520 Road Sow
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2017
- Messages
- 6,818
Hey look at it this way at least your getting the full experience for a OIL tag. Great story so far, its the adventure that makes the hunt not the ram.
2019 Breaks Sheep hunt
- Thread starter Lawnboy
- Start date
Art Vandeley
Well-known member
Great thread so far, looks like a cold ride in the jet boat.. Did you break down? Just curious why the motor cover is off?
Lawnboy
Well-known member
Bingo more coming
Rackmastr
Well-known member
Awesome story so far!!!
Having a tag like that is sure a blessing and a curse at times (or can feel like it) with the amount of pressure that we seem to put on ourselves to find the 'right' ram or a ram that's big enough to fill that quality of tag. I know several people who have drawn Cadomin AB late season tags and always seem to wrestle with the pressures of those high-end tags and trophy quality mixed with opportunity.
Having a tag like that is sure a blessing and a curse at times (or can feel like it) with the amount of pressure that we seem to put on ourselves to find the 'right' ram or a ram that's big enough to fill that quality of tag. I know several people who have drawn Cadomin AB late season tags and always seem to wrestle with the pressures of those high-end tags and trophy quality mixed with opportunity.
FishN4Eyes
Well-known member
OK, you need to forget about any other obligations and get this report completed!! 
Some of us are trying to work here and checking back here every hour isn't helping production.
Great story so far, I am extremely jealous though. Can't wait to read the Grand Finale.
Some of us are trying to work here and checking back here every hour isn't helping production.
Great story so far, I am extremely jealous though. Can't wait to read the Grand Finale.
MTTINMAN59
Member
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2012
- Messages
- 46
Im glad to hear you actually had the tag, you reached out to me for info and I pmed my phone # I never heard from you. I assumed you wanted to see if I was the type of guy who would help someone. That river changes your perspective it was hard to share the experience with HTers I dont have the ability for verse such as you ( you are doing VERY well) congratulations on I know! a very special experience.
Lawnboy
Well-known member
John and I make it back to camp frozen. The temperature didn’t get above about 2° that day. With no windshield on the boat it was brutal. The forecast was for it to continue to be cold the one thing that will shut you down on the river was starting to happen, there was ice forming. Even with a little bit of ice the jet boat motor sucks it in and won’t run properly you can barely move. John and I decided to head up in check out this other area it would require boating up river quite a ways and then hiking for about 3 to 4 miles to get to where we could glass. There was some ice but it was doable and the boat was able to get up on plane. John knew exactly where we needed to park and start hiking. We would be on BLM but close to private and then looking into BLM surrounded by private. About a month ago there were close to 100 ewes on the private so our hunch was there might be some rams show up in the area. Sure enough we get up there and we can see ewes and Rams on the private. The Rams are cruising around some of them with the ewes and some of them on the search. Unfortunately we couldn’t get to the biggest Rams we could see because they were well on private. One thing John Kept talking to me about and teaching me about was that the Rams will pull a hot ewe away from the Herd and they can run them for miles so keep an eye out. We cut a couple big single ram tracks on the way in so I knew he knew what he was talking about. We only took one spotter as we didn’t have a bunch of time that evening and we were trying to go fast and light. It was great seeing some big Rams finally and a lot of ewes but they weren’t where we could hunt. He told me to start scouring the cuts and canyons that were on the BLM closest to us just off of these flat benches where we were seeing a bunch of ewes. Sure enough we spot a couple smaller Rams chasing a ewe around.. Every now and then you can hear a faint crack like a gun shot but it was the Rams hitting heads with each other. As I was watching the two rams Butt heads I notice below them a big ram with a ewe. Immediately I could tell he was nice and I tried to hurry and get John to get a look at it. It was getting late but his initial thought was it’s definitely a nice looking ram. He was considerably bigger than the other ones. We decided to hurry and head back as we didn’t want to try to be on the river in the dark. I was excited I think I found the ram that I wanted to go after. We were down to two days left. Matt was coming tonight and so we would make a game plan to head in the next morning. I couldn’t help but think it looked about like Scott’s ram and with that being the only sheep I really put my hands on and knowing that it was a good ram I was using it as a comparison and this one looked very comparable.
