In Ory-gun, pulling a Bighorn tag is a once-in-a-lifetime draw. It’s not just that you have to be “lucky” to draw (no preference-points are accumulated for each year of not-drawing) ... but if you should draw ... that will be your Only Bighorn tag in Oregon (EVER).
In a case of consistent-persistence ... (ie: after 2 decades of applying) ... my cousin has pulled a non-resident Wyoming Bighorn tag for the Laramie Peak unit (# 19). It’s a long haul from the rain-forest side of Orygun to get there, but he plans to put a serious hunt effort into whacking a decent Ram. He’s not a Trophy hunter per-se, but knowing that (at 60-something), he will be unlikely to draw another tag, he plans to be choosy.
He’s a very experienced (and knowledgeable) Elk, Deer and Speed-goat hunter ... in fact, if you try to walk around in his huge shop, you’d think he was a Jackson Hole shed collector. He will be carrying an accurate .300 Winny-Mag that I reload for him, so that is covered. But with both of us lacking any Bighorn hunt experience, I offered to solicit some solid (and hopefully helpful) tips from anyone on the board, who may have hunted this specific unit in the recent past. He already has a “field-judging” video that I loaned him years ago and he stays calm and shoots accurately, under pressure.
There are only 8 rifle tags for the roughly 450 square miles of the unit. The season is 60 days long ... Sept 1st to Oct 31st ... so even advice as to the most productive times of that season to hunt are appreciated. First thought is to go “early” in the season, before 7 other rams might have been harvested ... but maybe that isn’t the best approach ?
If you have relevant Bighorn hunt experience in this specific unit ... including good/bad access points, potential wall-tent camping areas, special restrictions ... or some general thoughts (beyond being in shape and staying hydrated ), we are open to advice.
Thanks,
Silver Bullet
168gr TSX’s ... launched just an “Einstein” below the speed-o-light
