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Chris sent out a text Wed. am .... he had hiked in and was sitting in his Favorite glassing spot (*** <-- Redacted). He had a 6x6 Bull run past, through a gap in the Rimrock. No sheep seen on first day back. Later Wed. night (just before dusk) he left a voice mail ... (from a high point),
before returning back to the truck. They had spotted a group of sheep, with one small ram (a non-shooter). Clear, sunny and cold ...
- - -
I'm afraid I'm going to go "dark" for a few days. I leave at 11am today, for La Grande. Will stay over with Bob
and then head out to set up camp for our rifle Buck-deer hunt. There is Zero cell coverage for me up there. However, ... we've got N.E. Orygun covered and the A-Team is locked and (Muzzle)-loaded, down in the Laramimes. I expect nothing but great results. Carry-on !

Later ... the Boolitman



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Update?


Don't just be a survivor, be a competitor.
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I threw a tape on Chris's 2016 Arizona
muzzle-loader 7x7 Elk rack yesterday ...

. . . . . . . . Left + Right
Main beam . . . 52-5/8 . . . 54-6/8
Points . . . . 74-0 . . . 65-2
Mass . . . 33-5 . . . 31-4
----- -------
Sub-total . . . 160-2 . . . 151-4

Ins-spread . . . . 33-5
. . . . . . . . -----
Gross . . . 345-3/8
- - - -
Will post more Elk details under the Arizona thread and update the Wyoming Bighorn story tonight.

... Silver Bullet

You might be a Redneck ...
if ya' ever shot one of your mirrors off !

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Back from my NE. Orygun Buck Deer hunt ... none of Bambi’s relatives were harmed (by our group).
Maybe the now firmly-established Wolf pack we heard howling at night just 1/2 mile from camp was a contributor ?
- - -
Anyway ... after the dynamic duo whacked the previously mentioned 7x7 Bull on the opening evening of Arizona’s Unit 1, 2A, 2B muzzle-loader Elk hunt, they towed the trailer back up to the Laramie unit in Wyoming ... and resumed part-2 of Chris’s Bighorn hunt. They had some issues with the trailers leaf spring perches that required some welding in town (for a temporary repair). The biggest issue was with the weather ... either blowing rains or socked-in foggy conditions, which kept them from effectively glassing for days at a time. While I was off on my deer hunt, they elected to store the trailer in Wheatland and drive the Dodge diesel back home ... hoping for a better weather window late in the season.

After paying bills, re-supplying and leaving all muzzle-loading gear (Elk meat and rack) behind here ... Chris was re-packed, re-freshed and ready for the final battle with the Bighorns. Unfortunately, his bro’ was now out of vacation time. Undeterred, Chris left Portlando this morning (Friday), heading East on I-84 through the pouring rains and high winds that are hammering the state, to drive back (solo) to Wyoming. He plans to hunt through the end of the season or until he crosses paths with a decent (suicidal) Ram. This will be Wyoming Bighorns Part-3

A call on Wednesday to the wildlife biologist, revealed that 2 additional rams have been taken, bringing the total to 3 (of 8 possible tag holders). I hope in my notes, that I didn’t get these two kills mixed up .... but: ... An older guy (after waiting 18-20 years for a tag, aren’t they all “older”) got a nice (170 class ram) down South in the unit, in a WMA area. That area is not typically known for having lots of sheep, but they do hide-out there on occasion. On Monday a near full curl, but small circumference (160 class) ram was taken by a senior (who had previously been hunting for weeks with his son). We heard that one of the Guides (2) clients tagged a ram early but it’s not known if the Guides second client is still hunting ... or failed to tag-out in his 10 day hunt window. With at least one other hunter who gave up and went home ... there should only be at most 3-4 Ram hunters in the unit for the remainder of the season.
- - -
There is a rifle Elk season that will be going on concurrently in the Laramie unit, when he gets back there. The good news ... most of those Elk hunters will be down at lower elevations ... and they will stir-up any Rams down there, hopefully sending them back to the higher country. Also, the beginnings of the rut will start near the end of the month. So, with Friday and Saturday as travel days ... and Sunday to final provision and get the trailer back up into the mountains ... he will have at most 14 more days to hunt ... Wyoming (solo) Bighorns Part -3.

. . . Silver Bullet

Ya’ might be a Redneck ...
If any of yer kin are named “Cooter” ...

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The spot where Chris is camped, is completely out of cell-phone coverage, so I asked him to text me if he hunted out of the usual areas he had been covering. I received 3 consecutive morning messages, telling me what canyon we should look for his body in, if he doesn't re-surface .. as he has been extending his hunt areas to the Steep/Deep canyons, more to the South.

After 1 day with no text from him, the phone rang late this am ... and the Caller ID said it was Chris !
I was really hoping to hear ... " RAM Down - Ram Down ! "
- - -
Instead, I got his voice trying to talk above a windstorm:
He was high on a ridge near (Re-dacted), and able to connect and get a call out. It was 20 degrees, with 25 mph winds and 1" of flat white rain coming down ... ie: colder than a Snowmans butt-cheeks. Said he doesn't "Weigh-Enough" to hunt sheep on those steep ridges in this kind of weather.

