Arizona desert sheep tag!!!

[Lv2hnt]

Lone coyotes rank low on the totem pole when it comes time to get a drink ...

Smaller predators, mainly gray foxes and ring-tailed cats (an animal many of you may never have seen), do their drinking at night ...

 

[huntbux]

Congrats on the great tag and the awesome upcoming hunt. Cant wait to see the pics.

 

[kansasdad]

Sharp trail camera photos. Amazing that any critter can make it in that rocky dry place

 

[Devil Diver Down]

Yikes, that 1st 'yote could disappear by turning sideways. Cool ring-tail! Nice to se ethe weather cooling down - only 117º at 5:26.

 

[Lv2hnt]

Bot flies lay eggs inside desert sheep nostrils, where larva hatch and invade the sheep's nasal cavities (which extend up into a ram's horns). This eats away at the horn's inner bone. Rams can die from severe sinusitis, as well as from pneumonia. Strangely enough, domestic sheep, with their smaller nasal passages, often survive as they are able to expectorate the larva by way of snorting/sneezing.

A few rams I have trail camera pics of are sporting substantially damaged horns. When I find it, I'll post up a pic showing one ram's rather extensively damaged horn ...

 

[MT_elk]

Wow. What an awesome tag. Looking forward to the story.

 

[Jwill]

Don't know about you, but I'd be pretty darn happy with those rams in the pics! Thanks for bringing us along, looks like you're doing that tag justice so far.

 

[havgunwilltravel]

Wow, some great images!!

Good to see rams with age coming into the water, looks like you are on the right track for a great hunt after your scouting efforts. Wishing you all the best.

 

[Lv2hnt]

I'm leaving early in the morning to go do some calling for friends on their archery elk hunts in 2 different units here in Arizona --- be gone for about 10 days.

So I thought I'd throw a few more trail cam pics of some desert rams coming to water (check the morning temps). The thing is, when the hunt finally gets here come December 1, the sheep won't be coming to the water catchments as much and will have moved elsewhere in the unit (following feed, getting much of their needed liquid intake from what they eat). No, my hunt won't be like hunting whitetail deer over a corn feeder (fat chance --- take another look at the mountain photos). These pics just help clue me in right now.

There a few larger rams not in these photos --- THEY are going to challenge me big-time ...

 

[Lv2hnt]

This past Saturday was reserved for 2 Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society (ADBSS) get-togethers --- the annual Sheep Hunter's Clinic in the morning, and the 2013 Ram Recognition Banquet that evening.

A few things I thought I might pass along:

For the Ariz. 2013 sheep hunt application process, there were 13,469 applicants total (including those applying for the 16 Rocky tags). There were approx. 6,000 who just applied for a bonus point this year. Two applicants drew tags with 0/1 bonus points (one 11-year-old girl drew on her first application). Don't give up --- the computer could spit out a really low number for you next year!

Arizona's ongoing drought extends forward (currently at 20 years minimum); 2002 was the driest year in possibly the last 1,500 years. This, naturally, affects all wildlife (and subsequent number of hunting tags available). It's probably not going to get better in the immediate future. All of us who hunt Arizona big game will just have to hang in there.

I know there are those of you who have tagged Dall, Rocky, and/or Stone sheep elsewhere and have a wealth of knowledge of wild sheep in general. Not so much me. I readily admit my "rookie-ness" when it comes to desert sheep and sheep hunting (and I suppose most hunters fall into that same boat). I'm learning more and more as the days go by.

For example, Class IV rams in Arizona (those 9 years old and older) make up only 15% of the total ram population, and only 4% of the total sheep population. Once you find out the sheep population for your hunt unit, you have a better idea of the approx. number of mature rams you might expect to encounter (though nothing replaces actual eyeball confirmation). Makes me really appreciate those "Ol' Boys" all the more! And I didn't know that desert sheep can experience up to 20% dehydration and survive (you can really see a difference in a sheep's appearance following a stop at a water catchment!).