Matt shows up in the middle of the night and we wake up the next morning to bitter cold. We tell him of the danger of the ice building up and that hopefully it actually got better then rather than worse but as we got close to the river our fears became a reality. The boat was literally frozen to the bank. We got it freed up and started but the throttle wouldn’t move at all. We tried everything and then finally decided maybe we could get the jet boil out and heat some water and pour it on the linkage. Sure enough that worked but the River had since become way more icy. We all three jumped in and start up the river. The boat is barely running I begin to think it was because we had three people rather than two . We only made it about a mile up the river and I had burned 10 gallons of gas already we knew something wasn’t right and it was most likely the ice. feeling dejected we turned around. It was already almost noon we had lost so much time trying to get the boat running. I couldn’t help but think there’s no way that ram is still on the BLM as much as they were chasing each other around. We spent the day just glassing around where we parked the truck and then hit the sack. Maybe the next day we would have better luck. Maybe the river will warm up and allow us to continue on.
Matt shows up in the middle of the night and we wake up the next morning to bitter cold. We tell him of the danger of the ice building up and that hopefully it actually got better then rather than worse but as we got close to the river our fears became a reality. The boat was literally frozen to the bank. We got it freed up and started but the throttle wouldn’t move at all. We tried everything and then finally decided maybe we could get the jet boil out and heat some water and pour it on the linkage. Sure enough that worked but the River had since become way more icy. We all three jumped in and start up the river. The boat is barely running I begin to think it was because we had three people rather than two . We only made it about a mile up the river and I had burned 10 gallons of gas already we knew something wasn’t right and it was most likely the ice. feeling dejected we turned around. It was already almost noon we had lost so much time trying to get the boat running. I couldn’t help but think there’s no way that ram is still on the BLM as much as they were chasing each other around. We spent the day just glassing around where we parked the truck and then hit the sack. Maybe the next day we would have better luck. Maybe the river will warm up and allow us to continue on.
Carnage2011
Well-known member
You’re killing me Bart!
Lawnboy
Well-known member
The next morning we wake up and head down to the river. It seems better and we hop in the boat and takeoff. Sure enough were able to get on plane and start cruising. Our plan was to hike straight to the canyon where we saw the ram and just hope he was in there. While driving the boat you want to pay attention to where the channels are in the river because you never know if you’re going to come out late and it’s just a good to have that in your mind. Hitting gravel bar can ruin your hunt.
We get to our spot and start hiking. As we are hiking in John was reminiscing on the different Rams he had taken in the area over the years. I’ll tell you what this guy can hike like nobody.. We make our way about 4 miles in and recognize the canyon where the ram was we are now in the bottom but we’ve been trying to glass as to not get caught by anything. We finally make it to the mouth of the canyon and see 2 ewes staring at us. I’m nervous that they’re going to bolt and head up the canyon where we think the big ram is but luckily as we adjust our position we can see further up the canyon and sure enough there’s a group of sheep. We Throw up the spotter and see a good ram. Each of us take turns looking at it. From one angle he looks good and from another he looks just OK. I remember asking them do you think it’s as big as Scott’s? Again I only bring that up because I was totally content shooting one like his. We agree that we need to stay in the creek bottom and get closer.. As we work our way up the creek bottom out of sight we get to a point at 500 yards and we see the ram bedded. I’ve decided at this point I’m going to shoot the ram I didn’t really care how big he was. I knew he was probably mid 180s. We had just worked so hard that this would make for a great story and ending. It was a super steep hillside and while I’m confident shooting that far we decided to make a move to get closer to a little hump that would put us in better position and a better shooting angle.
