regroup.
After thirty minutes or so I decided to go check out the ram herd and see how far they had gone. I eased to the edge of the canyon and peeked over into a place I knew I wasn't going to shoot a sheep. Then I spotted the ewe, lamb and three of the rams bedded on a bench a hundred yards nearly straight below me and they were probably only half way to the bottom. Having nothing better to do I circled around one of the mounds and went over the edge to see how close I could get to them. I climbed down sheep trails to just above them and peeked over the edge. There were five sets of eyeballs staring right at me with very little concern. These sheep feel pretty secure out on the cliffs knowing they can out maneuver pretty much any other critter they encounter. Shooting any of them would have been pretty easy but it would have taken a helicopter to get them out. They eventually got nervous and bolted over the edge going down three nearly vertical steps out of sight. I slowly climbed back up to check on the little ewe herd.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/114421F8-E3C4-4372-9977-B1325C05AA0C_zps6hrxj34j.jpg)
They had been to water and were still grazing on a bench three quarters of a mile across the grassy valley. I laid back to watch them and figure my next move. An hour or so later they finally bedded on a big rocky mound sticking up out of a nearly flat plateau across the valley. I watched for a few minutes to make sure they were settled then plotted the route of my next stalk.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/6B074662-93FE-4CB2-AB57-5A120D15F26D_zpsgbwqedp9.jpg)
A mile and a half circle kept me out of their sight and put me on the back side of the mound. I carefully crawled up on the ewes and eased around a huge boulder to see four of them just above me. Not having to worry about horn size I took the 15 yard shot with the best angle and watched as all but one sheep bounded on over the top out of sight. The 160 Griz had entered half way up the ewe's side just behind her shoulder and clipped the spine dropping her on the spot. A simple coup de gras and it was over. My Missouri Breaks Bighorn Ewe was on the ground.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/F761D3B6-1618-4FF2-8994-2787A53063AB_zpsiiyp4cyd.jpg)
I boned her out and looked at the pile of meat thinking it was going to be a two trip pack out. There were a couple problems though, one was the storm clouds building in the west and the 70* temperature. Gritting my teeth I loaded all the boned meat into bags and in my pack planning to get it all at least part way out. A mile into the four+ mile hike out I thought this isn't so bad. A couple miles later I was thinking this is crazy but was too stubborn to stop and unload part of the load. I put my head down and trudged the rest of the way to the truck arriving before dark. Three days later after I got home and was still feeling like a real old man I knew it wasn't a good idea. The thunderstorms did come that night though and if I'd been caught in the back country I'd have been there for a couple days waiting for it to dry out with spoiling meat on my hands...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/D0B1907A-6AFE-49D3-A269-843F15830D48_zps4tuqw8k8.jpg)
I was shooting my trusty old Toelke Whip pulling about 60#, AD Trad shafts and 160 Griz heads. Hope you enjoyed coming along on my sheep hunt. Best to all from Montana!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/C4DC8291-7F16-4DD4-A907-5DFB645E699D_zpsgflchnfz.jpg)
That sounds like a great hunt.
Congrats on your fine ewe. :thumbsup:
Congrats Doug!! What an outstanding hunt! Next time call, I'll come pack it out for ya ;)
Awesome Doug!
Great pics and story telling as well. Congrats!
Good hunt Doug . Thanks for sharing.
beautiful country, awesome hunt and trophy
Great job Doug! I can picture you carrying out that full load and refusing to break it up. :scared: :scared:
David
Very nice.... congrats and thanks for taking us along!
God Bless
Rodd
Nice story Doug!
Thanks,
Good job . A long long time ago I spent some time in the breaks . It is a special place .
May life's simplest things bring you the greatest pleasures !!!
What a great story! Magnificent looking country! Congratulations on your ewe and for taking us along on your hunt! :clapper:
Bernie
Simply superb
Sounds like a wonderful time. Congrat's
Congrats on the pretty ewe
Beautiful country and a great story to go with it. Congratulations and thanks for sharing your adventure with us.
Congrats on a fine trophy and thanks for sharing your story!!!
Steve
Great story!
Thanks for sharing!
Congrats!
chris <><
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :archer:
Congrats Doug. Simply amazing. The scenery, the adventure, the whole 9 Yards.
Congratulations! Great pictures too...