He was able to camp in the same spot he and his brother had previously. Most of the rifle Elk hunters only stayed for the first 3-4 days of the season (Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues) and they had generally camped and hunted at lower elevations.

Yesterday afternoon he spotted a band of sheep at a distance and put a long (hour plus) sneak on them. He crept up over a ridge and expected he would be able to glass and ID them, still one ridge away ...
But NOOOOO ! .... they were just over the edge of the same ridge ... at 20 yards ! All ewes, with one 1/2 curl Ram. No joy - as he's not shooting any "teenagers". It's Go-Big ... or Go-Home.

He is such a sneak hunter, even his shadow can't always tell where he's headed and keep up with him. This is exactly how I always envisioned him taking a Ram on this hunt. No 450 yard shots ... but by walking in on it ... the Ram none the wiser ... until it was too-late.

He will need to re-provision (in Wheatland) in a day or two.
Said it' really hard to hunt all day long, come back, sort/dry gear, have to make dinner, clean-up, plan the next days hunt ... sleep a little .... (Repeat)

Weather is supposed to break this afternoon and be nice/clear on Friday.

He met one other (local) Ram-tag holder, who has been hunting some of the same areas as he is.
- - -

... Silver Bullet

If ya can't run with the Big-Dogs ...
write on the "Inner-net", that ya can

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At 12:30 today, I fielded the phone call that I’d been waiting over a month for ...

“RAM - DOWN ... RAM DOWN !”

The weather broke yesterday afternoon and this morning in the Laramie Bighorn Sheep unit of Wyoming, it was clear. So Chris set out much further North, planning to spend all day, sneak-hunting a long ridgeline that he had still hunted through weeks earlier ... and felt back then, it was “Ram-Heaven”.

Just before noon, while watching a small band of sheep (with a sub-par Ram) feed below him, he turned around and spotted a Ram uphill of him. It had him spotted too, so he turned on his cloaking-device and in slow motion, brought up his rifle and moved into a shooting position. The shot distance was 145 yards ... At the shot, the Ram took a few stiff legged steps, then went down amid the rocks ... struggled to get up (he could see blood on the chest) ... then it bedded, with just his head showing. He waited literally “minutes” ... for it to either stand up again or expire. It got up ... he hit it again ... The Ram then headed off, walking toward a cliff edge ... (think walking dead) ... before he had a good shot window, that piled it up.
- - -
He estimates that it’s around 7 years old ... described it as 3/4 curl, with good mass and tips that have started to flare to the outside. While he was out there hunting solo at the time (and his truck was several miles away) he said there appeared to be a driveable road, about a mile downhill of his location. He hung up, planning to go photo it, then cape it out and process the Ram.
- - -
Some will say success is simply ... “Time in the woods (er: mountains)” ...
But I truly beleive it’s the result of meticulous preparation .... combined with Consistent-Persistence.
In any case ....
Score one for DIY Ram hunters ... !
Yeeee - Haaaaawww ! ! !

. . . Silver Bullet

Friends may help you move ...
Real-Friends ... will help you pack out a Bighorn Sheep !

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Damn it man!!!We need pics!!lol
Persistence pays

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Pics, or it didn't happen. wink


Originally Posted by Mannlicher
America needs to understand that our troops are not 'disposable'. Each represents a family; Fathers, Mothers, Sons, Daughters, Cousins, Uncles, Aunts... Our Citizens are our most valuable treasure; we waste far too many.
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Sweet !! Conglads to the hunter

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Did it the right way. Well deserved. Congrats to Chris! Persistence does it for sure.

My first ram was DIY backpack hunt. Took 3 weeks off work, part without pay. Got him on my last available day. Never gave up, though feeling pretty "snakebit" by then. Had to work next day.

Great story. Thanks for keeping it going with installments.

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Jaguar: ... I know what you mean about keeping a thread going with “installments”. I always hate it, when I’m diagnosing something, by searching on the web .... You finally find a thread, and someone with the exact same symptoms you have (like a truck that cranks, but won’t start) ... they try 7 things, none of which work ... then say they will take it to a pro mechanic the next day (dealer or independent) ... and they never post the results/diagnosis .... you just never hear from them again.

In that vein ... here’s another (close to the final) “installment”.
- - -
Chris called Saturday am and we were able to talk for over 10 minutes. He was already part way up on (********) Mountain and would shortly head down solo, with his first load. The inbound access that morning, through some private property (with permission), allowed him to get much closer for the pack-out. He planned to get it all out in just 2 trips that day.

Friday night, he left for the truck at 5pm (with the head and cape) and it was 8:30pm (el-Darko), before he hit his truck (some 3.5 miles downhill along the ridge). He was afraid if he headed directly-down toward the closer "visible" road in the bottom, that he might hit a cliff or rockslide that he couldn't navigate in the dark or would have to cross private property without permission. He (somehow) forgot to mark the trucks parking spot, with a GPS waypoint that morning and when the truck never materialized, he was sooooo exhausted, that he briefly considered building a fire and spending the night in the woods (er: rocks) .... do rocks burn ? After sitting for a while, he pushed on ... (turned out he was only 400 yards above the truck).
- - -
He later left a voice mail (@ 2:30pm) Saturday, that he was strapping the second load on and was headed down on the
final trip ... said he was never so happy to ... Get Off a Mountain !
- - -
Sunday he will relax and pack-up ...
Expect no more comms till Monday,
when he needs to check the Ram in
with F/W office in Cheyenne, to be pinned.
I believe they will measure it then also.

