Bit of season wrap-up here: Of the 8 Bighorn Sheep tag-holders in the Laramie unit, there were 6 Rams checked in and 2 hunters who will have to add some Campbells Vegetable Beef, to their tag-soup. The “average” harvest rate for this unit over the last few years has been almost 90% (7 of 8). So with the weather being a real negative factor, the fact that 6 of 8 still connected, shows that Ram hunters can be pretty determined.
I received 2 additional photos (below) of Rams taken in the unit. The first one is pretty much full curl and has good mass. Believe it was from the Father (of the Father-Son team) and was shot within a couple miles of where Chris took his Ram. As previously described (by Jaguar), this Ram has the “tighter” curl, typical of “Cody” area rams ... where the bottom of the horns "sweep" barely reaches the lower edge of the jaw. The curl makes a beautiful doughnut or “Bagel” and is what most people envision, when the term Bighorn Ram is mentioned.
I’ll have to get my book back “Return of Royalty” (by Dale Toweill and Valerist Geist), that describes where the sheep transplants that revived the herds in this Laramie area came from. There are 2 slightly different genetic pools that populate SE Wyoming and one pool produces Rams with the tight horn curls and the other the more sweeping/flaring ... almost Marco-Polo looking horns on Rams. They are not a different species, their ranges overlap and they do interbreed.
PS. That book is a very good read on Bighorns and the efforts to re-introduce them to their historic ranges in the West. Used copies are available (very reasonable), from Jeff-Bezos-is-a-Billionaire.com.
The second ram photo appears to have been taken at the check-in station ... based on the numerous horn sets on the shelf and floor that look to be pick-ups ... (ie: the skull edges were not squarely cut, but are fragmented, typical of what scavengers would leave behind). The slightly broomed Ram horns being held, have great mass, and the wider/deeper sweep of the latter genetics. Believe he said it was 9-10 years old (<-- probably on Medicare) . It was shot further South in the unit, off the mountain complex near where Chris camped and spent most of his early season time scouting/hunting.
... Silver Bullet
“Get off my Lawn ... (and stay out of the rose garden) ! ”