I've learned that rams lay down their growth rings during the rut --- they go off their feed, with resultant compressed horn growth. I knew sheep horns continued to grow throughout a ram's life; now it makes sense why there are growth rings. The most noticeable (counting inward from the end of a ram's horn) is the 3rd-year growth ring; since this is the 1st year a ram is in the rut, it's usually a bit wider in appearance. The rut may extend over 3 months, which is in the hottest part of the year here in Arizona. The 4th-year ring is the first really concise ring; it's not unusual to be notched or broken in some way since it's a weaker spot in a ram's horns.

One bit of advice I'll throw in here. You probably are drawn more to a particular type of horn appearance on a ram. There are 2 sub-species here in Arizona: the blockier Mexicana, and the more-flaring Nelsoni. KNOW WHERE EACH ARE FOUND so you're not disappointed once you do draw a desert sheep tag here in Arizona! Looking back through MANY years of applications, I discovered I had applied a few times in units holding Nelsoni sheep. Not something I would want to look at on my wall for the rest of my life --- I just like the more compact look of the Mexicana rams. 'Nuff said.

As to size of rams taken last year in the general draw, NOT including the 3 special auction/raffle tags (186 4/8 Governor's Ram, 174 1/8 Rocky, 164 Nelsoni Raffle Ram):

180-in plus >>> 3 rams, 175-in plus >>> 3 rams, 170-in plus >>> 4 rams, 165-in plus >>> 17 rams, 160-in plus >>> 17 rams. There was also a first: a Nelsoni ram (130 5/8) taken with a bow in a unit that had never had an archery-taken ram before.

Good to know what you can reasonably expect to see out there when you're scouting, and then actually hunting.

I've included a few pics of sheep mounts from this past year's hunts (I apologize for the inferior quality --- phone battery went to zero and the camera I used was set on wrong setting). These were not the only, nor necessarily the biggest, rams displayed at the banquet ...

 

[Lv2hnt]

A few more ...

 

[TOM IN TENNESSEE]

Great taxidermy work....awesome sheep!

 

[Lv2hnt]

Well, Dec. 1 (opening day) is exactly 2 months away. Still a l-o-n-g 2 months away ...

Making another trip down to my hunt unit this weekend to swap out SD cards. May move 2 of the 3 cameras I have out (I may be deterred getting to one due to ongoing military exercises). This is all a crap shoot at this point --- rams will have settled in together s-o-m-e-w-h-e-r-e come December. I'm just confirming what rams I want to keep tabs on. A couple have grabbed my attention. They don't get big by accident --- hope one in particular doesn't disappear ...

Desert temps have finally started to ease up a bit (not uncommon to have a day or two of 100-degrees the first couple weeks of October). Supposed to have daytime temps by Sat. in the low 90s, with early a.m. lows about 66. Much more bearable than Labor Day was!

The ram in this post was taken last year in the adjoining unit --- any guesses on what he scored? (I'll post score later) Would he measure up after waiting all those years to draw your tag?

About time to get out there and actually start using the big glass ...

 

[sbhooper]

That country looks pretty familiar. I worked that area on occasion when I was with the Border Patrol in Yuma many years ago. That is the REAL desert and it has the skulls laying around to prove it. Good luck on your hunt. You will earn that ram.

 

[Lv2hnt]

Hoops:

You're oh so right --- pretty harsh topography in a lot of ways. My hats off to you for serving with BP! Interesting enough, an agent has a sheep tag this year for the unit immediately south of me (it extends to the Mexico border).

I was flipping through pics on my phone last night and ran across the included photos. The eastern border of my unit is marked by the "Camino del Diablo" (The Way of the Devil). Hundreds have died over the past few centuries as they made their way along this route.

The G&F unit manager showed me the spot (pictured > open area this side of tree and creosote bushes) where 30 bodies were supposedly buried in the 1800s (you can still find a few bits of wire that might have held together the crosses over the graves).

On a side note, too bad someone had to shoot up the sign, be it from the ground o-r the air ...

 

[Lv2hnt]

I spent 2 days last weekend down in my hunt unit --- most of it profitable ...

