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Three big horn rams � all giants and one larger even than the other two � were first spotted by guide F.H �Bert� Riggall in 1917, at the end of a hunt where other rams were taken.

Rigall did not encounter the three rams again until 1920 when he was guiding two college freshmen, Meridan Bennet and Martin Bovey. Bennet got first shot per a straw-draw. After a half day wait and stalk, the rams eluded from an up-hill to a down-hill location, and still wrapped in his sling for an uphill shot, Bennet had no time to alter his now awkward sling position. He fired and missed with his first shot, and his second and third and fourth at the now running rams. As the first two disappeared, he connected on the last ram with his last cartridge at over 300 yards. It was the �smallest� of the three at 42� outside length and a 16 1/8� base circumference.

It was not until 1922 that Rigall again found the remaining two giants, and one of his hunters killed the second largest ram. It measured 43� with a base of 16 5/8�.

In September, 1924, Martin Bovey, now a college senior, again hunted with Bert Rigall. They hunted for over a week without sighting the giant they were after, and Bovey had to return for the start of school by September 15th. Rigall began to think the old ram would likely die ignomiously from a wolf or bear as effects of age would soon prevent grazing, weakening it for predators. Maybe it was already gone.

Then, on September 12th, Riggall thought he saw a horn with his 8X Zeiss binocular, high above the crest of Mt. O�Rourke in the High Rocks Mountain Range where the three had always been. After � hour, Rigall saw the horn move, and the ram started to feed down the mountain. Rigall and Bovey moved too.

Using a rifle and cartridge seen as clearly inadequate by today�s long range �hunting� crowd, and after a 7 year long fair chase, the largest of the three Rocky Mountain Big Horn rams was taken. It topped the Boone and Crockett world record book for 41 years (1924 -1965).

Hunter: Martin Bovey
Guide: F.H. �Bert� Riggall
Place: High Rock Mountain Range, near Oyster Creek, on the Alberta-British
Columbia border
Date: September 12, 1924
Score: 207 2/8 (46� outer curl and 17� circumference)
Rifle: Savage Model 99K, 250/3000 caliber, Lyman 48 peep sight and gold bead
front, 87 grain bullet
Range: 200 yards; 2 shots (both fatal hits)
[The Bovey ram was not recognized as #1 until B&C scoring was revised circ. 1951. It was ultimately displaced in 1965 by the 208 1/8 ram shot by Fred Weiller in 1911, as the Weiller ram was never scored until 1965�Fred Weiller killed his ram within 40 miles of the Bovey ram.]

*As taken from �The Three Musketeers� in A Treasury of Outdoor Life�, 1975, pp. 191-201.

A great story............little different than using a helicopter to get a full curl ram in the NWT.

Tangozulu:

I decided this story deserved re-telling in light of today's flawed, lazy, gutless, and dishonorable hunting practices.

Wouldn't it be great to have a guide like Bert Riggall, someone who got the job done regardless of the money involved...

and money is why I will never get to go sheep hunting, so this is as good as it gets for me.

Fairly large paint stroke, that may or may not be right, and there was probably more dishonorable hunting done in the old days, then many realize.


Another good read re: doing it the old way.

"Slim Moore: Alaska Master Guide" by Jim Rearden

Bert Rigall was the real deal.his daughter Doris wrote a book about their life in the mountains.I new her briefly she died about 10 tears ago.

I think there are a lot of true sheep hunters still around, not everyone uses helicopters or shoots sheep at 2000 yards..In fact most do it just like Bert did it IMO...At least the ones I send do. I don't agree with shooting animals at extended ranges like that as too many are wounded and the use of helicopters is not my cup of tea either.

I also know that most sheep are shot at under 200 yards, that one can get closer if he works at it, and I would not hesitate to hunt sheep with 99 Savage in 250-3000..I have not hunted sheep with the 250/3000, but I have shot a world of deer and a few elk with it..I did shoot a sheep with my 25-35 Win SRC, on our ranch in Mexico many years ago. Shot a bear with it also..

In Berts Days, Outfitters were mostly ranchers trying to make some pocket money. In a sence they were non-profesion. The hunters mostly wanted an adventure. I have a lot of respect for both in those days.
Todays "profesional" outfitters and "celebrity" hunters have pretty much destroyed hunting as the grand old tradition use to be conducted.I have little respect for most outfitters and none for those that only hunt private land. Most couldn't find any public land wildlife if they were chained to it. Ditto the hunters that frequent these outfits. Celeb hunters are all ego
and greed.
Just the way I feel.
Keep it fair chase, OTC on public land......and take your kids.

Hate to burst your bubble, but outfitting even in the old days usually was not an easy or inexpensive business venture and many of the clients that went on those 30day adventures were in many cases the Drs., Lawyers and Indian Chiefs of their day.

Even then the average Joe, unless he had true dedication and was willing to sacrifice or lived where the sheep lived didn't get to go.