I get positioned and Matt and John are in the spotters. We are debating whether to shoot him bedded or risk waiting with the possibility of getting spotted or winded. I make the decision to go ahead it’s 380 yards I have a great rest. I have dry fired on him and got my nerves out I felt super confident. I need to slip it in without hitting his horn or his hind leg with the angle that he’s laying there. It’s in slightly uphill shot. He finally tilts his head and I pull the trigger. I lose sight of him with the jump the gun but I can hear both guys say oh man he just went over the edge of a cliff he’s dead.
I can’t tell you the feeling and relief. It was amazing. It sounds cheesy but I literally almost cried because of all the effort and time. I had been given so much help from Scott, from his friends with the boat, from Matt and in the end here John.. All the pressure was finally gone. We dumped some of our gear in the bottom of the creek and took our packs up as we climb straight up to find him. As I walked up on him his face was down in a crack all I could see was the lower portion of his horn. I thought oh darn he’s not as big as I had thought but oh well. John told me to pick up his head and as I reach down and started to pull his head out of the hole I soon realized he was much bigger than I thought he had huge bases. John immediately said “I told you he’s a big ram “smiling.
I couldn’t believe it. Their horns are so big and heavy. The hillside was really steep and we didn’t have much for angles of taking pictures. We did a full skin out for a life-size mount and divvied up the meat for the pack out. We were now 5 miles in and it was about 1:30- 2 o’clock. It was going to be a scramble to get out before dark. It’s super sketchy to run a boat in the dark. The hillsides were wet and our packs were super heavy. I had the head and full cape is all and my rifle and the other two guys took the meat. When I got home I weighed my pack as it was when we got to the boat. Without my gun my pack was 75 pounds so around 85ish. Matt was kind enough to trade me halfway through on the pack out. I was dying and he carried it the rest of the way. I owe him
.
It’s now dark at the boat and everyone’s kind of quiet as we know we have to navigate the river in the dark. It’s useless to use a headlamp as the light just reflects off the water. As I was driving the boat I was trying to recall the route I took in. You can vaguely make out trees still with the light that was showing. It was a nerve-racking ride but we made it. What a relief to finally see the boat ramp light.
I didn’t talk much about how much I had learned from John. He has hunted sheep for I don’t know how many years. Throughout the season I would tell him what I was seeing and he would tell me to look for things and as I did them it would help my hunting. This last week was no different he taught me a bunch about sheep and the rut. I’m not gonna say I ever regret putting in the time I did but I’m also not gonna say that hiring a guy like John is a bad move on a once-in-a-lifetime thing.. I watched him throughout the season work his tail off for his hunters. The guy can flat out hike and if you go with him you better be in shape but he will put you in The best position possible to have success.
Anyway that’s my long story thanks for following along. Here’s a pile of pictures. He ended up being right at 190 with 17 inch bases and his long side was 41 inches. He’s broomed on the short side. I couldn’t be happier I stare at his skull every day. I’ve never spent so much time hunting an animal. It was 24 total days with 3500 miles on my pick up truck.
We get to our spot and start hiking. As we are hiking in John was reminiscing on the different Rams he had taken in the area over the years. I’ll tell you what this guy can hike like nobody.. We make our way about 4 miles in and recognize the canyon where the ram was we are now in the bottom but we’ve been trying to glass as to not get caught by anything. We finally make it to the mouth of the canyon and see 2 ewes staring at us. I’m nervous that they’re going to bolt and head up the canyon where we think the big ram is but luckily as we adjust our position we can see further up the canyon and sure enough there’s a group of sheep. We Throw up the spotter and see a good ram. Each of us take turns looking at it. From one angle he looks good and from another he looks just OK. I remember asking them do you think it’s as big as Scott’s? Again I only bring that up because I was totally content shooting one like his. We agree that we need to stay in the creek bottom and get closer.. As we work our way up the creek bottom out of sight we get to a point at 500 yards and we see the ram bedded. I’ve decided at this point I’m going to shoot the ram I didn’t really care how big he was. I knew he was probably mid 180s. We had just worked so hard that this would make for a great story and ending. It was a super steep hillside and while I’m confident shooting that far we decided to make a move to get closer to a little hump that would put us in better position and a better shooting angle.
