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theat

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Joined
Aug 28, 2010
Messages
883
Location
NW Montana
Got to appreciate the consistency of FWPs tech department. For the first part of the season you could barely understand what the guy was saying on the Sheep Status phone recording and now the Bighorn Sheep Harvest Quota Status page on the FWP website has been down for a few days.
 

Hem

Well-known member
Joined
May 20, 2009
Messages
4,608
Location
Three Forks, Mt
Got to appreciate the consistency of FWPs tech department. For the first part of the season you could barely understand what the guy was saying on the Sheep Status phone recording and now the Bighorn Sheep Harvest Quota Status page on the FWP website has been down for a few days.
Not even a picture of the ram without hunter?🤷‍♀️😫
 

shines@times

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Joined
Jan 31, 2018
Messages
472
Location
Olympic Peninsula >>> The Rockies
Here are a few grainy phone scope pictures of a band of rams I found while bear hunting last spring.
The broomed one is a shooter for the UL units. And, if he doesn't die of pneumonia first, that sneaky one bedded in the shade at base of tree just might live long enough to be a good ram too. Makes me think he had a close call with a golden eagle when still a lamb.

I am way late saying this, but welcome aboard Hams!
 

shines@times

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Joined
Jan 31, 2018
Messages
472
Location
Olympic Peninsula >>> The Rockies
Do any of you adjust your backpacking gear differently given the low success rate?
If you know you may spend weeks hunting and never need to haul a load, it would seem more beneficial to switch to a pack that is much lighter even if its load-hauling capabilities are inferior. Then if you get one down, leave camp, haul out what you can, and grab a better frame or pack at the truck.
That's not a bad strategy in my opinion, especially for a solo hunter. Unless one has shot the animal to scavenger tidbit ribbons, the lone hunter who can pack out head, cape, boned meat and camp and hunting gear in a single backpack load is as rare of an animal as is a 40" ram in the unlimited units.

However, if one was to "spend weeks hunting" at a single go during a period when and where the quota went unfilled, it would still require a fairly capacious and stoutly-built pack just to haul so much gear and provisions.
 

shines@times

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Joined
Jan 31, 2018
Messages
472
Location
Olympic Peninsula >>> The Rockies
I rarely listen to podcasts, but knew this would be a good listen about sheep in unlimited areas. Interview with Tim Shinabarger.
Thanks for that recommendation Greenhorn. I was nearly a year into not recovering from a debilitating injury that had me quite depressed with contemplating the prospect of perhaps never being able to get into the harness again when you posted it. Wallowing in that misery kept me away from the MT Unlimited thread almost as much as the injury kept me out of the woods and mountains.

With another six months elapsed, I can now at least get a ruck onto my back again. I finished listening to Tim Shinabarger's two hours with Peter Panda just a few minutes ago. It was well worth the time! I especially appreciated the acknowledgement and due credit that both the interviewer and guest extended to Shawn Stewart for the continuing opportunity that Montana's (sadly) unique Unlimited Sheep hunting units provide working-class souls who have a passion for pursuing the high country monarchs. In the last couple minutes of the interview, Tim credited the opportunity to but a tag and hunt wild sheep more than once in a lifetime in the UL units with his becoming not only a sheep hunter, but a wild sheep hunting and conservation advocate. That's a pretty compelling endorsement of the program. Like Tim, I hope the concept not only endures, but inspires the creation of similar programs elsewhere.

Thanks again for bringing the podcast to my attention.
 

rogerthat

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Joined
Aug 29, 2015
Messages
2,325
FYI, anyone considering going up "that road" in 500, another bridge washed out further down the canyon. We where able to make it out over the bridge last night, which was sketchy AF, but we didn't die.
Custer/Gallatin NF is saying the road is closed this morning.
View attachment 293517
You crossed that with a vehicle when it looked like that?
 

Wind Gypsy

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Joined
Mar 12, 2017
Messages
1,611
He did another podcast on it or is this one from earlier?
The earlier one with Shinabarger, it was brought up again recently in this thread so it reminded me of that duo of podcasts that dont seem to be in the best interests of MT sheep hunters.
 

EYJONAS!

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Joined
Mar 17, 2017
Messages
6,241
The earlier one with Shinabarger, it was brought up again recently in this thread so it reminded me of that duo of podcasts that dont seem to be in the best interests of MT sheep hunters.
I could listen to Tim's stories on repeat.

Its interesting that more people hunted the unlimited units in the 70s and 80s compared to today. Even with all the talk, the online information, podcasts, social media or even recently videos on youtube.

Now obviously that can change but the amount of participation really hasn't followed the same trends as other western hunting adventures.

I just hope that things maintain and these opportunities continue to live on for future generations. It's pretty unique to say the least. There needs to be more opportunities though..... maybe even from other states.
 
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