Oh no bubbles getting busted......no doubt the guys with Outfitters has a few dollars but they also took the tirme to suffer a bit. No supercub to spot game or get you out if you didn't like the bugs. If you had a heart attack you probably died.You had to suffer a bit without the cell phone and GPS. Non guided resident hunter weren't the enemy from an outfitters pespective...........just company if you managed to meet. I see many guided hunters are out of camp the day after the ram tagged these days............don't/can't take the wheather/bugs or lack of a shower.

Perhaps you should read some of the campfire members adventures, before you make such generalizations. Some may think we are special, but I doubt it.

I know lots of sheep hunters, guess I've killed a few myself, though on my own ticket.
Few these days will mention the Jet Ranger parked in camp or care that their ram has already been located by the outfitter with his cub. It was outfitters that lobbied for the use of helicopters.......not the res hunters.

I know sheep hunts have always been expensive, I applied a few times in the mid-1980s (no tags drawn) then guide prices went straight up in the 1990s.....out of my league. And , hunting limited quota areas with a season closure anytime....NO THANKS.

Wyoming and Montana really stacked their draw for out-of-stater(me) units as every unit was limited/close anytime, and license fees were 5-6x cost of state residents.

What occupations do these sheep hunters have, anyway, to pay for this stuff? I would like to know what they do for a living? Annual incomes? Can you sponsor a survey here on their incomes??!! Ha

Lots of 'regular' guys are hunting sheep, they just have different priorities than most.

That said, I'm sure the grand slammers, as a group, have a higher than average income.

Tangozulu

If you have not read the book I mentioned-Slim Moore, etc-I think you would enjoy it.

What I would have liked to have seen would have been the 30day hunts with pretty much of what a place like Alaska has to offer. If the weather was bad, take a break and go at it another day. He often hunted off of horses and you could get a feel for the country along with the hunt.

From the read, the animals were definitely more abundant and accessible.

Things have changed no doubt.

If you have a couple sheep, done on your own, you have my congratulations.

Well I know I'm lucky to live in sheep country so it gives me more options than just writing a check. Besides the check would bounce if I had to deal with the bankers our local outfitters have become.
I was born in bighorn country, then moved to dall country and finally to sheep hunters paridise. The only jurisdiction with unlimited OTC bighorn and thinhorn sheep.
I did this before marriage, kids or a career as I had the bug pretty hard. Today I can still get a tag for 50 bucks but don't have the time to do it right so will waite till the kids are a bit older and maybe help get them a ram instead, if we still can.
Right now our outfitters are pushing hard to get residend hunters put on draw accross the board. They feel killing most of the sheep isn't good enough and want to sell even more hunts. I assure you more supply will not bring down the price. There guys just have big dollar signes in their eyes.
I guess I just hate the business that hunting has become.

I definately am up for a good sheep book. Thanks for the suggestion. They are few and far between. I certainly have no intension of dissing any of my fello hunters. I just have hunting in my soul, it sure is no hobby and wonder why my kids will not likely be able to enjoy what I was able too. Hard not to be emotional about it sometimes. My bro just send me pics today of a Bighorn his hunt partner tagged a few weeks ago in Alberta.............resident guys, just carpenters but dedicated. Sure got the blood stirring again for sure.

Can't use helicopters in Alaska for hunting. Come on up and try it as you wish it to be...

Yep,no helicopters here.

Buckeye,I live here (in sheep country)because I like to hunt.I don't hunt just because I happen to be here.I was born and raised on the east coast not in Alaska.I live a very modest lifestyle and do not make alot of money.

Bottom line,you want to sheep hunt you will find a way to do it.

Well the airplane and the Helicopter made what was a 30 or 40 day pack trip an 10 hunt now. There is nothing wrong with using these modes of transportation. In the 1917 to 1924 period, you really needed a lot of money and a lot of time in order to hunt sheep. You don't need as much time but you do need money, the good thing is that most professions will pay reasonably well enough that with a little planing it can be affordable. The problem is the demand, since there are a lot more hunters that can afford to go than in the early part of the last century. I know quite a few guys that have hunted a lot, one is a furnace mechanic, he is not a rifle horse, has the same two he bought 40 years ago and lives a very modest lifestyle, yet he has hunted all over North America and a good bit of Africa as well. Like trapper J says is spot on. The Idea that big game hunting is a poor mans sport is a lie, always has been. You pay a lot for your hunting and its not just in dollars.

Of course aircraft (fixwing)should be allowed to access areas. Too often planes are used tro locate game.Especially in Alaska. Even with a waite period this is still cheating in my book. Rams at rest may stay in an area for weeks. I work with helicpters on a dailey bases, believe me a sheep hunt is guaranteed when they are applied to the tools available for hunting.I will never condone their use and will always steer hunters away from using an NWT outfiter untill this rule is changed back.