I finally reached my 1st cam (placed at a water catchment at the base of the mountains) just as the sun was setting last Friday. Beautiful time of day, and quiet. Took me a while to find the catchment's locale as I drove barely discernible (wind-swept and rain-erased) 2-tracks in the sandy soil. I probably would have arrived a bit more quickly if I'd realized my Garmin's zoom range wasn't set to optimum. Doh! Got that corrected and voila! Pulled that camera to move it the next day to another location.

The ram's head sitting on the sand was from a sheep found dead at this water catchment earlier this past summer; turns out it had suffered a fractured skull & severe head trauma during a head-butting incident with another ram. The red coloration of its horns is due to rubbing on the elephant tree (native only to a limited part of the Southwest). Most desert sheep carry yellow horns --- not so where I'll be hunting. Makes for some r-e-a-l--l-y cool looking trophies!

After reaching my second camera in the dark (placed at another water catchment also on the desert floor at the base of the mountains), I pulled it and set out for El Camino del Diablo. I was trekking across a different route than what I used getting to the catchment --- lot of "fun" criss-crossing through the creosote for over 1/2 an hour before I extricated myself and found a way out!

Like most hunters familiar with hunting sheep in these mountains have told me, once Labor Day (and most of the rut) comes and goes, the sheep disperse and the ewes take their bands elsewhere away from the water catchments. My cameras showed only 2-3 instances where sheep had triggered the cams' shutters. To hear that fact is one thing, to see it for yourself shoves reality in your face --- the work of glassing is upon me!

Saturday morning a friend (and former sheep hunter) was my wing man as I headed up the hill for the hike to the highest, most remote, water catchment in my unit. Swapped out the SD card to find that the scarcity of sheep up there followed the results of the 2 catchments from the day before. Left my camera there --- not convinced sheep won't be watering there at least some of the time the next couple months.

The pics show: (1) the rocky ravine leading down to a small man-made dam that diverts run-off to three 1,750-gallon sausage tanks that were helo-dropped years ago when the drinker was 1st built; (2) the rugged topography where the tanks sit; (3) the drinker itself.

I'm not too upset that sheep don't usually spend a lot of time up there when the hunt season rolls around come December (can you say "rocks?") ...

Got an errand to attend to before I leave for Tucson in the morning (my daughter is officially now "full term" with my 2nd grandchild, a girl, due in 3 weeks!). Be back shortly with just a few more comments ...

 

[Lv2hnt]

Early Sunday morning found me on another hike up to a water catchment I hadn't been to yet; slightly less distance than the one in the previous post, but up a draw filled with huge boulders not easily maneuvered around/over. Before reaching the catchment, I came across some larger potholes holding water (a cover had been erected years ago to provide shade and help minimize evaporation). Also got pics of Parrot Rock and the caricatured Reagan Rock.

Then as I approached the top, I got a glimpse of a basin slightly below surrounded by walls of rock. Totally surprised, and impressed! Most of the open flat area had been dug up previously (an i-m-m-e-n-s-e amount of hand digging/shoveling) to prepare a large area for 24-in. PVC pipe laid side-by-side that was buried as an underground storage reservoir. There are several Gabion dams surrounding the basin that collect water and funnel it to the underground storage.

While setting up my trail camera at the drinker, I noticed a sheep skeleton just a few yards above the drinker in the rocks. Turned out to be a ewe with skull still attached --- cause of death unknown.

That's pretty much it for that trip. Going back this coming week for 2-3 days of actual glassing for sheep. Got a long-time sheep guy going with me --- sure to learn LOTS from him! Hope to have pics of sheep when I get back ...

 

[Lv2hnt]

Pics of the water catchment in the high basin and its surrounding walls, plus (for you sheep fans) a cool pic of real sheep in a unit quite a ways away from mine (need to be a goat to follow them there!) ...

 

[havgunwilltravel]

Great images and effort with the tc's. Your getting the most out of this tag and I wish you all the best with finding the type of ram your looking for!

 

[AZ402]

You've been doing your homework Tom, It'll pay off.....