NV Silver State Desert Sheep Hunt

Any more photo updates on rams found? You planning on spending some time in the hills soon? I am no expert, but I feel the cooler weather would make the hunt more enjoyable.
 
Any more photo updates on rams found? You planning on spending some time in the hills soon? I am no expert, but I feel the cooler weather would make the hunt more enjoyable.
I'll add some photos after its all done. My guide found a stud yesterday we didn't know about. I told him I would really like to hunt for a few days just to get some time in the hills but this may be the one.

The cooler weather is very welcomed. If I would have hunted in July it would have been brutal in the middle of the day, 110+ degrees. Would have dealt with the heat but glassing with the heat waves makes it difficult.
 
My guide found a stud yesterday we didn't know about. I told him I would really like to hunt for a few days just to get some time in the hills but this may be the one.
I like your style robie!
It's a once in a lifetime experience so milk it for all you can. My son and I spent 18 days on our own looking for sheep before I even started to hunt for my Utah desert ram. You obviously don't want to miss out on that Stud ram but enjoy every minute you can. It sounds like you have been doing just that.
Very exciting-keep us posted.
 
I'll add some photos after its all done. My guide found a stud yesterday we didn't know about. I told him I would really like to hunt for a few days just to get some time in the hills but this may be the one.

The cooler weather is very welcomed. If I would have hunted in July it would have been brutal in the middle of the day, 110+ degrees. Would have dealt with the heat but glassing with the heat waves makes it difficult.
Sounds awesome. Finding them is one thing and getting to then can be another. Good chance you’ll end up hunting that ram for a few days
 
Exciting! But all I can think about is how much it must cost to keep a guide (or two) in the field since July?!?! Hope you get a tank!!
 
To make sleep even more difficult my outfitter had one of his guys checking in on the ram we were very excited about and his big brother showed up today. Out of now where.

It's amazing how they can just hide in a fold and not move until they feel like it.
 
Exciting! But all I can think about is how much it must cost to keep a guide (or two) in the field since July?!?! Hope you get a tank!!
It was really interesting when I started calling around guides of how they hunt this tag. Some guides will treat it like a normal hunt and work really hard in the units they know for a couple of weeks.

Some will tell you a hunt price and then add on a scouting package and scourer the state for the largest ram in NV.

I went with the second option. With the idea that these guys would work really hard in units that produce big rams year in and year out and a few units they have found big rams in every year. I don't have the kind of money to pay for scouting packages like the heritage guys do! I honestly don't know if the guides make any money on these hunts when its all said and done. It has to be more for the love of hunting sheep and hopefully adding a giant on their website at the end.

My guide has been great and I'll share all the details in the end. We could have been done July 1 with one of the rams he found in June if it was only up to me but he wanted to keep looking and I trusted my guide. I'm sure some of you will laugh at "up to me", but I treated this as our tag with my guide being the expert and is much more passionate about sheep than I will ever even understand. These guys love the process of looking and trying to dig up a giant. It's been a pleasure just to work with them.

I'm checked in for my flight and ready to hunt!
 
It was really interesting when I started calling around guides of how they hunt this tag. Some guides will treat it like a normal hunt and work really hard in the units they know for a couple of weeks.

Some will tell you a hunt price and then add on a scouting package and scourer the state for the largest ram in NV.

I went with the second option. With the idea that these guys would work really hard in units that produce big rams year in and year out and a few units they have found big rams in every year. I don't have the kind of money to pay for scouting packages like the heritage guys do! I honestly don't know if the guides make any money on these hunts when its all said and done. It has to be more for the love of hunting sheep and hopefully adding a giant on their website at the end.

My guide has been great and I'll share all the details in the end. We could have been done July 1 with one of the rams he found in June if it was only up to me but he wanted to keep looking and I trusted my guide. I'm sure some of you will laugh at "up to me", but I treated this as our tag with my guide being the expert and is much more passionate about sheep than I will ever even understand. These guys love the process of looking and trying to dig up a giant. It's been a pleasure just to work with them.

I'm checked in for my flight and ready to hunt!
Yes robie, I really like how you roll.
Go get a big one!
 
I’ll make this brief. We hunted sunup to sundown for 7 days. No shots were fired. Didn’t see anything over low 160s rams. The big couple we were after never showed back up. I’ve learned a lot, and I hope whoever draws this tag next year gives me a call.

I really messed up how I’ve hunted this tag. I should have killed a nice ram in July/August when they were more patternable instead of looking for something that may not exists. We were hoping to find a 175”+ type ram and that may not be out there with the current state of sheep in NV.

In the end I’ve learned that sheep scores don’t matter to me and don’t really mean anything to the average person. They mean a lot to sheep guides and people who will kill multiple.

If you have the opportunity to sheep hunt look at a lot of pictures and find the look you like and try to find something with age on it and shoot it.

I had no experience with sheep and wasn’t sure how to handle this.

My guide has been great and has looked across the state for a “big” ram. Unfortunately, we just haven’t turned up that many 8+ year old rams. The guys are going to keep looking and I will go back if they can find something mature to hunt. The regular season starts 11-20 and that will change the landscape of which units we can hunt based on where the PIW and Dream tag holders kill.

I’ve learned that sheep hunting is hard, rams go on a walk and may not stop in the same unit you are in. I saw over 200 sheep and really got to see the different shapes of their horns. I have an idea of what I would like to look at on my wall and it has nothing to do with score.

I had a blast hiking around the mountains and glassing. I learned a ton glassing next to my guide. If you can afford a guide when you pull the tag you will really enjoy learning about how to find sheep and what they look for when judging sheep.

I’ll let you guys know when I head back out.
 
I’ll make this brief. We hunted sunup to sundown for 7 days. No shots were fired. Didn’t see anything over low 160s rams. The big couple we were after never showed back up. I’ve learned a lot, and I hope whoever draws this tag next year gives me a call.

I really messed up how I’ve hunted this tag. I should have killed a nice ram in July/August when they were more patternable instead of looking for something that may not exists. We were hoping to find a 175”+ type ram and that may not be out there with the current state of sheep in NV.

In the end I’ve learned that sheep scores don’t matter to me and don’t really mean anything to the average person. They mean a lot to sheep guides and people who will kill multiple.

If you have the opportunity to sheep hunt look at a lot of pictures and find the look you like and try to find something with age on it and shoot it.

I had no experience with sheep and wasn’t sure how to handle this.

My guide has been great and has looked across the state for a “big” ram. Unfortunately, we just haven’t turned up that many 8+ year old rams. The guys are going to keep looking and I will go back if they can find something mature to hunt. The regular season starts 11-20 and that will change the landscape of which units we can hunt based on where the PIW and Dream tag holders kill.

I’ve learned that sheep hunting is hard, rams go on a walk and may not stop in the same unit you are in. I saw over 200 sheep and really got to see the different shapes of their horns. I have an idea of what I would like to look at on my wall and it has nothing to do with score.

I had a blast hiking around the mountains and glassing. I learned a ton glassing next to my guide. If you can afford a guide when you pull the tag you will really enjoy learning about how to find sheep and what they look for when judging sheep.

I’ll let you guys know when I head back out.
How was your guide with your decision to not shoot? Any pressure on punching that tag or was he in the same boat of wait?
 
How was your guide with your decision to not shoot? Any pressure on punching that tag or was he in the same boat of wait?
Guide was the one telling me not to shoot! They don't want to kill a small ram with this tag.

I saw a few that were "pretty" that I would have gladly killed. They have no problem hunting this until the end.

If you need a guide in NV these boys hustle!
 
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