I get positioned and Matt and John are in the spotters. We are debating whether to shoot him bedded or risk waiting with the possibility of getting spotted or winded. I make the decision to go ahead it’s 380 yards I have a great rest. I have dry fired on him and got my nerves out I felt super confident. I need to slip it in without hitting his horn or his hind leg with the angle that he’s laying there. It’s in slightly uphill shot. He finally tilts his head and I pull the trigger. I lose sight of him with the jump the gun but I can hear both guys say oh man he just went over the edge of a cliff he’s dead.
I can’t tell you the feeling and relief. It was amazing. It sounds cheesy but I literally almost cried because of all the effort and time. I had been given so much help from Scott, from his friends with the boat, from Matt and in the end here John.. All the pressure was finally gone. We dumped some of our gear in the bottom of the creek and took our packs up as we climb straight up to find him. As I walked up on him his face was down in a crack all I could see was the lower portion of his horn. I thought oh darn he’s not as big as I had thought but oh well. John told me to pick up his head and as I reach down and started to pull his head out of the hole I soon realized he was much bigger than I thought he had huge bases. John immediately said “I told you he’s a big ram “smiling.
I couldn’t believe it. Their horns are so big and heavy. The hillside was really steep and we didn’t have much for angles of taking pictures. We did a full skin out for a life-size mount and divvied up the meat for the pack out. We were now 5 miles in and it was about 1:30- 2 o’clock. It was going to be a scramble to get out before dark. It’s super sketchy to run a boat in the dark. The hillsides were wet and our packs were super heavy. I had the head and full cape is all and my rifle and the other two guys took the meat. When I got home I weighed my pack as it was when we got to the boat. Without my gun my pack was 75 pounds so around 85ish. Matt was kind enough to trade me halfway through on the pack out. I was dying and he carried it the rest of the way. I owe him
.It’s now dark at the boat and everyone’s kind of quiet as we know we have to navigate the river in the dark. It’s useless to use a headlamp as the light just reflects off the water. As I was driving the boat I was trying to recall the route I took in. You can vaguely make out trees still with the light that was showing. It was a nerve-racking ride but we made it. What a relief to finally see the boat ramp light.
I didn’t talk much about how much I had learned from John. He has hunted sheep for I don’t know how many years. Throughout the season I would tell him what I was seeing and he would tell me to look for things and as I did them it would help my hunting. This last week was no different he taught me a bunch about sheep and the rut. I’m not gonna say I ever regret putting in the time I did but I’m also not gonna say that hiring a guy like John is a bad move on a once-in-a-lifetime thing.. I watched him throughout the season work his tail off for his hunters. The guy can flat out hike and if you go with him you better be in shape but he will put you in The best position possible to have success.
Anyway that’s my long story thanks for following along
. Here’s a pile of pictures. He ended up being right at 190 with 17 inch bases and his long side was 41 inches. He’s broomed on the short side. I couldn’t be happier I stare at his skull every day. I’ve never spent so much time hunting an animal. It was 24 total days with 3500 miles on my pick up truck.
Last edited:
ashersdad
Well-known member
Wow!!! Congratulations Bart! You earned that one for sure. Great write up and pictures.
Lawnboy
Well-known member
A few more picts. Also a picture of a dead mouse. These things are everywhere out there. You can't leave anything out at night or it's infested. They literally chewed a hole in Stone Glacier pack.. Dirty buggers
T
timmy
Guest
That’s a good ram.
FishN4Eyes
Well-known member
Fantastic ram and story!
Congrats.
Congrats.
BAKPAKR
Well-known member
Congratulations on an awesome ram!
duckhunt
Well-known member
What a great hunt
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