Silver Bullet

Got “Mutton” ... ?

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Great installments of posts and congrats to a persistent hunter! Thanks for keeping us informed.


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Great that they hung in there!


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Photos? Where are the photos?

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I've seen the pics and it is a very nice ram.


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Spent the day with Chris on Saturday and got "the rest of the story". Also brought home a USB-chip with 345 (5-MB) photos from his Arizona Elk and Wyoming Ram hunts (Parts 1, 2, 3).

So here's a few that I've had a chance to downsize to the 100KB posting limit here ...
More (hunt) details to follow.

... Silver Bullet

"Get-off my Lawn " !

Attached Images
Wyo-Ram-2016-2.jpg (96.93 KB, 272 downloads)
Chris-Wyo-Ram-1-100k.jpg (82.43 KB, 233 downloads)
Ram-on-rock.jpg (78.57 KB, 200 downloads)
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This has been of my favorite threads in a long time - reminded me why I like the campfire. I found myself checking daily for updates.

That is a great ram and very deserved. Congratulations to Chris!

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Fantastic hunt and lots of hard work!
This has been great, following Chris' adventures.
Congrats to Chris!


Mark

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Anytime anyone kicks cancers azz is a good day!

~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~

Oh The Drama!
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Originally Posted by elkrazy
This has been of my favorite threads in a long time - reminded me why I like the campfire. I found myself checking daily for updates.

That is a great ram and very deserved. Congratulations to Chris!


^ this; hope springs eternal a DIY like this is the only way I'll ever be able to do this which I consider to be the PENULTIMATE NA hunting adventure!!!!

Thanks a ton for keeping at it so cool to read!

Congrats to the successful hunter what an amazing trophy!

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Picked up some more details from Chris (over a Lasagna dinner Saturday night in Troutdale) ... about the Bighorn hunt and the conditions in Wyoming. In no particular order:

When he checked the Ram in at Wyo Fish/Game on Monday ... they asked about unit/county of harvest (but not a GPS location or even a push-pin in a map). They took a couple of measurements ( L+R horn length and Base circumferences) and approximate age. Unfortunately, they did all the measurements in CM’s (vs. inches) and just scribbled it on a piece of paper. The drilling and pinning is a quick/simple process.
- - -
When the head was dropped off here (in PDX) at the Taxidermist, the guy looked it over and estimated it will go in the 160’s. Once cleaned up and dried, he has someone who will officially measure it. The guy is based in Portland and while there are not that many Bighorn Rams taken in Oregon each year, many Portland-based hunters take Rams in other states (even some of the those Casper-white Sheep from Alaska) ... so he knows his stuff across the sheep families.
- - -
The harvest date (Oct.-21) was sliding towards the typical Early November start of the Bighorns rut. As Chris snuck along, side hilling up the flanks of Bear head Mountain (<--- there, I said it) ... he cautiously peered into each new draw and constantly glassed ahead, in order to see ... before being seen. When he spotted the band of ewes feeding some 500 yards ahead and slightly below, he slipped into the rocks above them and glassed for any associated Rams. It was over 20 minutes later, that he picked out the Ram that was behind and above him ... it had its head cocked sideways and was giving him the stink-eye ... right up until the leading edge of the 180gr Speer grand Slam entered its chest (just under 3,000 FPS). He had some time to judge it, before deciding to shoot and recalled a conversation with his taxidermist, well before the hunt. “If the Ram has large bases and carries that mass well (through at least the first 2 quarters), then even if he’s broomed off and has shorter overall length, then he’s a shooter.” Also, looking at the last (of 3) photos above (Ram-on Rock), you can see that just another step or 2 and the Ram would have been doing his best impression of Wile E. Coyote .... and attempting to “Walk on Air”.

Don’t know if you can zoom-in on the photo looking down, but there are big chips/chunks missing from the leading edge of the Rams horns ... clearly he was both a "fighter" and a Lover.

Looking back, Chris felt that this Ram was not really squiring the small band of ewes below him (yet), but simply keeping track of where the band was located and making sure no other mature Ram (besides the one teenager Ram, that the ewes were already tolerating) was anywhere near them. Essentially, the Ram was on "Overwatch".
- - -
As we went through his photos, he has a picture of his Ram, taken after the first shot, with the ram bedded down above him (just head and horns visible) ... it clearly shows a tree branch in the way. You always need to know your Boolits line-of-flight ... relative to your scopes line-o-sight. He did ... and compensated, by imperceptibly moving up along the boulder he was using as a front rest ... with his folded jacket underneath the fore-end, as a soft front pad.

... Silver Bullet

“Tarzan Know .... where Tarzan go ....” <---- well, most of the time anyway

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