Fantastic Doug! Great to read your story!
Congrats Doug, I like your camping rig, Hope you could find a good knife to bone her out !! I'll bet you didn't have to look far.
:thumbsup: great hunt and story, thanks for sharing ... congrats
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
great job in that big open country getting on them ... bet those ribs tasted great.
:thumbsup:
double post
Great hunt and a story well told. You'll be eating well this winter... you scrawny old fart. Maybe I should say "wiry".
:D
Great story from the Big Sky country. Congratulations on your success.
Congratulations Doug! Thanks for posting the story and pictures.
Chris
This was awesome. Congrats buddy. Well done.
Way to go Doug. Sheep meat is a real treat! Congratulations on a fine hunt.
Great story !!!
Looks like great country.
Great hunt and very cool photos. Some amazing looking country there.
Cheers
Wow, way to go brother!!!!
Pretty TOUGH old man, I'd say.
Nice work, that open and very beautiful country looks impossible to sneak around in. Your hunting (and story telling) skills are very obvious.
Thanks for sharing.
Way to go Doug! Great story and pics. That is some cool looking sheep country.
Awesome! Congrats.
Perfect hunt Doug,congrats.
Congrats Doug, gods country and some fine eating can't get much better!
Way to go Doug!! Gotta love the Breaks!! :thumbsup:
That's awesome! Congrats Buddy, great picks as always should be some good eating too.
Tracy :wavey:
Very cool hunt. Now that is a real trophy in my books!! Rick.
Thanks for sharing Doug. Take care!
Awesome Doug, awesome!
Congrats Doug! Great hunt & story telling. Now back to the grind, I mean grinder :)
Great story and pics, Doug! Congrats on a nice sheep! Should be some good eating! Lol
Kenny :thumbsup:
:clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
that was a great trip!
Congrats!
Great adventure...congratulations!
I've applied for Montana bighorn tags for years...maybe some day!
Great hunt congrats Brother!
Congrats! Some of the best venison there is. Enjoy
Congrats Doug, :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Thanks for taking us along on your adventure. Great story!
Your bow may be vintage but it doesn't compare to your pick-up! Great job.
Congrats
Thanks guys, it was a blast for sure. Nothing like sheep country.
Not quite yet Jeff, still huntin season... ;)
I hear ya Vesty, some days I wanna go out and buy a nice one but I'd rather spend my money on hunting and fishing trips I guess... :shaka:
Congrats! thanks for taking us along
outstanding!
way to go Doug , congrats on a hard earned animal
Congratulations, thanks for taking us along on your hunt!
Well done Sir!!!
I've never hunted bighorns before but dream of it all the time! Great trophy and story. While I lived in Alaska, dall sheep season was my absolute favorite time of year!
Great job Doug! Cool story and pictures!
Awesome Doug .
Congrats and thanks for sharing in one post! Great pics too.
Awesome Buddy! Never a doubt. That pic of the Nissan hit me like a brick...Glad to see it made it. I have several fond memories of that truck. Beautiful country. Wish I was there.
fantastic success!
Congratulations Doug! You're the man!
:campfire:
Great story Doug!
Doug,
Glad you beat the rain, it was dumping in Helena when I got your text and had visions of you having to lift five pounds of mud with every step.
Again, congratulations on a tough hunt. I have known five people who tried that hunt recently with a bow and none of them were successful.
You done good.... Really, really, really good!
Great story , Congrats again sir.....
,,,,Sam,,,,
Congratulations and well done! Thanks for sharing your hunt.
Awesome job as usual Doug! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Congrats :thumbsup: Doug
Congratulations Doug!!! :thumbsup:
What a great story and pics! Congrats and thanks for taking us along. :thumbsup:
Proof positive that sometimes it is best to say "heck with it" and just go hunting.
There was a whole lot of stuff that went on during that hunt that was way understated!
Enjoy the mutton buddy, looking forward to your next ram tag :thumbsup:
Really great stuff, Doug. Congrats!
That was a fantastic story Doug, thanks for taking us along!
As always, great story and fantastic pics! Congrats Doug :thumbsup:
Excellent story, thanks for sharing and congratulations!
Brings back memories. I drew a ewe tag on the south side of the Missouri a few years back. Congrats !!
Thank you Doug for posting your story. Really cool hunt!